St John's, Ashfield

St John's was the first church to be established along Parramatta Road between the colonial towns of Sydney and Parramatta (then known as Rose Hill), Since 1810 the Parish of Ashfield had extended from Balmain to Strathfield, and from Enfield to the Parramatta River, and in 1840 this was formalized into an ecclesiastical district. Early contributors The first portion of grounds, an area of 1 acre, 2 roods, and 36 perches (a total of 0.698 ha), The Bishop of Australia, William Grant Broughton added urgency by expressing his "intention of having a Place of Worship erected immediately, on the allotment of land appropriated for that purpose". Another benefactor was William Bland, a doctor and politician who had been sent to the colony having been convicted of manslaughter after pistol duel which left his opponent mortally wounded, and after whom Bland street is named. and land. Church building The church was founded on 9 September 1840. W. G. Broughton made an address at the ceremony. , as one of his first assignments after arriving in Sydney, was requested to inspect the church's walls, then still under construction. As a result of his report, the walls were demolished and re-erected, caused further delays. The church was licensed for operation on 1 October 1843. The roof was strengthened in around 1845 by the installation of timber support columns. so an expansion was required. Blacket designed the current stone transept and chancel, to transform the church into a cruciform plan. These were built during the period 1874–1875 The tower was then quickly constructed at a cost of around £250 in memory of the recently deceased rector James Christian Corlette, and dedicated as The Corlette Memorial Tower on 1 November 1901. This was apparently ineffective, as the bells were removed within a few years. The 1883 Hill and Son organ, including 844 pipes, costing a total of £550, was installed in 1884, and located in the north-east corner of the transept. The 1950 change from mechanical to electrical action was motivated by removing the increasingly noisy pedals and trackers. This refurbishment also included detachment of the console (to the other side of the transept), and replacement of the bellows with a "pressure equaliser". By 1975 the organ had become unplayable, and a reconversion to mechanical action was undertaken. The console was moved back to the organ side of the transept, with the action going backward under the floor into the organ. This necessitated removal of floor joists and foundation piers, but the unsupported floor caused further problems long term, and during the 2008 rebuild it was re-electrified. In the late 19th century the St John's choir participated in regional choir festivals. Site development A small hall for Sunday school was erected in 1865 by the generosity of L. H. Smythe. By 1895 the hall had fallen into disrepair, and the needs of the children had outgrown it. The current Parish Hall was planned to replace it. The memorial stone for the replacement building was laid by the Primate of Australia, William Saumarez Smith in inclement weather on 2 February 1895. The architect was E. A. Scott, and his building design was of a "domestic style... with a highly decorated front". and seated up to 400. Gravel pathways lined with Phoenix canariensis palms, the lawn in front of the church, and the stone churchyard fence were also constructed in the 1920s. and commemorates one of the key contributors, R. A. Forsaith. Australia's only memorial to Australian Air Force Cadets occupies a prominent position on the grounds, and a memorial service attended by the Cadets has been held annually since it was opened by the State Governor Lieutenant General John Northcott in 1946. It was built by Squadron Leader Arthur Whitehurst who had commanded a squadron at Ashfield during the period 1941–1946, and whose son Douglas Arthur Whitehurst had died in action in World War II. A children's playground was installed near the Alt St boundary in 2011, and opened by Ashfield Municipal Council Mayor Ted Cassidy and Strathfield MP Charles Casuscelli. Regional influence A number of local street names were derived from the presence of St John's. Church Street, which ends directly opposite the church entrance, was originally the track used by Burwood residents to reach the church, using a conveniently located fallen tree across Iron Cove Creek. Five Dock, and St Oswald's Haberfield (1908). Acting rectors From time to time, an acting rector or locum tenens has taken on temporary leadership, or filled a gap between rectors. Septimus Hungerford was acting rector in 1879. He had previously been the rector of St Peter's Cathedral, Armidale. Later he became the incumbent at St Thomas' Enfield. William Hough took temporary leadership in 1889 whilst J. C. Corlette undertook the precentorship of Goulburn Cathedral. Arthur Christian Corlette stood in temporarily for his older brother J. C. Corlette in 1898. Robert William Phayre Montgomery filled in at St John's after the death of J. C. Corlette, during the period 1900–1901. He was an Irishman who came to Australia as a missionary chaplain in 1891. After leaving St John's he took up a position as vicar of Cressy Arthur Killworth M.A. LL.B., acted as rector during the period 1928–1931. Archdeacon William Apedaile Charlton led St John's for four months in 1939 after the departure of H. S. Cocks. He had already served in Sydney churches for 55 years. James R. Le Huray, Th.L. was the acting rector during the period 2004–2005. Rev J.R Le Huray came to St John's from Holy Trinity Kingsford, where he had served for 27 years as Rector. Education In the mid-1850s St John's established a Church of England Denominational Day School in a small, plain white stone building near the corner of Charlotte and Bland St, However, when the Ashfield public school expanded in 1875, the church school proved unable to compete, and by 1880 it was closed. The building was sold to the newly begun Ashfield Boy's College in 1882, but was demolished in 1885. Catholic education in the area flourished, and seeing this, J. C. Corlette wrote to England to Miss Ellen Clarke, suggesting that she start a school for young ladies in Ashfield. This went ahead, the school known as Normanhurst School began in a cottage in Bland Street. Although it was officially non-denominational, Normanhurst maintained strong links with St John's. The school grew, and moved premises to Orpington Street, but eventually closed down in 1941. ==Land and buildings==

