| Historical notes: | Wiradjuri Land
The Bathurst Plains are part of the ancestral homelands of the Wiradjuri people. Their lands were nestled between three rivers; Wambool (Macquarie), Kalare (Lachlan) and Murrumbidgeri (Murrimbigee). These rivers provided a good source of fish, duck, kangaroo, emu and various edible plants. The Wiradjuri had a typical Aboriginal social system based on kinship and totemic lore. The Wiradjuri people resisted European expansion into their territory as it was ruining traditional hunting grounds and desecrating sacred places. Settlement following Governor Macquarie's first visit to Bathurst in 1815 saw increasing conflict in the region, particularly under the leadership of Windradyne (c1790-c1835) and martial law was declared in the Bathurst area for a short time in 1824. The eventual surrender of Windradyne signalled a reduction in hostilities, although the decline in traditional indigenous ways of life continued. (Aitken, 2005).
Introduction
Dating from 1835, Holy Trinity Church Kelso was the first church consecrated west of the Blue Mountains. With its pioneer cemetery and rectory designed by Edmund Blacket, it is one of the most significant building groups in the Central West region. Holy Trinity played a vital part in the regional growth of the Anglican Church, enjoying the early support of well known religious figures at the time such as Rev Samuel Marsden and Bishop W.G. Broughton. Although the buildings are not physically located central to village life, Holy Trinity and its parishioners have played an important supporting role in the spiritual growth of the region. The buildings remain in their original use and are much loved and appreciated by the community. (Aitken, 2005)
Crossing the Blue Mountains
The settlement of Kelso was a direct result of Governor Lachlan Macquarie's opening of a route for colonial settlement in New South Wales west of the Blue Mountains. In 1813 George William Evans extended beyond Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson's route over the Blue Mountains into the Bathurst Plains, as they became known, and reported that his exploration found good country. This encouraged Governor Macquarie to arrange for William Cox to take a team of convicts and build a road through the mountains. The road was completed in January 1815, terminating on the left bank of the Macquarie River. On this site on 7 May 1815 Governor Macquarie proclaimed the site of the future town of Bathurst, named after Lord Bathurst, Secretary of State for War and Colonies. Then everyone went to the Governor's tent for a church service, the first to be held west of the Blue Mountains. However , Macquarie had ordered that no major buildings were to be erected on the (left) Bathurst side of the river until the land was properly surveyed. An alternative to Cox's route to Bathurst was soon available, possibly by the middle of 1815. Being shorter and more direct it quickly established itself as the main route to Sydney from Bathurst. This road approached the Bathurst locality from the right bank - in the area that would develop into the village of Kelso. In 1816 Macquarie granted 50 acres of land each to ten prospective settlers on the right bank. These Kelso settlers pioneered civil community life in Bathurst. (Aitken, 2005)
Kelso's beginnings
In the muster of 1821 the Bathurst district population was 287 of which 210 were convicts. In 1822 Rev Samuel Marsden wrote to the new Governor Brisbane requesting that grounds be reserved for an Anglican Glebe, school and cemetery. By the mid 1820s the first entries in the Trinity Church registers were made for burials, baptisms and marriages. In 1826 the restrictions to building on the left bank were lifted and the plans for township of Bathurst were drafted. Also a general resurvey of NSW had been ordered in the early 1820s , resulting in a system of counties, townships and civil parishes. The title deed for the James Blackman grant dated 1823, on which the Holy Trinity group would later be built, notes that the land is within the County of Roxburgh and Township of Kelso. This may be the earliest known date mentioning the name of Kelso. Governor Brisbane took over from Macquarie in December 1821 and his wife, Lady Anna Brisbane was born in County Roxburgh Scotland, near the town Kelso. It is assumed that use of the names Roxburgh and Kelso in NSW was a compliment to her and her home. The Macquarie River posed a major obstacle for many years and divided Kelso from Bathurst. The river was wider and deeper than it is today and suggestions were put forward by the 1820s for a bridge, however in the 1830s the local population were still relying a flat bottomed boat to cross the river. (Aitken, 2005).
The very architecture of the city (of Bathurst) is a gallery in itself,, Georgian Colonial, Victorian and Edwardian buildings feature in the panoply of architecture, that was classified by the National Trust (of Australia (NSW)) in the 1970s. Bathust can lay claim to some of the oldest buildings in the colony; first Church of England over the Blue Mountains, once part of the Bishopric of Calcutta, Holy Trinity...on the hill at Kelso, St. Steven's Presbyterian, while not the original church, is still one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in the colony, Old Government Cottage, near the Macquarie River is part of the original government enclave. Not only is it the first inland European settlement, but it has museum collections of national significance... (Friend, 2021).
