St James' Church (known as St James', King Street) is an Anglican church in King Street in Sydney, Australia. Consecrated on 11 February 1824,[1] the church was designed by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway during the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, and is part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street which includes other early colonial buildings such as Hyde Park Barracks. Although not the first Anglican church in the colony, St James' is now the oldest church in Sydney's inner city region and has maintained its special role in the city's religious and musical life.
Worship at St James' is in a style commonly found in the High Church and moderate Anglo-Catholic traditions of Anglicanism. St James' maintains the traditions of Anglican church music, with a robed choir singing psalms, anthems and responses. This is in contrast to the great majority of churches in the Diocese of Sydney where services are generally celebrated in styles associated with the Low Church and Evangelical traditions.
St James' is known for having more liberal and diverse theological perspectives than most other churches in the diocese on certain issues, particularly sexuality and the ordination of women. The church has close associations with the city's legal and medical professions through its proximity to the Law Courts and Sydney Hospital. Its work in the service of the city's poor and needy began in the early 19th century.[2]
St James' is listed on the Register of the National Estate.[3] In the BBC television series Around the World in 80 Treasures (2005), Dan Cruickshank described the church as one of the world's 80 greatest man-made treasures.
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The church is located at 173 King Street, Sydney, in Sydney's legal and commercial district. It is situated near Hyde Park and adjoins Queen's Square from which runs Macquarie Street, and forms part of an important group of colonial buildings known as the "Macquarie Street Precinct". Adjacent to St James' and of the same date is the Old Supreme Court Building, and across the square, the Hyde Park Barracks building was designed by the architect Greenway to align with the church. Beside the Barracks stands Sydney's oldest public building, part of the General Hospital built in 1811, and now known as the Mint Building. Separated from the Mint by Sydney Hospital is a second part of the early hospital, now housing the New South Wales State Parliament.
In the immediate vicinity of St James', and overshadowing it are high rise buildings containing Sydney Law School, Supreme Court of New South Wales and High Court of Australia facilities. Located to the south-east of the church is the underground and eponymous St James railway station, Sydney. The precinct around the church is sometimes called "St James".
The building of St James' Church was commissioned by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1819, designed by the convict architect Francis Greenway and constructed between 1819 and 1824 using convict labour. The building was originally intended to serve as a courthouse[5] as Macquarie had plans for a large cathedral to be built on the present location of St Andrew's but these plans were put on hold by the intervention of Commissioner Bigge who had been commissioned to investigate the colonial government. The design of the courthouse was modified prior to construction with the addition of a steeple at the western end, in order to serve as a church, while the adjacent school buildings were put into use as a courthouse.
The Reverend Samuel Marsden delivered the first sermon on first sermon on 6 July 1824.[6] In 1836 the first Bishop of Australia, William Grant Broughton was installed at St James, as there was still no cathedral. Broughton regularly officiated at St James.[5]
Built in a period of intense Protestant revival, the original interior differed greatly in layout from that of the present. There was no structural chancel, the focus of the church being a large pulpit centrally placed against one of the longer walls. Galleries overlooked the pulpit from three sides. In 1900, the interior was reoriented to face east. Most of the 19th century interior was removed, including the original galleries, although the western gallery remains. The memorials were retained and rearranged. An "important improvement" was "the placing of double windows on the King-street side to shut out the sound of the traffic, which hitherto has been a serious annoyance to both the officiating clergymen and the congregation".[7] Eight large stained glass windows were installed between 1903 and 1913, along with a new pulpit, altar and retable, all of which were given as memorials. Further changes were made in 1894 and from 1904 to 1907.[8] The south portico was remade into a side chapel at the beginning of the 20th century and then remodelled at century's end into the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
St James' is thought to one of Greenway's finest works.[9] Relying on the "virtues of simplicity and proportion to achieve his end",[10]the architect produced a building that retains the external character of a Georgian town church.[11] Greenway used a classical tradition, unaffected by the revivalist styles that were being debated in London at the time he arrived in the colony. St James' is built of local brick, its walls defined by brick pilasters into a series of bays with the same proportions as the wall itself. The walls are pierced by large generous windows with round arched heads in a colour that separates and defines them against the walls. The roof carries over the end walls where the gable is a triangular pediment carrying a cornice across the eaves line. Thus the architectural treatment on the side walls can be continued around the end walls.[12] The building was constructed between 1820-24[13] and later additions were made by in 1834 by John Verge who designed the vestries at the eastern end of the church. Varney Parkes and Burcham Clamp renewed the exterior and reconstructed the interior between 1892 and 1901. The furniture in the church is of cedar.
