St Peter's Anglican Church, Richmond

The site of St Peter's Church was nominated in Governor Lachlan Macquarie's planned layout for Richmond. He intended to have the church, schoolhouse and burial ground on a very beautiful elevated block immediately above Pugh's Lagoon, a fine basin of fresh water. The burial ground, then one hectare (2.5 acres), was surveyed by James Meehan and consecrated by the Reverend Samuel Marsden and fenced by William Cox. The first burial was George Rouse and contains the headstones of many early Hawkesbury settlers The first school/church opened in 1810. It played an important part in the early life of Richmond. It was situated in Francis Street near the northern corner of the cemetery. The lower floor was the residence of the schoolmaster whilst the upper room was used for school and church purposes.[1]

This building soon became too small to meet the ever increasing congregation and at a meeting chaired by the Reverend Samuel Marsden on 26 November 1835 the inhabitants of Richmond resolved to erect a church for the celebration of divine worship. A notice calling for tenders to erect the church appeared in The Australian on 18 October 1836. The committee formed to forward the project included Mr Cox, Senior (Fairfield), Mr Cox, Jnr (Hobartville), Mr Bell (Belmont), Mr George Bowman, Mr William Bowman, Mr Faithful, Rev H. T. Styles, Mr Martin, Snr., Mr G. Palmer, Mr Digit, Mr C. Powell, Mr Parnell and Mr C. P. Wood. By 1833 A£570 had been subscribed and A£200 had been donated by the English Church Society. Tenders were called for the erection of the church in The Australian on October 1836.[1]

Built as a result of the establishment of the Church Act of 1840 St Peter's Church was one of four churches consecrated in 1841. The church was built on a site overlooking Ham Common and the Hawkesbury River flats. It was agreed 162 hectares (400 acres) of the common would be given as Glebe land for the church. It was opened by Bishop William Broughton on 15 July and designed by Francis Clark and built by James Atkinson who also built St Bartholomew's, Prospect and St Thomas, Mulgoa at the same time. It was designed in the Old Colonial Georgian style in contrast to most of the other churches, except St Batholomew's, which have Gothic style detailing. Clarke was responsible for a number of Sydney houses and the church of St Mary Magdalene at St Marys. A simple rectangular building with a square tower topped with a timber spire the original layout of the pews was to face inwards to the centre of the church. In 1850 a porch designed by Edmund Blackett was added to the northern side and not long after, in 1857, a chancel was added. Once the chancel had been added the internal pew layout was altered to face the chancel. William Woolls, a prominent late nineteenth century writer on the botany and flora of Australia was incumbent at St Peter's from 1873 and from 1877 to 1883, the Rural Dean of Richmond.

In the churchyard a small obelisk was built of bricks from the old school church building.

The cemetery is older than the church and contains the graves of many early pioneers including John Bowman, Thomas Matcham Pitt and Lt Thomas Hobby of the NSW Corps, the Chief Officer at Hawkesbury in 1800 and a supporter of Macquarie. It was the second cemetery dedicated in the Hawkesbury district, around 1814, four years after St Matthews.

The rectory was designed by Clarke and completed in 1847 and is said to have been a copy of an English rectory known to Bishop Broughton in the mid 19th century vogue for picturesque rectories. It was added to in 1863 by Blacket. Later alterations have changed its quality.[1]

As at 26 August 2019, St Peter's Anglican Church Group (church, cemetery, school hall and rectory) was of state significance as a highly intact group of Victorian and Colonial Georgian church buildings in their landscape setting. The groups historical significance is amplified as it is a central element in Governor Macquarie's town plan for Richmond, one of the five Maquarie Towns he laid out during his governorship. The church and its surrounding buildings and cemetery has been a landmark site since its establishment. Constructed between 1836 and 1841, the church is also historically significant, at a state level, as one of the first churches to make use of government funds for religious buildings made available under the then newly legislated 1836 Church Act. The cemetery is one of the earliest cemeteries in NSW in continuous use, with the first burial there dating back to 1809.[1]

