St Mary the Virgin

Just outside Park Station is the old cathedral of St Mary the Virgin. It is built to typical Anglican designs of the period. From what I understand the building of the cathedral started in 1921 and finished in 1926 but I found another stone plaque which states "Saint Mary's Hall 1887" so I am beginning to wonder if the cathedral replaced an earlier church from 1887. The cathedral stands out of place in downtown Johannesburg among all the hawkers and an ultra modern cathedral of the Universal Church of God. Once entering you feel that you walking through history. The dominating feature inside is its famous rood hanging from the ceiling and on the opposite side a large rose window. The very revenant Desmond Mpilo Tutu was the Dean and Rector here in 1975 to 1976 during the turbulent apartheid era.