St. Mary's Cathedral, Gothic Revival cathedral in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
St. Mary's Cathedral is an Early English Gothic church beside Dataran Merdeka, designed by government architect A. C. A. Norman after a design competition produced no acceptable entry. Its nave measures 87 by 28 feet and seats 180; the chancel, 29 by 22 feet with an octagonal end, holds a choir of 20. A vestry and organ chamber adjoin it.
The first St. Mary's church, built of timber on Bluff Road at Bukit Aman, was consecrated on 13 February 1887 by Bishop George Frederick Hose. As the congregation grew, a new site was found beside the Selangor Club's Padang, now Dataran Merdeka. The foundation stone was laid on 3 February 1894 by Resident W. H. Treacher, and Bishop Hose consecrated the brick church on 9 February 1895. In 1970 it became the cathedral of the new Diocese of West Malaysia.
The cathedral's name honours the Virgin Mary, to whom the first timber church was consecrated in 1887. Sunday worship runs in English only: a said Eucharist at 7 am, a sung Eucharist with choir at 9 am, and a family Eucharist with choir and children's programme at 11 am. The contemporary SMACC services meet in the Multipurpose Hall.
Admission is free and visitors can enter the church during operating hours, including on Sundays when services take place. It is helpful to check ahead for exact times and visiting details, as schedules may vary.
The organ was built in 1898 by Henry Willis for Frederic Duberly, who paid £381/12s/8d for it. After Duberly died in 1903 it was shipped to Kuala Lumpur, installed in 1904, dismantled over an ownership dispute, and only bought by the church in 1915 for $2,000. Floods damaged it in 1925 and 1926, and James A. Riddell rebuilt it in 1927, replacing most wooden pipes, the pedal board and wind chest.
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