Christ Church, Rouse Hill

Christ Church, Rouse Hill
Rouse Hill Anglican Church with historic Christ Church in the foreground and the 2008 Ministry and Education Centre in the background
Christ Church, Rouse Hill
Location in New South Wales
33°41′01″S 150°55′02″E / 33.6836°S 150.9172°E / -33.6836; 150.9172
LocationWindsor Road, Rouse Hill, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
DenominationAnglican
History
Consecrated1878[1]
Architecture
ArchitectEdmund Blacket[2]
Architectural typeGothic[3]
Completed1862[4]
Construction cost£603 3s[5]
Specifications
Capacity300[4][note 1]
Administration
ProvinceProvince of New South Wales
DioceseDiocese of Sydney
Clergy
MinisterGraeme Howells[6]

Christ Church is a historic church building belonging to Rouse Hill Anglican Church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney located on Windsor Road, Rouse Hill, in the north-west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Christ Church was built in 1862 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Rouse Hill.

History

19th century

On 14 December 1862, William Cowper, the Dean of Sydney, visited the site for the church in Rouse Hill and opened it for divine service with a sermon from Proverbs 14. Despite the heavy rain the service was well attended. The church had been constructed at an unspecified date before this,[4][7] however, the land for the church, ¾ acre in total, was not donated by Robert Fitzgerald to the Bishop of Sydney until the next year.[8] By May 1863, £521 21s 6½d of the £603 3s it cost to build the church had been raised,[5] under the management of John Schofield,[4] and on 16 July 1863, the church building was licensed to operate.[1] The church was constructed from lime kiln brick and sandstone.[9]

From 1863 to 1869, the Christ Church building was used as both a church[8] and school.[10] In 1864, the Bishop of Sydney, Frederic Barker, held the first Confirmation at the church. By 1866, a teacher's residence had been built for the school.[11]

In 1869, a separate building was built on the site for the purpose of operating the school. In 1875, the school changed from a denominational school to a public school.[8] On 19 November 1878, Christ Church was consecrated.[12] That same year, a chancel and Sanctuary were added to the church building.[13]

In 1887, Christ Church received their first curate, Copeland King, having previously been led by the rector of St Paul's Castle Hill.[14] The next year in 1888, the school building closed and pupils transferred to new Rouse Hill Public School.[8]

20th century

From 1904 to 1906, the future Bishop of Grafton, William Stevenson was the curate at Christ Church.[14] In 1908, the school building was demolished and replaced by a hall that still stands.[8] On 16 August 1913, the Church celebrated its jubilee. The jubilee concert raised £27 for repairing the roof on the church. R. B. Orchard was noted among the significant guests at the jubilee.[15] In 1923, both the 1908 hall and the church building underwent renovations for a total cost of £150.[16]

On 12 July 1963, centenary celebrations were held at Christ Church, presided by the then Archbishop, Hugh Gough.[1] That same year, the school master's residence on the site was demolished.[8]

In 1979, the church was transferred from the parish of Riverstone to Kellyville. Services were held monthly from that point.[17] The 1980 Year Book of the Diocese of Sydney was the last time Christ Church is mentioned having its own congregation in the 20th century,[18] with the church closing sometime in the 1980s.[8] By 1997, the building was in a dilapidated state, with boarded windows and damage to the roof and gutters.[17]

From 24 May 1998, the church buildings were used as a home for the congregation from St. Stephens, Kellyville whilst their own buildings were being constructed. Refurbishment was done to the roof, windows, woodwork, electricals, and the gutters.[9][19]

21st century

In 2004, the Christ Church buildings fell out of use when a new building for St. Stephens was completed in Kellyville.[8] In February 2004, the Rouse Hill Provisional Anglican Parish was formed[20] and began meeting at the nearby Rouse Hill Anglican College.[21] In 2006, they lodged a Development Application with the Baulkham Hills Shire Council to redevelop the site. Construction commenced in 2007, and a new Ministry and Education Centre was built alongside restoration works on the two historic buildings – Christ Church and the 1908 Hall.[8]

In March 2008, the Rouse Hill Provisional Anglican Parish moved to the site from their temporary home at Rouse Hill Anglican College and became the Rouse Hill Anglican Church. The Ministry and Education Centre was officially opened on 27 April 2008 by the then Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen[22] and Rouse Hill Anglican Church's Curate – Martin Morgan. At that time, the church operated two services, one at 10am and another at 6:30pm.[23]

