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Although
it is known that a medieval castle once stood on the site that
the Cathedral now occupies, it is thought that the site may have
borne fortifications from as far back as 80AD. A small portion
of the castle still remains within the Cathedral grounds. The
foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid on July 21 1853 and
it was completed 2 years later in 1855. It was designed by Sir
George Gilbert Scott and is in the style of the Middle or
Decorated period of Gothic architecture.
Earlier,
around the middle of the 19th Century, Dundee had established
itself as the Jute capital of the world, with almost the entire
population involved in some aspect of the Jute industry (Jute is
a fibrous substance from an Indian plant of the linen family
used for carpets, bagging, etc). While mill owners enjoyed the
benefits of privilege, power and wealth, their workers were
often poorly paid, living in overcrowded tenement blocks with
rudimentary sanitation. This resulted in disease being
commonplace.
However,
in 1847, a new Bishop of Brechin was elected who chose to make
Dundee his permanent residence. His name was Alexander Penrose
Forbes.
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 At
the time of Bishop Forbes' arrival, St Paul's Chapel met in
rooms in nearby Castle St, which Forbes considered to be dreary
and "unworthy of the worship of the Almighty". Thus,
he urged his people to take on the holy work of building, to the
glory of God, a stately church", a place which would offer
refuge to the manly poor souls that lived in the surrounding tenements.
Bishop
Alexander Penrose Forbes
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The
total cost of the building was £14,000 and it took the
congregation 10 years after its completion to pay off all the
debts incurred. The church was dedicated on All Saints Day, 1st
November 1865.
St
Paul's was raised to Cathedral status in 1905 and is now a Grade
A listed building.
Brief Guide to the stained glass windows
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