St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St Peter

34°54′46″S 138°35′53″E / 34.91278°S 138.59806°E / -34.91278; 138.59806
Location	North Adelaide, South Australia
Country	Australia
Denomination	Anglican Church of Australia
History
Status	Cathedral
Founded	29 June 1869 (1869-06-29)
Founder(s)	Bishop Augustus Short
Dedication	St Peter the Apostle
Consecrated	1 January 1878 (1878-01-01)
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	William Butterfield Edward John Woods
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1904
Specifications
Length	62 metres (203 ft)
Nave width	18 metres (59 ft)
Height	51 metres (168 ft)
Bells	8 (1947)
Tenor bell weight	2.1 tonnes (41 long cwt)
Administration
Diocese	Adelaide
Province	South Australia

St Peter's Cathedral is a beautiful Anglican cathedral located in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is the main church for the Archbishop of Adelaide. The cathedral is a very important building in Adelaide. You can find it on about 1 acre of land at the corner of Pennington Terrace and King William Road in North Adelaide.

The front of the cathedral, facing south, looks a bit like the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. It has a stunning rose window above the main entrance. This window tells stories about South Australia and the Bible using colorful glass.

The Rose Window of the cathedral

Building the Cathedral
Cathedral Design and Features
Music at the Cathedral
- Music Leaders
- The Organ
Cathedral Leaders
- Deans of the Cathedral
- Bishop's Vicars
Images for kids
See also

Building the Cathedral

Early Plans and Challenges

The idea for a cathedral in Adelaide started in June 1847. At first, Trinity Church was used as a temporary cathedral. Bishop Augustus Short, Adelaide's first bishop, held the first special church services there in 1848.

Bishop Short wanted to build a proper cathedral. He got some land in Victoria Square in 1848. People started donating money to help build it. However, some people questioned if the land grant was legal. They argued that the area was a public park. In 1855, the court decided that the land grant was not valid. So, the cathedral could not be built there.

Finding a New Home and Starting Construction

Bishop Short then bought a new piece of land in North Adelaide in 1862. By 1868, enough money had been raised. Bishop Short decided it was time to start building the cathedral.

He asked William Butterfield, a famous architect from England, to design the building. Because of the long distance, there were some delays and disagreements. Butterfield's plans were then given to Edward John Woods in Adelaide. Woods made some changes to the materials and design, but he kept Butterfield's main ideas. Woods was inspired by French Gothic style, which you can see in many parts of the cathedral.

The first stone was laid on June 29, 1869, by Bishop Short. Over a thousand people watched this important event. Building work began slowly. The first church service was held in the unfinished building on June 29, 1876. Regular services started in May 1877.

Completing the Cathedral

The women of the church raised money to buy an organ, which was installed in 1877. The first part of the cathedral was officially opened on January 1, 1878. By the time Bishop Short retired in 1881, about £18,000 had been spent. Many items inside, like stained-glass windows and a marble font, were also donated.

Building work started again in 1890. Another foundation stone was laid by the Governor, the Earl of Kintore, on September 27. More money was raised, and Woods continued as the architect. They started building the two towers and the western part of the main church area. Work stopped in 1894 when money ran out.

In 1897, a large donation from Sir Thomas Elder helped restart the project. More money came from other gifts. In 1899, work began to finish the main church area and bring the towers up to roof height. In 1900, Robert Barr Smith donated £10,000 to complete the towers, spires, and the rounded end of the church called an apse.

The Duke of York and Duchess of York (who later became King George V and Queen Mary) visited on July 14, 1901. They were there when the main church area was officially opened. The towers and spires were finished and dedicated on December 7, 1902. The last scaffolding was removed two months later. The cathedral's outside structure was fully completed and officially opened on April 7, 1904. The work from the 1890s had cost over £25,000.

Cathedral Design and Features

Size and Materials

The inside of the cathedral is about 62 meters (203 feet) long. The main church area, called the nave, is about 18 meters (59 feet) wide. At the very top of the spires, the cathedral reaches about 51 meters (168 feet) from the ground.

