A distinguished English architect, William Butterfield, designed the cathedral, in the architectural style of Gothic transitional. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and, on 22 January 1891, the cathedral was consecrated. St Paul's replaced St James Old Cathedral which then stood on the corner of William Street and Collins Street - later moved to a site near the Flagstaff Gardens. To fit the block, the cathedral building is orientated NNW.
The erection of the spires began in 1926, to the design of John Barr of Sydney instead of Butterfield's original design. The 1960s saw extensive work completed to the exterior of the cathedral and the T.C. Lewis organ was restored in 1989 by a major National Trust appeal. Major restoration works were completed in 2009 with significant repairs to the spires, the building of the Moorhouse Tower Lantern and the new processional doors.
This post is part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme
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| View towards the South from Melbourne City Square, all decorated for Christmas |
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| View towards the North from Federation Square |
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| View towards the Northeast from the Flinders St Station |
gorgeous church. so lovely. i love Christmas - so it is so fun to see all the decor at this time.
ReplyDeletei (Beth, E. Lizard Breath Speaks) (Sally & I are the hosts from "Inspired Sunday") thank you for linking up with us at InSPIREd Sunday. what an amazing area. ( :
As always, «Louis» appreciates the detailed descriptions you include in your posts, Nick. It shows the seriousness with which you take blogging - and it is most informative to readers who take it in. It helps your readers feel more as if they are connected to the subject of the post.
ReplyDelete«Louis» posted this Episcopal (Anglican) church in the Victorian village of Ferndale, California.
Lovely festive photos! Very interesting that the steeple was added later - just like the church I've blogged about today!
ReplyDeleteLiz
What a beautiful Anglican church. I love how it looks to be almost in city centre. The old red brick is so pretty. Bet it is beautiful inside, too.
ReplyDeleteThe church looks out of place in the city
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the spires were added later. Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing them. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI like the contrast between old and new
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ReplyDeleteJust stumbled here while I was reading more on St. Paul's and what a lovely find! Your pictures! When I was there, the weather was kind of harsh and hence all that part around Fed Sq. was empty. But in your's, it looks so colorful. Thank you so much for sharing these, totally enjoyed the pictures. I have blogged about my experience too, please drop by whenever you can find some time. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul's cathedral in Melbourne: A Lesson in humanity