In 1840 a simple brick church to the designs of a Sydney architect, James Hume, was erected. This Church of Saint Saviour was in the manner of English parish churches with a bold square western tower and a simple axiality complementing the Georgian town plan. Built by James Wilson, a convict arriving in the colony aboard the Lord Sidmouth in 1819, and his relation Henry Wilson, the foundation stones were obtained from the quarries known as Munoz's on Church Hill. James Wilson died during construction of the church after falling from the roof.[2] A painting of the original church hangs in the narthex of the current cathedral.[3]
By the early 1860s, when the Diocese of Sydney could not functionally minister to the Goulburn area, it was decided that the Diocese of Goulburn should be created. Accordingly, Bishop Mesac Thomas was consecrated in 1861 and the need for a cathedral church came to be considered. When the brick church was taken down the bricks were reused in the floor of the current cathedral.
It was not until 1871, however, that cathedral plans came to be actively considered. Three years later, on 15 January 1874, the foundation stone of the cathedral church was laid. The Cathedral Church of Saint Saviour was designed by Edmund Blacket, a noted Colonial ecclesiastical architect. Blacket had already had some involvement with the church site at Goulburn. In 1843 he had designed a pulpit for James Hume's original brick church which was approved by Bishop Broughton and then installed.
Since Blacket's cathedral was to take ten years to construct, Blacket was also asked to design a smaller pro-cathedral and parish Sunday school. This building was completed in 1874 and still stands within the cathedral precinct, to the west of the cathedral itself. The first Anglican church, St Saviour's, was completed in 1839 and this later became the pro-cathedral. The first resident Anglican priest of that church was William Sowerby, who had been trained at St Bees Theological College in Cumberland, England, and moved to Australia in 1836 to answer the call for more clergy. Sowerby later became the first Dean of St Saviour's.
The Blacket cathedral was one of the architect's greatest works. It was really the only cathedral he designed unencumbered by distance, financial stringency and unsympathetic clients. It was a favourite building and Blacket spent much of the last nine years of his life working on it. Blacket gave to the cathedral a crucifix which he had carved in his youth; a controversial gift which the authorities hid away for many years. The cathedral is unmistakably a Blacket church, on a grand scale, with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, porches and tower. It has large and elaborate stone traceried windows and an interior with a heavily carved hammer beam roof, clustered columns and foliage capitals, elaborately moulded arcades and chancel arch and the use of figurative roundels in the nave, transepts and chancel. The tower and spire, however, were never completed. The cathedral cost 20,000 pounds at the time of its completion in 1884.
Many attempts were made subsequent to Blacket's death in 1883 and the completion of the cathedral proper one year later, to complete the cathedral's tower and spire but all these attempts were to no avail. In 1909, Edmund's son Cyril prepared documents for the completion of the tower and spire. A commemorative stone was even laid within the tower base to signal recommencement of the tower building but nothing more was done. In the 1920s, a Melbourne architect, Louis A. Williams, was asked to advise the diocese on the state of the tower footings. He reported that "...as a result of my examination of the structure and [Blacket] drawings, I can assure you that the present tower stump and footings are of ample strength to bear the proposed superstructure."[citation needed] Still no further work was undertaken.
Some ten years later, Williams and a Sydney architect, Sir Charles Rosenthal, produced a joint scheme for the new cathedral tower and spire. Again, however, no work issued from all this activity. Perhaps this inactivity resulted from particularly pessimistic analyses of the tower foundations to carry the weight of the building. The stringencies imposed by World War Il also dampened enthusiasm and restricted available monies. It was not until 1984 and the introduction of the Australian Bicentennial commemorative program that funds became available for the completion of the tower and spire. A grant of $1,000,000 was announced in that year by the Premier of New South Wales and the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn agreed to provide additional funds.[4]
Architectural drawing Of the New Tower, Peter Freeman & Partners Pty Ltd 1986
Artist impression of what the completed cathedral would look like
East elevation of the cathedral with spire
A series of tasks were early identified as critical to the project's success. The first task was the undertaking of a thorough geotechnical examination of the existing tower founding material. This investigation showed quite clearly that the existing footings to the tower were not adequate to carry the load of the intended tower and spire. Nine metre bore holes were drilled through the existing foundations and a footing/soil profile was established. This soil profile showed that beneath the sandstone and lime concrete footings was a 1.5 to 2.0 metre band of sandy clay, and weathered sandstone, which was judged inadequate to carry the tower loads, particularly under the stress of wind and seismic loading.
