A 1904 carpenter gothic church.....
On Saturday, 19 March 1904 the South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus ran a story on the opening of the new Anglican church of Saint John at Moore Street, Austinmer, the previous Sunday, 13 March. It read as follows:
AUSTINMER
At Austinmer, on Sunday afternoon, a new Church of
England (called St. John's) was opened for divine service by the Rural Dean of
Wollongong, Rev, G. D'Arcy Irvine. The church is of weatherboard and is
situated about midway between the Ocean Beach and the railway station, on land
given by Messrs. J.C. Jones and John Kirton. There is sitting accommodation for
about 109 people, but many more were present at the opening service. Rev. Norman
Jenkyn, the Rector, made a statement and thanked the subscribers to the Building
Fund and all who had in any [way] contributed to the erection and furnishing of
the Church.
He said that a small sum remained due and their offerings that day would help them to make a clear start. Rev. G. D'Arcy Irvine preached from the text St. John I, 51, 'Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.' An interesting exposition of the text was given by the preacher who also congratulated the rector and parishioners at Austinmer on the erection of the Church. It stood, he said, in one of the prettiest places on the earth and he believed that the worship to be offered in its walls would be pleasing to the Almighty, while the instruction given therein in the Christian faith, as held and taught by the Church of England, would be for the blessing and health of the people. The choir of St. Augustine's, Bulli, led the singing of the congregation.
Austinmer is located on the east coast of Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. It is situated within a roughly 2 kilometre-wide strip of land between the mountain and the sea, in the northern Illawarra. In regards to acquisition of land for the church, those responsible included John Kirton, the owner of Thirroul coal mine, and J.C. Jones, former manager at Austinmer. Moore Street was originally formed and subdivided during 1887 in association with the opening of the nearby coal mine and erection of a jetty on the northern site of Hicks Point (present-day Headlands). The Austinmer mine closure in 1895 slowed development of the village and by 1904 there were still many unoccupied and undeveloped lots on Moore Street, the main thoroughfare running east-west and connecting the north-south coast road with the the mines and developments along the Escarpment. Despite this lull in activity, the population steadily grew, as did the number of visitors to the region, coming as day trippers or retirees seeking to enjoy the temperate climate and healthy aspects of life by the sea. With the increasing population also came the need for facilities to cater to both the physical and spiritual needs of residents. An Anglican place of worship was one such need.
The main driving force behind the erection of a church at Austinmer was local resident Marie Annie Greville, wife of Mr. George Wallace. Marie Annie initially garnered support from the aforementioned landowners Kirton and Jones, important allies in her bid to raise funds for the construction of a building to service the local community. Her efforts proved so succesful that by the beginning of 1904 construction had commenced. She later wrote the first history of the church, covering the period 1904-13. Marie Annie eventually moved to Sydney sometime during the 1920s, and died there in 1933 (Wallace 1958, Carrick 2001).
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| 1. J.C. Jones 1904 |
He said that a small sum remained due and their offerings that day would help them to make a clear start. Rev. G. D'Arcy Irvine preached from the text St. John I, 51, 'Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.' An interesting exposition of the text was given by the preacher who also congratulated the rector and parishioners at Austinmer on the erection of the Church. It stood, he said, in one of the prettiest places on the earth and he believed that the worship to be offered in its walls would be pleasing to the Almighty, while the instruction given therein in the Christian faith, as held and taught by the Church of England, would be for the blessing and health of the people. The choir of St. Augustine's, Bulli, led the singing of the congregation.
Austinmer is located on the east coast of Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. It is situated within a roughly 2 kilometre-wide strip of land between the mountain and the sea, in the northern Illawarra. In regards to acquisition of land for the church, those responsible included John Kirton, the owner of Thirroul coal mine, and J.C. Jones, former manager at Austinmer. Moore Street was originally formed and subdivided during 1887 in association with the opening of the nearby coal mine and erection of a jetty on the northern site of Hicks Point (present-day Headlands). The Austinmer mine closure in 1895 slowed development of the village and by 1904 there were still many unoccupied and undeveloped lots on Moore Street, the main thoroughfare running east-west and connecting the north-south coast road with the the mines and developments along the Escarpment. Despite this lull in activity, the population steadily grew, as did the number of visitors to the region, coming as day trippers or retirees seeking to enjoy the temperate climate and healthy aspects of life by the sea. With the increasing population also came the need for facilities to cater to both the physical and spiritual needs of residents. An Anglican place of worship was one such need.
