No. 1544 - Woodbridge - St Simon and St Jude - Anglican Church (1884)
Woodbridge is a settlement on the Channel Highway approximately 40 kilometres south of Hobart. The village was originally called Peppermint Bay. It was renamed in about 1877, after Woodbridge in Suffolk, the birthplace of George Miles, who settled in the area in the 1840s.
In 1858 a Union Chapel was built on half an acre of land donated by Joseph Davies to build a place of worship for Protestants. The entrance doorway and windows from the old Government House on Macquarie street was used in the church’s construction. In 1884 the Anglican’s withdrew from using the chapel following the opening of St Simon and St Jude’s church . After this date the Union Chapel was used solely by the Methodists. In 1897 the Union Chapel was destroyed by bushfires which swept across Southern Tasmania.
The foundation stone for Woodbridge’s Anglican church was ceremonially laid on Monday 27 October 1884. The Tasmanian News published a detailed report of the occasion:
“For some time past the members of the Church of England resident at Woodbridge have been exerting themselves to obtain the means of erecting a building suitable for their worship. A plot of land near the main road having been given by Mr Potter, and the greater portion of the necessary funds having been collected, the work of construction was recently commenced, and has been rapidly forwarded. The church is to be a wooden building on a stone foundation. The foundation having been satisfactorily completed last week, and the contractors being anxious to proceed with the work, an endeavour was made to obtain the presence of the Bishop at the ceremony of laying the cornerstone”.
“As the pressure of other engagements prevented his Lordship from accepting the invitation, the Rector of the [Hobart] High School was requested to preside at the ceremony, and the afternoon of Monday, the 27th inst, was the time appointed for it. The Rector accordingly went to Woodbridge by the steamer Huon on Monday, and at 3 o’clock in the afternoon the ceremony was performed, according to an established ritual. A well-squared block of freestone had been prepared, and was suspended ready for placing at the north-east corner of the building”.
“Before it was lowered the Rector deposited in a cavity prepared for the purpose a bottle containing the following record…: “ The foundation stone of this church was laid in the year 1884, on the 27th of October, the eve of the Festival of St. Simon and St. Jude by the Rev. Richard Deodatus Poulett-Harris, M.A., Rector of the High School, Hobart, assisted by Mr Thomas Wentworth Edwards, lay reader of the parish of Woodbridge. R. D. Poulett-Harris, M.A. Builders—H. H. Grub, B. R. W. Mason, J. B. Edwards. Building Committee—W. Ryan, M. D. Potter, T. D. Edwards.” The stone having been lowered and carefully adjusted to Its proper position, the Rector declared it well and duly laid….”
The church was officially opened and consecrated in April of the following year. Once again the Tasmanian News provides a record of the event:
“Yesterday was regarded as a great day in connection with the little township of Peppermint Bay, and by most of the residents it was observed as a close holiday, the speciality being the consecration of St, Simon and St Jude … [The clergy] having left town shortly after 9 a.m., arrived at Peppermint Bay before noon, where they were met by a number of the inhabitants who were looking forward to the time when the ceremony was to lake place. On landing, the clergy and others proceeded to the house or Mrs Poulett-Harris, where the clerical party robed…. On arriving at the Church door the Bishop knocked and it was opened by Mr J. W. W. Edwards (the lay reader of the parish) and the churchwardens, who presented the application for consecration, which was read”.
“The clergy having entered, the edifice was soon crowded to excess, and the ordinary Consecration Service was gone through, the Bishop laying his hands on the font, reading desk, pulpit, altar, and chancel, at tho same time blessing them….The consecration being over, the Bishop gave a short address… After the celebration the clergy proceeded to the old [Union] church, where an excellent lunch was laid out and partaken of by those present”.
“The church is a substantial wooden edifice on a stone foundation about 50 feet long, 20 feet broad, and capable of holding between 200 or 300 people. Inside, the building is very pretty indeed, and will compare favourably with a good many country places of worship. The Rev. A. Pollard (Incumbent of the district) will officiate at the church, and to his and Mr Edwards’ energy, a deal of credit for the erection of the building is due”.