As a result of this study, engineering documentation was prepared for the underpinning of the existing tower. This work involved the excavation of the interior of the tower base to a depth of 8.5 metres. For this excavation, "drives" were taken out diagonally under each buttress for a length of four metres. These drives were then excavated clean and a reinforced concrete structure poured into the drive. The drive was then sealed and an adjacent area excavated. This process was continued until the tower walls were underpinned. This underpinning work was made more complex by the requirement to preserve intact the grave of Bishop Chalmers, directly to the east of the tower wall. At the completion of underpinning, the tower core was filled with mass concrete. During the excavation preparatory to the underpinning work, considerable ground water was also encountered at the cathedral sub-floor level. This ground water had followed the underlying rock strata and pooled at the cathedral east end and tower walls. Drainage of this sub-floor water is part of the associated cathedral conservation project.
A second task faced by the project team was the preparation of adequate "base" drawings for the tower project, and for the related conservation project that was to proceed simultaneously with the tower. Fortunately, the team was aided in this work by the Australian Survey Office, who undertook the photo grammetrical survey of the entire cathedral. Base plans had also to be produced of every stone course within the proposed building, to allow an early understanding of stone sizes and quantities.
A third task was the investigation of suitable stone types and sources for the proposed building. The demolished remains of a local stone bridge, the Fitzroy Bridge, which once spanned the Wollondilly River east of Goulburn were available. This stone, though plentiful in quantity and though from the same quarry source, was not adequate in quantity or dimension to fulfil the requirements for the proposed tower and spire. A search for the original quarry was begun and it was eventually found just east of a small town called Marulan, some 30 kilometres east of Goulburn. The quarry, which had not been disturbed for almost a hundred years, was an archaeological site, but not suited to the extraction of stone in the quantities required by the project. The costs of re-opening the quarry were outside the resources of the project. Other sources were investigated and eventually an operational quarry north of Sydney was selected for the supply of stone to the project. This quarry, Central Coast Quarries, had the ability to provide the quantities of stone work required as well as the capacity to produce profiled stone. The Fitzroy Bridge stone was used for the "rock faced: body work, being appropriately sized for that use. When the project commenced other sources became known, particularly another source of (original) Marulan stone left unused at another Goulburn church.
The final task of this first, investigative phase was for the consultant team to visit other bell towers and spires within Australia. Only one other "completion" project of similar size and philosophical intent has been completed in Australia, That project, at Bendigo in Victoria, was visited by the consultant team and considerable data was exchanged with that project's architects.
On 1 August 1986 the stonemasons commenced work at the Goulburn site. The team had been assembled from Goulburn and environs, which had a rich and continuing tradition of stonemasonry work. The project manager and a specialist setter-out draughtsman were brought out from England to assist the project as no similar expertise existed within Australia.
Initially, the stonemasons were engaged in preparing the Fitzroy Bridge stone for the rock faced work. The setter-out draughtsman commenced the preparation of stone "shop drawings" for use by the masons. Working from a 1:100 scale plans and elevations, the draughtsman prepared drawings scheduling every stone in the building. Full-size drawings were then prepared of architectural elements, such as windows, string course, profiles and friezes. From these full-size drawings profiles for all stones were prepared as well as isometric drawings for each "special" stone were made available to the stonemasons. With the profile and isometric shop drawings, the masons prepared the worked stone for the project.
Parallel with this activity, engineering drawings were prepared for the concrete structure within the tower. This structure was required to stabilise the tower upper structure and support the thirteen bell bell-peal to be hung on the tower. Considerable work was done on the likely loadings imposed by the large bell peal and the concrete internal frame adopted as a result.
On 1 August 1986, the stonemasons commenced work at the Goulburn site. The team had been assembled from Goulburn and environs, which had a rich and continuing tradition of stonemasonry work. The project manager and a specialist setter-out draughtsman were brought out from England to assist the project as no similar expertise existed within Australia.
Building commenced in February 1987. The first work was to remove the existing Church of Saint Saviour's tenor bell, the existing (temporary) roof, and the weathered render to the top of the wall. During this work, the 1909 commemoration stone was discovered. It has always been a tenet of the consultant's work on the project that their building would resemble Edmund Blacket's original design as closely as possible. In accordance with this principal, it was decided very early that the tower/spire would be a mass masonry structure, with the concrete substructure introduced only as demanded by seismic and bell ringing loads. The mass structure employed was of face sandstone with 'through' stones as required, with a mass brickwork backing making up the rest of the wall. This dry press brickwork was to be laid integrally with the stonework in garden bond.
The spire is yet to be completed.
