Changes

===Macquarie and Greenway===

The early [[Governors of New South Wales|Governor of New South Wales]], [[Lachlan Macquarie]], had grand plans for the city of Sydney. He foresaw that Sydney would grow into a large city requiring a large cathedral. With the architect [[Francis Greenway]], who had been transported to Sydney for forgery, the governor planned a church 200 feet square and probably with the seating and galleries facing inward from three sides. But this was never brought to fruition. Only a few foundations were laid before the plan was abandoned. Macquarie was severely criticised for planning beyond the colony's means.

===Broughton and Hume===

Bishop [[William Grant Broughton]], consecrated in 1836, had a new foundation stone laid in 1837. The plans, prepared by the architect [[James Hume]], were of much more modest proportions and were for a traditional cruciform church in the [[Gothic Architecture|Gothic style]]. The designs, dating from the early phase of Gothic Revival architecture, did not show a great expertise in the handling of the particular architectural vocabulary. Only one notable section was completed, the façade of the south transept. However, the foundations were laid and some of the walls were constructed up to a height of about 15 feet.

===Edmund T. Blacket===

===Perpendicular style===

With the repetition of forms and the strongly vertical lines characteristic of [[Perpendicular Gothic]], Blacket succeeded in creating a building which, despite its small size, is nevertheless imposing and of harmonious proportions. The western front with its layered decoration is a majestic composition, based loosely of that of [[York Minster]]. The strongly projecting rectangular buttresses, which transform by stages into lofty octagonally-sectioned pinnacles, and the complex molding around the portals casts varied shadows in the bright Australian sunlight. Kinsela describes it as ''“a grand façade with superb towers…Covered with a profusion of ornanament, blind traceries and tiny attached pinnacles, in a light-hearted yet elegant manner.”''<ref>Joseph Kinsela, ''St Andrew's Cathedral'' </ref>

The interior is a harmonious composition in Perpendicular Gothic. Although the building is small, it is given a sense of grandeur by the proportions of the arcade and clerestory, the richness of the moldings, the loftiness of the [[hammerbeam roof]] with its blue and vermillion decoration, and the decorative details, which include carved stone ribbons around the nave piers, bearing the names of notables in the early Sydney church.

The stone used throughout is Sydney sandstone. The chancel has a newly-restored floor in ornate pattern set with marble and intaglio tiles in the [[Cosmatesque|Cosmati style]] by Fields of London, created under the direction of [[Gilbert Scott]]. The rest of the building is paved with encaustic tiles of red and black with small intaglio designs by [[Mintons Ltd|Mintons]] of [[Stoke-on-Trent]].

The [[reredos]] was commissioned by the third Bishop of Sydney, Bishop Barry, and carved of translucent cream English [[alabaster]] by the sculptor Earp, under the supervision of the well-known [[Gothic Revival]] architect, [[J. L. Pearson]], in 1886. The subject matter of the three pictorial panels, as originally created, were: at the centre - the [[Crucifixion]], to the left – the [[Resurrection]], to the right – the [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]]. To either side were the figures of [[Moses]] and [[Elijah]]. In 1887 there was objection at synod to the representational nature of the reredos and in particular to the central Crucifixion on the grounds that it might be seen as [[idolatry|idolatorous]]. The Crucifixion was replaced, at the expense of the objectors, by the present scene of the [[Transfiguration of Jesus| Transfiguration]].

===Orientation and reorientation===

St Andrew's Cathedral is built to the ''[[cruciform]]'' shape traditional of Christian Churches and symbolic of the faith. The body of the cathedral or ''[[nave]]'', with lower aisles on either side, is crossed by the ''[[transept]]'', forming a ''[[chancel]]'' for the seating of clergy and choir at the eastern end. The sides of the ''[[Quire (architecture)|choir]]'' are traditionally known as ''[[Cantoris]]'', the side of the [[Precentor]], or cantor, and ''[[Decani]]'', the side of the [[Dean (religion)|Dean]], the senior clerical appointee within the Cathedral. ''See [[Cathedral architecture]] and [[Cathedral diagram]].''

It is customary for cathedrals to be orientated on an East-West axis with the main door to the West and the Sanctuary to the East. St Andrew's conformed to that tradition. But Sydney's main thoroughfare, George Street, ran by the Eastern rather than the Western end. This made the main entrance less accessible and also meant that when an electric tram system was installed in the street, the noise frequently drowned out the service of [[Holy Communion]].

==Music==

===Organ===

In 1866 an organ by the famous English organ builders [[William Hill & Sons]] was installed with a case to Edmund Blacket's design and richly decorated organ pipes. It was placed in the South transept. It was joined in 1932 by an instrument by [[John Whitely]] which was placed opposite in the North transept. In the 1950s the instruments were amalgamated to be played from a single console, thus constituting the largest church organ in Australia. There has been a further rationalisation of the organs in the recent restoration and the Whitely has gone from the North transept gallery, thus revealing one of the cathedral's finest Hardman windows.

==Specifications==

===Dimensions===

*'''Length''' (internal) - 48 metres (160 ft)

==External links==

*[http://www.cathedral.sydney.anglican.asn.au/ St Andrew's Cathedral website]

*[http://www.sydney.anglican.asn.au/ Anglican Diocese of Sydney website]