In July, we took a four days off from work and made a short trip to Singapore, fully enjoyed ourselves at Sentosa, and admired the beauty of Singapore city. The 50 minutes flight took us there very early in the morning while the sky is still dark, and raining. The rain continued, and we had no where to go. So we walked around in Changi Airport, and bought two Gardens by The Bay open ticket at $25 each.
We then left to St. Andrew’s Cathedral at City Hall Station. AirAsia drop off at Terminal 1, so to go to MRT station, one have to take the SkyTrain to Terminal 2. From Changi Airport MRT Terminal, the train will stop at Tanah Merah, open at two sides. Be careful on the route you want to go, as one side will bring you to Pasir Ribs line and another side will bring you to Joo Koon line, while the train will go back to Changi Airport.
We took the Joo Koon EW line, stopped at East West Line City Hall interchanged (NS25/EW13), following the exit with “st. Andrew Cathedral” sign then had a 3 minutes walk to reach the church. Located above the interchange station, St. Andrew’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Singapore, which is also the largest cathedral in the country. Walking around the church, we were amazed at the solemnity of the church, so as the fine architecture.
The church ran through few evolution in her design, where the original St. Andrew’s was designed by George Drumgoole Coleman from 1835 to 1836. The second one was designed by John Turbbull Thomson around 1842, but was demolished after two lightning strikes. The third, which is also the existing, was built by Indian convicts. Ronaonld Macpherson’s was the church designer, constructing the church in Neo-Gothic architectural style with Madras chunam as finish.
The building consists of a nave with north and south aisles. The main entrance to the Cathedral is the West Doorway, and the spire, rises 207 feet (63 meter) with Cathedral’s eight bells which are largest being equal in weight to No.8 in the peal of St Paul’s Cathedral London.
The inside building was amazing, high ceilings, detailed architecture. Each and every element owned a meaning behind, from the pulpit, windows, chapel, stained glass, to Bishop’s throne.
We spent about an hour walking around the church, exploring the rich heritage while discovering the past and present of Cathedral’s through dignified design. The church is really, really beautiful, definitely a must visit place in the heart of Singapore’s city.
How to reach?
Stop at East West Line City Hal interchanged (NS25/EW13) Take the exit following “St. Andrew Cathedral” sign. 3 minutes walk to reach the church.
Opening Hours:
9.00am – 5.00pm (Mon- Sat)
Admission fee: Free
Guided tours on the Cathedral
Mondays to Saturdays
10.30am – 12.00pm
2.30pm – 4.00pm
(Tours are conducted by members of the Cathedral. Tours not available on Wednesday mornings and Saturday afternoons)
*History source from Wikipedia
