St. Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral stands on Cathedral Road beside the Maidan in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Construction began in 1839 under Major William Nairn Forbes of the Bengal Engineers and the building was consecrated in 1847, after years of delay and funding from public subscription and the East India Company. The cathedral was built in an Indo-Gothic style, with a long nave and a tall central tower inspired by the Bell Harry tower of Canterbury Cathedral, but adapted to the hot climate with wide verandahs and high windows. The original steeple was brought down in the 1897 earthquake and the tower was rebuilt, then damaged again in the 1934 Bihar earthquake and rebuilt in a different form. Inside, the nave is long and lofty and the interior holds a large Burne-Jones stained glass window at the west end, as well as memorials to bishops and soldiers, a carved screen and a Willis organ. The window designed by Edward Burne-Jones was installed in 1880. The building is a working cathedral of the Church of North India and its congregation holds services on Sundays and during Christmas, when the cathedral is a major gathering place for the city. It is also known for its concerts and choir performances. The cathedral has been conserved in recent decades with repairs to the roof and tower, and the grounds have been landscaped. It sits close to the Victoria Memorial, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Rabindra Sadan area, making it an easy part of a Maidan heritage walk.