including the reredos hand-carved by Rev Wilkinson Church Having evolved over a long period, the church building displays elements of a range of styles including Colonial Gothic Picturesque, Victorian and Federation Free Gothic. The transepts and chancel are constructed from Sydney sandstone, whereas the nave and tower are rendered brick. The roofs are all slate. The cemetery is geographically aligned with the church, and takes up a large portion of the land area. The oldest graves are on the eastern side of the path, and typically face west. Newer graves on the western side of the path generally face east. His headstone was defaced by vandals in 1965. Several members of the Wilkinson and Underwood families were significant in the early European settlement of the Ashfield district. Henry Halloran (1811–1893) was a poet and resident of Ashfield, and was married to Elizabeth Underwood's daughter Elizabeth. Thomas Walker, a banker and philanthropist who owned and developed Yaralla Estate, is in a family grave with his wife Jane, and daughter Eadith's ashes. Samuel Henry Terry, a wealthy landowner and politician is also buried at St Johns, having spent the last part of his life in an Ashfield residence named The Lilacs. Randolph John Want was a solicitor and member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Edward Wrench was one of the founding partners of real estate agents Richardson & Wrench. Amy Schauer was a cookery instructor and author. The graveyard also contains members of the Taverner, Uhr and Rodd families, after whom the localities Taverner's Hill, Uhr's Point, and Rodd Point are named. There are also graves of three former rectors: T. H. Wilkinson, W. Lumsdaine, and J. C. Corlette, and members of their families, together with a pioneer clergyman, E. Rogers. Beside these prominent figures, many of the St John's graves contain children. Typhoid and whooping cough epidemics took heavy tolls in the Victorian period. Although Ashfield was known as a healthy area, many families lost two or even three children. Burial rates at St John's declined rapidly around the turn of the 20th century. The rector's notes from the time indicate that many funeral services conducted at the church now preceded burial at Rookwood Cemetery. Although the cemetery has never officially been closed, no burial plots have been sold for some years. A memorial garden for the interment of ashes was opened in the time of J. R. Seddon, providing a popular resting place for the Ashfield community. Since the late 1970s day-release prisoners have assisted with maintenance of the cemetery grounds. In Australia's bicentennial year, 1988, a $16,000 grant was awarded for restoration work in the cemetery, at which time some broken gravestones were cemented together, and some illegible ones were 'cut back' and the letters repainted. Annex In 2017 an annex was added directly adjacent and connected to the western side of the church, to provide running water, kitchen and function facilities to the church. It is used mainly for kid's church and communal meals (primarily morning tea) after church services. ==Ministry==

Andrew Katay became the 18th rector in early 2005. In 2008 the church was part of an amalgamation with the parish of Five Dock and Haberfield, forming Christ Church Inner West Anglican Community (CCIW) with Andrew Katay continuing as the rector of the new parish. At the end of 2025, St Oswald's Haberfield was released to become an independent parish. There are currently two Sunday services at Ashfield, and one at Five Dock. Since July 2006 it has run a mothers and children group, which discusses Christian parenting issues, and teaches English to those for whom it is not their native language. In 2010 the church began an outdoor film festival showing ghost and horror movies in the historic cemetery. == See also ==