Melbourne, VIC - St Paul's Anglican Cathedral

Year Built: 1880

Denomination: Anglican

Saint: Paul

Address: Corner Flinders & Swanston Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000

Architect: William Butterfield

Traditional Owners: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung & Bunurong Boon Wurrung people

Last Updated: 05/12/2023

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History and Architecture:

St Paul's Cathedral is built on the site where the first public Christian services in Melbourne were led by Dr Alexander Thomson in 1836. Built in the Gothic Polychrome style, being partly early English and partly decorated.

The cathedral was built between 1880 and 1891 and was designed by English Architect William Butterfield. He resigned from the project briefly in 1882 and finally in 1884, and the building was completed under the supervision of Joseph Reed, who designed many of Melbourne's public buildings. Consequently the design of the spires differs greatly from those originally planned. The Cathedral was consecrated on 22 January 1891, but the building of the spires did not begin until 1926.

The three towers and spire were completed in 1933 to a design by Sydney Architect John Barr.

Clergy:

These names are now in the Database and can be searched individually.

Years Name Annotation D.o.B D.o.D
1852 - 1894 Rev Hussey Burgh Macartney
1894 - 1910 Rev George Oakley Vance
1910 - 1914 Rev Reginald Stephen
1914 - 1919 Rev Charles John Godby 1850 1919
1919 - 1927 Rev John Stephen Hart 1866 1952
1927 - 1932 Rev George Ellis Aickin 1869 1937
1934 - 1941 Rev Frederick Waldegrave Head
1942 - 1947 Rev Henry Thomas Langley
1947 - 1953 Rev Alfred Roscoe Wilson 1882 1964
1953 - 1962 Rev Stuart Barton Babbage
1962 - 1984 Rev Tom William Thomas 1914 1999
1985 - 1999 Rev James Alexander Grant
1999 - 2008 Rev David John Leyburn Richardson
2009 - Rev Mark Gregory Burton
2019 - Very Rev Dr Andreas Loewe FRHistS OStJ

Organ:

The organ was built by T C Lewis and Co of Brixton, England in 1890, and over £6,000 were spent on its construction, shipping and installation before it was played at the Cathedral's opening in 1891. After a restoration in 1929 by Hill Norman and Beard another major restoration took place in 1989 - 1990. The organ now has four manuals with 44 stops and pedals with nine stops, all with electro-pneumatic action. It's housed in the Cathedral's South Transept.