Modifications and dates
1893: Reredos added
c. 1900: Rood screen, later removed at an unknown date
1903: Bishop Thomas Memorial Chapel
1903: Organ relocated
1916: Original high altar replaced by the larger Bishop Barlow memorial altar
1920: Installation of electric lighting to replace gas lighting
1922: Soldiers' Memorial Chapel installed
1980: Provision of Lady Chapel
1988: Tower constructed
1988–2006: Bells installed
1994: Nave altar installed by extending the chancel westwards
1999: Narthex modified to provide improved entry and welcoming space
1999: Ascension Chapel installed in the western gallery
2006: Organ completed to Blacket's original design
The cathedral building is made of sandstone from a quarry at Marulan, except for the pillars which are of Pyrmont sandstone. The roof is natural slate. The cathedral is unmistakably a Blacket church, on a grand scale, with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, porches and tower. It has large and elaborate stone traceried windows and an impressive interior with a heavily carved hammer beam roof, clustered columns and foliage capitals, elaborately moulded arcades and chancel arch, and a striking use of figurative roundels in the nave, transepts and chancel.[5][1]
The stone carving of the medallions depicting the life of Jesus was the first professional commission for William Priestly MacIntosh in 1883, who had trained as a stone carver in Edinburgh before migrating to Australia and studying under Lucien Henry at the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts.[6][1]
The main dimensions of St Saviour's Cathedral are:[1]
Internal length, east–west is 45.7m.
Internal widths, Nave & aisles, north to south is 16.4m.
Transepts, north to south is 29.2m, east to west is 16.4m.
The cathedral was reported to be in generally good repair as at 13 November 2008 except for some specific problems:
The cathedral roof allows water entry.
The reredos is separating from the eastern wall.
There are some areas of sandstone deterioration: on the sanctuary wall to the south of the high altar and at the base of the font.
Several of the stained glass windows require maintenance because of bowing.
Some floor brickwork either side of the nave altar has subsided.[1]
The Parish Hall, originally the pro-cathedral, opened 1875
The original stone portion of this building was the pro-cathedral and is the portion of the present hall nearest to Bourke Street. In 1913 a stone extension was constructed on the western side to enlarge the hall and in 1923 a brick toilet block was added, again on the western side. In 2008, also on the western side toilet doors and an awning were added and the kitchen was modified.The roof is tiled following the fires of 1925 and 1961.[1]
The Cathedral Office originally the Diocesan Registry, opened 1924.
This is a single storey brick building in the south-west corner of the precinct.[1]
Landscaping
The landscaping of the precinct consisting of the fencing of the property; gardens, trees and shrubs including the topping tree planted after completion of the tower in 1988; terracing and paving; garth wall in the north-west corner; the stone retaining wall in the vicinity of the western end of the cathedral; and the rock monument celebrating the centenary of the cathedral and accompanying tree planting on the Cathedral Green.
Two Cedar of Lebanon trees planted by Dame Alice Chisolm. A garden and walkway on the south side of the cathedral established in 2007 as a memorial to Louise Fell.[1]
St Saviour's has twelve bells. Eight of these were obtained from St Mark's Church in Leicester, England. They were restored at John Taylor Bell Foundry in Loughborough. The eight bells were "baptised", in the grounds of the cathedral, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, and installed ready to ring by October 1988. The eight bells were named after the ships of the First Fleet. In increasing order of size, they are: Supply, Friendship, Lady Penrhyn, Prince of Wales, Charlotte, Scarborough, Alexander and the Tenor bell Sirius, which is the largest bell at 21 long hundredweight (1,100 kg).
In 1985 a grant was received from the Bicentennial Authority to enable the completion of the tower and spire and to install the rest of the bells which were included in Blacket's original 1871 design. In 1993 two more bells, Golden Grove and Fishburn were added to the top of the bell ring to give the cathedral a ring of ten bells. The final two trebles, Endeavour and Borrowdale, were added in May 2005, thus completing the peal of twelve bells.
Ringing tower bells requires training for several months. The bells swing through a full 360° so that they can be rung in a specific order. The ringer must control the swing of the bell so that they ring in the correct place. Bellringers do not ring by a musical score but by numbers. Special sequences can be rung so that every combination of the bells are rung.
The Service Bell is named Mesac, after the first bishop. It is the fourteenth bell in the tower but is not part of the full circle peal. The Mesac Bell is the original bell out of the St Saviour's Church and was created at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. St Saviour's belltower is the only regional tower in the Southern Hemisphere to boast a peal of 12+1 bells, attracting many national and international ringers to the tower.
The organ was built in 1884 by Forster and Andrews of Hull and was originally placed in the west gallery. In 1902 the organ was moved from the gallery to its present position in the chancel end of the south aisle, where it was reconfigured and provided with tubular-pneumatic action. Restored in 1978–79 by Brown and Arkley, the action was changed to electro-pneumatic. The organ has 3 manuals and 37 speaking stops.[7]
Heritage listing
Commenced in 1874 and finally dedicated in 1884 St Saviour's Cathedral is of State significance because it is one of the finest designs by the leading colonial ecclesiastical architect, Edmund Thomas Blacket. It reflects the characteristics of a Victorian Gothic style church and has a masterly use of materials, design and detail. Blacket also designed the Parish Hall adjacent to the cathedral which was used as the pro-cathedral before the new cathedral was finished. The cathedral has a grand scale with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, porches and tower; large and elaborate stone traceried windows and an impressive interior with a heavily carved hammer beam roof, clustered columns and foliage capitals, elaborately moulded arcades and chancel arch, and a striking use of figurative roundels in the nave, transepts and chancel. The tower however was not completed until 1988/9.[1]
The cathedral site is the place from which the Anglican Diocese of Goulburn developed. It also provides physical evidence of the growth and importance of Goulburn as a regional centre in the latter half of the 19th century.
