Historic Images of Sydney's Catholic Cathedrals : 23

Saint Mary's Cathedral circa 1921.
Image : State Library of NSW

We continue our series of historic photographs commemorating the bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral (1821-2021) with this photograph taken a century ago, 1921-22.

This photograph, taken in Hyde Park and looking south-east, is the first image in this series to illustrate the construction of the enlargement of the Cathedral between 1914 and 1928.  On the middle-ground at right are seen the walls of the new nave, still at an early stage of construction.  After some years working on the foundations and interrupted by the hard years of the Great War (when even skilled workers were in short supply), the walls of the Cathedral enlargement finally began to be visible circa 1920.  Work progressed steadily after that time.

In order to depict what is in the photograph more clearly, an enlarged section of the image is also included, which shews scaffolding, mounds of stone and rubble and enormous cranes.

Detail of the photograph above shewing the unfinished
walls of the Cathedral, circa 1921.
Image : State Library of NSW

In our previous articles, we posted photographs illustrating the stages of the construction of the present Saint Mary's Cathedral, to be found at the following links :

1871              1882             1883             1886

1887              1890             1892             1895

1896               1901             1902            1905

1907               1910            1912             1914             

1915               1917

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

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 by the State Library of NSW.  Thanks are due to Special Collections of the State Library for undertaking a search to locate this and other rare images.  Please do not reproduce these unique images without permission.