The Bells of St Mary's

The interior of St Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, seen down its central nave.

Built in 1894, St Mary's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral. It was established to house the growing Anglican congregation in what was at the time British Malaya. The architect of the cathedral, A. C. A. Norman also designed some of the most important colonial buildings in Kuala Lumpur, including the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which lies just 200 metres away from St Mary's. When British royalty visit Kuala Lumpur, they will often stop by St Mary's, the latest being Prince Charles' visit in 2017.

The whitewashed interior of St Mary's as well as the high ceiling lets in lots of natural light. It feels cool and airy, which is a good thing in Kuala Lumpur's tropical heat. Note the timber ceiling, which is made from tropical hardwood. The stained glass at the altar was removed during World War II, but the originals were lost and the current ones are reproductions. Note also on the far left wall the pipe organ, built by Henry Willis. It was built to withstand the tropical heat and humidity, and like the ceiling, timbers used in the organ are from tropical hardwood. It has been substantially repaired over the years, but has also survived floods, termite attack and two World Wars.

EXIF data
Camera: Fujifilm X-E2S
Lens: XF35mmF1.4R
Shutter speed: 1/60 seconds
Aperture: f/2.8
Film speed: ISO 1000
Flash: off, did not fire (compulsory)