Holy Trinity
'Archdeacon Thomas Scott came to Australia in 1825 as the Archdeacon of New South Wales. He was based in Sydney and his archdeaconry included [much of] continental Australia, Van Dieman's Land and New Zealand. In New South Wales he had eleven chaplains to care for the religious needs of the community [of 35,000], of which the greater part comprised people with a criminal background. ... in Mary 1825 twelve new parishes were approved. Eleven of these parishes were planned for the Cumberland Plain and [in addition] 'a moderate church at Bathurst' was approved.' (Ellis, 2010, p3) Reverend John Espy Keane was appointed to the ecclesiastic parish of Bathurst and he gave the first of many services in Kelso on 22 January 1826 in settler George Cheshire's barn, which also ended up being used as a school during the week. (Ellis, 2010, p5) For some time this parish was the only denomination in the region with a resident priest. Other denominations depended upon the visits of itinerant ministers who came to the region from time to time. (Aitken, 2005)
Also in the mid 1820s an area of 42 acres [17.0 hectares] was purchased from original grantee James Blackman for the Church of England Glebe, on the right bank of the Macquarie River. Predominantly open paddocks, it is thought that Blackman had established a small working farm and the church inherited its improvements. By the 1830s the property included a parsonage, barn, stables and other functional outbuildings. The property is likely to have included some livestock including some sheep, cattle and horses. Holy Trinity Church would be built on Portion 82A at the north-western edge of the Glebe with a cemetery adjacent. (Aitken, 2005)
In 1832 the new Governor Bourke agreed to fund half the cost of building an Anglican church for the Bathurst parish, with Kelso being the favoured location because it already had land, parsonage and cemetery. After local fundraising efforts to raise the other half of the cost, a contract to build the church was signed on 26 August 1833 by Mr TF Hawkins, Chair of the Church Committee and Mr John Foster, builder. The Reverend Broughton travelled to Bathurst for the laying of the foundation stone, which took place on 1 February 1834. The final cost of the church was 1,128 pounds and it was completed a week ahead of schedule on 19 April 1835. The Senior Chaplain Rev. Samuel Marsden dedicated the church on Easter Day 1835. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that every family within 20 miles was represented at the service (Ellis, 2010, pp8-9). Finally, newly consecrated as Bishop of Australia, Bishop Broughton came to Kelso to consecrate Holy Trinity Church on 3 December 1836. Broughton was the only one to hold the title of Bishop of Australia before it was split into various smaller bishoprics. (Aitken, 2005)
The significance of Holy Trinity to the settlement is suggested by its marking as "church" in Thomas Mitchell's defining survey of Nineteen Counties in New South Wales, drafted around 1830 and published in London in 1834. At the time of the survey the church was yet to be built, but the government apparently attached symbolism to its presence in the newly opened districts of New South Wales. More than simply suggesting the presence of a building, it implies that a society or community is being established here. (Aitken, 2005)
The Kelso Church buildings and elements
'At the dedication [in Easter 1835], the Sydney Morning Herald described the church as extremely plain but neat, substantial and commodious. Charles Darwin, visiting Bathurst soon after the church was finished, noted, 'There is a hideous little red brick Church standing by itself on a hill'. When the church was nine years old, a Sydney reporter covering events in Bathurst wrote, 'the adjoining town of Kelso possesses a very neat church'. Outside there were no buttresses and the tower only reached the ridge of the roof. . . The roof was of wooden shingles. Inside there were pilasters against the walls that gave the appearance of supporting the flat ceiling. There were four windows in the side walls, as now, however all were paned with plain glass. There were two small windows in the east wall and two small windows on either side of the tower. All the furniture was made of cedar. The box pews had a door at the aisle and [parishioners rented a pew, although those not able to meet the rent were allocated a pew at the back. The renting of pews continued until 1921. (Ellis, 2010, pp11-12).
The church purchased nearly 73 hectares in 1828. It continued ot own nearly 20 hectares for more than 80 years, reduced to 7 hectares in 1929. In 1997 the old parish hall and land were sold, leaving around 6 hectares in church ownership. In conjunction with the centenary of the parish in 1925 a set of memorial gates were erected at the entrance. After World War II the gravel roads from the street were widened, sealed, curbed and car park built. Dedicated in 1966 the project was named War Memorial Drive to commemorate men and women from the parish who served during World War II.
