1894 To 1903 Cathedral Vision
THE LEAD-IN TO THE PRESENT CATHEDRAL 1894 - 1903
1894 On March 7th Bishop Welland outlines a scheme to build a cathedral in Belfast. Canon Henry Stewart O’Hara is appointed Vicar of Belfast and Rector of St Anne’s.
City: Otto Jaffe becomes the first Jew to be a Councillor. His grandfather had founded the Belfast Jewish community when his extensive mercantile interests brought him to Belfast from Hamburg in 1845. His father, Daniel Jaffe, had paid for the synagogue, Hebrew school and rabbi's residence built in Great Victoria Street in 1871 to serve Belfast's fifty-five Jews.
1895 Canon O'Hara, Vicar of Belfast, presents the cathedral scheme to the vestry of St Anne's on April 15th.
City: The Grand Opera House is opened in Great Victoria Street. It is designed by Frank Matcham of London, considered the foremost theatre architect of his day. Its lavish interior includes elephant head brackets and other Indian motifs. It was restored between 1976 and 1980 to specifications ofRobert McKinstry.
1896 City: St George’s Market is built.
1896 City: York Dock is built .
1898: A Bill establishing the chapter of the new cathedral is adopted by the Diocesan Synod and passed by the General Synod in April 1899.Architect Thomas Drew's Romanesque design is adopted. A fund-raising campaign begins. The Cathedral Guild is established.
City: The great Christian writer CS Lewis is born in Belfast,Nov 29th. Otto Jaffe is elected Lord Mayor of Belfast - the first Jew to be a Mayor in Ireland. He is a member of Belfast Harbour Board, a Governor of the Royal Hospital and Consul to the German Embassy. He is elected Lord Mayor of Belfast again in 1904.
IRL: The Irish Local Government Act gives Ireland local government similar to the English system.
1899 Henry Laverty and Sons, contractors, begin work on the site in August.
1899 Henry O'Hara is appointed as the first dean. The foundation stone is laid by Constance, Countess of Shaftesbury, on Sept 6th.
1900 Charles F. D'Arcy is appointed dean.
IRL: Oscar Wilde dies.
1901 City: Belfast's population is 350,000 having grown from 30,000 in 1831.
World: Theodore Roosevelt becomes President following the assassination of President McKinley .
1903 John Joseph Robinson is appointed dean. The last service is held in the old church of St Anne around which the cathedral is rising. The congregation uses Clarence Place Hall for Sunday worship until the new nave is ready on Dec 27th.
City: The port continues to prosper. Musgrave Channel is excavated.
IRL: A final Land Act makes it still easier for tenant farmers to obtain loans and buy their land. As a result millions of acres change hands by 1921.
