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CLASSICAL CHURCHES OF KARACHI
Karachi is home to some magnificent churches and cathedrals hailing back from the colonial era. Most of these churches are still in use and add to the city's diverse character.
THE TRINITY CHURCH (1855)
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Present
The Trinity Church was the first major (protestant) church in Karachi and its construction started in 1852 with Bartle Frere (then Commissioner-in-Scinde) laying the foundation stone. The structure was completed and consecrated by 1855. It was located in the prestigious Civil Lines quarter.
The architecture of the Trinity Church was comparatively modest, reflecting the then isolation of provincial Karachi. This garrison church was designed in the Italian style by Capt. John Hill of the Bombay Engineers. Florentine Renaissance style was given preference in spite of the prevailing Victorian trend of neo-Gothic architecture in the nearby capital of the presidency, Bombay. The original design was somewhat altered during construction by John Brunton, chief engineer of the Scinde railways. The building is simple in character and instead of using elaborate architectural features, relies on the mass of its nave and its extraordinarily tall tower to create an impression. It was built out of local buff colored Gizri sandstone. There is a Romanesque arch at the entry and Venetian single and double windows on the facade with little ornamentation.
Trinity churches were built by the Trinity Board in all 'watering places' along the English coast from the mouth of the Thames to Portsmouth. They also constructed these churches in India. According to Alexander F. Baillie (1890:45), due to a shortage of lighthouses, churches with high towers were provided funds in exchange for the installation of beacons on their summits, thereby doubly functioning as lighthouses. This might have been the motivation for the construction of an exceptionally tall tower for the Trinity Church in Karachi: its height at 150 ft was taller than the length of the nave which was only 115 ft. This unusual piece of architecture was a subject of much amusement in architectural circles. In 1904 however, the upper two stories of the tower were removed for reasons of structural stability. More recently, the church's original timber-framed pitched roof was replaced by a concrete barrel vault in an ill-planned restoration effort.
Historical context: Within two years of its consecration, the Rising of 1857 (ghaddar) engulfed India - ending in the defeat of nationalist forces and the creation of British India.
(referenced from Lari, 1996)
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH (1868)
The St. Andrew's Church, also known as the Scotch church, was built during 1867-68, with the foundation stone being laid by Robert Napier, commander-in-chief of the Bombay army, on February 1867. The building was completed in December 1868, at a cost of Rs. 56,300, out of which, Rs. 25,000 were financed by the government.
It was designed by T. G. Newnham (a deputy agent of the Indus Flotilla, who also had a Karachi street named after him). The architecture of this church utilizes buttresses and a tall spire, drawing on Romanesque and Venetian Gothic styles for its openings. Its nave is a hundred feet long and rises to a height of fifty-six feet at the ridge of the roof. The nave was separated from the aisles by arcades with ten clerestory windows above them on each side. The enclosure provided seating for 400 worshippers. A finely carved rose-window of 18ft diameter is placed at the south end of the hall. The opposite end is adorned by a five-light window with gothic-form geometrical tracery. The entrance of the church is through an octagonal porch towards the south side. Adjacent to this entrance rises the church tower and steeple, which rises to a height of 135 ft. When built, this tower was the second tallest in the city surpassed by the tower of the Trinity Church. However, when the top two stories were taken off of the latter tower in 1904, St. Andrew's tower became the tallest church tower in Karachi.
(adapted from Lari, 1996)
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METHODIST CHURCH (1875)
This church was consecrated in 1875, and stands near the site of the Goa-Portugese Hall. It uses heavy set rustic masonry and Romanesque architecture. Currently, no picture or detailed information is available of this church building. Please check the contributions page if you have any information about this building you could supply this website with.
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