Sydney's Catholic Cathedrals Stages of development : 2

Figure 1 : Elevation of old S' Mary's Cathedral and other buildings 1843.

As part of our commemoration of the Bicentenary of the foundation of Saint Mary's Cathedral, we are pleased to present a short series of plans and elevations which depict the stages of construction on the Cathedral precinct from 1821 - 1928.

The elevation shewn above and the plan below illustrate the buildings which were completed by the end of 1843.  They are shewn in juxtaposition with an outline of the present Saint Mary's Cathedral. On the right is the Gothick structure of old Saint Mary's Cathedral and in the middle, the group of buildings in the colonial style which comprised the Benedictine Monastery and the residence of the Archbishop.  Shewn on the left is the small bell-tower of the Cathedral, completed in December 1843.

Figure 2 : Section of an early photograph 1858-59
 looking south-east from Hyde Park.
Image : The Sydney Museum.

In the last quarter of 1843, and in expectation of the imminent arrival from England of a peal of bells, a campanile was constructed at the northern end of the Church property.  It was a great distance away from Saint Mary's itself and was built further forward on the property, abutting College Street.  The campanile was unprepossessing in appearance, square in shape and built from timber and stone, with a timber shingle roof.  Its great claim to fame was that it is thought to have been designed by the famed English architect of the Gothic Revival, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, under commission from Archbishop Polding.  Its second claim to fame is that housed the FIRST peal of bells to be installed anywhere in Australia.

Figure 3 : Groundplan of old S' Mary's Cathedral
and other buildings 1843.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

NOTES

The elevation of the present Saint Mary's Cathedral, included in this and future posts, has been used with the kind permission of the artist Simon Fieldhouse.

In the preparation of this plan and elevation, a large number of extant illustrations and ground-plans were used in order to depict the buildings in their correct position and to scale.  Although this has not guaranteed 100% accuracy, it is as accurate as we have been able to assess.  Some of the ground-plans present discrepancies and contradictions respecting the position of buildings which have long-since ceased to exist.  One means of assessing correct locations is the surviving stone remnant wall of Old Saint Mary's, located on the far-side of the present Cathedral

The first Saint Mary's Cathedral, as completed by 1835, stood somewhat back from what was later to become College Street.  Its principal facade faced Hyde Park, but was slightly off the East-to-West axis.

The other buildings were set even farther back on the Church land, on ground which sloped downward, so that they were only partly visible looking across from Hyde Park. 

AMDG