There have been many alterations and additions to the church since it was first completed. The first major alteration was the replacement of roofing shingles with galvanised iron tiles. In 1875 the height of the tower was increased to conform with the original builder's intentions. This may have been inspired by the offer of a bell in 1874, the first recorded memorial gift, given by Mrs Marian Faviel in memory of her husband Mark. In 1881 the church was able to dispense with candles and oil lamps when gas lighting was installed. In 1889 major works included: raising of the chancel and sanctuary floors and laying of encaustic tiles there; the communion rail was installed; the original box pews were replaced with the present oak pews; the flat chancel ceiling was replaced with the raised, carved lining to the roof; the stained glass windows in the east wall were removed and installed in two of the windows in the side wall; the empty window openings were bricked in and the large, three light window was built into the centre of the east wall; the pilasters were removed and a new stone pulpit, made in England, installed; on the exterior, the walls were buttressed. (Ellis, 2010 pp15-16) Edmund Blacket, who was designing the rectory in the mid 1870s, may have been the one who proposed removing the ceiling of the church to expose the timber roof, described as a 'visionary' architectural improvement. (Aitken, 2005)
In the 1890s further works saw the organ being moved from the gallery and installed in the chancel while acetylene lights replaced gals fittings. Edward Burne-Jones, one of the leading stained glass artists of the late nineteenth century designed the stained glass window which was installed in the east wall using glass manufactured in London. Across the rear of the nave the decorative screen created a baptistery and vestry. By 1910 the rood screen had been erected and the present altar installed and enhanced with a reredos. Some years later the reredos was augmented with panelling across the east wall and the remaining two windows in the side walls filled with stained glass, a memorial to the men from the parish who'd given their lives in World War I. Electricity was connected in 1928. The vestries are more recent additions. Just before World War II the present roof of asbestos cement tiles was installed. During that war all the stained glass windows were removed for safekeeping. (Ellis, 2010, p4, p17-18).
The clergyman originally depended upon parishioners who could sing and lead the psalmody until a barrel organ with just twelve tunes was installed in Holy Trinity in 1841. This was the first musical instrument of any size to cross the Blue Mountains. In 1863 the barrel organ was converted into a keyboard instrument, allowing for other hymns to be played upon it. In the mid 1880s a new organ was installed, built by A. Hunter & Sons of London. One of just ten Hunter organs built for churches in NSW, it is notable in that it remains largely unaltered. (Ellis, 2010, p14, p16). Another organ built in 1890 by Telford and Telford of Dublin existed in the Sunday School until 1935 when it was moved to St.Albans, Epping. Now greatly enlarged, this Telford organ serves St.Mark's, Granville (HHT, 2013).
Holy Trinity features a burial ground backing on to the church. Indeed the first burials took place nine years before the church was built. The earliest section of the cemetery is known as the Pioneer Cemetery. The Rose Garden there was planted in 1939 and became used for cremations in 1960. In 2008 Carol Churches published 'Pioneer Cemetery', a register of 95 identifiable graves and vaults containing the remains of 240 early settlers. (Ellis, 2010, pp19-20).
Kelso Parish registers were commenced in 1826. From 1856 the NSW Government made the recording of such information a legal requirement and the responsibility of civil authorities. In 1960 the registers were microfilmed by the Mitchell Library More recently all entries have been transcribed and digitalised. (Ellis, 2010, p21)
In 1827 the original parsonage for Holy Trinity was an extension of the house built for the original grantee James Blackman. By the 1870s it had become run-down and the Reverend Blacket requested his uncle, the renowned colonial architect Edmund Blacket, to prepare a design for a new parsonage. It was completed in 1878. Morton Herman describes the Kelso rectory as 'a fine example of Blacket's more modest domestic work' (The Blackets, 1963, p153).
The term 'villa' was first used in England in the 17th century, partly from the Latin and Italian 'country house, farm', perhaps derived from the stem of vicus (village). The villa was a country mansion or residence, together with a farm, farm-buildings, or other house attached, built or occupied by a person of some position and wealth. It was taken to include a country seat or estate and later a residence in the country or in the neighbourhood of a town, usually standing in its own grounds. From this is was appropriated by the middleof the 18th century to mean a residence of a superior type, in the suburbs of a town or in a residential district, such as that occupied by a person of the middle class, and also a small, better-class dwelling house, usually detached or semi-detached. The term 'villa garden' was used in the context of Hobart and Sydney residences in the 1830s, and if near the coast or harbour, the appellation 'marine villa' was often applied. Australian origins probably date from the grant conditions applied to Sydney's Woolloomooloo Hill (1827, under Governor Darling), which obligated the construction of villas fulfilling certain conditions... 'with garden like domain, and external offices for stables and domestic economy' (John Buonarotti Papworth, 1825, quoted in James Broadbent's 1997 book, 'The Australian Colonial House'). Many gardens of 19th century villas followed Gardenesque conventions, with garden ornaments often complementing the architecture of the house. The term had acquired such widespread usage by the 1850s that when Jane Loudon issued a new editiion of her husband (John Claudius Loudon)'s 'Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion' (1838) she merely entitled the revised work 'The Villa Gardener' (1850). This coincided with a growing period of suburbanisation in Australia with consequent fostering of the nursery trade... By the 1880s, descriptions of Australian villas implied sufficient room for a lawn on two or three fronts of the residence...(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).
