The Anglican Cathedral Church where the Bishop of Grahamstown keeps his throne or cathedra, is built in Early English Gothic, the 13th Century architectural style revived during Queen Victoria's reign.
The Anglican Cathedral Church where the Bishop of Grahamstown keeps his throne or cathedra, is built in Early English Gothic, the 13th Century architectural style revived during Queen Victoria's reign. The building was started in 1824 and finally completed 128 years later in 1952.
The earliest real development towards a church came from a connection of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel with the British Secretary of State for War and the then Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset.
The balance of the final cost of the original 1824 Church of 440415 pounds was provided by the colonial treasury and since then a special pew, marked with the Royal Coat of Arms, has been reserved for the British Sovereign or his representative.
The first St. George's opened in 1830, a single roomed church considered large for a small frontier town. As a result of the vigorous building movement, known as the Gothic revival, the Georgian country parish church of 1830 was transformed by George Gilbert Scott into the main body of the present building including the 150ft belltower and spire by 1879.
After Sir Gilbert's death, his son, John Oldrid Scott, designed the chancel and the nave and the final additional structure, the Lady Chapel, was completed in 1952.
The lectern, the pulpit, the rood screen and the organ are of particular interest, as are the many memorial tablets which tell of the history of Grahamstown as a frontier post.
The belfry houses the heaviest and first full ring of 8 bells on the African continent. They were cast in London in 1878 and include the metal from the three bells that hung in the original tower.
