St Matthew's Church, Guildford
| St Matthew's Anglican Church, Guildford | |
|---|---|
 The church in 2021 | |
 | |
| 31°53′54″S 115°58′12″E / 31.89833°S 115.97000°E | |
| Location | Stirling Square, Guildford, Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Matthew's Anglican Church Guildford |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1836 / 1860 |
| Dedication | St Matthew |
| Consecrated | 15 October 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Frederick Sherwood |
| Years built | 1860 / 1873 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick, terracotta tiles |
| Administration | |
| Province | Western Australia |
| Diocese | Perth |
| Parish | Guildford |
| Clergy | |
| Minister(s) | Rev Katrina Holgate |
| Official name | St Matthews Church |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Criteria | 11.1., 11.2., 11.4., 12.2., 12.3, 12.4., 12.5. |
| Designated | 20 October 1995 |
| Part of | Guildford Historic Town (02915) |
| Reference no. | 2482 |
St Matthew's Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church in Stirling Square, Guildford, Western Australia. The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Perth.[1]
Saint Matthew's was the first church to be built in the Swan parish. It was a small octagonal mud-brick church, hastily built on land donated by Governor James Stirling on his Woodbridge estate, next to where Guildford Grammar School now stands.
First structure[edit]
Governor Stirling laid the foundation stone on 6 September 1836,[2] and it was opened a few months later before it was finished. It was not completed until 1839 and was consecrated on 23 November 1848.[3] It was later demolished but the graveyard still remains. St Matthew's became the separate parish of Guildford in 1854.
Second structure[edit]
The second St Matthew's was built on the present site in Stirling Square and was consecrated by Bishop Hale on 21 September 1860.[4]
That brick building with a roof of shingles was destroyed in a hurricane on 12 March 1872 during a baptism. No-one was hurt but only the harmonium and a few books could be saved.[5]
Parishioners immediately started a rebuilding programme and the present church of St Matthew was opened on 9 June 1873,[6][7] and consecrated on 15 October 1873.[8] A second-hand pipe organ was installed in 1875. This organ had been built for St. John's Church, Fremantle, but became redundant when they purchased a larger instrument.
A much larger pipe organ was installed in the church in 1911, replacing the earlier organ by R C Clifton. This new organ was built by the Adelaide builder J. E. Dodd. The organ has encountered many re-buildings over the years, but has been kept in remarkable condition. In 2004 the organ was fully rebuilt and now features a state of the art transmission system.
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ "Parish – Guildford". Anglican Church – Diocese of Perth. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL". The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. WA: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1836. p. 760. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "Ecclesiastical Intelligence". The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. WA: National Library of Australia. 25 November 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "Summary for the Mail". The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. WA: National Library of Australia. 21 September 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "GUILDFORD". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "GUILDFORD, June 10". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 11 June 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "HEADS OF INTELLIGENCE". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 18 June 1873. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ "GUILDFORD October 20". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 22 October 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
Bibliography[edit]
- Bown, Graham (1986). Guildford Marriages (St. Matthews Anglican) 1884-1897. Guildford, WA: Independently published. OCLC 762753500.
- Bush, Fiona; Steedman, Alice; Dundas, Barbara (1998). St. Matthew's Church and Hall, Guildford, conservation plan. Guildford, WA: St Matthews Anglican Church. OCLC 222578117.
- Steedman, Alice (2000). Conservation Works at St Matthew's Anglican Church & Hall, Guildford. Guildford, WA: St Matthews Anglican Church. OCLC 222746527.
- Winning, George A (1992). Conservation of St Matthews Anglican Church Guildford: Final Report for the Heritage Council of Western Australia. Guildford, WA: St Matthews Anglican Church. OCLC 221783956.
- A Century of Worship: Centenary Celebrations 20-25 Sept. 1960. Perth: WA Newspapers. 1960. OCLC 221102892.
- Come on in. Guildford, WA: Armstrong Printing Co. 1961. OCLC 762850309.
- St Matthews Centennial Chronicle Guildford. Guildford, WA: St Matthews Anglican Church. 1973. OCLC 762857147.
External links[edit]
Media related to St Matthew's Church, Guildford at Wikimedia Commons
- Anglican church buildings in Perth, Western Australia
- State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Swan
- Stirling Square (Guildford)
- Victorian architecture in Western Australia
- Western Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate
- 19th-century Anglican church buildings in Australia
- 1836 establishments in Australia
- Churches completed in 1860
- Churches completed in 1873
- Victorian church buildings in Australia