The main driving force behind the erection of a church at Austinmer was local resident Marie Annie Greville, wife of Mr. George Wallace. Marie Annie initially garnered support from the aforementioned landowners Kirton and Jones, important allies in her bid to raise funds for the construction of a building to service the local community. Her efforts proved so succesful that by the beginning of 1904 construction had commenced. She later wrote the first history of the church, covering the period 1904-13. Marie Annie eventually moved to Sydney sometime during the 1920s, and died there in 1933 (Wallace 1958, Carrick 2001).
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| 2. St John's Church of England, Moore Street, Austinmer, 1907. |
The original St. John's church is featured in an early photograph (above), taken after a bell was donated in 1907 by another local land holder, Edmund Biddulph Henning, and prior to the erection of a picket fence during 1908. This view looks north-westerly towards the Illawarra Escarpment from a slightly elevated position near present-day Oceana Parade. To the right of the man on the far left we can see Moore Street in front (north) of the singular church building. There is nothing much around it at that stage, with just a few houses and commercial buildings to the west along Moore Street, towards the railway line. The horse-drawn buggies in front of the church point to the early, pre-motor vehicle era of the photograph and are suggestive that perhaps it was taken on a Sunday when services were being held. The original 1904 church was smallish, oriented east-west, with an approximate 24 foot frontage to the street and a 16 foot depth southerly. It was a simple, weatherboard structure with a rectangular floorplan and V-shaped roof. Two windows on both the eastern and southern sides can be seen in the photograph. It had been built by Mr. Sweeney of Corrimal. When initially constructed there was no internal lining, just simple wooden beams and planks to protect the parishioners from the elements. As a result, complaints came early that it was hot in summer and cold in winter. A partial solution came during 1907 when the building was lined with internal walls and a ceiling. Another early photograph (below) from the same period, looks north-west but is taken from a high point east of the main coast road and near the sea cliff on the southern side of Austinmer beach.
This photograph shows the original church in the middle distance and a meandering creek line behind it, coming out just near the billboard in the foreground. The billboard is on a small hill which hides the main road and the intersection with the slightly curved Moore Street. The area around Moore Street and to the south was clear of trees, perhaps reflecting its previous use as farm and grazing land.
The area known as Austinmer had been occupied for thousands of years by the local Aboriginal people, though this changed after the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney in 1788, bringing with it diseases such as smallpox - which spread early on to the Illawarra - and visitors such as escaped convicts, explorers and cedar cutters. The first Europeans had settled in the area during the 1830s, most prominent of these being Captain Robert Marsh Westmacott in 1836. Here he bred horses and attempted to mine coal in 1839. After leaving the district in 1847 Westmacott's land was subdivided and sold off to people such as James Hicks during the second half of the nineteenth century. The coming of the railway and coal mine around 1887 hastened the transformation of Austinmer from a quiet area of northern Illawarra with farming as the main pursuit, to a township comprised of small, residential allotments and miners cottages tucked into the thick bush of the escarpment.
Another player in the story of the construction of St. John's church was Edmund Biddulph Henning (1834-1928), brother of the famous letter writer Rachel
Henning (Henning 1963). Prior to 1904 he purchased from James Hicks and the local coal mining company 11 acres of land north of Moore Street and an 1840s era house known as Sidmouth, which fronted the hill near the beach. Henning did not reside at Sidmouth, but appears to have used it as a holiday retreat and also rented it out. He also donated a bell to the church in 1907. His land at Austinmer was subsequently subdivided to form the area around the present-day Grove and north of Henning's Lane.