The cathedral is built using different types of stone. Sandstone from Tea Tree Gully was used for the sanctuary, choir, transepts, and part of the nave. Lighter colored stone from the same area was used for the corners. The base of the building and some inside parts use stone from Glen Osmond. Other stones came from New Zealand, Pyrmont, New South Wales, and Murray Bridge.

Inside the Cathedral

A beautiful decorative structure behind the altar, called a reredos, was installed in 1904. It was finished later and dedicated on March 6, 1910. The reredos is about 10 meters (34 feet) high. It has 23 colorful and gilded panels with carved figures. In the center is Christ, surrounded by saints. Four colored panels below Christ show important moments in the life of St Peter, who the cathedral is named after.

The cathedral has many stunning stained-glass windows. Three of them were made by James Powell and Sons and unveiled in 1900. The largest stained glass window is in the southern transept and was dedicated in 1926. Another window, showing Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of church music, was unveiled in 1876. Since 2018, this window has been lit from the inside at night. Other windows were paid for by donations and remember important people. For example, a window in the sacristy remembers Joyce Harriet, daughter of Sir Anthony Musgrave.

The seats for the clergy and choir, along with the original bishop's throne, were a gift from Sir John Langdon Bonython. They were made in Adelaide in 1926. You can see detailed carvings on them.

The Bells

In the western tower, there are eight bells that can be rung in a special way called change ringing. These bells were bought with money left by Frederick Allen Wakeman. They were made in England in 1946 and dedicated on June 29, 1947. The largest bell weighs over 41 long cwt (about 2 tonnes). This makes them the heaviest set of eight bells in the Southern Hemisphere. They are also the second heaviest set of eight bells in the world, after Sherborne Abbey in England. Members of The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers ring the bells.

Music at the Cathedral

St Peter's Cathedral is well-known for its music in Adelaide. The St Peter's Cathedral Choir has been singing for over 140 years. It is the only choir in Adelaide with both children and adults. The choir sings at two main services every Sunday. They also perform in concerts and for special events. The choir has traveled internationally five times, singing in cathedrals and chapels in England and other countries. Their most recent tour was in 2023/24.

Music Leaders

Historically, the person in charge of the choir was also the organist. In 1994, these roles were separated into two positions: Director of Music and Organist.

Directors of Music and Masters of the Choristers:

* 2020–present: Anthony Hunt * 1996–2020: Leonie Hempton * 1994–1996: Peter Leech * 1963–1994: Dr John David Swale * 1963–1964: Lyall Von Einem (acting) * 1955–1962: Jack Vernon Peters * 1936–1955: The Revd Horace Percy Finnis * 1891–1936: John Millard Dunn * 1876–1891: Arthur Boult

Organists:

* 2024–present: Andrew Georg * 2018–2024: David Heah * 2015–2017: Joshua van Konkelenberg * 1999–2015: Shirley Gale * 1994–1999: John David Swale

The Organ

Top: Organ console, 2015
Middle: 1929 organ, front wooden facade only partly completed, 2013
Bottom: The organ after restoration with new wooden frame, 2020

The first organ in the cathedral was built in London and installed in 1877. It was used for over 50 years before being moved to St Augustine's Church in 1930.

The current organ was built in 1929 by William Hill & Son and Norman & Beard. It remained mostly unchanged until 2017. It has four keyboards and 50 different sounds. In 1963, a carved wooden case for the organ was only partly installed.

From 2017 to 2018, the organ went through a major restoration by Harrison & Harrison Ltd from the UK. New sounds were added, and some older sound changes were reversed to bring it back to its original design. The console, where the organist plays, was also updated with modern features. The wooden case was finally completed, inspired by the original design. This work cost about AU$1.5 million. The "First Chords" were played on the restored organ on December 2, 2018.

Cathedral Leaders

Before 1986, the Bishop of Adelaide was also the head of the cathedral. The cathedral was managed by the bishop with help from a dean and a group called the chapter. In 1986, the way the cathedral was managed changed. Now, a cathedral council handles the administration. Since then, the dean (called the Dean of the Cathedral) acts as the main priest.