The building has social and spiritual significance for both Anglicans and the broader community as a place of worship. It is the centre of the Diocese; it draws visitors for its aesthetic value and for the highly significant cultural collection associated with the cathedral.[1]
The Moveable Collection is highly significant.
The cathedral's moveable collection shows a high degree of consistency between the design of the building and its contents. Two unique features are a pulpit crucifix carved by Blacket in 1842 and, within Australia, the 14 MacIntosh medallions depicting the life of Christ. The cathedral provides a tangible connection with the Community of the Ascension, the first religious order for men in Australia, through the relocation to the cathedral precinct of a number of items associated with the members. The cathedral's twelve bells give it the distinction of being the only Regional Tower in the Southern Hemisphere with such a peal and the thirteenth bell, the Flat 6th, allows for special ringing effects.[1]
The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.
The St Saviour's Cathedral is historically significant for the important role it played in the growth and consolidation of the Anglican Church in southern NSW. It provides physical evidence of Goulburn as a major ecclesiastical centre in the latter half of the 19th century and the emergence of Goulburn as the main commercial and administrative centre in the region. The cathedral precinct is historically important as the place from which the Diocese of Goulburn developed. The Anglican Diocese of Goulburn originally comprised 1/3 of NSW and although divided with the Riverina in 1884, when the new Cathedral was opened in 1884 it continued to be the spiritual and administrative centre of a very large Diocese. Although the Bishop relocated his residence and the Diocesan Registry to Canberra in 1950 the cathedral building has remained in use as the Canberra/Goulburn diocese cathedral.[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 cathedral was designed by the influential colonial ecclesiastical architect, Edmund Thomas Blacket who dominated ecclesiastical architecture in New South Wales for forty years. Blacket was associated with the place as early as 1843 when he designed the pulpit for the Old St Saviour's Church at a request from Bishop William Broughton. He also designed the Parish Hall (originally the pro-cathedral which opened in 1875). Edmund Blacket died in 1883 and the cathedral was completed by his sons, Cyril and Arthur both of whom continued the Blacket architectural practice.[1]
The cathedral is also associated with the early career of Edmund Cooper Manfred who acted as Blacket's site representative and later went on to be an important architect in Goulburn. Between 1880 and 1914 Manfred designed a large number of houses; ecclesiastical buildings; shops; hotels; the town hall, the hospital and the first swimming pool. His work clearly shows the architectural influence of Blacket.[1]
Well known names with an association with the cathedral and included in the Australian Dictionary of Biography are the clergy Dean William Sowerby, Bishop Mesac Thomas, Bishop EH Burgmann and landowners such as Campbell, Gibson and Faithfull.[1]
The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.
St Saviour's Cathedral exemplifies the characteristics of a Victorian Gothic style church and has a masterly use of materials, design and detail. The cathedral is one of Edmund Blacket's finest works. The building has a grand scale, with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, porches and tower; large and elaborate stone traceried windows and an impressive interior with a heavily carved hammer beam roof, clustered columns and foliage capitals, elaborately moulded arcades and chancel arch, and a striking use of figurative roundels in the nave, transepts and chancel. The cathedral is a landmark building in Goulburn, strategically located to be viewed along the axis of Montague street from Auburn Street (Old Hume Highway) and along Bourke Street. It also has a strong architectural dialogue with the Catholic cathedral of Saint's Peter and Paul further along Bourke Street.[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 Cathedral plays an important role as a central place of worship and prayer for the Anglican congregation of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. The cathedral attracts 6,000 visitors per year as a place of worship; for its architectural value; for the culturally significant moveable collection and for the concerts and exhibitions held there. It plays an important role in the annual Goulburn Mulwaree Festival of Heritage and Roses (incorporating Cathedral Week) and is used in tourism promotion of the town.[1]
The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.
The burials on the site have the potential to reveal information about persons associated with the cathedral.[1]
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.
The cathedral is an exceptional example of the work of the influential colonial ecclesiastical architect, Edmund Thomas Blacket. It is a fine example of a Victorian Gothic sandstone cathedral.[1]
Deans and bishops
Deans of Goulburn
The following individuals have served as Deans of Goulburn:
