NEW
CHURCH HALL Architects: Messrs. Leigh & Orange
The new building, from the north, photographed from the model.
During the past few months a large is being constructed at the comer of All through the second half of the nine- number of people who attend St. John's Garden Road and Murray Parade Ground teenth century further additions and fur- Cathedral ог whose business with the in the Cathedral compound is a sign of nishings were added to the Cathedral. Colonial Secretariat or the Education De- the life and vitality of St. John's Cathe- The present hall was built after the first partment brings them up Battery Path dral and its firm purpose to be alive to war, and had to be enlarged to include and through to Garden Road, would have its responsibilities as the Cathedral Church offices. This hall is in use most of the been acutely aware of the intense activity of an evergrowing city.
day and night of every week, encouraging on the part of the Roads Office in re- It is a far cry from the matshed struc- the art and music of the Colony as well aligning the old pathways in forming a ture built on the Murray Parade Ground as the specific Cathedral activities. For a wide convenient new thoroughfare extend- in which the first Colonial chaplain he'd long time after the re-occupation of the ing from Garden Road south of the his services on Christmas day in 1843, Colony in 1945. all energy had to be Cathedral, past the
Education Depart- but that small, unpretentious building turned to restoring the Cathedral which ment building and up to the Public Works did not last long, because on 11th March. had been stripped and was in a bad con- Department Offices.
1845, the foundation stone of the Cathe- dition. This restoration is nearing com- dral of St. John the Evangelist, designed pletion with the arrival of a new stained by Mr. St. J. Cleverly, Surveyor-General, glass cast window this summer. and estimated to cost £6,960, was laid by Sir John Francis Davis, then Governor of the Colony. On 11th March, 1849, the new building was
was opened, and in the following May it was created a Cathedral The new Hall and Chaplain's house that by letters patent.
The reason for this activity of the lay- ing of the new roadway is the new Cathedral Hall and residence which is being constructed in the Cathedral com- pound at the north end fronting on Garden Road.
Location of the new hall in relation to the Cathedral itself.
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During the past three years the Cathe- dral clergy and congregation have been able to turn their attention outward to the ever growing number of English speak- ing folk on the Island. The result is that a Sunday school of thirty is now three hundred, and there became an urgent need for a large new hall with library, clubrooms and adequate storage space. Another pressing requirement was a small house in which one of the Cathedral chaplains could live, There were lung debates and discussions as to where the hall should be placed on the very small of ground available and it was finally decided that the best location would be at the boundary of Garden Road and Murray Parade Ground.
area
During the discussions with Govern- ment which followed, it was found that this position was acceptable since it did not interfere with the proposed road- work planned in connection with the New Colonial Secretariat and the third stage of Government Office development.
Messrs. Leigh & Orange were thereupon commissioned to draw up plans for a building combining the Church Hall and the required residential accommodation.