![Christ Church, South Yarra, by W](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Christ_Church%2C_South_Yarra%2C_by_W._C._Fitler%2C_ca._1888.jpg)
Christ Church, South Yarra is the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church of the suburb of
South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Victoria, Australia. The parish is in the
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Victoria in the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese was founded from the Diocese of Australia by letters patent of 25 June 1847[Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches.
The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...]
or
High Church
The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...
tradition; it was the location of the ordination of the first woman to be a deaconess in Australia in 1884.
History
The earliest history of the church and parish is complicated. In 1852 land was set aside for a parish district including what is now South Yarra. Community meetings were held in the Ayres Arms Hotel and the South Yarra Hotel (now the Arcadia), and early services were held in the nearby Presbyterian Sunday School. The first vicar was appointed in 1855. The church was dedicated as Christ Church in either late 1855 or early 1856. Construction of the church itself began in April 1856 following the laying of a foundation stone by Major General
Edward Macarthur
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Macarthur (16 March 1789 – 4 January 1872) was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, Commander-in-chief of British forces in Australia from 1855, and an administrator of the Colony of Victoria for 12 m ...
, and was sufficiently advanced by April 1857 for the first service to be held in it. It was enlarged in 1860. The church was consecrated in 1875 by
Dr Thornton,
Bishop of Ballarat. The tower and spire were built later: the foundation stone was laid in 1881 by Sir
Henry Brougham Loch
Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch, (23 May 1827 – 20 June 1900) was a British soldier and colonial administrator.
Military service
Henry Loch was the son of James Loch, Member of Parliament, of Drylaw, Midlothian. He entered the Royal Navy ...
, the
Governor of the colony. The spire was modelled on that of
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury.
The buildi ...
. The spire and south aisle were completed in 1886; the north aisle in 1887.
In 1884
Bishop Moorhouse ordained
Marion Macfarlane to be the first
deaconess
The ministry of a deaconess is, in modern times, a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited ...
in Australia in Christ Church. Moorhouse explicitly used the term 'ordination'.
The vicarage was built during the incumbency of the first Vicar, the Rev William Guinness, in 1859. It was the birthplace of the founder of the
Brotherhood of St Laurence
The Brotherhood of St Laurence is an Australian not-for-profit organisation working toward an Australia free of poverty. The Brotherhood (as it is colloquially known) has its headquarters in Melbourne but provides services and programs across Au ...
, Fr
Gerard Tucker, in 1885. Since 2012, the Brotherhood of St Laurence has held an annual Gerard Tucker Oration at Christ Church.
Christ Church Grammar School was established as a parish primary school in 1898, and remains associated with the parish.
Architecture
The church is located on the corner of Toorak and Punt Roads; its tall spire is a local landmark. The church is built of local
bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:
* basalt in Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand
* dolerites in Tasmania, Australia; and in Britain (including Stonehenge)
* felds ...
. Although the original proposal had been to engage the architect
Charles Vickers with a design with a central tower and
freestone facings, this plan fell through due to lack of funds. The next plan was for a
tin tabernacle
A tin tabernacle, also known as an iron church, is a type of prefabricated ecclesiastical building made from corrugated galvanised iron. They were developed in the mid-19th century initially in the United Kingdom. Corrugated iron was first us ...
, built by Hemmings of Bristol. Nothing came of this poorly-received proposal, and in late 1855 the parish building committee chose a design by
Charles Webb and James Taylor. This was in preference to a design by
Joseph Reed. The tower (built of
Oamaru stone
Oamaru stone, sometimes called whitestone, is a hard, compact limestone, quarried at Weston, near Oamaru in Otago, New Zealand.
Oamaru stone was used on many of the grand public buildings in the towns and cities of the southern South Island, es ...
) and spire and aisles were built later to a design by
Reed, Henderson and Smart.
The north transept is the
Lady Chapel
A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...
, and was set out as such in 1940. For many years the south transept was used as a chapel for Christ Church Grammar School. The church has a
kauri pine rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...
and pulpit, both dating from 1890 and designed by
G.A. Badger. The high altar was replaced in 1937, the new high altar being designed by Hadwen and Houghton, and the old high altar being given to the parish of St John's,
Bungaree
Bungaree, or Boongaree ( – 24 November 1830), was an Aboriginal Australian from the Guringai people of the Broken Bay north of Sydney, who was known as an explorer, entertainer, and Aboriginal community leader.Barani (2013)Significant Aborig ...
in 1939.
Other features include an
alabaster
Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that includes ...
bust by
William Wetmore Story
William Wetmore Story (February 12, 1819 – October 7, 1895) was an American sculptor, art critic, poet, and editor.
Life and career
William Wetmore Story was the son of jurist Joseph Story and Sarah Waldo (Wetmore) Story. He graduated from H ...
depicting Lt Alexander Gordon Anderson, and General Sir
Harry Chauvel
General Sir Henry George Chauvel, (16 April 1865 – 4 March 1945) was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World W ...
's sword.
The church is listed on the
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...
.
Stained glass
Three windows in the north transept depicting the Life of Joseph are the work of
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832â ...
; they were installed in 1868 and were given in memory of the first
Premier of Victoria
The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assembly ...
,
William Haines
Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer.
Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...
. The south transept windows (depicting the Good Samaritan, Solomon's Temple, and Christ and the Samaritan Woman) are also probably the work of Clayton & Bell.
The three windows in the sanctuary above the high altar were the work of
Ferguson and Urie, and were installed in 1881. The west window depicts the Resurrection, and was installed by John Brown of
Brooks, Robinson & Co in 1892.