The church's south portico had been made into a side chapel in 1904. It had functioned as a vestry, including seating and space for the organ. In 1988, it was totally remodelled and dedicated as the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The parish and the Bicentennial Council of New South Wales funded the redesign which replaced the brick walls with three walls of stained glass. Since its reconstruction, the stained glass is the main feature of this space. "The Creation Window", designed by David Wright of Melbourne, fills the whole of the three exterior walls and represents the interaction of earth, air, fire and water, symbolic of the action of the Spirit in creation, in life and in rebirth in Christ. The new furniture for the chapel was designed by Leon Sadubin.
Beneath the church is a large brick-vaulted undercroft which has served many purposes. It has been used for the parish's schools; as a verger's residence; and as a shelter for service men in war time.[14] The bays on either side of the crypt's central corridor are now used for a variety of purposes. At the eastern end they house a commercial kitchen. Some bays are used as offices. One bay contains a columbarium and another is used as a lending library for parishioners.
The western bay on the south side of the crypt is the Chapel of St Mary and the Angels, better known simply as "The Children's Chapel". It was opened in 1929 as a chapel for younger children and a specially adapted form of Eucharist was celebrated there on Sundays. All four walls of the chapel and its ceiling are decorated with murals designed by writer and artist Ethel Anderson and executed by the Turramurra Wall Painters Union, a group of modernist painters she founded in 1927.[15] The murals underwent extensive conservation in 1992-1993.
The church has had to undertake several conservation projects, including work on the building fabric, the stained glass windows, the mosaic floors in the chancel and sanctuary and continuing conservation of the Children's Chapel. The spire was re-dedicated on 20 October 2010[16] following restoration work carried out during 2008-2010, including its orb and cross, the interior framing and tower masonry and the copper covering. The restorations were awarded the National Trust Built Heritage Award on 4 April 2011.[17]
The restoration of St James' Church Sydney won the Greenway Award for Heritage (a New South Wales architecture award). The jury said that the restoration work, by Design 5 Architects, showed "consummate care by the architect, the engineer and the builder in conserving the original structure and fabric of the building, improving its strength, performance and waterproofing".[18]
After this restoration, further necessary work was identified, including to the roof and perimeter fence. The church roof is of slate. It was last replaced using Spanish slates in the 1970s but these proved not to be durable in Sydney's climate due to their high iron content. Furthermore, they were damaged by their poor fixing. The solution to the roof deterioration is to replace the slates using Welsh slates. The effort to raise funds for this purpose is supported by the National Trust of Australia.
As well as the large stained glass windows and some of the church's furnishings, St James' contains over 300 memorials commemorating important members of 19th century colonial society and parishioners from the 20th century. Some memorials are to members of the congregation and others to those who had served the colony generally. In 1876, the wall tablets were described as "full of sad memories to the old inhabitants, interesting reminiscences to those who have studied Australian history".[19] The church was sometimes called "The Westminster Abbey of the South".[20] The first monument erected in the church was the memorial to Commodore Sir James Brisbane, who died in Sydney on his way to serve in South America in command of HMS Warspite. It was sculpted by Sir Francis Chantrey, sent to Sydney by Lady Brisbane and installed in the church in 1830. Five other monuments were installed between 1830 and 1839. The largest single memorial of the 20th century is the war memorial, to the design of Hardy Wilson, dedicated on 14 June 1922. It commemorates more than 50 men associated with St James' who were killed in the First World War.
The majority of the windows were donated as memorials by parishioners in the period from 1900 to 1910. There are five large windows on the northern and southern walls and additional windows in stairwell to the belltower and on the western wall. The Creation Window in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit is a 20th century addition.
The rector of St James' is assisted by associate rectors; the current associate rector is the Reverend John Stewart. The assistant priest is the Reverend Andrew Bowyer. The Guild of Servers are present at all main services. Festival services at St James are popular and known for their standard of liturgy and music. In particular, the services of Easter, the Advent carols, the Nine Lessons and Carols, the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass and a series of orchestral Masses held in January are high points of the church's year.
The church's work for the poor as well as for the city's legal and medical professions has been ongoing since the nineteenth century.[2] For example, as the law courts are nearby, the beginning of the legal year is marked with a service attended by the Supreme Court justices in ceremonial costume. The church has also been associated with the most distinguished Order of St Michael and St George since 1950.
