St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral is 247 feet in length, 81 feet in width and 114 feet at transept. The flagstaff rises to a height of 175 feet above ground level. The St. Paul’s Cathedral took eight years to be built and was finally consecrated by Bishop Wilson on 8th October 1847. The cathedral’s tower is modeled on the “Bell Harry” tower of Canterbury Cathedral and the cathedral overall resembled England’s Norwich Cathedral with three Gothic stained glass windows and two frescoes in Florentine Renaissance style. You would also find a library above the western porch with a modest collection of Bishop Wilson’s collection and a marble bust of the Bishop. There are several sculptures and memorials like the “Episcopal Throne” and an ornamented wall – Reredo, carved with incidents from the life of St. Paul.
Church Architecture
The nave of the cathedral is very long at 247 feet (75 m), and its width is 81 feet (25 m). The nave is fitted with well-crafted wooden pews and chairs. The central spire rises to a height of 201 feet (61 m), and the tower on which it stands is square in shape. The tower was fitted with five clocks, each of which weighed about three tons. The stained glass windows on the western side were the creation of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a pre-Raphaelite master, which were fitted in half-sunk arches; these were designed in 1880 in memory of Lord Mayo who was assassinated in the Andaman Islands. The roof of the cathedral is in the shape of a "shallow curve" arching over iron trusses decorated with "Gothic tracery" (it was the largest span when built). The hall of the cathedral is built spaciously without any aisles on its flanks.
The cathedral's interior has a display of many plastic art forms and memorabilia. There is an "episcopal throne" on the southern flank of the altar and a decorative reredo or wall on its back side dated to 1879; it has carvings of episodes related to the life of St. Paul, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi, and the Flight into Egypt, all the work of Sir Arthur Blomfield. The eastern wall in the cathedral has paintings of the life of St. Paul, painted by Blomfield in 1886. Also notable is the font, with its sculpture of Bishop Heber in a kneeling posture.The cathedral's organ, with 41 stops, made by Joseph Willis and Sons of London, is still in use.
