The All Saints' Anglican Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church located at McDonnell Street,

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,486. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

in the

Lachlan Shire Lachlan Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Lachlan River, the Lachlan Valley Way and the Broken Hill railway line. The largest town and council sea ...

local government area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The church was possibly designed by

Edmund Blacket Edmund Thomas Blacket (25 August 1817 – 9 February 1883) was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St. Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn. Arriving in Sydney from Engl ...

and was built from 1878 to 1879 by Mr Brinsmead. It is also known as All Saints Anglican Parish Church. The property is owned by the

Anglican Diocese of Bathurst The Anglican Diocese of Bathurst is located in the Province of New South Wales. It includes the cities of Orange, Bathurst and Dubbo. The Bishop is the Right Reverend Mark Calder, installed on 23 November 2019. Ministry The diocese has 32 ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 May 2008.

History

Indigenous history

The

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

are an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

group of people from central New South Wales. In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill,

Narrandera Narrandera ( ) until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell and Sturt highways, adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River, and ...

and

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Rid ...

. There are significant populations at

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

and

Leeton, New South Wales Leeton is a town located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Leeton is situated in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, approximately 550 km west of Sydney and 450 km north of Melbourne. It is the administrative centre of the Le ...

and smaller groups at

West Wyalong West Wyalong is the main town of the Bland Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Located west of Sydney and above sea level, it is situated on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and th ...

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

, Cootamundra and

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

. The Wiradjuri were the largest Aboriginal group in New South Wales. For tens of thousands of years they occupied a large area in central NSW, from the Blue Mountains in the east, to

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

in the west, north to

Nyngan Nyngan () is a town in the centre of New South Wales, Australia, in the Bogan Shire local government area within the Orana Region of central New South Wales. At the 2016 census, Nyngan had a population of 1,988 people. Nyngan is situated on th ...

and south to

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

: the South Western slopes region: Clashes between European settlers and Aboriginal people were very violent from 1821 to 1827, particularly around Bathurst, and have been termed the "Bathurst Wars". The loss of fishing grounds and significant sites and the killing of Aboriginal people was retaliated through attacks with spears on cattle and stockmen. In the 1850s there were still

corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...

s around

Mudgee Mudgee is a town in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area as well as being th ...

but there were fewer clashes. European settlement had taken hold and the Aboriginal population was in decline.

Settlement of Condobolin

The name Condobolin is suggested by some to have evolved from the Aboriginal word "Cundabullen" for shallow crossing. The crossing was located a short distance below the junction of the

Lachlan River The Lachlan River is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Lachlan Riv ...

and the Goobang Creek. Others suggest that the town's name from the Wiradjuri word for " hop bush", or "hop brush".Travel. Sydney Morning Herald, 2005 The area was explored by John Oxley in 1817 and Thomas Mitchell in 1836. The "Condoublin" run was established by 1844 (''Historical Towns Directory''. Hallmark Editions: Australian Heritage Magazine). There had been squatters in the district since Mitchell's 1836 exploration. Closer settlement of the area began in 1880 when the large runs were broken up into smaller holdings. The town of Condobolin was proclaimed in 1859. The railway arrived in 1898, and the town's population boomed, assisted by finds in 1885 of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

north of the town and in 1896 of gold in the district, north-west of the town. A major copper and gold mine was in operation at Condobolin from 1898 until around 1910. Agriculture is still a major influence on the town, production having expanded with the damming of the Lachlan River in 1935 by the

Wyangala Dam Wyangala Dam is a major gated rock fill with clay core embankment and gravity dam with eight radial gates and a concrete chute spillway across the Lachlan River, located in the south-western slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The ...

.Travel. Sydney Morning Herald, 2005 Wheat,

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, ...

, wool, sheep and cattle are produced in the district. In more recent years irrigation has brought horticulture and cotton to the Lachlan River area.

Building history

The

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

of All Saints' Condobolin was laid on 24 July 1878 by Bishop

Samuel Marsden Samuel Marsden (25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, believed to have introduced Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prom ...

