St Andrew’s Cathedral 101 Tour: A Beacon of Hope in the Heart of the City

Early History Of St Andrew's Cathedral

First St Andrew's Cathedral

Sir Stamford chose the current site of St. Andrew's Cathedral as far back as 1823 when he drew up the Raffles Town Plan (Jackson Plan), and it was then known as the Church of St. Andrew's. The church was named after the patron saint of Scotland due to the funds raised from the local Scottish community. Before the church's construction, the Christians held their worship in a wood-and-attap chapel of the London Missionary Society at the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road.

George D. Coleman, who had earlier successfully designed the Armenian Church, was appointed to draw up the cathedral's design. The foundation stone of the original church was laid by Bishop of Calcutta Daniel Wilson on 9 Nov 1835.

Construction began, and the Neoclassical church was completed in 1837. Upon completion, the first church service was held on 18 Jun 1837 and was conducted by its first chaplain, Reverend Edmund White. The building was subsequently consecrated on 10 Sept 1838 by Bishop Daniel Wilson.

The neo-classical design was unpopular as it looked like a town hall, college or assembly room. Governor Surveyor John T. Thomson ordered a spire to be added in 1842.

No lightning conductor was installed, and the spire was struck twice by lightning in 1845 and 1849 (who said lightning never strikes (the same place) twice?).

Donation Of Revere Bell To St Andrew's Cathedral

In 1843, Mrs Maria Revere Balestier, the wife of the American Consul Joseph Balestier, donated a Revere Bell to the church. It measures 81 cm in height and 89 cm in diameter, with a clapper beneath it.

The bell was given to the church under some interesting conditions: it would be rung for five minutes every night, immediately after firing the 8 pm gun to announce the start of curfew hours. This was a warning to remind sailors to return to their ships and residents to be vigilant, as Singapore was not very safe then. The ringing continued until the church was demolished in 1855. It started again when the new church was built before the practice was discontinued in 1874.

The Revere Copper Company cast the bell in the Revere Foundry in Boston, Massachusetts. Revere Bells are renowned for producing church bells with clear mellow tones, and the company was founded by Maria Revere Balestier's father, Paul Revere, an American patriot.

On the bell are the words inscribed to attribute the donation by Maria Revere Balestier: "Revere Boston 1843. Presented to St Andrew's Church, Singapore, by Mrs Maria Revere Balestier of Boston, United States of America"

Soon the church fell into a state of disrepair and was declared unsafe. It was closed in 1852 and eventually demolished in 1855.

St Andrew's Cathedral After Reconstruction

Plans were made to rebuild the cathedral again after William Butterworth, the Governor of the Straits Settlements, initiated it. Colonel Ronald MacPherson, the Executive Superintendent of convicts, was appointed to lead the design. The entire process restarted with the foundation stone being laid again on 4 Mar 1856 by the Right Reverend Daniel Wilson.

Macpherson simplified his design for the new church so that the Indian convicts who would build it could easily understand it. He also wanted the church to represent the British presence in Singapore and symbolise Christianity in the East. Unlike the previous designer, Macpherson chose the neo-Gothic style, famous for cathedrals in the mid-19th century.

The building features chunam plaster which the Indians used widely. This mixture is made from shell lime, egg white, coarse sugar, water and coconut husks. After drying, the plastered walls and columns were polished with rock crystal or rounded stones and dusted with fine soapstone powder. This made the building smooth and glossy surface.

Whilst the new cathedral was being built, worshippers returned to the wood-and-attap chapel for their worshipping activities.

The building was finally completed after five years, in 1861, by Major John F. A. McNair, John Bennett and W. D. Bayliss after Macpherson had been transferred to Malacca. The church had its first service on 1 Oct 1861.

The Right Reverend George E. L. Cotton (who had succeeded Bishop Wilson) consecrated the church on 25 Jan 1862. It attained its status as a Cathedral Church of the United Diocese in 1870 by Archdeacon John Alleyne Beckles and has been subsequently referred to as St Andrew's Cathedral.

St Andrew's Cathedral During World War 2

During World War II, St Andrew's Cathedral witnessed a tumultuous period like the rest of the local population. As the oldest Anglican house of worship in Singapore, the cathedral bore witness to the ravages of war. Days before the Japanese occupied Singapore, the cathedral was transformed into a hospital by the Australian Field Ambulances to tend to the wounded. The furnishings in the nave and aisles were emptied so doctors and orderlies could attend to the injured.

