St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne

St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne

Anglican, arch, architect, architecture, blind tracery, cathedral, church, church building, Church of England, Diocese of Melbourne, gothic architecture, gothic revival, John Barr, Joseph Reed (1823-1890), lancet arch, lancet window, masonry, neo-gothic, sandstone, spire, tiling, tower, tracery, tympanum, VIC, Victoria, Victorian Gothic, William Butterfield (1814-1900), window

An image of St Paul’s Cathedral, located at the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in central Melbourne. St Paul’s is the official Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. It was built in a Victorian Gothic style to the design of prominent English architect William Butterfield. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and the Cathedral was consecrated just over a decade later when the initial stage of the building was completed in 1891. Butterfield oversaw the building remotely until 1884, when he resigned following disputes with the Church authorities in Melbourne. The remainder of the construction was supervised by well-known local architect Joseph Reed. Construction of the Cathedral’s three towers and distinctive neo-gothic spires began in 1926. They were designed by Sydney architect John Barr, and are not in keeping with Butterfield’s more modest original plans. Other distinctive architectural features of St Paul’s include its multiple lancet windows, decorative blind tracery, chequered tiling on the wall above the entrance and elaborate stained glass processional doors inside the entrance doorway.

The cathedral interior is notable for its horizontally striped pattern, which is based on a design from thirteenth century Siena Cathedral.

McEwan, Joanne

30 November 2011

No Copyright

Digital Photograph; JPEG

Digital Photograph; JPEG