The church has changed little in appearance in 140 years and the building miraculously survived the devastating bushfires which swept through the district in 1897 and 1967. The building did however suffer damage in a storm in 1915 which destroyed the bell tower on the western end of the church. In 2009 the church was restored at a cost of $40,000 restoration.
St Simon and St Jude contains several plaques remembering former members of the congregation and its first rector, Reverend Richard Poulett-Harris. His daughter Lily was recently recognised as the founder of women’s cricket in Tasmania and she is also remembered in a memorial plaque. The contribution of Rev Poulett-Harris and his wife Elisabeth is commemorated in the stained glass window at the western end of the Church. The window was installed by their daughter Eleanor (Nellie) in about 1926.
In 2018 the St Simon and St Jude was listed by the Anglican Church as one of 108 properties earmarked for sale to fund compensation payouts to victims of sexual abuse. While the church was removed from the list as a result of community pressure, the building was again listed for sale in 2024.
Sources:
Mercury, Tuesday 13 May 1884, page 3
Tasmanian News, Friday 31 October 1884, page 2
Mercury, Wednesday 8 April 1885, page 2
Tasmanian News, Wednesday 8 April 1885, page 2
The Weekly Courier, 18 January 1912, page 18
Henslowe, Dorothea I and Hurburgh, Isa. Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania / by Dorothea I. Henslowe ; sketches by Isa Hurburgh s.n [S.l. 1978
Mercury, Wednesday 29 May 1935, page 3
Huon and Derwent Times, Thursday 24 October 1935, page 4
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-02/restored-church-marks-milestone/1124410
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/will-you-write-the-next-chapter-for-this-1800s-church/
https://channelandcygnetanglican.com.au/about-us/our-history/
In 1858 a Union Chapel was built on half an acre of land donated by Joseph Davies to build a place of worship for Protestants. The entrance doorway and windows from the old Government House on Macquarie street was used in the church’s construction. In 1884 the Anglican’s withdrew from using the chapel following the opening of St Simon and St Jude’s church . After this date the Union Chapel was used solely by the Methodists. In 1897 the Union Chapel was destroyed by bushfires which swept across Southern Tasmania.
The foundation stone for Woodbridge’s Anglican church was ceremonially laid on Monday 27 October 1884. The Tasmanian News published a detailed report of the occasion:
“For some time past the members of the Church of England resident at Woodbridge have been exerting themselves to obtain the means of erecting a building suitable for their worship. A plot of land near the main road having been given by Mr Potter, and the greater portion of the necessary funds having been collected, the work of construction was recently commenced, and has been rapidly forwarded. The church is to be a wooden building on a stone foundation. The foundation having been satisfactorily completed last week, and the contractors being anxious to proceed with the work, an endeavour was made to obtain the presence of the Bishop at the ceremony of laying the cornerstone”.
“As the pressure of other engagements prevented his Lordship from accepting the invitation, the Rector of the [Hobart] High School was requested to preside at the ceremony, and the afternoon of Monday, the 27th inst, was the time appointed for it. The Rector accordingly went to Woodbridge by the steamer Huon on Monday, and at 3 o’clock in the afternoon the ceremony was performed, according to an established ritual. A well-squared block of freestone had been prepared, and was suspended ready for placing at the north-east corner of the building”.
“Before it was lowered the Rector deposited in a cavity prepared for the purpose a bottle containing the following record…: “ The foundation stone of this church was laid in the year 1884, on the 27th of October, the eve of the Festival of St. Simon and St. Jude by the Rev. Richard Deodatus Poulett-Harris, M.A., Rector of the High School, Hobart, assisted by Mr Thomas Wentworth Edwards, lay reader of the parish of Woodbridge. R. D. Poulett-Harris, M.A. Builders—H. H. Grub, B. R. W. Mason, J. B. Edwards. Building Committee—W. Ryan, M. D. Potter, T. D. Edwards.” The stone having been lowered and carefully adjusted to Its proper position, the Rector declared it well and duly laid….”
