St Bede's Anglican Church

Item details


Name of item:	St Bede's Anglican Church
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Religion
Category:	Church
Primary address:	14 College Street, Drummoyne, NSW 2047
Parish:	Concord
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Canada Bay

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
14 College Street	Drummoyne	Canada Bay	Concord	Cumberland	Primary Address
Church Street	Drummoyne	Canada Bay	Concord	Cumberland	Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	An outstanding example of a 1930's church built in an individual Neo-romanesque style, St Bede's Anglican Church is an important local landmark noted for the tower and cupola which is the most visible and dominant feature of the Drummoyne skyline. This church is of significance for the association with Thomas Henley who donated the land for the church and contributed to the cost of its construction and with EmilSoderstein, the architect of the church. St Bedes is significant for its connection with the development of Drummoyne
	Date significance updated: 24 Nov 06
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the OEH copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Emil Soderstein
Construction years:	1930-1931
Physical description:	Brick and tile Interwar Romanesque. An outstanding 1930's style brick church typical of its period but rare in the Municipality. Brickwork, incorporating shaped bricks, is the main decorative element with mostly rectangular and curved (window openings) forms and parapeted gables. The dominant feature is the tower with a magnificent copper lantern on top. It has special townscape value and landmark value. Other features include a decorative stone portico on classical columns and an excellent round stained glass window above that has been noted as one of the major works of Alfred Handel (who was responsible for most of the windows in the building).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Good. Intact.
	Date condition updated:22 Aug 06
Modifications and dates:	Cupola removed from tower for repair work.


Current use:	Church
Former use:	Church

History

Historical notes:

The first church on the site (across the road at No. 21) was of light timber construction and built in 1884. It had a simple cruciform plan. This building was later moved to the rear of that site to make way for a new brick church opened in 1901. This church was outgrown despite a substantial hall addition in the 1920s and a new church was planned for the then vacant section of No. 21. Thomas Henley, who lived adjacent at 23 (now demolished) did not want the new building located adjacent to his house and blocking his view of the water so consequently gave the land opposite, on which he had his workshops, plus an initial large donation on condition that the church was built on the east side of the road. This was accepted and Henly made further donations towards the completion of the building.

The new church was designed by Emil Soderstein (also designed the Australian War Memorial and many Catholic churches). The foundation stone for the present church was laid by Lady Street on 13 September 1930. The church was opened and dedicated on 25 March 1931. The Rectory opposite was built in 1910 and the foundation stone was laid by Archbishop Wright on 3 December 1910.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Social-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Of historical significance for its connection with the development of the suburb.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	This church is of significance for the association with Thomas Henley who donated the land for the church and contributed to the cost of its construction and with EmilSoderstein, the architect of the church.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	An outstanding example of a 1930s church built in an individual Neo-romanesque style. It is of significance for the landmark quality of the building and especially the tower and cupola which is the most visible and dominant feature of the Drummoyne skyline.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	An outstanding example of a 1930s church built in an individual Neo-romanesque style.
Integrity/Intactness:	Intact
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	St Bede's Anglican Church	90	07 Mar 08	30	1464
Within a conservation area on an LEP	Bourketown Conservation Area	A	07 Mar 08	30	1464
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Drummoyne Heritage Study	1988		Perumal Murphy Pty Ltd		Yes
Drummoyne Heritage Study Review	1996		Paul Davies & Associates		Yes

References, internet links & images

None

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2891019

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