One expression of St James's concern with social justice is its continuation of the Sister Freda Mission - a service that provides weekly lunches to the needy and a full dinner at Christmas time. Sister Freda was a member of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, a religious order that started the Collegiate School in Paddington, New South Wales in 1895. Sister Freda (Emily Rich) and other members of the Order took over the organisation of its mission to the homeless in 1899.[21] On Christmas Day in 1901, for example, "about 60 men were entertained at dinner at St James' parish hall, and later in the afternoon 250 unemployed men were treated to tea in the same building by the sisters of the church."[22] After her death in 1936, her name was given to the Mission and St James' took over responsibility for its organisation. Since 1954, this service has operated out of the church crypt, relying on donations and the efforts of volunteer parishioners.
St James' is also notable for its music - a strong musical and choral tradition has been present since the 1820s. A high standard of sacred music in its liturgies is incorporated via its professional choir, its fine three-manual pipe organ and its bellringing. Beyond its services, concerts and recitals are held throughout the year.
The choir sings on Sundays at the 11.00am Choral Eucharist, Wednesdays at the 6:15pm Choral Evensong, monthly at the 3.00 pm Choral Evensong held on the last Sunday of the month, as well as at a number of midweek feast days held during the year. The choir have recorded three CDs - Christmas at St James (2003), No Ordinary Sunday (2004) and Any Given Sunday (2007) - and broadcasts regularly on ABC Radio, both in their own right as well as with leading ensembles such as Australian Baroque Brass. On 22 January 2011 they were directed by Peter Phillips in a performance with the Tallis Scholars Summer School of a program which included Tallis's Spem in alium. They have also toured the Southern Highlands and given a recital at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
St. James's new organ pealed its notes of praise for the first time at noon service on Sunday, to an overflowing congregation, more numerous perhaps than any congregation St. James's had ever before witnessed. The organ was not in perfect harmony, owing, in a great measure, to its yet incomplete state. Its intonations, however, in many instances, was full, rich, and harmonious, and those of the congregation were not a few who felt its tones swell on the ear like the welcome voice of a long parted friend!
The original organ, installed in the west gallery, was built by John Gray of London and was played for the first time on 7 October 1827. It was modernised and enlarged in the 1870s by William Davidson. After a number of moves around the galleries, it was placed in what had been intended as the south porch. At the time the church's interior was reconstructed at the turn of the 20th century, it was positioned on either side of the chancel platform at the eastern end where it still remains.[24]
The church's eight bells are rung by the Guild of St James' Bellringers which is affiliated with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers.[25] The tenor bell (known as the Rudhall bell) was cast in 1795 by John Rudhall and hung previously in St Paul's Church, Bristol, England. Bells 1 - 7 were cast in 2002 by John Taylor, Bellfounders in Loughborough, England. The bells were dedicated on 27 July 2003.[26] They are named after people in the early settlement in Sydney, as follows:
There is also the service bell, called the Mears Bell, made at Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1820 and repaired there in 2011.
In the 19th century, religious denominations made a major contribution to education at all levels before this was taken over by the state. From its beginnings, St James' was involved in education for both children and adults. The first rector, Richard Hill, was a pioneer of kindergarten education and established a pre-school at St James'. By 1823 Greenway's school building had been erected in Elizabeth Street and the principal St James' School was situated there until 1882, becoming the Anglican "normal" school with more than 600 students and a range of experienced teachers. In secondary education, a Sydney branch of the King's School operated briefly in the Greenway building and Bishop Broughton operated the St James' Grammar School in a building erected in Phillip Street, which lasted until competition from the new University of Sydney led to its closure in 1857. Bishop Broughton also set up St James' College to provide tertiary education for secular students as well as to prepare students for ordination. The St James' School closed in 1882 and the government resumed the Greenway building.[27]
In the 21st century, St James' continues to have a Sunday School for children, held in the crypt. For adults, educational activities are offered through the St James' Institute which provides a range of programs open to all to explore the Christian faith and engage in debate about contemporary issues from a theological perspective.[28]
As one of Sydney's most historic buildings, St James' attracts many tourists. They are interested in a range of features of the church, including its architecture; its monuments and memorials; the contemporary stained glass of the Holy Spirit Chapel; and the decoration of the Children's Chapel.
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