, grandson of

, the famous Anglican colonial priest. The first service in the new Church was conducted on 4 January 1880. Prior to construction of the church, it appears that services were initially held in the open air. In about 1872 services were held in the home of Mr Piercey, the Schoolmaster. Subsequently, services were held in the Courthouse until the new church was built. At this time priests would travel from Forbes to Condobolin to conduct the services. The first Anglican priest resident in Condobolin was the Rev. G. Soare who was licensed to reside at the Naroonage. He resigned in 1876 and was succeeded by The Rev. Samuel Hart. In 1879 Rev. Hart resigned and in that same year the Parish of Condobolin was established. On 21 December the Rev. Henry Thomas Holliday was licensed as Assistant Minister, under the superintendency of the Rev. E. Dunstan (Rector of Forbes) and appointed to reside at Condobolin. He arrived in Condobolin just after the completion of All Saints' Church and conducted the first service on 4 January 1880. The builder of the church was Mr Brinsmead. It was constructed from local bricks and was reputedly the first brick building in Condobolin. The roof was of ironbark shingles (which were later replaced by aluminium tiles) and the furniture was made from local timbers. Although the records do not state the name of the architect, it is almost certain that it was built from a design by colonial architect

. Plans of St Augustine's at Bulli (held by the Mitchell Library), designed by Blacket, as originally built before the addition of a sanctuary, are identical to that of All Saints', except that All Saints' has one less window on each side, plus buttresses on the exterior walls. The western walls, windows and bell towers are identical. All Saints' Condobolin is also similar to All Saints'

Albion Park Albion Park is a suburb situated in the Macquarie Valley in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia. Although it is surround ...

which was built of stone in the mid-1870s. It is possible that All Saints' Condobolin adapted a Blacket design that was in general use during the 1870s and 1880s. In her exhibition catalogue on Blacket, the Australian architectural historian

Joan Kerr Joan Kerr (1938–2004) was an Australian academic and cultural preservationist. Initially her interest was sparked in preserving the architectural heritage of Australia, but over time her interests spread to art history and Australian culture ...

wrote: 'Condobolin Church is another typical rural design. The design has been attributed to Blacket and the style of the building makes this attribution convincing.'Kerr, 1983, 21 It is thought that the bricks used were the first bricks produced by a Condobolin brickworks, using local clay, giving a characteristic red colouring to the church (the same local bricks were used for the Condobolin Catholic Church in the 1920s).Hedditch, 2006 The windows are by Lyon, Cottier & Co, which created much of Australia's Victorian and

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

-period stained glass. They were the foremost stained glass manufacturers in Australia and became famous in domestic, commercial and ecclesiastical work. Lyon was the window designer and glass painter whilst Cottier kept the firm up to date with the latest overseas developments. Their company had an office in London and Sydney and Cottier also had a studio in New York. John Lamb Lyon won international and national awards for his work. A full set of original Lyon & Cottier windows of the quality of these are rare today.Comber, 2005 No documentary evidence has been discovered that determines the exact date of the windows' manufacture. There are few Lyon and Cottier company records surviving. It is estimated that the windows at All Saints were made and installed in several stages between 1880 and the 1890s. More research into the biographical dates and details of the donors and memorial subjects could narrow down the dates of manufacture, i.e. memorial windows would have been installed after the death of the subject and donor windows during their lifetime. The smaller geometric design of the east window and its importance above the altar suggests that this window was made and installed first, possibly by the time the first service was held. It is in keeping with early-to-mid nineteenth-century Gothic Revival desire to reproduce the smaller scale, "mosaic" quality of medieval windows. It includes smaller pieces of richly coloured glass, less painted details and greater prominence given to the lead lines. It is possible, though speculation only, that the west window was the last to be installed, due to the larger scale of its design, softer colouring, and more fluid, interlacing design, which is suggestive of Art Nouveau influences of the 1890s. All windows share the same borders. The west and nave windows share the small inscription lettering, and the vestry windows and the Richard Little memorial window (northern wall of the nave) share similar painted details and foliated designs. The use of common borders and painted quarries suggest the use of stock designs. Comparisons with other known Lyon and Cottier windows reveal the same painted quarries and design details. The windows are not really 'grisaille' but more accurately described as "geometric" or as quarry glass. In the late 1920s new ecclesiastical furniture was added to the Church. The furniture is elaborately carved and made in a style called "tabernacle work". The pieces are two Bishop's Thrones, the Altar, Credence Table, Prayer Desk, Lectern and Font. The elaborately carved Font was displayed at the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Exhibition before being placed in the Church. In 1940 the shingled roof was replaced by aluminium tiles which caused a sensation at the time, due to the glare caused when the sun shone on it. In the 1960s cement pathways and surrounds were laid. In 1978 all the windows were removed and sent to Sydney where they were repaired by

