The Foundation Stone
St Andrew’s Cathedral is the oldest Anglican site of worship in Singapore. While much is known about the cathedral’s existing building, relatively little is known about the previous church building, which had its first foundation stone laid on Monday 9th November 1835.
Land was demarcated in a grid pattern for different residential ethnic groups, trade, and public activities. The Jackson Plan also included provisions for a church located in the heart of the civic district, along with government buildings and European homes.
A 1919 picture of the existing building
St Andrew’s Church was fashioned in the Neo-Classical architectural style of Singapore’s pioneer colonial architect G. D. Coleman, who was inspired by the symmetrical sensibilities of classical Greek and Roman architecture. The church held its first service on 18 June 1837 and was consecrated a year later by the Right Revd Daniel Wilson, the Bishop of Calcutta who had jurisdiction over Singapore.
In 1842, a spire was added to “distinguish the sacred edifice” from surrounding civic buildings. Unfortunately, the spire was struck twice by lightning in 1845 and 1849. While there were no injuries, church services were discontinued in 1852 for safety reasons. In 1855, plans for the new church building were approved.
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