The St Peter's Anglican Church Group is of state heritage significance for its association with Governor Macquarie who planned and personally selected the site of the town of Richmond with the church as an important element of the plan. St Peter's Church Group may be of state heritage significance for its association with the Government Colonial Architect, Francis Clarke, noted colonial architect Edmund Blackett and with the first Bishop of the Church of England in Australia, Bishop Broughton who consecrated the church and had a hand in funding the works through the administration of the 1836 Church Act.[1]

The siting of the group of buildings and cemetery on the edge of the western escarpment overlooking the lowlands and with views to the Blue Mountains contributes to its aesthetic significance at a state level as it creates and is maintained as an important colonial landscape. The church in particular is a rare intact example of Colonial Georgian architectural expression in church design. Together the Church, Rectory and outbuildings, School Hall and cemetery creates a fine group of Georgian and Victorian buildings in a parkland setting.[1]

The St Peter's Anglican Church Group is a rare and representative example of a Colonial and Victorian Church group that retains its park like and semi rural setting. The church itself is a rare example of a Colonial Georgian church building in NSW. The group of church buildings and cemetery is of state heritage significance as they demonstrate the aesthetic tastes of Macquarie's time with the church buildings used as a dominant reference point for a village and surrounding countryside.[1]

St Peter's Anglican Church Group was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 16 August 2019 having satisfied the following criteria.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

St Peter's Anglican Church Group is of historic significance as a central element in plan for Richmond, one of the five towns on the Cumberland Plain laid out by Governor Macquarie during his term as Governor of New South Wales. It is of significance at a state level for its ability to demonstrate the continuous development and use of the site by the Anglican Church and the church's importance to the young colony. It is also historically significant to NSW as it was one of the first churches to make use of the government funds for religious buildings after the introduction of the 1836 Church Act.[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history.

The church group has state heritage significance for its association with Governor Lachlan Macquarie who laid out the town of Richmond with the church as focal element in the town design. It also has state heritage significance for its association with Colonial Government Architect Francis Clarke, with noted colonial architect Edmund Blackett and with the first Bishop of the Church of England in Australia, Bishop Broughton. Bishop Broughton who consecrated the church.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

St Peter's Anglican Church Group is of state level aesthetic significance as a highly intact group of Victorian and Colonial Georgian church buildings in its remnant colonial landscape setting. The church in particular is a rare and intact example of Colonial Georgian architectural expression in church design. The siting of the group of buildings and cemetery overlooking the lowlands to the river and with views to the blue mountains are aesthetically distinctive and comprise a landmark entry and exit to and from the west to Richmond. . The group of church buildings and cemetery is of state heritage significance as they demonstrate the aesthetic tastes of Macquarie's time with the church buildings used as a dominant reference point for a village and surrounding countryside.[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The St Peter's church group has been and continues to be associated with the Richmond Anglican community since 1810. St Peter's Church has been and continues to be the spiritual focus of the local Anglican community since its consecration in 1841. The burial ground has been in continuous use since 1809 and has strong associations with members of the local community. The Sunday School has social significance for the local community for its earlier use as a school and more recently for community groups.[5][1]

The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

St Peter's burial ground has been in continuous use since 1809 when George Rouse was buried on the site. As a burial ground for many of Richmond's pioneers it is the starting place for much information about many or Richmond's early settlers and later citizens. The Church retains many of its earlier records including baptismal, marriage and burial registers, minute and account books etc. which provide extensive information about the development of the town, its people and the church group itself.[5][1]

The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

St Peter's Anglican Church Group is a rare example of a Colonial and Victorian Church group that retains its parklike and semi-rural setting. The church is a rare example of an Old Colonial Georgian church building in NSW.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.

The St Peter's Anglican Church Group has representative values at a state level as it is a fine example of a group of Colonial and Victorian Church group in its landscape setting. The group demonstrates the principle characteristics of a group of Colonial and Victorian church buildings and is distinguished as one of the five church building groups set out as a focal point to Macquarie's five colonial towns in the early colonial period.[1]

• Anglican Diocese of Sydney
• List of Anglican churches in New South Wales
• List of Edmund Blacket buildings

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Peter's Anglican Church, Richmond.

• Official website
• McHardy, Cathy; McHardy, Nicholas (2019). "St Peter's Anglican Church (Richmond)". Hawkesbury People and Places.