This group of passersby, photographed in 1956, are watching the foundations being built for the new Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, the replacement for Old St Paul’s. I like how the construction workers had kindly built a child’s-height viewing hole. The foundation stone had been laid by Queen Elizabeth two years earlier; this was then removed for safekeeping when construction began in 1956. The first section of the cathedral was finally opened by the Governor General in 1964, and Old St Paul’s closed for regular worship.
The photographer helpfully provided a ‘view of the view’ through the holes as well (below):
Images: Evening Post Collection, Ref: EP/1956/2699-F and Ref: EP/1956/2700-F, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington
Old St Paul's Wellington New Zealand 