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St
Mary's Church of England, Birrell St, Waverley - c. 1959
On
5th June, 1863 the foundation stone of the Church was laid by Sir John
Young, K.C.B., K.C.M.G. Its full name was St. Mary the Virgin but it is
commonly known as St. Mary's. It is believed that the land was purchased
from Mr. R. Newman, and formed a part of the south-east corner of the grant
of land to Barnett Levey.
The
architect of St. Mary's was Edmund Blacket, a great Australian architect and
a personal friend of the first Rector, Stanley Mitchell. Blacket intended
that the building would dominate the landscape, but the tower and spire he
designed never eventuated.
The
church was built of white stone with a bell tower at the western end and an
Anglo-Norman cross at the eastern gable of the building.
St.
Mary's was dedicated on May 13, 1864. In 1872 two porches and an organ
chamber were added, and in 1889 the organ was installed.
There
have been six rectors in all: Rev. Mitchell, Rev. McKeown, Rev. North-Ash,
Rev. Riley, Rev. Pattison-Clarke and Rev. Dicks.
Restoration
of the church has recently taken place. The building is classified by the
National Trust and funds from the Heritage Council have assisted with the
building work.
Published
by Waverley Library, in association with Heritage Week, 1984 |
