St. Andrew's Church in Hong Kong began to be built in 1904 for the Anglican community living in Kowloon, the peninsular part of Hong Kong. Before that, parishioners were forced to gather in an ammunition depot near the Administrative Centre on Canton Road, where services were conducted by a military chaplain.
Funds for the creation of a real church were provided by the well-known Hong Kong financier Patrick Paul Chater. The start of construction was blessed by Bishop Hoare. St. Andrew's Church was built in two years, completed in 1906, after a powerful destructive typhoon that claimed the life of Bishop Hoare. The storm also uprooted the pines that grew near the new church, but the building itself stood firm.
But this was only the first trial in the church's history. During World War II, the building was occupied by the Japanese invaders, who used it as a Shinto church and a magistrate's office. After that there were explosions, typhoons, and a landslide, but St. Andrew's Church endured.
Built in the Victorian Gothic style in the shape of a cross, it continues to delight parishioners to this day. If you come here for a visit, pay attention to the weathered glass of the east window: it was presented by Sir Paul Chater himself in honor of the church's opening.
