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Laying Foundations

In April 1933, a cross was erected on Stag Hill to mark the site of the new Cathedral. It was made from teak timbers from the battleship HMS Ganges. The cross still stands today outside the Cathedral at the eastern end.

To prepare the foundations, piles were driven up to 15m (50 feet) through the soft clay of Stag Hill. Queen Mary visited the site in April 1937 to assist with the driving of the 778th and final pile into the ground.

And on 22 July 1936, the Foundation Stone was laid by The Most Reverend Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was he that announced that the Cathedral would be dedicated to the Holy Spirit.

Building work started.