St John’s Anglican Cathedral

1803 - St John’s Anglican Cathedral is the oldest place of worship in Australia. It was opened on 11^th April 1803. 

1818 - The twin towers which stand today were constructed under the supervision of Lieutenant John Watt in 1818, making them the oldest surviving part of any Anglican Church in Australia. They are built from handmade sandstock bricks, possibly by convicts, and overlaid with a stucco render giving the appearance of stone. The choice of design is attributed to Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who was inspired by a ruined church in Reculver, Kent in England.

1821 - St John’s Anglican Cathedral’s clock was built by the London Clock making Company Thwaites and Reed of Clerkenwell and installed in the northern Tower in 1821 

1850s - The church building of the early 1800s, except the towers, was demolished in the early 1850s after a severe storm and subsequent deterioration meant that the building was no longer fit for use.

1862 – The pipe organ was brought from England in 1862 and installed in the Western Gallery in 1863.

1882 - The new building was opened in 1855 and by 1882; the church family had expanded so much that the building needed to be enlarged. The well-known architect firm of Blacket and Son was commissioned to design transepts which completed the building as it is seen today.