Historic Images of Sydney's Catholic Cathedrals : 6

We continue our series of historic photographs commemorating the bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral (1821-2021).

In our previous articles, we posted photographs illustrating the earliest stages of the construction of the present Saint Mary's Cathedral :

1871 

1882

1883

1886

1887

The photograph posted above was taken after work was completed on the next phase of building the Cathedral, continuing from where construction was brought to a close in 1885.   Only two years elapsed before a further contract was entered into, which was carried out between 1887 and 1889 and consisted of constructing the upper sections of the side walls (known as the clerestory), the accompanying flying buttresses and finally by the construction of the roof of the sanctuary, from the Northern gable to the Crossing.  The new roof was finished in slate.

The photograph was probably taken in the year 1890 from a vantage point on the Hotel Australia, which has long since ceased to exist. 

The lofty stone wall of the completed Northern facade can be seen on the left, with the new clerestory walls, flying buttresses and slate roof structures beyond it.  The central tower and roof of the transepts are notably absent.  The new building dwarfs the remnant of old Saint Mary's seen next to it on the right.  The tower and spire in the foreground is of the Anglican church of Saint James, in King Street.

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Digital art by the Saint Bede Studio.

AMDG

NOTES

The photographs in this series are taken from a variety of sources, some in online Archival collections, some from books, some original images in the editor's collection.  They are presented here in a "modernised" digital form, and with as much detail of the structure of the Cathedrals enhanced in order to make them more accessible to a new generation of Australian Catholics.  The original image on which this digital rendering is based is held in the Special Collections of the State Library of NSW.  Please do not reproduce these unique images without permission.