Heritage on Church Hill

When established in 1821 Port Macquarie was an isolated community of soldiers and convicts in a vast area of rich coastline.  For the first three years after settlement there were no clerics at all. 

 It was Governor Macquarie who said we must build a church before a gaol because the Church has more chance of saving souls.

This church demonstrates the longevity of the Anglican faith in Port Macquarie and mid North Coast from the establishment of this convict settlement. It has been in continual occupation and use by the Anglican Church and represents the first site of official religious ceremonies held in Port Macquarie during the first approx. 15 years. 

Built by convict labour and constructed prior to rearrangement of the plan of the township in 1831,  it is linked with the town’s formation, continued growth and development.  It is one of the few remaining buildings dating from the convict period. It is a highly significant building in Port Macquarie and in the history of colonial New South Wales.   It is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.

St. Thomas’ is the fifth oldest Anglican Church in New South Wales still in use in Australia and one of the few remaining, built by convict labour.  The building is a large one and it was reckoned at that time to be capable of accommodating nearly 700 people and was expected to be used as a general purpose building on its closure.  

It took 4 years to complete and was opened for worship on 24th February 1828 by Reverend John Cross. The foundation stone was laid on 8th December 1824 and services until 1825 were held in the open air on Church Hill by the Reverend Thomas Hassall who was Chaplain for the Penal Settlement.

The church was built under the military supervision of His Majesty’s 3rd Regiment of Foot (The Buffs) 1821 – 1827; His Majesty’s 39th Regiment of Foot (Dorchester) 1827-1832) and His Majesty’s 4th Regiment of Foot (The King’s Own). It is a highly significant building in Port Macquarie and in the history of colonial New South Wales.

There are two other significant buildings on Church Hill.  The first building erected in 1822 on Church Hill was a cottage to house the Military Surgeon, Dr. A. Fenton.  With the departure of the last Government Surgeon in 1847 the surgeon’s residence became available to use as a Vicarage when it was transferred to the Church.  It underwent a number of modifications over the years and is now the Parish Administrative Centre.

The Surgeon’s dispensary which was also built in 1822 between the Drs. Residence and the hospital (now the Catholic Church) in 1847 was used as a Parish School until the Port Macquarie Public School was established in 1867.   The building was then used as a Hall until it was again used as a pre-school kindergarten from 1950.  In 1964-5 it was completely renovated and opened as the Colonial Chapel of Christ the Healer.  The Chapel complex included a clergy vestry and office.

Our Heritage Collection

Our artifacts collection reflects nearly 200 years of Anglican ministry in Port Macquarie. It has accumulated a considerable collection of mostly but not exclusively ecclesiastical items relating to the church, it’s building and functions, the lives of its clergy and their families, parishioners and supporters. It is particularly rich in items that reflect the early period of church life in Port Macquarie, and includes altar cloths, banners, vestments, church furniture, musical instruments, memorials and shields, communion sets and silverware, documentary heritage, transfer ware souvenir items, artwork and other objects that demonstrate the many forms of ministry undertaken by the clergy and parishioners of St Thomas’ Church.

In 2020/21 we engaged the services of Dr. Roslyn Russell of Museum Services through a grant with the National Library who assessed our collection as Nationally Significant for its comprehensive coverage of the life of a pioneering Anglican church in New South Wales. Many items in the collection are associated with nationally significant individuals such as the Rev. John Cross, Major Archibald Clunes Innes and his wife Margaret Innes, cleric and botanist Rev. Thomas Alkin, and artist Eirene Mort and Robert Issell Perrott. Some collection items are rare including the early clarinet, seraphine and Finger and Barrel Organ and a rare altar cloth; while other items are fine representative examples including communion vessels by British and German silversmiths.

Tour Information

The Church is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.30 am - 11:30 am.  There are guided tours of the Church and the opportunity to discover the historical artefacts on exhibition in our tower museum.  The Church is opened by Heritage Visitors Guides who are there to guide you through.  Tours cost is $5 per adult.

We are also available for tour buses and school tours.  Please contact the Church Office on 02 65841033 to reserve a time and date if you wish to bring a group through.

If you are interested in joining the heritage team, in either research and archiving OR in becoming a tour guide, please also contact the office.  Training is required/provided. 

Proudly funded by the NSW Government and St. Thomas Anglican Church

Trust Funds Restoration Work to the Church Tower

The Conservation Management Committee (now the Heritage & Conservation Committee) has been able to secure funding for the repair to the deteriorating brickwork on the church tower. This funding has been provided by a generous grant from the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Formerly NSW Heritage) and the through the Trust Funds administered by the Corporate Trustees in Grafton for the purpose of preserving the Church heritage buildings and objects.

This work is being undertaken within the guidelines established in the Conservation Management Plan, and are consistent with the advice provided by the PMH Council Heritage Architect.

We are very grateful that this work, which will take place from early August until late October 2024, will contribute significantly to the preservation of this important monument to our early colonial history.

Proudly funded by the NSW Government and St. Thomas Anglican Church

CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

For the past two and a half years the Conservation Management Committee (now the Heritage & Conservation Committee) has been working towards updating our 1999 Conservation Plan as it is 23 years out of date.

A Conservation Management Plan (CMP) is the principal guiding document for the conservation and management of a heritage place. The main objective of the CMP is to ensure that decisions about a place are carried out with regard to its cultural heritage significance.

Church Hill dates back to the opening of Port Macquarie as a penal colony and we have three significant buildings on our site: The Surgeon’s Residence (now our Administration Office) 1822; The Dispensary 1822 (now the Chapel) and St. Thomas Anglican Church (1824-1828). We also have three c1860s Norfolk Island pines, a Well behind the office and stairs leading to William Street (which are presently buried to protect them). A Heritage company, Hyperion Design, was contracted to undertake this task. The cost of the work was $30,000. The NSW Government proudly funded $15,000 towards this project and we thank them for their support.