Current ministry

The current rector is the Rev. Graeme Howells.[6] The church has two services each Sunday at 10am and 5pm.[24] The church operates children's playtime programs on Thursdays,[25] youth programs on Fridays, and English classes on Mondays[26] and Fridays.[27]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "Centenary Of Christ Church". Windsor And Richmond Gazette. Vol. 76, no. 4. New South Wales, Australia. 24 July 1963. p. 4. Retrieved 1 March 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ North West Growth Centre: Area 20 Precinct Non-Indigenous Heritage Assessment (PDF) (Report). New South Wales Department of Planning. November 2010. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  3. ^ Casey M; Lowe A (1993), Historical Archaeological Survey of the Rouse Hill Infrastructure Project (Stage 1) Works, p. 13, retrieved 6 March 2026
  4. ^ a b c d "Religious: Church at Rouse Hill". Sydney Mail. Vol. III, no. 129. New South Wales, Australia. 20 December 1862. p. 3. Retrieved 2 March 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ a b "Subscriptions received towards the erection of Christ Church, Windsor Road, Near Rouse Hill". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. XLVII, no. 7772. New South Wales, Australia. 4 May 1863. p. 8. Retrieved 28 February 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ a b Bradley P. (2011). "Rouse Hill welcomes new minister". Rouse Hill Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Chronicle of Occurrences —1862". Sydney Mail. Vol. IV, no. 131. New South Wales, Australia. 3 January 1863. p. 10. Retrieved 28 February 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Warren, Jilly H.; Pullen, Noelene; Wilson, Pam (2006). Rouse Hill Village: A Step Back in Time. Hills District Historical Society. ISBN 9780957760233.
  9. ^ a b "Historic Church Back at Work". Hills Shire Times. Vol. 47, no. 20. New South Wales, Australia. 19 May 2026. p. 6 – via Hills Shire Library, Castle Hill.
  10. ^ "CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS". New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 99. New South Wales, Australia. 19 May 1865. p. 1083. Retrieved 28 February 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ Rt. Rev. Frederic Barker (16 January 1866). "CHURCH SOCIETY". The Sydney Morning Herald. Vol. LIII, no. 8629. New South Wales, Australia. p. 5. Retrieved 28 February 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ Christ Church Anglican Church, Rouse Hill (1963), Christ Church Rouse Hill - Centenary 1963, p. 7, retrieved 6 March 2026
  13. ^ Christ Church Anglican Church, Rouse Hill (1963), Christ Church Rouse Hill - Centenary 1963, p. 9, retrieved 6 March 2026
  14. ^ a b Christ Church Anglican Church, Rouse Hill (1963), Christ Church Rouse Hill - Centenary 1963, p. 10, retrieved 6 March 2026
  15. ^ "ROUSE HILL: Jubilee at Christ Church". Windsor And Richmond Gazette. Vol. 26, no. 1307. New South Wales, Australia. 23 August 1913. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "ROUSE HILL". Windsor and Richmond Gazette. Vol. 34, no. 1865. New South Wales, Australia. 29 June 1923. p. 3. Retrieved 28 February 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ a b Phillis, Winsome (1998). "Christ Church, Rouse Hill". Riverstone & District Historical Society Journal (1998). Riverstone & District Historical Society and Museum: 14–18.
  18. ^ "Year book of the Diocese of Sydney 1980". Sydney Diocesan Registry. Church of England in Australia, Diocese of Sydney. 1980. JSTOR community.32070113. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  19. ^ Chase, Rachel (1 August 2003). "New building a gift to Sydney's fastest growing area". Southern Cross. Anglican Diocese of Sydney. p. 3. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  20. ^ Morgan, Martin (27 February 2008). "Annual Ministry Report". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Rouse Hill, N.S.W. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  21. ^ "North-West measures up for new growth". Sydney Anglicans. Archived from the original on 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  22. ^ Percy, N. (2008). "People know we're here!". SydneyAnglicans.net. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
  23. ^ Morgan, Martin (27 February 2008). "Rouse Hill Anglican Churches". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Rouse Hill, N.S.W. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Rouse Hill Anglican Church: Ministry Team". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 28 February 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Rouse Hill Anglican Church: Kids Ministry". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  26. ^ "Rouse Hill Anglican Church: What's On". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  27. ^ "Rouse Hill Anglican Church: English Classes". Rouse Hill Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.

Bibliography

  • Warren, J.; Pullen, N.; Wilson, P. (2006). Rouse Hill Village: A Step Back in Time. Hills District Historical Society. ISBN 9780957760233.
  • Galea, Marius (1983). History of Kellyville, 1788-1983. Girraween, N.S.W.: Freelance Press Pry. Ltf. Society. ISBN 9780959185508.

Footnotes

  1. ^ The source is a historical newspaper and has some damage to the text. It may read either 300 or 360. This is the capacity of the historical Christ Church building alone. The Ministry Centre and 1908 Hall are not included.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.