Joan Kerr gives the dates c.1874-1874 for the parsonage and also lists an original drawing held in Mitchell Library. (Aitken, 2005). The rectory has also had many improvements in keeping with changing times. While the building now has a modern bathroom the early residents used a circular iron bath in a weatherboard shed attached to the side of the house. Whereas heating was originally provided from fireplaces in all main rooms, now gas fired heating is provided. The gig house in the stables became a garage for the parish car. (Ellis, 2010, pp27-28)
In the 1990s a new parish centre was planned, completed in 2001, and located to north of the rectory. (Ellis, 2010, p26). Around 2009 a new disabled access ramp was added to the church entrance.
Visitors
The church has welcomed many visitors during the years, including two colonial governors (Bourke and FitzRoy) and many Bishops. The sesqui-centenary of the church in 1985 was commemorated when the Bishop of Calcutta, DC Gorai, preached and dedicated a memorial tablet. His presence was a reminder that when the church was built it was part of the Diocese of Calcutta. In 1959 Governor General Slim visited the church as did the Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey in 1965.
Growth of Kelso
The survey of the township of Bathurst and subsequent land sales in 1833 led to slow growth of the town and surrounding areas including Kelso. The first bridge across the Macquarie River, finally linking left and right bank settlements, was built of timber in 1855 but was washed away in floods in 1867. It was not rebuilt until 1870, and then in iron and located upstream and away from Church Lane. This led to the gradual bi-passing of the early urban area of Kelso. (Aitken, 2005). A new Church of England Parish of Bathurst was established in 1840 and the original parish became the Parish of Kelso (Ellis, 2010, p13). By the mid nineteenth century Kelso's centre had shifted to the crossroads that had developed on the Sydney Road and it was there that the general stores, butchers, coach makers, blacksmiths and other commercial enterprises established their businesses to service the needs of the neighbourhood and travellers. The discovery of gold in the early 1850s had the resultant increase in travellers and supply needs for the region buoyed the local economy and its businesses as elsewhere in the Central West. (Aitken, 2005)
The Raglan-Kelso section of the railway was completed in 1875 and Kelso for a period was the important railhead. However the main workshops and engineering yards were located in Bathurst when that section was completed in 1876, despite much lobbying from Kelso councillors. From 1870 to 1910, the effect of the railways making lands further west more accessible eroded the primacy of the Bathurst region. During the early twentieth century Kelso retained much of its village character while maintaining economic growth through its role as a junction on the Sydney Road. Its importance was reinforced in 1908 with the creation of Turon Shire with its Council offices centred in Kelso. The Great Western Highway brought economic development to the village and many businesses catered for the passing trade with garages, workshops and early petrol stations. The river and its unpredictable course gave Kelso a strategic advantage over Bathurst in terms of access and communications during times of flooding. (Aitken, 2005)
Abercrombie Shire and Turon Shire amalgamated in 1976 to form Evans Shire Council which retained its head office in Lee Street Kelso. However when Evans was amalgamated into Bathurst Regional Council in 2004, the shire offices in Kelso were finally closed in favour of the larger offices in Bathurst. Nonetheless the Sydney Road with its strip development has remained a vibrant area of economic activity in Kelso. Recent years also have seen a dramatic increase in residential land subdivision and creation of new housing estates east of Gilmour Street and to the north of Holy Trinity Church. The growth of Bathurst and resultant increase in land prices has made Kelso a more attractive investment for lower cost residential or retirement villages. The river flats to the west of the Church have not developed due to their flood prone nature and the Church has retained views of the city of Bathurst that have changed little over the years. (Aitken, 2005)
The publication 'Village of Kelso', researched and written by Carol Churches and Alan McRae, contains useful material on Kelso village life and its growth, including details on commercial establishments and their owners in Kelso. (Aitken, 2005)
In conclusion
'Archdeacon Oakes was rector of Kelso for thirty years. On returning from annual holidays on one occasion he remarked, 'nearly every year I find it necessary to go away to escape the severe winter, but wherever I go, I never see anything quite so charming as the little church on the hill at Kelso. . . There is an atmosphere about Kelso which is not often found with Australian churches. It is redolent with sacred associations and one could not wish for more pleasant surroundings.'. In 9173 Archdeacon Ellis wrote, 'Its history, setting, the many memorials, have together made Holy Trinity as beautiful a church as one would find. It remains what it was built to be - a House for the worship of God. Here, week-by-week the faithful gather.' (Ellis, 2010, p31) |