St Thomas’s Cathedral

Kuching


Facing Padang Merdeka (Independence Sq) and its monumental kapok tree, Kuching’s Anglican cathedral (1954) has a mid-20th-century look and, inside, a bright-red barrel-vaulted ceiling. Enter from Jln McDougall, named after Kuching’s first Anglican bishop, who arrived here in 1848. At the top of the hill, on the other side of the Parish Centre, stands the Bishop’s House.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kuching attractions

1. Old Anglican Cemetery

0.06 MILES

A number of the gravestones here – there are just a few dozen – go back to the 1840s.

2. Kapok Tree

0.07 MILES

Huge and ancient tree on Padang Merdeka (Independence Sq).

3. Sarawak Textile Museum

0.08 MILES

Housed in a ‘colonial Baroque’–style building constructed in 1909, this museum displays some superb examples of traditional Sarawakian textiles, including…

4. Hiang Thian Siang Temple

0.08 MILES

This temple, rebuilt shortly after the fire of 1884, serves the Teochew congregation as a shrine to Shang Di (the Emperor of Heaven). On the 15th day of…

5. Harmony Arch

0.09 MILES

An ornate arch that marks the official entrance to Kuching's Chinatown district.

6. Hin Ho Bio

0.11 MILES

It's easy to miss this temple, tucked away on the roof of the Kuching Hainan Association. Go up the staircase to the top floor and you'll come to a vivid…

7. Bishop's House

0.13 MILES

Kuching’s oldest building, the Bishop's House was constructed – in 1849, with admirable solidness – by a German shipwright.

8. Natural History Museum

0.15 MILES

This building, built in 1908 and adorned with Rajah Brooke's birdwing butterfly, so named by famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, is currently being…