The Anglican Church of Melbourne opened its first church, St James, on the corner of Collins and William Streets in 1842. That site was chosen because it was right in the midst of the residents of the town. For those people out in the eastern suburbs like Fitzroy and Collingwood, the church of St Peter's was established on Eastern Hill in 1848. As Melbourne grew the population expanded, and the centre of Melbourne needed a church within walking distance. St James had been elevated to a Cathedral status, and a new church, St Paul's, was started in 1851 on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets, where today's Cathedral sits. (See photo below).
Eventually the size of the city's congregation outgrew the church and a larger ediface was proposed, with construction commencing in 1880. The old church remained on site to allow services to continue during the construction, but was eventually removed in 1885 to allow the Cathedral to be finished.
The construction of the Cathedral was commenced in 1880, but was not consecrated until 1891. The Cathedral remained without any spires until the two smaller ones were completed in 1928, with the third, larger one completed in 1932. The Cathedral still stands today.
