Bourke Street Congregational Church & School (Former)

Item details


Name of item:	Bourke Street Congregational Church & School (Former)
Other name/s:	Former St Sophia & Her Three Daughters Congregational Church
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Religion
Category:	Church
Location:	Lat: -33.8819211067 Long: 151.2162196990
Primary address:	411A Bourke Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Parish:	Alexandria
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	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	770316
LOT	2		DP	770316

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
411A Bourke Street	Surry Hills	Sydney	Alexandria	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese	Private	30 Mar 99

Description


Designer/Maker:	Church: William Bowles
Builder/Maker:	Hall: Joseph Slade & John Fowler.
Construction years:	1878-1880
Physical description:	The site contains two buildings of significance: the Greek Orthodox Church fronting onto Bourke street and the adjacent School House fronting onto Little Bourke Street. Church: Victorian Gothic style Church with ashlar render faade constructed between 1878-1880. It consists of a central portion with a high lancet and rose window flanked by two pedimented sections. It has an very intact interior. Decorative cast iron columns support a sloping gallery which surrounds the body of the building on 3 sides. There are ornamental column capitals and iron railings to the gallery. The walls and ceiling are plaster and feature decorative plaster bosses adjoining window openings. The church also features a barrel vaulted ceiling, intact timber pews, a carved pulpit, and a large arched recess with elaborate paint and stencil ornamentation (National Trust of Australia (NSW), 1983). School Hall: This 2 storey Victorian Georgian style school hall is located on the western side of the site fronting little Bourke Street and dates from 1862-1863. It features simple fenestration with a central date plaque. The lower storey consists of a schoolroom with a boarded ceiling and cast iron ceiling roses and structural cast iron columns supporting the upper floor. The upper storey contains a large hall with a lofty gabled roof framed with a slender timber and iron trusses. In the south-end, a timber partition forms a small library which contains built-in cabinets (National Trust of Australia (NSW), 1983).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The Church façade has been restored and rendered (LEP, 2012).
	Date condition updated:31 Aug 20
Modifications and dates:	The Church façade has been restored and rendered (LEP, 2012).
Further information:	Pipe organ now located at Dural Uniting Church, School Road, Galston: see separate entry.


Current use:	Church
Former use:	Aboriginal land, farm estate, town lot, Church and School

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters (Heiss, see below).

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Source: Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani)

Surry Hills:
Governor Phillip established the boundary of the Sydney Cove settlement in 1792 when he drew a line from the head of Cockle Bay to the head of Woolloomooloo Bay. East of that line was reserved for the town and west of the line, which included present-day Surry Hills was considered suitable for farming and was granted to military officers and free settlers.

The first land grants in the Surry Hills area were made in the 1790s. Captain (later, Major) Joseph Foveaux received 105 acres and Commissary John Palmer received 70 acrres in April and another adjoining 20 acres soon after. He called the property George Farm.

Foveaux (1765-1846)'s property was known as 'Surrey Hills Farm' and Foveaux Street in the suburb honours this soldier and administrator of the colony's early days (Healy & Pollen, 1988, 249).

In 1800 Palmer also bought Foveaux's farm. Palmer supported Governor Bligh during the Rum Rebellion (in 1808) and returned to England to give evidence. On his return, his reduced financial circumstances forced the sale of his land. The sale of Palmer's estate in 1814 was the first subdivision in Surry Hills.

In the first half of the 19th century, John Terry Hughes built the Albion Brewery, a site now owned by Tooheys Brewery. Adjacent was Albion House, where his nephew, J.T. Hughes lived with his wife. Surry Hills had an air of elegance in the 1800s, when buildings in the style of the Macquarie era were constructed. One of the most interesting was Durham Hall (on Albion Street) built in 1835 for George Hill, who bought its site from Thomas Broughton. Hill who was associated with a timberyard in George Street, was overseer of several slaughterhouses, and owned three city inns, all in Pitt Street. His son William ran a fourth, in Sussex Street (ibid, 1988, 249).

The Devonshire Street Cemetery, where many early settlers were buried, was located in this area. When Central Station became the Sydney railway terminus, the cemetery was moved to various other locations, and the station opened on 4/8/1906. This altered the traffic plan, and flow of trams and horse-drawn vehicles moved along George Street and past the new Anthony Hordern Palace Emporium, built in 1901. For many years this southern part of the city was the main shopping area because its nearness to Central Station made it accessible from all over Sydney and the state (ibid, 1988, 249).

The area around Cleveland and Elizabeth Streets was known as Strawberry Hills, and the Strawberry Hills post office was located for many years on the corner of these two streets, but is now ont he corner of Chalmers and Cleveland Streets. From the 1850s terrace houses and workers' cottages were built in Surry Hills, which gradually became a working class suburb. Work was available locally as light industry, particularly the clothing industry, became established in the area. The suburb was also favoured by families newly arrived in Australia in the years after the Second World War, when property values were low and it provided inexpensive accommodation (ibid, 1988, 249).

Today the suburb has a multicultural aspect, with a large Lebanese population joining older immigrant families. Many of its old houses are being restored as the middle class move back into the area to enjoy the benefits of inner-city living (ibid, 1988, 249).

Site history:
The site was originally part of a land grant of 70 acres to John Palmer dating from April 1st 1794, which was then named 'George Farm' . Later it became part of the Riley Estate (Block A8) (Kass, 1984).

The church replaced a former cast iron or tin church that occupied the site. It was called the 'Independent Church' in 1858/9, then later called a Congregational Church, and rebuilt (LEP, 2012).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Ethnic influences-Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.	Greek migrants-
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	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Private education-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Private (religious) schooling-
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	Practising Methodism-
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 Congregationalism-

Recommended management:

The building should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. There shall be no vertical additions to the building and no alterations to the faade of the building other than to reinstate original features. The principal room layout and planning configuration as well as significant internal original features including ceilings, cornices, joinery, flooring and fireplaces should be retained and conserved. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the rear in areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls (LEP, 2012).

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
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		00382	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00382	12 Jul 85	103	3473
Local Environmental Plan	Former St Sophia & Her Three Daughters Congregatio	I1443	14 Dec 12

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Healy, Gerald; and Pollen, Frances (ed.s)	1988	'Darlinghurst' and 'Surry Hills'

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045577
File number:	S90/04505 & HC 32985

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