Another important local landowner was Mr. Kennedy who developed a dairy farm on hilly land to the south of Moore Street. In 1906 the Kennedy estate was subdivided and free trains brought buyers from Sydney to purchase allotments. The success of this venture transformed Austinmer into a fashionable beachside village and health resort, resulting in the formation of Austinmer Surf Life Saving Club in 1909 and the construction of numerous houses on Kennedy's hill. The above photograph from 1907-8 reflects the erection of buildings on the north and western sections of Moore Street. In 1908 a picket fence was added to the Moore Street frontage of the church and extensions carried out, including the addition of a weatherboard structure on the south side of the original building. This can be seen in the photograph below. These additions increased the church's southerly extension to a length of 36 feet. The length in the east-west direction was approximately 24 feet. The name St. John's was also dropped in preference to the Church of All Saints / All Saints' Church.
This early photograph shows the new picket fence and the original belfry on the western side of the roof, above the then entrance. The new (1908) extension can also be seen, though the ground upon which it was built fell away due to the small creek line, and therefore it was built up in order for the floor to align with the original building. Behind the church can be seen clear ground towards the elevated land near Oceana Parade and the large trees on Kennedy's Hill. In 1918 a new bell inscribed Peace Bell was installed to replace the original Henning bell and in honor of those who had fought in the recent war. The belfry was at this time moved from the west to the east side of the roof, atop a new entrance. The block of land on the ocean side of the church was acquired by the parish and a residence for the minister was built along with rooms to accommodate visitors, such as the Church Missionary Society Summer School participants. As the block on the mountain side was in private hands, this precluded any expansion in that direction. The photograph below from the period 1908-18 looks west along Moore Street, with the church on the left.
The dark, single-storey building with an awning next to the church is a shop, whilst those structures in the distance to the left and right are associated with the early village close to the railway station. As the popularity of Austinmer as a beach resort increased during the 1910s, so too did development along Moore Street. This was also reflected in sermons preached in the church, and associated church publications such as the Parish News. One interesting item from 1914 discusses the religious pros and cons of surf bathing, specifically in light of visits by various clergy and members of the Anglican church:
Surely surf bathing needs no further benedictions than that of the Church Missionary Association Summer School .... Everybody bathes at Austinmer - church dignatories, a canon, an archdeacon, not to speak of a bishop; more awful still the senior deaconess.
To this, the local rector responded:
Surf bathing is what people make it, and as the Church Missionary Society Summer School comprises the salt of the earth, surf bathing at Austinmer is an entirely fine, healthy, bracing, beneficial exercise. At Austinmer it has carried away the loss of care and shattered nerves, and given a wholesome sense of our common humanity.
Another early photograph (below) looking easterly from raised land west of the railway station, shows the church and bell tower in the distance.
Beyond the church, Moore Street appears to rise toward the main coast road and the beach. This photograph was likely taken prior to the extension of the railway platform in a northerly direction during 1914-15. A road crossing extending from Moore Street can be seen in the left of the image, near the Austinmer platform sign. The following photograph is taken from a similar position, though perhaps earlier, with the church visible in the distance and less development on the hill to the right.
In 1926 a church hall was built to accommodate the rapidly expanding community. According to a recent Parish of All Saints' history (Carrick 2001), there were moves shortly after the end of World War II to build a new church at Austinmer, however this never came to fruition and a church was built at Thirroul instead. Nevertheless the old wooden church at Austinmer saw regular use, though little structural change, through the more than four decades following the war. Pictures from the 1970s reveal a wooden vestibule on the eastern side of the church, with a large tree nearby.
At some point, perhaps during the 1970s, the original weatherboard building was covered in brick, with a new easterly extension. This removed the character of the old building, whilst giving it a look similar to churches built in the Illawarra following the arrival of Eastern European migrant community after 1945.
The final service was held in the church on 7 May 1995, after which the congregation moved across the road into the former Returned Services League (RSL) building. The St. John's church of 1904 and associated outbuildings were then sold in 1996 and converted into a residence and workshop. The modern brickwork was removed by the new owners and the building restored in part to its earlier state. It was painted in a pale mustard brown with blue features to highlight its heritage significance.
The building now forms one of the most charming elements of the local streetscape.
