Inside of St Bart's, 1937 Photograph reproduced in Blacktown Advocate, 1998
Oldest surviving non-residential building in the City of Blacktown
area, consecrated 1841. Located on the corner of Church Lane &
Ponds Road, Prospect. The
church stands on the
top of an unnamed hill (at 91M elevation), often confused with the
nearby Prospect Hill (at 140M, which has been mined for dolerite since
the 1820's), it is
a conspicuous landmark from which there are clear views of virtually
all of the Sydney basin.
A Georgian-style rectangular convict-brick structure built on an
east/west axis comprising nave, chancel and vestry with a tower at
the west end. The tower has a square base with an octagonal belfry. The
belfry roof timbers carry a timber bell
supporting frame although no bell is in place (the bell was reportedly
moved to the Blacktown church, however there is no firm evidence for
its fate). The roof over the chancel
and vestries is separate from the main roof over the nave. The entrance
to the building is through the tower. There are also entrances to the
vestries from the exterior.
The external walls are modelled by flat pilasters and finely moulded
stone entablatures carried on carved stone modillion brackets,
rectangular openings and blind windows. The hipped roof, originally
shingled, is now clad with corrugated iron.
The interior joinery was finely moulded cedar and the interior walls
plastered and painted. Each vestry had a fireplace but the chimneys and
mantlepieces have now been removed. The floors are timber. The division
of the east end into three separately roofed compartments is thought to
be the
only example of that design in NSW. A number of
marble memorial tablets were on the walls, however these have all
vanished.
In August 1838 tenders were called for the construction of the church.
The contract was won by James Atkinson of Mulgoa (who also built St
Thomas Mulgoa, also connected with my Neeves family). The
contract was with the trustees, William Lawson, Robert Crawford and
Nelson Simmons Lawson. The original contract sum for the building was
£1250 pounds, half of which was borne by private subscription and
half
by the Colonial Treasury.
With community
help Lawson had raised £376 by 1838 and construction began that
year. Construction was completed in 1840 and on the 14th April, 1841
the church was consecrated. The first service was in
May 1841 and it saw the church's first baptism, that of Mary, Margaret
&
James Goodin. The first priest was Rev H. H. Bobart. The
first marriage was of Thomas Moreing to Sarah McDonald on 23/11/1841
and the first burial was of Ann Goodin, aged 15, on 18/7/1841.
Inside of St Bart's prior to restoration, 1989 Blacktown Advocate, 1998
There is some uncertainity about the building's architect, with claims
that it was Henry Robertson and William Lawson, individually or
together.
Was the parish church for Prospect until the parish was absorbed by the
Blacktown parish in the 1946's. It continued as a place of worship with
the last
church service held on Christmas Eve 1967. While the church was
consecrated in 1841, services at Prospect date back to at least 1825,
when they were held in the nearby school master's house (no longer
exists).
In 1972 Blacktown Council aquired a 50-year lease on the site, however
no immediate use was made of the site and during the following two
decades theft, vandalism and a serious fire on the 4th November, 1989
left the church a stripped and gutted shell. In 2000 the City of
Blacktown aquired ownership of the site and with the aid of government
grants, the building was restored. At this stage there are no
long-range plans for the use of St Bartholomew's, however it is
currently being used to host weddings, festivals and other
community events.
The original contents of the church have all been destroyed or badly
damaged by the vandalism and fire. To date only the structure itself
has been restored. The original furnishing included box pews,
an 1850's organ installed in 1888, a pulpit and
lecturn dating from 1908 and an inlayed ceiling.
The church is surrounded by a graveyard which actually which predates
the church. It is laid out in a grid pattern and the section
immediately surrounding the church
contains sandstone headstones and columns and small headstones in
marble and granite, many originally bordered by cast iron surrounds.
The graveyard has provided the final resting place for many local
families, the
most notable "resident" being William Lawson, who was one of the three
white explorers who were the first to cross the Blue Mountains in 1813.
Lawson was a resident of Prospect. The graveyard
is one of the oldest in western Sydney. Blacktown Council hopes in the
future to resore the graveyard as well, which has suffered seriously
from vandalism.
Several mature
trees and olive clumps are found alongside the fence at either side of
the entrance gates to the church. Remnants of early post and rail
fencing and entrance gateposts are also found.
Also on the site is the church hall, built 1880, which was relocated from its original location in Wetherill
Park in
1908. The hall is a one storey, rectangular building. The
exterior walls are
corrugated iron and the interior walls are timber
boarded.
A rectory was built in 1860, but has since been demolished.
Sources: The Neeves Family History, http://www.triode.net.au/~dragon/ft/neeves.html Blacktown Advocate, 4/3/2003 Blacktown Advocate, 31/10/2001
Prospect Trust, "Back to Prospect" tour, 16/7/2000
Prospect Trust, "Back to Prospect" tour, 21/7/1996
NSW Heritage Office Website, http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
Blacktown City Council website, http://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/our_city/lt_stbarts.asp
"A History of Prospect", Frank
Bloxham, 2002, Blacktown & District Historical Society
Personal correspondence, Gerard Imer, Land Information Officer for Blacktown City Council
