St. Stephen the Martyr Anglican Church
On Wednesday 12th May, Ken and I drove up High Street in Penrith to investigate the local Anglican Church in our area with a view to attending services there in the future. Penrith lies in Darug country and the Darug people, in pre-colonial times, survived as skilled hunters, in family groups or clans and were scattered throughout much of what is now modern day Sydney. Since moving to Penrith we have not yet found a Church we can join, due in part to the present pandemic and the rules regarding mask wearing and congregational singing.
The Church was named after St. Stephen, a Christian Deacon in Jerusalem, stoned to death in 36 AD for blasphemy and the first Christian martyr. He is the patron saint of deacons and stonemasons.
There is a Cemetery situated behind the Church which is fenced off from the Church, but we were able to gain access via a side road. Some of the graves were in a very poor state and quite dilapidated. The grass was also quite high and not very well maintained. I believe the placement of the Cemetery is quite unusual being so far away from the Church. Most graveyards attached to Churches are quite close, but this one had a car park and Church hall in the immediate vicinity and the graveyard was a fair walk away.
The
Church is Gothic in design and built of local sun-dried brick, but as it began to crumble, it was cement rendered in 1906 both inside and out. The foundation stone was laid in 1837 and it is the 15th oldest surviving church in
New South Wales.St. Stephen's occupies a commanding position in
High Street and would have once been in the centre of the little village of
Penrith. However, the shift has now gone further down the hill around the train station and
Westfield shopping plaza. The
Church's thirteen metre tower would have been a landmark for early travellers to the area.
Here is a statue, in the Cemetery of St. Stephen's, of an angel, looking heavenwards, on top of a monument "in loving memory" to W.D. Matthews who died in 1892.
The last burial in the Cemetery took place in 1943. The most important burial is that of
Dr. Sir John Jamison (1776 - 1884). He was a significant citizen in the early days of the Colony.
Jamison Road is an important road in the
Penrith area and we often drive down it as it leads to the river.
There are two tall
Palm trees in front of the Church facing
High Street. They are magnificent specimens and add an exotic touch to the streetscape. I think they would have been considered exotic plantings at the time, in line with
Australia being seen as a Botanical jewel in the
South Pacific.St. Aubyn's Terrace at 255-265
High Street comprising six double-storey terraces lies opposite
St. Stephen's Church. They were
built and owned by English born
John Brown (1809-1888) who was the father of bushranger
James Buckley Brown. John Brown also owned the historic
Emu Hall on the banks of the
Nepean River. His initials
"JB" are on the central parapet of
St. Aubyn's, visible from the street.
I am not sure when and, if we will attend this
Church in the future. I would like to see inside, especially as I know it has a
pipe organ. The vestry door was open and Ken took a peek inside, but I was hesitant to do so and shortly afterwards a van drove up and parked outside. It was an electrician, returning to do some work inside the Church.
Acknowledgments
Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament (Chapters 6 & 7)
Penrith City Library.
Wikipedia
