St John's Theological College, Perth (initially known as the Clergy Training College, Perth) was an Australian educational institution in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, established in 1899 and which closed in 1929. It trained candidates for ordination in the

Church of England in Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the ...

Origins

The second Bishop of Perth was Henry Hutton Parry, from 1876 to 1893. Parry wished to establish a theological college. At some point between his installation in Perth in 1876 and 1881, he opened his home to four theological students, whom he instructed, with a view to ordination. These efforts appear to have petered out.

Establishment

Parry's successor as Bishop of Perth (first Archbishop from 1914) was

Charles Owen Leaver Riley Charles Owen Leaver Riley (26 May 1854 – 23 June 1929) was the first Anglican Archbishop of Anglican Diocese of Perth, Perth, Western Australia. Early years Riley was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the eldest child of the Revere ...

(1894-1929). A priest in the diocese,

Charles Lefroy Charles Edward Cottrell Lefroy was an Anglican priest, most notably Archdeacon of Perth, Western Australia, from 1907 until 1912 The son of an early settler to West Australia, Lefroy was educated at Bradfield College; Keble College, Oxford; and ...

, was instrumental in persuading Riley of the need for a theological college. In 1898 the Perth diocesan synod resolved to establish a theological college, and the Clergy Training College was opened the following year with Lefroy as Principal and with two students. The college took up occupation of part of

The Cloisters The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights, Manhattan, Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art ...

, and in 1909 changed its name to St John's Theological College.

Closure

At the outbreak of war in 1914, the college closed, as all of the students enlisted. At that point The Cloisters was converted into a hostel for undergraduates of the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. In 1919 a new college council was formed, and a new Principal appointed in 1920. At that point the college moved to Beaufort Street in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. In 1922 there was a concerted effort for fundraising, but by 1926 there were no students at St John's, and a decision was taken to close. The intention was that it be replaced by St George's College, along the lines of

Trinity College, Melbourne Trinity College is the oldest residential college of the University of Melbourne, the first university in the colony of Victoria, Australia. The college was opened in 1872 on a site granted to the Church of England by the government of Victori ...

and

Trinity College Theological School Trinity College Theological School (TCTS) is an educational division of Australia's Trinity College, the oldest residential college of the University of Melbourne. It is also one of the constituent colleges of the University of Divinity. The Scho ...

: a residential college within a university but which also offered theological education for ordinands. Although St George's was opened, and remains a residential college of UWA, it never offered theological education.

Wollaston College

Training for ordination recommenced in Perth in 1957, with the establishment of

Wollaston College Wollaston College (formerly John Wollaston Theological College ) is an Australian educational institution in Perth, Western Australia, established in 1957. It provides theological education for both lay and ordained people of the Anglican Dio ...

Principals

, 1899-1904 * Cuthbert Hudleston, 1904-1906 *Charles Edward John Chennell, 1906-1907 (acting) *Charles Hugh Duffy Grimes, 1907-1919 Grimes was subsequently Chaplain of Christ Church, Vienna (1934-1938) including during the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

, and proceeded to baptise 900 Jews, thereby saving them from arrest. *

Lionel Walpole Parry Lionel Walpole Parry (1883–1954) was an Anglican priest and educator. Parry was the son of Henry Parry, Bishop of Perth 1876–93. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and ordained in 1908. After a curacy in Lowestoft he went as a teac ...

, 1920-1922 (and acting Principal thereafter). Parry was the son of Bishop Parry. He left the college to become Headmaster of

Christ Church Grammar School , motto_translation = God is our leader, learning is our light , established = , founder = William Joseph McClemans , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day and boarding school , gender = Boys , deno ...

Claremont, Western Australia Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, on the north bank of the Swan River. History Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl. In 1830, Jo ...

(1923-32).

Notable alumni

* John Bell, Dean of St Peter's Cathedral, Armidale (1946-1948) and St George's Cathedral, Perth (1953-1959).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:St John's Theological College, Perth Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Former theological colleges in Australia Education in Western Australia 1899 establishments in Australia Educational institutions disestablished in 1929