Event information
Built by Sir Herbert Baker out of sandstone from Table Mountain, it is built in the gothic style - a classic cruciform building, with a courtyard garden (which includes a Labyrinth).
The Cathedral is known as 'The People's Cathedral' because of its role in the resistance against apartheid. Its most famous Archbishop is Desmond Tutu (fondly referred to as 'The Arch') who was appointed in 1985, just after he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In celebration of Tutu's 86th birthday a wooden arch was erected next to the Cathedral, known as 'the Arch for Arch'.
The original St George's Church was built in the style of St Pancras Church in London, but the first Bishop (Gray) didn't like it and he set about rebuiling it. The foundation stone of the new church was laid in 1901 by the future King George V. Construction did not begin until 1906, however, starting at the eastern end, and the completion of the north transept in 1936 finally brought Herbert Baker's design to life. The Bell Tower was added in 1978.
