St Matthew's Church, Guildford

St Matthew's Church is an Anglican church in Guildford, Western Australia. The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Perth.[1]

St Matthew's Church
St Matthew's Church
Location of St Matthew's Church in Perth metropolitan area
31.8983°S 115.9701°E / -31.8983; 115.9701
LocationGuildford, Western Australia
CountryAustralia
DenominationAnglican
Websitewww.stmatthewschurch.org.au
History
DedicationSt Matthew
Consecrated15 October 1873 (1873-10-15)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Frederick Sherwood
Administration
DioceseAnglican Diocese of Perth
ProvinceAnglican Church of Australia
TypeState Registered Place
Designated20 October 1995
Reference no.2482

Saint Matthew's was the first church to be built in the Swan parish. It was a small octagonal mud-brick church, hastily built on land donated by Governor James Stirling on his Woodbridge estate, next to where Guildford Grammar School now stands.

First structure

Governor Stirling laid the foundation stone on 6 September 1836,[2] and it was opened a few months later before it was finished. It was not completed until 1839 and was consecrated on 23 November 1848.[3] It was later demolished but the graveyard still remains. St Matthew's became the separate parish of Guildford in 1854.

Second structure

The second St Matthew's was built on the present site in Stirling Square and was consecrated by Bishop Hale on 21 September 1860.[4]

That brick building with a roof of shingles was destroyed in a hurricane on 12 March 1872 during a baptism. No-one was hurt but only the harmonium and a few books could be saved.[5]

Parishioners immediately started a rebuilding programme and the present church of St Matthew was opened on 9 June 1873,[6][7] and consecrated on 15 October 1873.[8] A second-hand pipe organ was installed in 1875. This organ had been built for St. John's Church, Fremantle, but became redundant when they purchased a larger instrument.

A much larger pipe organ was installed in the church in 1911, replacing the earlier organ by R C Clifton. This new organ was built by the Adelaide builder J. E. Dodd. The organ has encountered many re-buildings over the years, but has been kept in remarkable condition. In 2004 the organ was fully rebuilt and now features a state of the art transmission system.

References
  1. "Parish – Guildford". Anglican Church – Diocese of Perth. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  2. "THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL". The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal. WA: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1836. p. 760. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  3. "Ecclesiastical Intelligence". The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. WA: National Library of Australia. 25 November 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  4. "Summary for the Mail". The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News. WA: National Library of Australia. 21 September 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  5. "GUILDFORD". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  6. "GUILDFORD, June 10". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 11 June 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  7. "HEADS OF INTELLIGENCE". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 18 June 1873. p. 3. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  8. "GUILDFORD October 20". The Inquirer & Commercial News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 22 October 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
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