St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral
4.5
About
Welcome to St. Paul's Cathedral, at the very heart of Dunedin City. A welcoming, vibrant community coming together to share the Word of God. The Cathedral Church of St Paul occupies a site in the heart of The Octagon near the Dunedin Town Hall and hence Dunedin. The land for St Paul's Church was given by the sealer and whaler Johnny Jones of Waikouaiti.The first parish church of St Paul was built on the site in 1862–1863. It was made of Caversham stone and could accommodate up to 500 people. Unfortunately it wasn't well constructed. The stone weathered badly and the tall spire was removed after just a few years. The man consecrated to be the first Bishop of Dunedin, but never enthroned, Bishop Henry Jenner, visited the Diocese in 1869. He officiated at St Paul’s and gave a lecture on church music illustrated by the St Paul’s choir. He is remembered as the composer of the hymn tune Quam dilecta. In 1871 Samuel Tarratt Nevill was elected Bishop of Dunedin. Initially he made no mention of the need for a cathedral for the diocese and it was not until the 1876 Synod that he broached the subject. The issue was ducked by forming a commission to investigate the whole matter. This commission later recommended that St Paul’s should become the mother church. However, Nevill favoured St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin, and the impasse remained. In the early 1880s the question was revisited, and again no resolution found. However, in 1894, 18 years after the issue was first raised, all sides agreed to the proposal for St Paul’s to become the cathedral. The Cathedral Chapter was formed and took up the responsibility for running the cathedral from 1895. Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne of Kempthorne Prosser Ltd was a generous supporter of the cathedral and a memorial stands inside. In 1904, William Harrop, a prominent Dunedin businessman died and left the bulk of his estate to fund a new Cathedral. However, release of the money was conditional on the Chapter raising £20,000 towards the cost of the building. Nevill threw himself into the effort, but it was not until 1913 that the £20,000 was raised and work could begin. The first in a series of plans and modifications were submitted by Sedding and Wheatly, an architectural company based in England. The author of the final design was Edmund Harold Sedding (1863–1921). The supervising architect in Dunedin was Basil Hooper (1876–1960).On 8 June 1915, the foundation stone of the new cathedral was laid. Huge foundations, large piers and a tremendous vaulted ceiling, the only one in stone in New Zealand, rose from the ground, forming the new Cathedral’s nave. Unfortunately, finances precluded construction of anything more. There was no money for the crossing or the chancel, as originally intended. In the end, it was resolved that a temporary chancel should be constructed, using material saved from the old St Paul’s. The new Cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Nevill on 12 February 1919.During the 1930s the Cathedral began to take up a role as a venue for public services, notably for the state funeral of Sir Frederick Truby King, the founder of the Plunket Society. Social work featured prominently at this time, with the synodsmen, vestry and church leaders all publicly opposed to the government’s Depression policies. The Cathedral administered a food bank and distributed food parcels for the citizens of Dunedin. Shortly after the Second World War, St Paul's suffered the loss of Dean Cruickshank, who moved to the Diocese of Waiapu, and of Professor Victor Galway. The latter, an organist and Professor of Music, had been immensely popular, attracting large crowds to his recitals and performances. He had also regularly broadcast his productions, paving the way for services to be aired on radio. In the 1950s the vestry made the important, though difficult, decision that it wouldn't complete the Cathedral to its original design. The dean suggested that ways be examined to link an extension to the existing structure, and the vestry agreed to investigate the possibilities. In 1966, the decision was made to build a new chancel. The plans had been drawn by Ted McCoy of the firm McCoy and Wixon. Construction began in earnest in December 1969. The old chancel was stripped and demolished and new columns began to rise from the debris. Construction and clearing up finished on Saturday 24 July 1971, and the Cathedral reopened the next day. The new chancel was modernist, as high as the existing vault, with tall windows reaching from the floor almost to the ceiling. The altar was free standing and the furnishings matched the walls. In 2004, the perspex cross was moved temporarily (and initially) to the crypt to accommodate a production of the bi-annual Otago Festival of the Arts. Finally, a decision was reached by the current Dean Trevor James to restore the perspex cross to the sanctuary, and it was returned to its position at the end of 2009. In 1989, the world's attention was on St Paul's when Dr. Penny Jamieson was consecrated and enthroned as Bishop of Dunedin. Bishop Penny was only the second woman bishop in the Anglican Communion and the first woman diocesan bishop in the world.[2] Her appointment had been paved by the hard work of two Cathedral women: Claire Brown, Assistant Priest at St Paul's from 1985 to 1989 and again from 2006 to the present, and Barbara Nicholas, Honorary Priest Assistant.As the world prepared for the change from 1999 to 2000, St Paul's invited people gathered to celebrate in the Octagon to come into the cathedral, have a moment of silence, light a candle and pray for the new year and the millennium. Over the course of a couple of hours thousands came in and lit a candle. People placed their candles in sand arranged in the shapes of alpha and omega in the chancel, reminding those present that Christ is the beginning and the end.St Paul’s Cathedral has an exceptional history of church music. Its globally recognised choir maintains a high standard of performance, and an extremely wide repertoire. Over the last two decades at least eight of its members have pursued professional vocal careers, singing in British cathedral choirs (recent former members currently hold appointments at Ely, Salisbury and St George’s Windsor). Several others – most recently Anna Leese - have gone on to international careers in opera. The choir has also contributed many members to the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, the National Youth Choir and Voices NZ. The primary focus of the Cathedral Choir is to facilitate worship through its musical leadership, alongside the wider role of outreach within the Diocese and beyond. The Cathedral Choir is an auditioned choir, comprised of twenty-two highly skilled singers. It sings three times per week during the choir season (Candlemas to Christmas Day), and offers many other musical events, such as concerts and tours, throughout the year. Within the past year, the Cathedral Choir has featured on broadcasts for Radio New Zealand, alongside recordings for both national and local television. The choir sings a challenging repertoire from early plainsong to the work of contemporary composers. The Cathedral Choir, and all music at St Paul’s Cathedral, is run by the Director of Music, George Chittenden.The St. Paul's Cathedral organ was built in 1919 by Henry Willis III, in London and was installed the following year. In 1972, it was entirely dismantled and repositioned by the South Island Organ Company of Timaru. There are four manuals — great, swell, choir and solo. The organ of St Paul's has more than 3500 pipes and is often used for civic performances.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
249 reviews
Excellent
96
Very good
123
Average
29
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0
Terrible
1
chimayred
Durham, NH2,557 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
But not average. What i mean is that almost anyone who has traveled extensively, in Europe for sure ,or the US, or Canada (OMG Montréal????), even central ad South America will see spectacular cathedrals.
