St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church

 

St Bartholomew’s Church, which opened in 1841, was the first church to be built in the Prospect area. Before this date church services were held in the home of the schoolmaster. In 1836 William Lawson started to interest the community in building a church at Prospect. On 23 February 1837, the Sydney Herald published a list of subscription towards the erection of the Prospect church that totalled three hundred and seventy six pounds and three shillings and contained many names of well know people.  The list was marked ‘to be continued’.

 

 In 1838 William Lawson, through the Australian and the Sydney Herald, called for tenders for the building of the Church. On 2 October 1838 a contract to complete the church and tower within fifteen months was signed with James Atkinson of Mulgoa as the builder and William Lawson as Senior Trustee and Nelson Simmons Lawson and Robert Crawford as Trustees. The witness was Lawson’s son-in-law, architect and civil engineer Edward Hallen. The building was not completed within the specified time. On 26 October 1840, the Trustees entered into another contract with James Atkinson to supply the furniture within six weeks. On 17 April 1841, the Sydney Herald stated ‘On Wednesday last the Bishop of Australia laid the foundation of a Parochial Church at Prospect’. There is no foundation stone in St Bartholomew’s; it is believed that this action of the Bishop signified the ‘foundation’ of the Church as a group of people.

 

The first baptisms recorded were of Margaret, Mary and James Goodin, on 2 May 1841. Sadly, Margaret’s elder sister, Ann, and Margaret herself were the first burials on 18 July 1841.

 

The Church operated until New Years Eve at the end of 1967, when, due to a second attack of vandalism, it was closed. In 1972 Blacktown Municipal Council took out a fifty-year lease on the property from the Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Sydney. On 4 November 1989 fire gutted the Church, destroying the 1850s organ and the 1908 furniture.  During 2000 restoration work costing $1,374,000 began under the supervision of Graham Edds and Associates, Heritage Architects. This work was funded by Blacktown City Council and the Commonwealth and State governments. In January  2001 Blacktown City Council purchased the property from the Anglican Property Trust.  The building is now  available for hire for civil wedding services, concerts, exhibitions or any other event that Council considers appropriate.

 

The Church is of Colonial Georgian design, being a rectangular brick structure with a nave, chancel and two vestries, each vestry having an entrance door.  The main entrance is through the bell tower at the front of the building. The tower has a square base with an octagonal belfry. The bell has recently been reinstated to the tower

 

Heritage Significance - In December 1948, The National Trust of Australia (NSW) included St Bartholomew’s, Prospect, on its first list of buildings considered essential to our Heritage.

In 1973, it was Classified Potential ‘A’, amongst the top 70 buildings in NSW. In the 1970s, it was listed in ‘The Register of the National Estate’.On 19 February 1982, Permanent Conservation Order No 37 was placed on St Bartholomew’s on recommendation of The Heritage Council of NSW.

St Bartholomew’s Cemetery

 

St. Bartholomew’s cemetery is located on the same property as the Church. When the Blacktown City Council bought the Church property  in 2001 the sale included the cemetery. It was once known as the Prospect Cemetery. As the population of the area grew and churches other than Anglican were established in the area, burials from the Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist congregations were permitted. In recent years burials of people from the Orthodox faith have also been permitted. There will be no further sale of burial plots.

 

Former St Bartholomew’s Church Hall

 

The hall located on the St Bartholomew’s property at Prospect was originally the Public School and Chapel during the construction of Prospect Reservoir. It is believed that it was built c1882. The original site of the hall is marked on the Sydney Water Supply Map of 1893. After the completion of the Reservoir in1888, the hall continued as a school until the opening of Greystanes Public School in 1906. In 1908 it was transported to the St.  Bartholomew’s property by the horse teams of ‘Butty’ McMahon, grandfather of Sir William McMahon, to serve as Parish (later Church) Hall.

 

In 1969-70 the present brick foundations were put under the hall. This work was done by volunteers led by Robert Brown and a local scout group. The then Commissioner of Railways, who had an ancestor buried in the St. Bartholomew’s graveyard, organised the delivery of thirteen railway jacks to the property. These were used to jack up the hall to enable the brick foundations to be built. The jacks were there for approximately six months. The glass in the hall windows had been broken. Robert Brown replaced the wooden frames and put the metal covers on the windows. The intention was to replace the glass and remove the metal covers when the hall was in use, but the glass was never put back into the windows.

 

Ministers who have officiated at St Bartholomew's church

 

Between the opening of the Church in April 1841 and October 1841, REV. H.H. BOBART and REV. WILLIAM WEST SIMPSON provided services.

 

REV. HENRY HODGKINSON BOBART was a Curate to Rev. Samuel Marsden and after Marsden’s death in 1838, his successor as Rector of St John’s, Parramatta. He married Marsden’s second daughter, Elizabeth Mary. He officiated at the first baptisms at St Bartholomew’s, those of Margaret, Mary and James Goodin on 2 May 1841, the first burials of Margaret Goodin’s elder sister, Ann, and Margaret herself on 18 July 1841, and the first marriage, that of Sarah McDonald and Thomas Moreing in November 1841. He continued to officiate on a few occasions up to 19 January 1845.

