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SHR Criteria a)
[Historical significance] | All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore is of high local significance as one of a group of Gothic Revival churches built in the Newtown/Stanmore area demonstrating the development of the area in the nineteenth century.
All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore is of State significance for its association with Benjamin Joseph Backhouse RIBA (1820-1904), the prominent late nineteenth century architect.
Commencing in Ballarat in 1853, Queensland in 1861 and New South Wales in 1868 Backhouse built a large and provincial architectural practice as well as a prominent public career in infrastructure and public welfare. At the end of his life he was elected the first socialist member of the NSW Legislative Council.
In Sydney Backhouse built no less than three theatres: the Tivoli, Lyceum and Palace, none of which survive. His church works are his other best-known buildings and include Woollahra Congregational (interior lost by fire), All Saints, Stanmore (a major work in polychrome ) and halls for St Peter's, East Sydney and St Matthias, Oxford St. For East Sydney parish he also executed a vestry and the dramatic polychrome rectory of c1872. Within the Marrickville LGA, Backhouse also designed the first Holy Trinity Church, Dulwich Hill which is now used as the church hall (1880s).
The church hall (1926) is a colonial revival structure with high-quality joinery and fittings.
The rectory is also of interest but more research is needed to ascertain its architect. It bears the hall marks of the work of E A Scott who also designed the rectory at St Stephen's, Newtown in 1907. |
SHR Criteria c)
[Aesthetic significance] | All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore is of State significance as one of the best examples of nineteenth-century polychrome brickwork in NSW. It is a fine example of a Gothic revival church and the major surviving work of architect, Benjamin Backhouse. It is one of the most distinctive churchs of the nineteenth century in the state.
All Saints, Stanmore is Backhouse's most complete surviving work and an outstanding essay in structural polychrome. More common in Victoria, this style has few major examples in New South Wales outside of the work of William Wardell (who came from Victoria to execute St Mary's Cathedral)
At a time when the stone parish churches of Edmund Blacket were predominate, this adventurous and modern brick architecture was a bold departure.
Apart from this church, the principal works of the idiom are the AS&N bond store in lower George Street, The Rocks and Glenleigh at Mulgoa.
The church is also architecturally distinctive for its plan form. The aisles are separately roofed resulting in a triple gable at the east and west facades. Internally, this gives three separate hammerbeam truss roofs in a row kept apart by an arcade of cast iron columns. Interestingly this form whilst common in British churches was rarely employed in New South Wales, and the only other major example is East Sydney (Oswald Lewis, 1859) to which Backhouse added the vestry in about 1872. The organ case at All Saints is probably original to the interior. There have been other additions in the interwar period of less distinction, among them the side chapel, reredos, glass doors and war memorial.
The church hall (1926) is a very accomplished colonial revival structure with high-quality joinery and fittings.The rectory is also of interest but more research is needed to ascertain its architect. It bears the hall marks of the work of E A Scott who did the rectory at Newtown in 1907.
The whole site is bounded by a perimeter fence built at different times which encloses an established setting with mature trees. The church is visually prominent and the whole site makes a significant addition to the streetscape of Stanmore Road and the adjacent Maundrell Park. |
SHR Criteria d)
[Social significance] | Local |
SHR Criteria e)
[Research potential] | All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore displays high research potential. It is of State significance for its unusual technical construction which involves separately roofed aisles creating a triple gable at the east and west facades. Internally, this gives three separate hammerbeam truss roofs in a row kept apart by an arcade of cast iron columns. Interestingly, while this form was common in nineteenth-century British churches, it was rarely employed in New South Wales, and the only other major example is East Sydney (Oswald Lewis, 1859) to which Backhouse added the vestry in about 1872. |
SHR Criteria f)
[Rarity] | All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore is of State significance as a rare example of nineteenth-century polychrome brickwork and for its unusual roof construction. |
SHR Criteria g)
[Representativeness] | All Saints Anglican Church, Stanmore is of high local significance as one of a group of Gothic Revival churches built in the Newtown/Stanmore area demonstrating the development of the area in the nineteenth century. |
| Integrity/Intactness: | The buildings remain intact and retain their integrity. |
| 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. |