St John's Anglican Church, Albany
The church in 2018
The church in 2018
35°01′32″S 117°53′0″E / 35.02556°S 117.88333°E / -35.02556; 117.88333 (St John's Anglican Church)
LocationYork Street, Albany, Western Australia
CountryAustralia
DenominationAnglican
Websiteanglicanchurchalbany.org.au
History
StatusChurch
Founded1841 (1841)
DedicationSt John the Evangelist
Consecrated25 October 1848
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Years built1841–44
Specifications
MaterialsStone, shingles
Administration
ProvinceWestern Australia
DioceseBunbury
ParishAlbany
Clergy
Priest(s)Rev Karen Cave
Official nameSt John's Church
TypeState Registered Place
Designated9 February 1996
Part ofSt John's Church Group (3514)
Reference no.71

St John's Anglican Church, also known as St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, is a heritage-listed Anglican church on York Street in Albany, Western Australia. The church is the oldest consecrated church in Western Australia, consecrated in October 1848.[1]

History

The tower in 2015
The tower in 2015

The church was built by the people of the town, with construction commencing in 1841[2] and completed in 1844. The church was consecrated on 25 October 1848 by Augustus Short, Bishop of Adelaide, who introduced John Ramsden Wollaston as its clergyman.[3] At this time the church would have been able to accommodate the entire population of the town, 170 people.[2]

Construction of the rectory commenced in 1850[2] and was completed the same year. Originally it was a single story stone building, however a second storey was added in 1875.[4] A second rectory was built behind the original one in 1980.[2]

The first recorded Anzac dawn service was held by the church in 1930.[5]

The church, rectory, hall and peppermint trees were listed on the register of the National Trust in 1978.[4]

From 1968 to 1979 Warwick Bastian was the coadjutor bishop of Bunbury, with the title Bishop of Albany.[6] During that time, he based himself at St John's.[7]

Canon Edward Argyl was appointed as the parish priest in 2011 until his death in 2015.[5]

Description

The church is a stone building with gabled roofs covered in shingles.[4] The aisle of the church is made from 22-centimetre (9 in) thick blocks that had been made in England.[8] The stone walls are 540 millimetres (21 in) thick and the building also has stone foundations; the stone was thought to be quarried from nearby Mount Melville and Mount Clarence. The walls are so thick that no buttresses are required.[4] The original building is now the nave of the present church, with the gallery behind built in 1852. The tower and porch were completed in 1853. The tower is topped with battlements on the parapet.[4]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Albany WA the most beautiful of Cities Western Australia". Albany Tourist Guide Association. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Albany's Heritage Walk Trail". Albany Historical Society Inc. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, York Street, Albany". Organ historical Trust of Australia. May 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "St John's Church Group". Heritage Council of Western Australia. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 Arnall, Karla (29 June 2015). "Remembering Father Edward Argyle of Albany's St John's". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  6. ↑ "Project Canterbury: Cable Clerical Index". Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Australian Church Record, No 1443, 6 March 1969, p 8" (PDF). Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "St Johns Church of England - Albany". Plan Book Travel. Retrieved 9 August 2015.

Bibliography

Media related to St John's Anglican Church, Albany at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.