 

REV. JOHN TROUGHTON was the first Minister of St Bartholomew’s and took up duties before 26 December 1841 and continued until about 9 November 1847. He lived in Parramatta.

Other Ministers who officiated for short periods during this time included REV. W. BELOSKE, REV. CHARLES WOODWARD, REV. WILLIAM C. DUDLEY, REV. THOMAS SHARPE, REV. ROBERT FORREST (first Headmaster of The Kings School) REV. G.E. TURNER and REV. THOMAS MAKINSON (first Rector of St Thomas’s , Mulgoa}.

 

REV. WILLIAM F. GORE served from about 20 February 1848 to about 30 May 1849, after which he established All Saints Church, Parramatta.

 

REV. GEORGE NAPOLEON WOODD came to St Bartholomew’s before 3 February 1849 and served until about January 1855. He lived at the Prospect property “Flushcombe”, established in 1823 by Captain Robert Lethbridge.

 

REV. THOMAS DRUITT officiated for a short period, as did REV. W.F. GORE, before REV. THOMAS DONKIN came to St Bartholomew’s about August 1855. He was the first Minister to live in its Rectory, which, as suggested by Bishop Broughton on 16 August 1836, was built about half way between Prospect and Seven Hills. The land, about 11 acres (4.4Ha),  was donated by the widow of Nelson Simmons Lawson. This land was sub-divided about 1970 and none of the money used to preserve St Bartholomew’s.  Rev Donkin continued at Prospect until about June 1875, being the longest serving Minister of St Bartholomew’s. A plaque in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney reads: ‘In Memory of Thomas Donkin, D.D. 20 years incumbent of St Bartholomew’s, Prospect. Born 26 May 1800, Died 29 Nov. 1890.” After he retired from St Bartholomew’s, he resided at Kurrajong until his death.

 

Other Ministers to officiate on a few occasions during and after Rev. Donkin’s incumbency were REV. GEORGE BARLOW, REV. JOHN ROE BLOMFIELD, REV. MR DUNNING, REV. JAMES GILBERTSON, REV. H. TINGECOMBE, REV. W. KILDAHL, REV. LLOYD L. WILLIAMS and REV. E. SMITH.

 

On 17 November 1872, REV. H. A. LANGLEY interred a son of Rev. Charles Archdall (both Ministers were descendants of Matthew and Martha Pearce of “Kings Langley”, Seven Hills.)  On 11 November 1876, REV. A.W. PAINE interred Mrs Jane Kirk of “Brownlow Hill”, Camden, mother of Sarah Ann Downes, widow of Nelson Simmons Lawson. On 5 July 1875, REV. R ALLWOOD interred Mrs Caroline Lawson, widow of William Lawson Jnr., who had resided at Darlinghurst at the time of her death.

 

REV. R.R. EVA was Rector from before 14 April 1878 to about 20 December 1880, during which period REV. J. D. LANGLEY and REV. I. D. LANDREY officiated on a few occasions.

 

REV. JOHN SPOONER served as Rector from about 21 January 1881 to 1889, during which time REV. N.C. ROBERTS officiated on a few occasions. Rev. John Spooner is believed to have been a descendant of Robert Crawford of “Hill End”, Prospect (now Doonside), one of the first Trustees of St Bartholomew’s.

 

REV. GEORGE MIDDLETON was Rector from 1891 to 1905. On 13 October 1876, a son of Rev.  Middleton, then of Kurrajong, was baptised at St Bartholomew’s by REV. E. SMITH.

 

REV. J.W. UPJOHN was Rector from 1905 to 1907, and REV. H.A. DEMPSTER from 1907 to 1908.

 

REV. WALTER VAUGHAN ROSE was Rector from 1908 until his death on 23 May 1910. He was interred in St Bartholomew’s Churchyard.

 

Then followed REV. GEORGE MASHMAN (1910-1913) and REV. A. NOBLE BURTON (1913-1922).

 

REV. FREDERICK HUGH HORDERN was Rector from 1922 to 1929. He lived in the 1891 Rectory of the sister Church, St Andrew’s Seven Hills.

 

Then followed REV. G.W. LAVERACK (1929-1933), REV. W.S. McLEOD (1934), REV. T. TERRY (1935-1936) and REV. R.T. HALLAHAN (1936-1938).

 

REV. FREDERICK JONES was Rector in 1938 and 1939. He was the last Rector to live in the 1860s St Bartholomew’s Rectory. He died, while the Incumbent, on 16 November 1939 and was interred in St Bartholomew’s Churchyard.

 

REV. R.N. LANGSHAW was Rector from 1940 to 1944 and REV. E.I. SEATREE from 1945 to 1946.

  

REV. L.J. HARRIS became Rector in 1946. About this time, the name was changed from The Parish of Prospect and (with) Seven Hills to The Parish of Blacktown.

 

Other Rectors since then have included REV. KEN BAKER and REV. JOHN ARNOLD, who was Rector when St Bartholomew’s was closed after 31 December 1967.