No. 1322 - New Town - St John's Sunday School (1882)

- June 04, 2023

This article is one of a series about buildings associated with Tasmania’s historical churches and religious orders. These buildings include Sunday schools, parish halls, convents, orphanages, schools and residences of the clergy. Ancillary buildings are often overlooked and rarely feature in published histories. My aim is to create a basic record of these buildings, including of those that no longer exist.

St John’s has the distinction of being Hobart’s oldest original Anglican church in continual use. The church’s establishment dates back to June 1828 when Governor Arthur expressed the government’s intention to build an “orphan school” and church at New Town. On January 6, 1834 a foundation stone laying ceremony was attended by the Governor in the presence of over 3000 people. The building was designed by the Colonial Government’s engineer and architect, John Lee Archer. The church was completed and opened on 20 December 1835. However it remained unconsecrated until May 1838 when the first Bishop of Australia visited Tasmania.

In the early 1880s a plans were made to build a Sunday school hall on a portion of the church’s cemetery. The foundation stone for the school was ceremonially laid on Friday 10 February 1882. The Mercury’s report on the event also provides some detail about the building and its origins:

“The interesting ceremony of laying the foundation stone of St John's Sunday School, at New Town, was performed on Friday afternoon by His Lordship Bishop Bromby, in the presence of a number of the principal residents in the district. For some time past the Sunday school In connection with St. John's Church has had to be held in one of the galleries of the church, there being no building set apart for school purposes. The inconvenience of this state of affairs has been greatly felt, and sometime ago it was determined to make an effort to remedy it, and the incumbent of the parish, Canon Mason, aided by those most closely connected with the welfare of the church, determined to set about collecting funds with this object. So well did they succeed that some short time since it was resolved to commence the work, and accordingly plans were drawn up by Mr. E. C. Rowntree, architect, and the erection of the building was entrusted to Mr. Frederick Reynolds, builder and contractor, of New Town. The foundations have been laid and already portions of the walls have been raised.

The material used is square, hammer-dressed freestone. When finished Its interior dimensions will be 40ft by 24ft, with walls 12ft in height above the foundation. The walls will be pierced by eight windows including that in the porch, and there will be a fire-place at each end of the room. The school will be lined around the walls on the interior with pine boards, to a height of 4ft, the remainder of the surface being plastered. A gable roof, with two louvres, will shelter it, and it is calculated to accommodate with comfort 200 children.

The situation of the school is one of the most healthful and picturesque that could have been selected, the site being upon an elevation to the left of the invalid depot….As the hour of 3 approached a number of spectators assembled in the vicinity of the church and partly erected school. From the top of the church tower floated, almost touching the once-gilt hands of the

clock, St. George's ensign, and at other points of vantage on the way to the scene of the ceremony bunting had also been hoisted. From tree to tree lines of flags had been hoped, so as to enclose the walls with a band of many colours. In the meantime the children attending the Sunday school had assembled in the church, the Bishop and Dean having arrived, with many of the clergy, the procession was formed. The girls, dressed in gala costume, many of the little ones in white, with broad ribbons of blue or pink, and all bearing bouquets of flowers, passed through the church, and took up a position behind two standard-bearers, who had their work to bear up in the breeze the handsome new banner of the school, most generously subscribed for and worked by ladies of the congregation. Then followed the boys, headed by a banneret, bearing a white cross upon a crimson ground. Next the choir, also headed by a similar banner, both of which had been presented with the principal one to the school. The last to file out through the Gothic door were the clergymen….

The procession moved on to the building… and continued till all had a ascended the temporary platform erected within the partly-built wall. A structure had been reared over the north corner of the building, to enable the stone to be placed in position by means of rope and windlass. On the stone were placed a steel trowel, with an ebony stained handle, a polished cedar mallet, a square, and level. A cavity was made in the underlying stone, in which could be deposited a glass flask, containing certain records of the time….The members of the procession having taken their places on the platform, the office for laying the foundation-stone was opened…..”.

The Building was completed within a matter of months and the school was dedicated by Bishop Bromby on Thursday 17 August 1882.