St Ninian's Cathedral

Located on the corner of North Methven Street and Atholl Street in the NW of central Perth, St. Ninian's Cathedral provides a focus for the Scottish Episcopal community in the city. Constructed in 1849 on part of the site of the old Blackfriars Monastery, this modest cathedral has the distinction of being the first built in Britain since the Reformation. Its sponsors were Walter Forbes (18th Lord Forbes; 1798 - 1868) and George Boyle, later the 6th Earl of Glasgow (1825-90), and the cathedral was consecrated on the 10th December 1850. The work of William Butterfield, a London architect, this A-listed church was not completed until much later. Around the same time Boyle had used Butterfield to design the Cathedral of the Isles at Millport on Great Cumbrae. A Chapter House and aisles to the chancel were added c.1900, designed by another London architect, John L. Pearson (1817-97), and executed by his son, Frank. The Lady Chapel was planned at the same time, and its foundations laid, but the funds were not available to build it until 1908 and it was not completed until 1911. The interior is richly furnished and there is much stained glass. Bishop George Howard Wilkinson (1833 - 1907) lies buried between the chancel and the Lady Chapel.

The cathedral is noted for its music; its organ was originally the work of Robson of London. It was enlarged in the 1880s, rebuilt by John R. Miller of Dundee (1901) and restored by A.F. Edmonstone of Forteviot in 1996. Now situated in the South Choir Aisle, it has a separate console located opposite. An active choir has been linked with Strathallan School through choral scholarships since 2005.


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