Though the commercial hub of Austinmer has largely moved to the beach,
Moore Street remains the heart of the village and a distinct heritage
precinct, with a mix of residential properties and businesses such as cafe / restaurants, a hairdresser and a vet in the old Post Office building
near the railway. The 1904 weatherboard gothic church with its quaint bell-less belfry remains a distinct link with Austinmer's past as a coal mining village and seaside resort. Only the latter remains in place, with hundreds of tourists coming to the area to enjoy the beach every summer weekend, just as they have done since the early 1900s.
Acknowledgements
This blog would not have appeared without the ongoing work of Dr. Joseph Davis in making accessible, via Facebook, historic images and anecdotes on Thirroul and Austinmer and pointing me to the significance of 'carpenter gothic' construction. Additionally, his knowledge of local photographers such as Algernon Edward Thornton Winn (b. Goulburn 1873 - d. Thirroul 1959) of "The Beach House" guesthouse in Mary Street, Thirroul, has proven invaluable in dating many of the postcards produced from the 1880s through to the 1930s.
Chronology
1904 - construction of St. John's church, Austinmer.
1907 - church bell donated by Biddulph Henning.
1908 - picket fence erected on the Moore Street frontage. Building extended in a southerly direction.
1918 - new Peace Bell installed at the church.
1926 - church hall built.
1980s - the church extended and covered in white brick, with new portico.
1995 - 7 May - final service held in the church.
1996 - building sold and converted into a private residence. Stain glass windows and church bell retained by the congregation. White brick removed to reveal original weatherboard construction.
References
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| 3. Austinmer from Cliffs to Mts, 1907. Photographer: Algernon Winn. Source: Wollongong City Library. |
The area known as Austinmer had been occupied for thousands of years by the local Aboriginal people, though this changed after the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney in 1788, bringing with it diseases such as smallpox - which spread early on to the Illawarra - and visitors such as escaped convicts, explorers and cedar cutters. The first Europeans had settled in the area during the 1830s, most prominent of these being Captain Robert Marsh Westmacott in 1836. Here he bred horses and attempted to mine coal in 1839. After leaving the district in 1847 Westmacott's land was subdivided and sold off to people such as James Hicks during the second half of the nineteenth century. The coming of the railway and coal mine around 1887 hastened the transformation of Austinmer from a quiet area of northern Illawarra with farming as the main pursuit, to a township comprised of small, residential allotments and miners cottages tucked into the thick bush of the escarpment.
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| Edmund Biddulph Henning |
Another important local landowner was Mr. Kennedy who developed a dairy farm on hilly land to the south of Moore Street. In 1906 the Kennedy estate was subdivided and free trains brought buyers from Sydney to purchase allotments. The success of this venture transformed Austinmer into a fashionable beachside village and health resort, resulting in the formation of Austinmer Surf Life Saving Club in 1909 and the construction of numerous houses on Kennedy's hill. The above photograph from 1907-8 reflects the erection of buildings on the north and western sections of Moore Street. In 1908 a picket fence was added to the Moore Street frontage of the church and extensions carried out, including the addition of a weatherboard structure on the south side of the original building. This can be seen in the photograph below. These additions increased the church's southerly extension to a length of 36 feet. The length in the east-west direction was approximately 24 feet. The name St. John's was also dropped in preference to the Church of All Saints / All Saints' Church.
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| 4. All Saints Church, Austinmer, between 1908 - 1918.Photographer: Algernon Winn. Source: Wollongong City Library. |
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| 5. All Saints Church, Austinmer, between 1908 - 1918. Photographer: Algernon Winn. Source: Wollongong City Library. |
The dark, single-storey building with an awning next to the church is a shop, whilst those structures in the distance to the left and right are associated with the early village close to the railway station. As the popularity of Austinmer as a beach resort increased during the 1910s, so too did development along Moore Street. This was also reflected in sermons preached in the church, and associated church publications such as the Parish News. One interesting item from 1914 discusses the religious pros and cons of surf bathing, specifically in light of visits by various clergy and members of the Anglican church:
Surely surf bathing needs no further benedictions than that of the Church Missionary Association Summer School .... Everybody bathes at Austinmer - church dignatories, a canon, an archdeacon, not to speak of a bishop; more awful still the senior deaconess.
