The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Duke Town, Calabar

The Presbyterian church of Nigeria, Duke Town Cathedral, is believed to be one of the oldest church in Calabar. The building foundation stone was laid by Walter Egerton E C.M.G High commissioner consecrated by the Rev. Arthur W. Wilkie M.A.B.D in 19th April 1904.
           The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria is located at no.13 Eyamba street, Duke Town, Calabar Cross-River State, Nigeria.


The Cathedral is influenced by the Renaissance architectural style. The Cathedral design reflects the Presbyterian way of simplicity but with detail elements.

Fig 1, East View

        

The Cathedral has a Tower attached to the building which accommodates the bell as seen in fig 1. On the roof, it has three roof vents. The Roof vents helps to achieve a Stack Effect in the building. ( Stack Effect is the movement of cool air into and hot air out of the building. The hot air escapes from the roof vent/ Clerestory windows, while cool air is sucked into the building through the windows on the aisle).

Fig 2

                        The windows on the aisle are large casement window built in a semi-circular arch form and decorated with a semi-circular cornice. The windows are being fabricated using translucent rough glass and wooden frame. These windows are protected with galvanized wire mesh. The Clerestory windows are squared in shape and small and constructed using wooden frames and glass used as louvers.
                         The exterior walls has two different kinds of wall finishes. At the Nave where the Clerestory windows are found is finished with slatted wooden panels, with the rest of the exterior wall is finished with texture textured cement finished and painted with gray colour paint. shown in fig 2

                    The roof is covered with long span aluminum roofing sheets, the eaves are constructed using wood, while the ceiling at the eaves were made of wooden panels.

THE INTERIOR: The ceiling has a vault. The vault are without ribs, fig 3. The vaults are semi- circular on the ceiling. The ceiling are flat and finished with polished slatted wood panels. These was used as an acoustic material.

fig 3

fig 4

                           The walls dividing the Nave and the Aisle, where the Clerestory windows are found is also finished with polished slatted wood panel. The semi-circular arches are rested on slender/slim pillars. Pillars are made from concrete and finished with gloss oil paint. Fig 5

fig 5

                        The Chancel is raised higher than the Nave and Aisle and its surrounded with well carved polished wooden railings. ( A Chancel is the part of the church near the alter, reserved for the clergy and the choir). The chancel is built plain unlike the Romanesques style, the Presbyterian sees their chancel as a communion table. Here the chancel has an adorning high wooden door. see in Fig 6

Fig 6 the chancel

The cathedral has a gallery facing the chancel, and a step leading to the gallery by it side. The floor finishing is terrazzo. the cathedral design is symmetrical

showing the gallery

stairs leading to the gallery.

The front tower windows are stained windows. and the entrance porche is through the tower.

wooden panel ceiling

stained windows