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St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

William Nairn Forbes

Photo: Ankitesh Jha · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Kolkata, India
Client / Owner
Bishop Daniel Wilson
Year
Completed 1839
Access
Public
Typology
Spiritual

Bishop Daniel Wilson founded St. Paul's Cathedral in Kolkata and asked William Nairn Forbes, an officer of the Bengal Engineers, for the design. Forbes had produced an earlier design in 1819 that was rejected as too expensive, and Wilson revived the project in 1832. The cornerstone was laid on October 8, 1839, and it was consecrated on October 8, 1847.

The article calls the style Indo-Gothic, a Gothic Revival adapted to the Indian climate. The aisleless nave is 247 feet (75 meters) long and 81 feet (25 meters) wide, with an iron-truss roof, and the central spire is 201 feet (61 meters). The west window is by Morris & Co. to a design by Edward Burne-Jones.

The 1934 earthquake collapsed the steeple tower, which was rebuilt along the lines of Canterbury Cathedral's Bell Harry tower. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta.

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