St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide
Encyclopedia
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n capital of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. It is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Adelaide
Anglican Diocese of Adelaide
The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide is based in Adelaide, South Australia. The diocese is a part of the Province of South Australia of the Anglican Church of Australia and a part of the Anglican Communion. The current Archbishop of Adelaide is the Most Reverend Jeffrey Driver.-List of Bishops and...
. The cathedral is situated on approximately one acre (4,000 m²) of land at the corner of Pennington Terrace and King William Road
King William Street, Adelaide
King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the CBD and centre of Adelaide . It was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after King William IV, the then reigning monarch, who died within a month...
in the suburb of North Adelaide
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...
.
The south face has similar features to the Cathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, including an ornate rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
above the main entrance which depicts stories of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The Cathedral is open from 9.30am until 4.00pm daily for private prayer, and free tours are conducted on Sundays at 2.30pm.
Foundation and construction
Anglican Diocese of Adelaide
The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide is based in Adelaide, South Australia. The diocese is a part of the Province of South Australia of the Anglican Church of Australia and a part of the Anglican Communion. The current Archbishop of Adelaide is the Most Reverend Jeffrey Driver.-List of Bishops and...
was constituted in June 1847. As there was no cathedral, Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church on North Terrace, in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. In terms of weekly attendance, Trinity is the largest Anglican church in South Australia, with 5 services on the North Terrace location each Sunday, 5 Sunday services in four church plants and...
on North Terrace was denoted as the pro tempore
Pro tempore
Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
Cathedral Church. Augustus Short
Augustus Short
Augustus Short , was the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide, South Australia.- Early life and career :Born at Bickham House, near Exeter, Devon, England, the third son of Charles Short, a London barrister, offspring of an old English county family, and his wife Grace, daughter of Humphrey Millett...
, first Bishop of Adelaide, held the first ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
s there on Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
's feast day
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June...
(29 June) in 1848. When Adelaide was surveyed, by Colonel William Light over a decade before, land in Victoria Square
Victoria Square, Adelaide
Victoria Square is a public square in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The square is in the centre of the city's grid of one square mile, and was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after Princess Victoria, heir presumptive of the British throne. Less than a month later the...
had been set aside for public use. Bishop Short obtained a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
in the square from Governor Robe
Frederick Robe
Major-General Frederick Holt Robe CB was the fourth Governor of South Australia, from 25 October 1845 to 2 August 1848....
in March 1848; the grant was registered on 23 April 1851. By late 1849 a subscription was bringing in funds for construction of a cathedral on the now cleared site. Around this time the legality of the land grant began to be publicly questioned. It was argued that the area was a public reserve
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
and the governor had no power to issue such grants. To resolve matters Bishop Short, supported by the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, took the matter to the Supreme court
Supreme Court of South Australia
The Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court for the Australian State of South Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court...
. The judgment in June 1855 confirmed that the grant was invalid and construction could not proceed.
Bishop Short purchased just over an acre of land, at the corner of King William Road and Pennington Terrace North Adelaide, on 8 August 1862. He reported in 1868 that the funds gathered were sufficient and announced to the Diocese's Synod of his decision to begin construction of a cathedral. Bishop Short had William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
design the cathedral though the long communication gap between England and Adelaide contributed to delays and disagreement. Butterfield's plans were purchased and given to Edward John Woods, of Adelaide architectural firm Wright, Woods and Hamilton, for completion. Woods changed some of the plans' materials and design, while keeping the general details as Butterfield had proposed. Woods was noted by his colleague Walter Bagot
Walter Bagot (architect)
Walter Hervey Bagot was a South Australian architect. He was one of the last great proponents of the traditional school of South Australian architecture, and remained unconvinced by Modernism...
as strongly influenced by French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was a French architect and theorist, famous for his interpretive "restorations" of medieval buildings. Born in Paris, he was a major Gothic Revival architect.-Early years:...