When the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Singapore on 15 Feb 1942 after Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival signed the surrender papers, the city endured intense bombings and fierce fighting. As the conflict raged on, St. Andrew's Cathedral, with its prominent location in the city's heart, did not escape unscathed. The cathedral suffered damage from bombings and artillery fire, leaving parts of its once majestic structure in ruins.

Outstanding People From St Andrew's Cathedral During World War 2

Many outstanding individuals contributed to lifting the spirit of fellow citizens and St Andrew's Cathedral members during World World 2.

Bishop John Leonard Wilson

Bishop John Leonard Wilson was the bishop of St Andrew's Cathedral when the Japanese occupied Singapore. He had just been consecrated in Hong Kong months before the fall of Singapore at 44. When the Japanese started to pound Singapore, he sent his family back to Australia while he chose to stay behind.

In 1943, he was interned in Changi Prison with other clergies and was falsely accused of spying. As a result, he was often abused and tortured, and his legs were permanently damaged. But Bishop Wilson did not blame his captives and even forgave them.

Andrew Tokuji Okawa

Okawa served as the Director of Education and Officer-in-charge of Religious Affairs for the Japanese from Feb 1942 to May 1943. Before the war, he had studied at the University of Pennsylvania. The Brotherhood of St Andrew sponsored him. He later joined the Brotherhood International Council in Japan and was a member of Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Anglican Church of Japan.

Upon arriving in Singapore, he ordered that no military activities be carried out in places of worship. His other acts included restoring St Andrew's Cathedral, repairing its organ, and securing the release of the clergy members from Changi Prison.

Graham White

Graham White served as the archdeacon of Singapore from 1931 to 1945. During the Japanese occupation, White had the opportunity to leave Changi Prison. Instead, he chose to remain there due to his poor health and let a younger man go in his stead. In his time in Changi Prison, White and his wife Georgina raised the morale of interned civilians and prisoners-of-war (POWs). Besides preaching, White also conducted classes for Confirmation candidates, prospective ordinance and Bible study groups. Unfortunately, White and Georgina did not survive the internship, and he passed away at 61.

White's other notable work included establishing St Paul's Church in Upper Serangoon and St Hilda's Church in Katong in the 1930s.

Elizabeth Choy

Elizabeth Choy Information Board

Singapore war heroine Elizabeth Choy was also closely associated with St. Andrew's Cathedral. Choy and her husband, Choy Khun Heng, whom she married in Aug 1941, took significant risks at the expense of their safety to help POWs in Changi Prison. The Choys operated a canteen out of Mental Hospital (today's Institute of Mental Health), secretly bringing food, medicine, money, messages and even radios to the British internees. Unfortunately, they were caught and suspected of being involved in the Double Tenth Incident. She was imprisoned for 193 days, repeatedly starved and tortured. Throughout the period, Elizabeth sang worship songs to keep up the spirits of her fellow prisoners.

Architectural Design And Layout Of St Andrew's Cathedral

St Andrew's Cathedral is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival architecture in Singapore. Ronald MacPherson, an executive engineer and superintendent of the Public Works Department, designed it, which was completed in 1861. The Cathedral is built as a cross, with a nave, Chancel, and two transepts. The exterior is made of sandstone, and the interior is finished with Madras chunam, a plaster that gives the Cathedral a warm and inviting glow.

The Cathedral's structure is 68.58 m long and 35.5 m wide and consists of a nave with north and south aisles. The North  Transept was added in 1952, while the South Transept was added in 1983. Initially, these transepts were built as porches for carriages, but they have been extended to provide halls, meeting rooms and office space.

The most striking feature of the Cathedral is its spire, which is 224 feet tall. The spire is made of wrought iron and is topped with a cross. The spire is said to be the tallest point in Singapore for many years after it was built.

Stained-Glass Windows Of St. Andrew's Cathedral

The Cathedral has two floors, with aisle arcades and clerestory windows that allow natural light to illuminate the interior. The sanctuary holds a tall altar with a Nativity of Jesus altarpiece featuring Saint Peter and Saint Andrew on either side.

It has many stained-glass windows depicting Bible scenes. The stained-glass windows were made in England and France and installed in the Cathedral in the late 19th century. Three stained glass windows at the apse are dedicated to three figures who played crucial roles in the development of Singapore. The window at the centre is dedicated to Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. The windows on the left to John Crawfurd, the first major Resident of Singapore, and the windows on the right to Major General William Butterworth, the Governor who initiated the construction of the second church building. However, the original stained-glass windows were damaged during the Second World War.