To this, the local rector responded:
Surf bathing is what people make it, and as the Church Missionary Society Summer School comprises the salt of the earth, surf bathing at Austinmer is an entirely fine, healthy, bracing, beneficial exercise. At Austinmer it has carried away the loss of care and shattered nerves, and given a wholesome sense of our common humanity.
Another early photograph (below) looking easterly from raised land west of the railway station, shows the church and bell tower in the distance.
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| 6. Moore Street, Austinmer, from the railway station circa 1908-14. Source: eBay 2015. |
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| 7. Austinmer from above 'Station, circa 1908-14. Source: Wollongong City Library. |
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| 8. All Saints Church, Austinmer, circa 1970s. Source: Wollongong City Library. |
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| 9. All Saints Church, Austinmer, 1994. Photographer: Angela Lynkushka. Source: National Library of Australia. |
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| 10. The old Anglican church, Moore Street, Austinmer, 2016. Photograph: Google Street View. |
Acknowledgements
This blog would not have appeared without the ongoing work of Dr. Joseph Davis in making accessible, via Facebook, historic images and anecdotes on Thirroul and Austinmer and pointing me to the significance of 'carpenter gothic' construction. Additionally, his knowledge of local photographers such as Algernon Edward Thornton Winn (b. Goulburn 1873 - d. Thirroul 1959) of "The Beach House" guesthouse in Mary Street, Thirroul, has proven invaluable in dating many of the postcards produced from the 1880s through to the 1930s.
Chronology
1904 - construction of St. John's church, Austinmer.
1907 - church bell donated by Biddulph Henning.
1908 - picket fence erected on the Moore Street frontage. Building extended in a southerly direction.
1918 - new Peace Bell installed at the church.
1926 - church hall built.
1980s - the church extended and covered in white brick, with new portico.
1995 - 7 May - final service held in the church.
1996 - building sold and converted into a private residence. Stain glass windows and church bell retained by the congregation. White brick removed to reveal original weatherboard construction.
References
Browne, C.P., J.C. Jones [photograph], Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 3 August 1904.
Carrick, Judith A., Dreams: The Parish of All Saints's Austinmer - a history of a church continually striving after its dream, Austinmer, 2001, 272p.
Henning, Rachel, The Letters of Rachel Henning, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1963, 292p. Edited by David Adams, with a forward and illustrations by Norman Lindsay.
King, N. S., (1964), History of Austinmer and Robert Marsh Westmacott in Australia, Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 10p. Available URL: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ihspubs/7/.
Roberts, Mick, Austi Anglicans, Looking Back [blog], 30 November 2014. Available URL: https://lookingbackwithmickroberts.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/austi-anglicans/.
Wallace, Mrs. G., The Early History of All Saints' Church, Austinmer, from 1904 to 1913, in All Saints Austinmer 1908-1958. Published on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary on Sunday 23 Nov, 1958 of the dedication and licensing of the church, Austinmer, 1958, 16p.
Last updated: 22 July 2019
Michael Organ
Carrick, Judith A., Dreams: The Parish of All Saints's Austinmer - a history of a church continually striving after its dream, Austinmer, 2001, 272p.
Henning, Rachel, The Letters of Rachel Henning, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1963, 292p. Edited by David Adams, with a forward and illustrations by Norman Lindsay.
King, N. S., (1964), History of Austinmer and Robert Marsh Westmacott in Australia, Illawarra Historical Society, Wollongong, 10p. Available URL: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ihspubs/7/.
Roberts, Mick, Austi Anglicans, Looking Back [blog], 30 November 2014. Available URL: https://lookingbackwithmickroberts.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/austi-anglicans/.
Wallace, Mrs. G., The Early History of All Saints' Church, Austinmer, from 1904 to 1913, in All Saints Austinmer 1908-1958. Published on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary on Sunday 23 Nov, 1958 of the dedication and licensing of the church, Austinmer, 1958, 16p.
Last updated: 22 July 2019
Michael Organ
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