, and had imbued a French Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
character in many elements of its design. Bishop Short laid the foundation stone, a 13 long hundredweight (0.66043049072 t) block from Glen Ewin Quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
, on St Peter's Day 1869 in front of over a thousand people. Messrs Brown and Thompson contracted for the building work, which progressed slowly. The first service was held on St Peter's day 1876, though the building was incomplete, and Synod meetings and regular services began in May 1877.
The ladies of the Diocese had raised £1,200
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
to purchase an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
that was installed in 1877. The first part of the cathedral was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on 1 January 1878. By the time Bishop Short retired in late 1881, £18,000 received from many donors had been spent. Much of the furnishing was also donated including stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows, a marble font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
's tessellated
Tessellation
A tessellation or tiling of the plane is a pattern of plane figures that fills the plane with no overlaps and no gaps. One may also speak of tessellations of parts of the plane or of other surfaces. Generalizations to higher dimensions are also possible. Tessellations frequently appeared in the art...
pavement and an altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
. Work began again in 1890 during the tenure of Bishop George Wyndham Kennion
George Wyndham Kennion
George Wyndham Kennion , Anglican bishop of Adelaide and Bath and Wells.George Wyndham Kennion, the son of George Kennion and Catherine, daughter of J.F. Fordyce, was born at Harrogate, England, on 5 September 1845. He was educated at Eton College and Oriel College, Oxford University, where he...
. Governor the Earl of Kintore
Algernon Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore
Algernon Hawkins Thogond Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore PC, GCMG, was a British politician and colonial governor.-Biography:...
laid a foundation stone, 1.5 long tons (1.5 t) of Monarto
Monarto, South Australia
Monarto is a region and formerly proposed city in South Australia. It is north of the South Eastern Freeway between the Callington and Murray Bridge exits 63 km from Adelaide....
South granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, on 27 September. The ceremony included Masonic Honors as the Governor was Grand Master
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of the South Australian Freemasons. The congregation raised funds and Woods was again contracted as architect. Over £10,000 was spent beginning the towers and the western part of the nave, and completing the northern porch. Building work ceased in 1894 when funds were exhausted and did not resume for some years.
A £4000 bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
came from Sir Thomas Elder
Thomas Elder
Sir Thomas Elder GCMG was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder and public figure...
in 1897, this and other smaller amounts from offerings and gifts were added to the building fund. A tender was awarded in 1899 to complete the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and bring the towers to roof height. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge donated £1000, conditional on completion of work by 1902, and in 1900 Robert Barr Smith
Robert Barr Smith
Robert Barr Smith was an Australian businessman and philanthropist.Smith was born at Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the son of the Rev...
donated £10,000 to enable completion of the towers, spires and creation of an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
at the chancel end. The Duke
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
and Duchess
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. The title is gained with marriage alone and is forfeited upon divorce. Four of the twelve Dukes of York did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, therefore there have only ever been eleven...
of York (later King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
) were present when the nave was consecrated and a Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
memorial unveiled on 14 July 1901. A dedication ceremony for the towers and spires was held on 7 December 1902, and the last scaffolding
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes or tubes, although it can be from other materials...
removed two months later. The south porch and some temporary vestries
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
were subsequently built. A consecration ceremony was held on 7 April 1904; this marked completion of the cathedral's external structure. Records show that the work from the 1890s to date had cost somewhat over £25,000. A reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
—a decorative structure behind the altar—was installed in 1904. It was finished considerably later and dedicated on 6 March 1910 by Adelaide's Bishop Arthur Nutter Thomas
Arthur Nutter Thomas
Arthur Nutter Thomas was the Anglican Bishop of Adelaide, South Australia from 1906 to 1940.Thomas was educated at Pembroke College of the University of Cambridge in England and was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1893, a masters degree in 1895 and a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1906...
. This structure was built at St Sidwells
St Sidwells
St Sidwells is an area east of Exeter city centre in the ward of Newtown. Formerly a village in its own right, St Sidwells grew in importance along with Exeter thanks to its location on the main cart track between Exeter and the high ground of Stoke Hill and the rich farmland of East Devon.The...
in England to a design by J. H. Lyon.
