The Building
St Columba’s Church was designed by British Architect Nugent Francis Cachemaille-Day. The foundation stone was laid on 28th February 1959 and the Church was consecrated on 22nd October 1960 and the Parish of St. Columba was inaugurated.
The plan of the church departs widely from the generally accepted conception of what a church should look like. The main thought behind the plan of the church is that the altar should be among the people rather than at a distance and this leads to a square rather than a long rectangular building. Thus the building suggests a relationship more with the Byzantine church design rather than the Gothic.
The stained glass was made in Belgium to a special formula giving brilliance of colour and the design is governed by Cherubim wings, the idea for which resulted from a visit by the architect to St. Sophia, Istanbul.
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