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

Studios in Ashfield. Restoration involved re-leading the windows, adding false leads to cover cracks in the glass pieces, and some new painted glass pieces. The church continues in its original use as a place of worship for the Anglican community of Condobolin.

Description

In her exhibition catalogue on Edmund Thomas Blacket, Australian architectural historian Joan Kerr wrote: Gothick-styled church built on

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

foundations with 300mm walls and external buttresses. The construction is red brick, made locally. Internal walls are white plaster. Double pitched gabled roof, covered in pressed aluminium tiles (previously shingles, replaced in 1940). re shingles underneath?The design of the original wooden pews are attributed to Blacket. The stained glass windows within the church were produced by Lyon, Cottier & Co. It has been suggested they represent a style known as "Grissaille". However, Robin heddtich suggests that they are not really 'grisaille'but more accurately described as "geometric" or as quarry glass. The windows were restored in 1978. In the late 1920s new ecclesiastical furniture was added to the Church. The furniture is elaborately carved and made in a style called "tabernacle work". The pieces include two Bishop's Thrones, the Altar, Credence Table, Prayer Desk, Lectern and Font. The elaborately carved Font was displayed at the Brisbane Exhibition before being placed in the Church. All Saints' is historically associated with nearby buildings but none of these are included in this listing - the first Rectory on Marsden Street, which was sold in 1917, a new Rectory on the corner of Orange and McDonnell Streets completed in 1917, a new demountable Church House as well as the Church Hall behind the All Saints Church.

Condition

As at 23 March 2006, excellent/good.

Modifications and dates

*Stained glass windows were restored in 1978. *Cement paths and surrounds were laid in the 1960s. *Shingle roof was replaced with aluminium tiles c.1940.

Further information

Heritage Council Religious Properties Advisory Panel Statement of Significance 12 June 2007: no direct evidence for design of the church to Blacket has been found despite considerable research. However, there is substantial circumstantial evidence to collaborate very clearly that it was the work of this important 19th century church architect. The Blacket opus is principally known from the collection of maps and plans he left through his sons to the Mitchell Library and catalogued in Joan Kerr's publication. It is the case however, that not all Blacket's works are mentioned in this collection for instance the prominent house Jenner at Potts Point and not all plans in the collection are known to have been built.

Typological comparison

Condobolin is a small nave church, with no chancel, and entry through a north door with a bell surmounted to the west

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

. In this form, it conforms completely to the small church type that Blacket developed for rural churches. The first of these was at Carcoar (1845-1849) to which was added later a tower and

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

. Other early examples are Canterbury (1848), and Gosford (1857-1858).Heritage Office file on All Saints Condobolin It is particularly like his contemporary church for St James Croydon (1884). It is usual for Blacket to have designed church furniture. The pews at Condobolin match almost exactly by those designed by Blacket for the first part of the church at Croydon 1884. Kerr herself is prepared to make the attribution a convincing one (page 21 of the above-mentioned monograph).

Personal ties with Blacket

Blacket is also known to have had direct personal ties with the district and those who would have been responsible for the commissioning of the church. He designed the rectory at Forbes in 1877. His daughter, Edith, married Harbury Clements of the Eugowra Station who attended the opening of the Forbes church. The trustees of the two churches, Condobolin and Forbes, were known to each other. Mathew Bolton of Condobolin married the daughter of Josiah Strickland, trustee of Forbes. The Blacket family went on to do other works in the district. Arthur Blacket designed water works in Forbes in 1880. Cyril Blacket designed the rectory at Forbes.

