Lahore is a stunningly beautiful city, with historically important monuments dating to the Mughal era, Sikh empire and even colonial rule, dotting its landscape. It is also a city in desperate need of modernisation — especially when it comes to transport as the city has barely any public transportation.
Cue the Lahore Metro — an ambitious project that is the first such mass transit system in Pakistan. The Orange Line is the first leg of the project, scheduled to be completed in October 2017. It is also beset with a host of problems and challenges.
For one, the line runs dangerously close to several of Pakistan’s historically important architecture. According to reports, the line involves the destruction of the Anglican Cathedral..
Link seems broken – elves could you repair it?
Yes, link goes to a 404 not found page.
The Anglican Cathedral in Cairo, built in the 1930s, was demolished in the 1990s (?) to make way for a new Nile bridge and access ramps. The Egyptian government gave a site and money for the construction of the present cathedral. Will Pakistan do the same?
Thank you Terry Tee and Katherine – Link has been restored – Elf
Katherine, I think the old Cathedral was destroyed in the mid to late 70’s? When I was in Cairo in 1985 the new All Saints Cathedral was already under construction. All the services met in the Parish Hall.
Here’s the info on All Saints Cathedral in Cairo from Wikipedia:
The first [7] All Saints’ in Cairo was completed in 1878. The second opened in 1938 and was sited overlooking the Nile and behind the Egyptian Museum. Designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott (grandson of Sir George Gilbert Scott), it was demolished 40 years later to make way for the 6th October Bridge.
And there’s some really interesting history here:
http://grandhotelsegypt.com/?p=360
and here:
http://cairobserver.com/post/15473191972/all-saints-cathedral#.VvGOA3q04xI
I see that is not the only link, Katherine and Karen B.
The architect of the 1938 All Saints in Cairo was Adrian Gilbert Scott who was the Son of George Gilbert Scott Junior who was the brother of John Oldrid Scott who was the architect of the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection in Lahore.
George and John were the sons of Sir George Gilbert Scott who did the original design for Christchurch Cathedral in Canterbury, New Zealand which was partially demolished by earthquakes.
Some of the overseas cathedrals designed by this family don’t seem to fare well, although it has to be said that these three were situated in volatile regions, for one reason or another.
PM, you can extend the links further.
George Gilbert Scott Snr designed the chapel of King’s College, London. Alas, it is hideously ugly. Overwrought, blowsy mixture of high gothic and byzantine.
Compare and contrast his grandson Giles Gilbert Scott (son of George Gilbert Scott, Junior) who designed Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, a building that despite its impressive bulk retains a cool chasteness of expression. By its calm beauty this cathedral shows up the concrete inadequacies of Liverpool Metropolitan (ie RC) Cathedral.
Well, Fr Tee – I had always assumed that Liverpool had lost something by not being able to complete the Lutyens design for the Catholic Cathedral, but having finally managed to see something of what was envisaged, the modern Metropolitan Cathedral does not seem such a bad design.
Both the Lutyens and Gilbert Scott designs are statements, probably to each other, and while Liverpool Anglican Cathedral is magnificent and awe-inspiring I rather liked the Metropolitan Cathedral. The light inside is lovely though I gather the building is a bit of a maintenance nightmare.
The thing is that Christ was never about bombast or awe, but very personal to those he touched, and so I have a soft spot for buildings which reflect that.
Having said that the Lahore Cathedral is rather beautiful with its Indian pink stone, and it would be a pity for it to have to go.
There are a lot of very fine church buildings under threat round the world it seems, and no one much including ourselves seems to have woken up to what is being lost.
Thanks, Karen B. I was too tired to look it up! I saw many documents about the building of the old cathedral when I worked on the diocesan archives in Cairo. However, I didn’t handle much information dated after about 1980 because as the leadership of the diocese became Egyptian, not British, more and more documents were in Arabic, which I can’t read.