St. John's Uniting Church and Pipe Organ

Item details


Name of item:	St. John's Uniting Church and Pipe Organ
Other name/s:	Richardson Pipe Organ
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Religion
Category:	Church
Location:	Lat: -33.8324969133 Long: 151.2213010030
Primary address:	Yeo Street, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089
Parish:	Willoughby
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	North Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1		DP	836680

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Yeo Street	Neutral Bay	North Sydney	Willoughby	Cumberland	Primary Address
Barry Street	Neutral Bay	North Sydney	Willoughby	Cumberland	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Uniting Church of Australia	Religious Organisation	25 Mar 99

Description


Designer/Maker:	Charles H. Slaytor
Builder/Maker:	Chuch: Taffield and Collins: Organ: C. Richardson
Construction years:	1890-1912
Physical description:	Church: The church is a buttressed brick building with stone trims and a steep gabled roof. The interior is plastered and each bay is occupied by a memorial tablet. There is an elaborate carved pulpit and two windows in the organ chamber designed by Norman St Carter (sic) and executed by F. J. Tarrant of Darling Harbour. The diagonal boarded hammer-beam roof features nailed laminated arches. This building is designed in the Victorian Free Gothic style (LEP). Organ: The organ (1912) is a rare intact example of the work of Charles Richardson, who was the most prominent organ-maker in New South Wales from 1883 to 1920. It features a case design which is unique for its period, and is a late example of the use of tracker action to the manuals (LEP).
Modifications and dates:	The originally slate roof was replaced in 1979 with concrete tiles. The north end, a later addition, has a large three-light lancet window and a well-proportioned stone-trimmed entry porch. The organ chamber at the south end, also a later addition, is separately roofed (LEP)


Current use:	Church
Former use:	Church

History

Historical notes:

Neutral Bay:
Known to its Aboriginal inhabitants as Wirra-birra, the bay almost opposite to Sydney Cove was designated by Captain Arthur Phillip as a safe anchorage for foreign ships, sufficiently far away to discourage escaping convicts but close enough to keep surveillance while credentials were being established. Hence the name Neutral Bay (National Trust of Australia (NSW), 2018, 18).

By the beginning of the 20th century the maritime enterprises that had dominated the Lower North Shore had begun to give way to residential development. Neutral Bay and Cremorne became known as 'alternative society suburbs', where the emerging Arts and Crafts architectural style was creating a 'friendly', relaxed style in contrast to the uniformity of terrace housing (ibid, 2019, 18).

St. John's Uniting Church and Pipe Organ:
The Presbyterian congregation was established in Neutral Bay in 1889. Land for a church was donated by Captain Robert Craig and the foundation stone was laid on the 26th April 1890. Architect was Charles H. Slatyer of 96 Pitt Street and builders were Messrs Taffield and Collins. The church was opened on the 19th July 1890. An 1890 photograph shows the church as an austere gothic structure consisting of the central four bays of the present building. It was enlarged in 1898 and in 1908. The pipe organ was installed in 1912, the manse built in 1920, and the school hall in 1923 (LEP).

1912 - Pipe Organ

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Alienating Crown Lands for religious purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Religious worship-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Church-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Practising Presbyterianism-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	(none)-

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	Record converted from HIS events Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): The maintenance of any item on the site where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material.	Dec 20 1985
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jun 17 2022

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00423	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00423	20 Dec 85	176	6664
Local Environmental Plan	North Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2013	I0766	02 Aug 13

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
North Sydney Heritage Study Review	1993	1209	Godden Mackay, with T. Brassil, R. Irving, C. Pratten, Conybeare Morrison	Tony Brassil	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism		2007	Neutral Bay Post Office to Cremorne and Military Road Heritage Walk	View detail
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Neutral Bay Post Office to Cremorne and Military Road Heritage Walk	View detail
Written	Read, Stuart	2009	unpublished notes, Cremorne Walk

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

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045066
File number:	S90/04780 & HC 33063

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