Intactness

Blacket built about 34 small churches of this kind according to the known information. Almost all of them have had additions made subsequently: Porches, towers, and chancel. From our survey of the churches, only Condobolin church is known to have survived in its original configuration.

Significance

The isolated rural setting known from the research conducted by Noelene Morris demonstrates well the success of Blacket and his clients in getting architectural results in remote rural NSW. It is a plain simple church designed with discipline by a leading Victorian architect of prodigious experience in many kinds of buildings. It is among the most intact of his small church type. For these reasons, it is of state significance

Heritage listing

As at 13 December 2007, All Saints' Anglican Church was of State significance for its aesthetic, rarity and representative values in exemplifying the qualities of a small and relatively intact Gothic-styled church attributed to Edmund Blacket. It is understood that Blacket built about 34 small churches of this kind but almost all have had additions such as porches, towers, and chancel. This is the only church known to have survived in its original configuration. It is also rare for being a regional church with a full set of Lyon & Cottier windows. Also adding to its significance is the moveable heritage of the interiors, both the pews (believed to have been designed by Blacket), and the elaborate ecclesiastical furniture carved in the 1920s in a style called "tabernacle work". All Saints' Anglican Church is of local heritage significance for its long-term and continuing role in the establishment and practice of the Anglican Christian faith in Condobolin. While of local social significance for its associations with the Condobolin Anglican congregation, it is also valued by the wider community for its associations with religious development of the town and the early establishment of facilities within the region. The exterior appearance of the church and its setting is aesthetically pleasing and it is a local landmark within the town of Condobolin. All Saints' Anglican Church was listed on the

on 2 May 2008 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. All Saints' Anglican Church is of local heritage significance for its long-term and continuing role in the establishment and practice of the Anglican Christian faith in the Condobolin district. The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history. All Saints' Anglican Church is of local heritage significance for its associations with colonial figures such as Samuel Marsden, Edmund Blacket and John Lamb Lyon. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. All Saints' Anglican Church is of State significance for its aesthetic values in exemplifying the qualities of a small and relatively intact Gothick-styled church attributed to Edmund Thomas Blacket. It has original pews, also attributed to Blacket, and a fine collection of stained glass windows designed by John Lamb Lyon of Lyon, Cottier & Co. Also adding to the significance of the interiors is the moveable heritage of the 1920s ecclesiastical furniture, elaborately carved in a style called "tabernacle work". The exterior appearance of the church and its setting is aesthetically pleasing and it is a local landmark within the town of Condobolin. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. All Saints' Anglican Church is of local social significance for its associations with the Condobolin Anglican congregation. It is also valued by the wider community for its associations with religious development of the town and the early establishment of facilities within the region. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. All Saints' Anglican Church is of local significance for its research potential to yield further information in respect of its design and construction, and for studies of the stained glass work of Lyon, Cottier & Co. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. All Saints' Condoboline is of State significance for its rarity as an intact example of a small Gothic church attributed to Edmund Blacett. It is understood that Blacket built about 34 small churches of this kind but almost all have had additions such as porches, towers, and chancel. This is the only church is known to have survived in its original configuration. It is also rare for being a regional church with a full set of Lyon & Cottier windows. The only other known examples of regional churches in NSW with comparable sets of Lyon & Cottier windows are: St Patrick's Catholic Church,

Boorowa Boorowa () is a farming village in the Hilltops Region in the south west slopes of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in a valley southwest of Sydney around above sea-level. The town is in Hilltops Council local government area. H ...

; Anglican Church of the Resurrection,

Jamberoo Jamberoo is a village on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. It is approximately 11.3 km inland from Kiama. At the , Jamberoo had a population of 1,667. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal ...

; St Mary's Catholic Church, Mudgee.Heritage Office survey, 2006 The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. All Saints' Condobolin is of State significance as an intact and regional representative example of the small Gothic church style attributed to Blacket.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * *

Attribution

External links

* {{Anglican Church of Australia

Lachlan Shire Anglican churches in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Churches completed in 1879 1879 establishments in Australia Edmund Blacket church buildings