This is not world class by any means. It’s small and the chancel is sort of bizarrely gaunt. But it is a gothic cathedral in NZ, which in my experience is pretty uncommon. Never saw the one in ChCh, which I understand collapsed after the recent quake; not sure if that is true.
This is right on the Octagon, and as such is worth popping in. Of course if you are devout or an organ recital fan this may have additional allure for you.
This is not world class by any means. It’s small and the chancel is sort of bizarrely gaunt. But it is a gothic cathedral in NZ, which in my experience is pretty uncommon. Never saw the one in ChCh, which I understand collapsed after the recent quake; not sure if that is true.
This is right on the Octagon, and as such is worth popping in. Of course if you are devout or an organ recital fan this may have additional allure for you.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheShis
Tel Aviv, Israel42,755 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
This is a nice cathedral, located in the center of town, at the Octagon.
We visited the cathedral after dark, so it was beautifully and dramatically lit.
Next to the cathedral is the beautiful town hall.
We visited the cathedral after dark, so it was beautifully and dramatically lit.
Next to the cathedral is the beautiful town hall.
Written July 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter B
Seattle, WA47 contributions
Jan 2020
A very pretty church on high ground. The building was open and allowed photography of the large stained glass windows.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deborah M
NSW129 contributions
Sep 2018 • Business
Dunedin is a very historical town with beautiful old buildings especially this church, if you like architecture or not it’s a must see
Written September 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael-4551
Caloundra, Australia5,532 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
Visited on Monday 30th April. It was interesting to see how they have added the Chancel in a modern style and not tried to copy the original style of large piers and a tremendous vaulted ceiling, the only one in stone in New Zealand forming the nave. The new chancel was modernist, as high as the existing vault, with tall windows reaching from the floor almost to the ceiling. A very beautiful Cathedral to visit.
Written June 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HinemoaHoney
Rotorua, New Zealand111 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
I was absolutely rapt to be able to go inside the cathedral and more so to be able to take photos. When looking around there was certainly some wow! moments. The cathedral is dripping with history and beauty. I'd be happy to go again.
Written April 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Desirae C
Perth, Australia29 contributions
Feb 2016 • Couples
We spent some time at St. Paul's Cathedral looking at the unique architecture, which brilliantly captures part of the awe inspiring beauty of Dunedin's history.
From the beautifully designed stained windows which captivate the room, to the great organ being played which fills the Cathedral with an abundance of great sound.
We were fortunate enough to be guided through by one of the lovely ladies volunteering there on the day, giving us an informative tour through the history of the cathedral. Which included the new gallery below the cathedral which had been opened to present the cathedrals art and photography taken and collected through the cathedral's history. I definitely suggest visiting St. Paul's just to have a look around and snap some beautiful photos at the very least.
From the beautifully designed stained windows which captivate the room, to the great organ being played which fills the Cathedral with an abundance of great sound.
We were fortunate enough to be guided through by one of the lovely ladies volunteering there on the day, giving us an informative tour through the history of the cathedral. Which included the new gallery below the cathedral which had been opened to present the cathedrals art and photography taken and collected through the cathedral's history. I definitely suggest visiting St. Paul's just to have a look around and snap some beautiful photos at the very least.
Written August 8, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fayev104
Dunedin, New Zealand74 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
I love going to St Pauls church service especially the music when the organ plays and the choir singing, sometimes it brings tears to my eyes it is so beautiful.
Written June 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Petit Monde
Auckland,NZ180 contributions
Jan 2015 • Friends
I saw the cathedral from the outside and was determined to visit the inside. It sits on a imposing site and the steps up to it brings the impression of a grand building that is divinely inspired.
I was travelling with a group but was so determined to visit the interior that I broke off from the group and went by myself. The interior was very interesting and the big plus that afternoon was the organ recital. Sadly, I only caught the end of it. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit there and would love to attend a service there one day.
I was travelling with a group but was so determined to visit the interior that I broke off from the group and went by myself. The interior was very interesting and the big plus that afternoon was the organ recital. Sadly, I only caught the end of it. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit there and would love to attend a service there one day.
Written January 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roy and Sarah C
Essex, UK356 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
You have to go and see what has been done inside. Two quite different architectural styles clash horribly. The history is interesting, the result is quite off-putting.
Written March 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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