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St. Paul's Church: Where Jim Corbett's Dad Said, “I do”
St Paul’s Church was the main church for the British Cantonment. Set up in 1839, the church has been a witness to the passage of time.
St Paul’s Church stands right in the middle of Landour, the Colonial part of Mussoorie. Set up in 1839, it is a simple wood and stone building with beautiful stained glass windows. Till 1947, St Paul's was the main church for the British Cantonment. It cheered the joyous, comforted the sorrowful and preached to the straying (of which there were plenty in gay Mussoorie).
In many ways, St Paul's Church is the keeper of Landour's history. Plaques inside the church speak of men and women laid to rest in the hills; the archives record happier events such as births, baptisms and weddings.
One such happy event unfolded on October 13, 1859, when the bells pealed to ring in the nuptials of Christopher William Corbett and Mary Ann Morrow. They were just another English couple, except that William Corbett went on to father Jim Corbett, the hunter conservationist synonymous with the Kumaon region. For those interested in a more recent history - Tom Altar, the theatre artist and the perpetual firangi of Bollywood, also took his vows here.
In the olden days, St Pauls Church was flanked by the Parade Grounds and serenely overlooked the barracks below. Today, four tiny, but charming cafes have sprung up in the space and so has a park. The cafes are rather unimaginatively called Char Dukaan and serve everything from Maggie to pancakes. It is quite an experience to sit at one of these cafes and drink in the quiet, while sipping coffee.
Good to Know
Location: 10 km from the Sterling resort
Timing: 9:30am to 1pm
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