St Andrew's Cathedral

St Andrew's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral at 11 St Andrew's Road in the Downtown Core, beside City Hall MRT station, and it is the oldest surviving Anglican place of worship in Singapore and the seat of the Anglican bishop. The first church on the site, designed by George D. Coleman, was completed in 1837 and named after Saint Andrew in honour of the Scottish donors to its building fund, but lightning struck its spire in 1845 and 1849 and it was declared unsafe in 1852. Its Neo-Gothic replacement, designed by Ronald MacPherson and built largely by Indian convict labourers, was completed in 1861, consecrated in 1862 and made a cathedral in 1870. The cathedral was gazetted as a national monument in 1973.

Inside, three windows behind the altar commemorate John Crawfurd, Stamford Raffles and William Butterworth, and a cross behind the pulpit is made of nails from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. Services are held in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Burmese, among other languages. The grounds open daily from 7am to 8pm, and the Welcome Centre opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Free one-hour guided tours run on Tuesday and Thursday at 11am in English and Wednesday at 10am in Chinese, for up to six people per booking. The cathedral asks visitors to avoid disrupting services, and any commercial, wedding or group photography needs a permit. Enter beside City Hall MRT Exit B.