Structure
The Cathedral's interior is 203 feet (62 m) long of which Lady Chapel occupies 30 feet (9 m) and the nave and chancel the remainder. The nave is 59 feet (18 m) wide and, at the top of the spire's crosses, the cathedral rises 168 feet (51.2 m) from ground level. Hammer dressed Tea Tree Gully sandstone—from what is now Anstey Hill Recreation ParkAnstey Hill Recreation Park
Anstey Hill Recreation Park is a public park approximately northeast of Adelaide, South Australia. It is managed by the City of Tea Tree Gully, the Department for Environment and Heritage and a volunteer group—The Friends of Anstey Hill. The park is designed for recreational walking and there are...
— was used in the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, choir, transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s and part of the nave. Stone used for the quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
is lighter in colour and came from the same area as that used in the Adelaide Town Hall
Adelaide Town Hall
Adelaide Town Hall is a landmark building on King William Street in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.-Description and history:Adelaide Town Hall was designed by Edmund Wright and Edward Woods, with construction commencing in 1863 and completed in 1866...
. The buildings base and some of the interior uses stone from Glen Osmond in the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
. Other parts of the cathedral use stone from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
and Murray Bridge
Murray Bridge, South Australia
Murray Bridge is the fourth most populous city in South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Whyalla. It is located east-southeast of Adelaide and north of Meningie....
.
The Reredos, behind the main altar, contains 23 coloured and gilded panels, carved figures and is 34 feet (10.4 m) high. The cathedral has significant, fine-quality stained glass windows. James Powell and Sons
James Powell and Sons
The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers...
made three that were unveiled in the Lady Chapel in November 1900. The Southern transept window is the largest stained glass window in the Cathedral and was dedicated in August 1926. A window representing Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican,...
, patron saint of church music, was unveiled in 1876 in the pulpit side of the chancel, though by 1969 it was ironically concealed by the organ. Windows elsewhere were funded and influenced by bequests. Amongst these Charles Beaumont Howard
Charles Beaumont Howard
Charles Beaumont Howard was a colonial clergyman in South Australia.Howard was born in St Peter's Parish, Dublin, Ireland, the son of William Howard, a lieutenant in the Dublin City Corps of the Liberty Rangers. Howard graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with an M.A. in 1836.Howard was ordained...
's memory is commemorated by a window in the chancel, Sir Anthony Musgrave
Anthony Musgrave
Sir Anthony Musgrave KCMG was a colonial administrator and governor. He was born at St John’s, Antigua, the third of 11 children of Anthony Musgrave and Mary Harris Sheriff...
's daughter Joyce Harriet by one in the sacristy and churchman Richard Bowen Colley by another window in the chancel.
In the western tower is the cathedral's ring of eight bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
, hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. Their purchase was funded by a bequest from cathedral warden Frederick Allen Wakeman. They were cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
England in 1946 and dedicated on 29 June 1947. With the tenor (largest) bell weighing over 40 long hundredweights (2 t) they are the heaviest ring of bells in the Southern Hemisphere, and the second heaviest ring of eight in the world after Sherborne Abbey
Sherborne Abbey
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin at Sherborne in the English county of Dorset, is usually called Sherborne Abbey. It has been a Saxon cathedral , a Benedictine abbey and is now a parish church.- Cathedral :...
in England.
The cathedral's original organ was built in London, installed in 1877 and dedicated on 1 January 1878. It was used for over fifty years before relocation in 1930 to St Augustine's Church in Unley, South Australia
Unley, South Australia
Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The relatively wealthy area lies within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club, an SANFL team...
. The current organ was built by William Hill & Son and Norman and Beard Ltd of Melbourne and London and was dedicated on 29 July 1929. It has an electro-pneumatic action, four manuals and fifty speaking stops, featuring 26 couplers. It remains largely unaltered, though two minor tonal additions were made in 1989, the addition of a Mixture on the Great and the 32' Contra Trombone.