Plans were prepared for the tower and spire as part of a complete new building by Sir George Gilbert Scott, at that time the outstanding leader of the Gothic revival.
He made a free gift to Grahamstown of the various plans and working details, and the building of the "Public Clock Tower", as it was called, was carried through by the committee without employing a contractor.
The tower and spire were finished in 1878, Dean Williams made the ultimate re-building of the cathedral on the present scale inevitable.
Webb set up his cathedral (the Pro-cathedral of St Michael) in November 1883 in what was the ice rink, a zinc building which stood where the post office now is.
The court found so much of what Shaw had claimed was proved true that the untrue defamatory matter left over warranted only nominal damages.