Tuesday 28 August 2012

Taphophile Tragics


I came across this tomb tucked into a corner of St Andrews Cathedral and thought it was a very strange place to put a tomb. Turns out its not the real thing but a copy of the tomb of Bishop William Grant Broughton who built the Cathedral. The original tomb is in Canterbury Cathedral as the Bishop died while on a visit to England.


In the year after his enthronement Broughton began to build his cathedral. Macquarie had laid the foundation stone of a great metropolitan church of St Andrew in 1819 but Commissioner John Thomas Bigge had very soon stopped the work on it. Broughton enlisted strong support for his project, and Governor Bourke laid the stone anew near the same place at the old George Street burial ground. In the prosperous times good progress was made, but it faltered with the depression and revived only in 1850. Broughton did not see his cathedral completed, but used St James's until a temporary wooden church, the second on the site, was built in 1842 as the pro-cathedral. Broughton had some success with parish churches and schools, of which he was an indefatigable promoter. Although the Acts of 1836-37 gave material impetus to church expansion, Broughton's organizing ability and lengthy travels proved invaluable in a situation where the population was newly arrived and thinly spread. During his episcopate Broughton consecrated or dedicated almost a hundred church buildings on the Australian mainland.


There is much more about Bishop Broughton in the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

7 comments:

Julie said...

ooo ... I have shots of this tomb. Well, I thought it was a tomb. Yes, very squashed in.

The fascinating thing about St Andrews Cathedral, is how impermanent the interior feels. Everything seems moveable. Pews, chairs, screens, pulpits ... here one week, over the other side the next. Very off-putting ... not like that other cathedral way over the other side of the old racecourse ... you know the one ... near your old work. Where everything is in rows. Everything faces the front. And the front is the front each and every week. Certainty is what I crave. Me. A born conservative ... hah!

Gemma Wiseman said...

It seems strange that this replica tomb faces the wall! No apparent space to walk around it! Impressive but so much like an "extra" in the cathedral rather than some focal point!

SeaThreePeeO said...

Wow, how unusual to have a copy of at tomb. Great pictures!

Beneath Thy Feet

Dina said...

You're right, it's a strange place. They put "him" facing the wall??

Anonymous said...

Great photo! And interesting story behind it. I agree that it's a bit odd that he is facing the wall --- but I suppose maybe it just fit best that way?

Unknown said...

The top shot is fabulous!

CaT said...

pretty pics!
weird to have a replica..
like i once saw here on taphophile tragics a replica of elvis' grave...