The church was officially opened and consecrated in April of the following year. Once again the Tasmanian News provides a record of the event:
“Yesterday was regarded as a great day in connection with the little township of Peppermint Bay, and by most of the residents it was observed as a close holiday, the speciality being the consecration of St, Simon and St Jude … [The clergy] having left town shortly after 9 a.m., arrived at Peppermint Bay before noon, where they were met by a number of the inhabitants who were looking forward to the time when the ceremony was to lake place. On landing, the clergy and others proceeded to the house or Mrs Poulett-Harris, where the clerical party robed…. On arriving at the Church door the Bishop knocked and it was opened by Mr J. W. W. Edwards (the lay reader of the parish) and the churchwardens, who presented the application for consecration, which was read”.
“The clergy having entered, the edifice was soon crowded to excess, and the ordinary Consecration Service was gone through, the Bishop laying his hands on the font, reading desk, pulpit, altar, and chancel, at tho same time blessing them….The consecration being over, the Bishop gave a short address… After the celebration the clergy proceeded to the old [Union] church, where an excellent lunch was laid out and partaken of by those present”.
“The church is a substantial wooden edifice on a stone foundation about 50 feet long, 20 feet broad, and capable of holding between 200 or 300 people. Inside, the building is very pretty indeed, and will compare favourably with a good many country places of worship. The Rev. A. Pollard (Incumbent of the district) will officiate at the church, and to his and Mr Edwards’ energy, a deal of credit for the erection of the building is due”.
The church has changed little in appearance in 140 years and the building miraculously survived the devastating bushfires which swept through the district in 1897 and 1967. The building did however suffer damage in a storm in 1915 which destroyed the bell tower on the western end of the church. In 2009 the church was restored at a cost of $40,000 restoration.
St Simon and St Jude contains several plaques remembering former members of the congregation and its first rector, Reverend Richard Poulett-Harris. His daughter Lily was recently recognised as the founder of women’s cricket in Tasmania and she is also remembered in a memorial plaque. The contribution of Rev Poulett-Harris and his wife Elisabeth is commemorated in the stained glass window at the western end of the Church. The window was installed by their daughter Eleanor (Nellie) in about 1926.
In 2018 the St Simon and St Jude was listed by the Anglican Church as one of 108 properties earmarked for sale to fund compensation payouts to victims of sexual abuse. While the church was removed from the list as a result of community pressure, the building was again listed for sale in 2024.
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| St Simon and St Jude - Photograph supplied by Ralph Cruickshank |
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| St Simon and St Jude (c.1910) Libraries Tasmania (Tasmanian State Archives) Item Number: NS1029/1/184 - Photographer: Richard C Harvey |
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| Photograph: realestate.com |
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| Photograph: realestate.com |
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| Photograph: realestate.com |
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| A service marking the church's 125th anniversary in 2009 (ABC News) |
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| Weekly Courier (1912) |
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| The old Union Church at Woodbridge which was used by Anglicans prior to 1884. Photograph: Libraries Tasmania. |
Sources:
Mercury, Tuesday 13 May 1884, page 3
Tasmanian News, Friday 31 October 1884, page 2
Mercury, Wednesday 8 April 1885, page 2
Tasmanian News, Wednesday 8 April 1885, page 2
The Weekly Courier, 18 January 1912, page 18
Henslowe, Dorothea I and Hurburgh, Isa. Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania / by Dorothea I. Henslowe ; sketches by Isa Hurburgh s.n [S.l. 1978
Mercury, Wednesday 29 May 1935, page 3
Huon and Derwent Times, Thursday 24 October 1935, page 4
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-11-02/restored-church-marks-milestone/1124410
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/will-you-write-the-next-chapter-for-this-1800s-church/
https://channelandcygnetanglican.com.au/about-us/our-history/
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