Interior Of St Andrew's Cathedral

Sir Cecil C. Smith, the previous Governor of the Straits Settlements, gifted the wooden pulpit in the church. Skilled artisans from Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) carved and crafted it. A cross hangs behind the pulpit, fashioned from nails taken from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in England. This Cathedral was bombed and destroyed during the Second World War in 1940.

The nave walls are adorned with memorial plaques in honour of the congregation's former members, including military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice during both World Wars.

Grounds Of St Andrew's Cathedral

There is a window at the entrance of the Cathedral that was built in memory of its designer and architect, MacPherson. Additionally, a monument is dedicated to him in grey and red granite on the church grounds, surmounted by a Maltese cross on the grounds. The gallery at the West end was not part of MacPherson's plan but was added after the Cathedral opened. It has the only decorated elements in the church, with foliated pillars, pilasters, and crocketed arches.

Tablets on the north wall and one of the pillars on the left aisle were placed there to commemorate the victims of the 1915 sepoy mutiny in Singapore.

The War Memorial Wing is a section of the Cathedral dedicated to the service members who died in World War II. This area was opened in 1952 by General Sir Gerald Templer, the High Commissioner to Malaya, and Malcolm MacDonald, the Commissioner General in Southeast Asia. Within this wing is a plaque listing the names of the fallen Malayan Civil Service (MCS) members.

Removal Of The Revere Bell From St Andrew's Cathedral

Original Revere Bell

In 1889, a peal of bells named St Matthew, St James, St John, St Paul, St Peter, St Thomas, St Bartholomew and St Andrew were presented to the Cathedral by the family of J. S. H. Fraser. The Revere Bell was removed and placed in a Public Works Department store in Kandang Kerbau. It was subsequently damaged after it was loaned out.

The cracked bell came to the attention of the authorities at the Raffles Museum (later known as the National Museum). Archdeacon Graham White donated the bell to the museum, where it was cleaned and burnished. The bell was then placed near the museum entrance. It is now displayed at the National Museum of Singapore, Singapore History Gallery.

Pipe Organ In the Nave Of St Andrew's Cathedral

The pipe organ has steadily evolved since the early days of the church when it had only a 3-stop barrel organ with around 120 pipes. Today it boasts a combination of organs from different periods and materials: metal and wood pipes. They are controlled from a four manual+pedal console located in the Chancel but digitally connected to speak from speakers and pipes located in the West Gallery and South Vestry.

Quiet Places Project By St Andrew's Cathedral

Cathedral New Sanctuary

The Quiet Places Project was initiated in 2003 to build an extension to St Andrew's Cathedral to accommodate a growing congregation. The wing, Cathedral New Sanctuary, had to be constructed mainly underground because the existing building and its grounds are gazetted and cannot be modified.

Local archaeologists were allowed to dig in the area before construction began in May 2004 to look for possible artefacts.

The extension was completed in November 2005, including a worship hall with seats for 800 people, a prayer hall, a chapel, and a visitors' centre.

St Andrew's Cathedral Service and Events

St. Andrew's Cathedral offers weekend services, including Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, and Myanmese. Additionally, the Cathedral holds numerous events throughout the year, and guests are welcome to attend.

St Andrew's Cathedral Nave Restoration Project

Nave Restoration Project

In Jan 2022, a significant restoration project was started at St. Andrew's Cathedral to restore the Cathedral Nave. The project involves covering the plaster and painting both the external and internal walls of the main building and transepts, as well as conducting various repairs and electrical works. Some locations are off-limited to the public.

Places Of Interest Near St Andrew's Cathedral

St. Andrew's Cathedral is situated at the heart of the city and is surrounded by many historical places of interest. After visiting the cathedral, you may want to explore these nearby attractions.

Next to St Andrew's Cathedral is The Padang, where Sir Stamford Raffles negotiated with local rulers to establish a trading post. And right in front of The Padang is the National Gallery Singapore, which boasts the most extensive public collection of South-East Asian art.

You may wish to spend your evening or late afternoon exploring Fort Canning Park, which once housed the sultans and their families in the 14th and 15th centuries. The walk from the cathedral to the park will take approximately 10 minutes.

Alternatively, check out these 10 interesting places to spend an enjoyable time with your kids.