The windows in the south wall of the nave depict the Blessed Virgin, by Mathieson Stained Glass, and the Sacrifice of Isaac, by John Hughes of Hughes and Rogers, dating from 1892. A slightly earlier rose window in the west of the nave (1889), by Charles Rogers & Co, depicts the Agnus Dei. The Horace Tucker memorial window in the baptistry, and the windows depicting St Michael, St Paul, the Ascension and the Baptism of Jesus, were the work of William Montgomery. There is also a window depicting a portrait of the first Vicar, William Guinness, by
Napier Waller
Mervyn Napier Waller CMG OBE (19 June 189330 March 1972) was a noted Australian muralist, mosaicist and painter in stained glass and other media. He is perhaps best known for the mosaics and stained glass for the Hall of Memory at the Aus ...
from 1961.
Organ
A
harmonium
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...
was installed in the gallery in the first stage of the church in 1857. In 1869, shortly before it was replaced, it was described in the ''
Weekly Times
The Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987.
Newspapers
The HWT's newspaper interests date ba ...
'' as a "large old harmonium, … the tone of
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
is extremely suggestive of a weary old man whose lungs are nearly gone, and who is afflicted with chronic asthma. It is a most villainous piece of machinery." This was replaced by a two-manual
William Hill & Sons
William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century.
The founder
William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...
pipe organ in 1871. It was rebuilt and enlarged by
George Fincham & Sons in 1916 and again by Hill & Sons' successor firm
Hill, Norman & Beard
William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk.
History
They were founded in 1916 by the merger of Norman and Beard and William Hill & Sons ...
in 1954. Further additions were made by
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd in 1962 and by Hill, Norman & Beard in 1965. By the 1970s and 80s it became increasingly unreliable mechanically, and was unsuccessful tonally owing to the disparate nature of its contents. In 1998 it was replaced by a three-manual instrument built by the Irish organbuilder
Kenneth Jones and Associates. The majority of the older pipework was retained, suitably revoiced, but with some new material. The console and casework are made from oak retrieved from a redundant
Abbot and Smith organ in Ireland.
An early organist (1861-62) was
Charles Edward Horsley, a pupil of
Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
's, who resigned after six months, frustrated by Guinness's loyalty to
Bishop Perry's injunctions against music, Perry being an extreme Evangelical. Leonard Fullard was the organist for the lengthy period of 1949-87.
Music
There is a strong musical tradition at Christ Church, and it has been the venue for a number of premiere performances, including
John Carmichael's ''Piano Concerto No. 2'' in 2011, a carol-motet ''Bethlehem without a sound'' by
Daniel Riley with words by
Katherine Firth in 2018, and ''Lest We Forget'', an arrangement by
Matthew Orlovich in 2018.
Mission
Christ Church describes its mission as sharing God's love for the world, aiming to be a community of hospitality, education, and outreach that
invites everyone to experience God's generosity, nurtures and matures Christian faith and ministry, and brings the Gospel to our neighbourhood and beyond.
Vicars
Six of Christ Church’s vicars have gone on to become bishops.
*William Newton Guinness, 1855-1880.
*Horace Finn Tucker, 1880-1908.
*Leonard Townsend, 1908-1938.
*
Charles Herbert Murray, 1938-1944. Murray was subsequently
Bishop of Riverina
The Diocese of Riverina is one of 23 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese covers 37% of New South Wales, including the Riverina and the far west of the state. The diocese was established in 1884 when the Diocese of Goulbu ...
; he died in 1950 in the
''Amana'' accident.
*
John David McKie, 1944-1946. McKie was subsequently an assistant bishop in Melbourne. (McKie's older brother, Sir
William McKie was the director of music at the
Coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
in 1953.)
*
James Alan George Housden, 1946-1947. Housden was subsequently
Bishop of Rockhampton and then
Bishop of Newcastle.
*James Archibald Schofield, 1947-1954.
*Sydney Thomas Ball, 1954-1965.
*
John Basil Rowland Grindrod, 1965-1966. Grindrod was subsequently
Bishop of Riverina
The Diocese of Riverina is one of 23 dioceses of the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese covers 37% of New South Wales, including the Riverina and the far west of the state. The diocese was established in 1884 when the Diocese of Goulbu ...
,
Bishop of Rockhampton, and
Archbishop of Brisbane
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
and
Anglican Primate.
*
David Hubert Warner Shand, 1966-1969. Shand was subsequently the last
Bishop of St Arnaud.
*Evan William Wetherell, 1970-1982. Wetherell was subsequently Dean of
St Peter's Cathedral, Armidale
St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral with heritage-listed building and grounds at 122 Rusden Street, Armidale, Armidale Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Armidale. and the s ...
.
*David Brooke Warner, 1982-1992.
*Desmond Ernest Benfield, 1993-2006.
*
Richard Stanley Treloar, 2007-2018. Treloar is currently (2021) the
Bishop of Gippsland.
*Craig D'Alton, since 2019.
Curates
Notable curates include the Irish composer
George Torrance,
Stephen Hart, who became
Bishop of Wangaratta,
Maurice Kelly, the founder of the
Community of the Ascension
The Community of the Ascension (known as CA and the Ascensionists) was an Anglican religious community for men in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first male Anglican religious order to be successfully established in Australia, ...
, and
Allen Winter, who became
Bishop of St Arnaud.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christ Church, South Yarra
Churches completed in 1857
Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne
Anglo-Catholic churches in Australia
Christ Church, South Yarra
Christ Church, South Yarra is the Anglican parish church of the suburb of South Yarra in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The parish is in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and dates from 1856. The parish is well known as belonging to the Angl ...
19th-century Anglican church buildings
1856 establishments in Australia
Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)