Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle
| Christ Church Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of Christ the King | |
 | |
  Christ Church Cathedral | |
| Coordinates: 32°55′47.1″S 151°46′50.2″E / 32.929750°S 151.780611°E | |
| Location | Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website |
www |
| History | |
| Founded | 1847 |
| Consecrated | 1902 |
| Events |
|
| Past bishop(s) | William Tyrell (1848–79) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | John Horbury Hunt |
| Architectural type | Cathedral |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1883 |
| Completed | 1902 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1000[1] |
| Length | [2] |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Newcastle |
| Province | New South Wales |
The Cathedral Church of Christ the King, also called Christ Church Cathedral, is an Australian cathedral in Newcastle, New South Wales. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Newcastle in the Anglican Church of Australia. The building, designed by John Horbury Hunt in the Gothic Revival style, is located on a hill at the city's eastern end in the suburb called The Hill.
The former Dean of Newcastle was the Very Reverend James Rigney (formerly chaplain of Magdalene College, Cambridge). His installation took place on the Feast of the Annunciation, 25 March 2009. The current dean, Fr Stephen Williams (formerly rector of the Parish of Merewether), was installed on 23 June 2013.
History
The present cathedral replaced an earlier Christ Church, built in 1817. When the Diocese of Newcastle was created in 1847, the original Christ Church became a cathedral and William Tyrell was appointed first Bishop of Newcastle (1848–79). Due to the poor condition of the original building and the growing population of the city, it was decided to build a new cathedral and a design competition was held in 1868. It was won by architects Terry and Speechley from Melbourne, but they had seriously underestimated the cost of their design and accordingly the plans of John Horbury Hunt were adopted instead. His design was for a cruciform Victorian Gothic style building with a central tower and spire over the central crossing. Work started in 1883 and the older building was demolished the following year. A temporary building was constructed nearby for services until the new cathedral could be completed and consecrated in 1902. The tower was not added until 1979, minus the planned spire. The building was damaged during an earthquake in 1989 and since been repaired.[3]
In 1969, the cathedral witnessed the Australian premiere of Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde (Noah's Flood).[4] The "voice of God" was provided by Brin Newton-John, father of singer Olivia Newton-John.
Deans of Newcastle
- Source: Christ Church Cathedral website[5]
- 1892–99: Arthur Selwyn
- 1900–09: John Stretch (afterwards Bishop of Newcastle, 1906)
- 1909–14: Cyril Golding-Bird (afterwards Bishop of Kalgoorlie, 1914)
- 1915–19: Henry Kingsley Archdall (afterwards Principal of St David's College, 1938)
- 1919–28: Horace Crotty (afterwards Bishop of Bathurst, 1928)
- 1928–36: William Johnson (afterwards Bishop of Ballarat, 1936)
- 1936–43: Thomas Makinson Armour (afterwards Bishop of Wangaratta, 1943)
- 1943–48: Arthur Morris
- 1949–50: Norman Blow
- 1950–61: William Hardie (afterwards Bishop of Ballarat, 1961)
- 1961–75: John Falkingham
- 1975–83: Robert Beal (afterwards Bishop of Wangaratta, 1985)
- 1984–2008: Graeme R. Lawrence
- 2009–13: James Rigney
- 2013–present: Stephen Williams
References
- ↑ "A Vision Splendid" by Joan Murray
- ↑ Plaque On Tower Stairs
- ↑ "Christ Church Cathedral, Movable Collections, Cemetery and Park". NSW Government. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ↑ Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Archives – Christ Church Cathedral Records Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine., University of Newcastle, accessed 5 April 2010.
- ↑ "History: Bishops and Deans of Newcastle". Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
