Saturday 25 May 2013

The gargoyles of St Thomas


Ah, now this is more like it.


The modern 1937 design of St Mary's Catholic church over yonder struggles when up against the beauty of this sandstone gothic wonder, nestling in the greenery at the rear of Civic Park. Is it starting to dawn on you who the architect was? The final image should give it away.


Built in 1884, this church is built 'around' the previous 1846, Conrad Martens designed church. What that means, the 'around' bit, I am not sure as the church was not open for sticky-beaks with cameras. The answer to the architect question is, of course, Edmund Blacket.


7 comments:

Allan Lloyd said...

I went onto Google Earth to check if I remembered correctly that there was a pub handy to this church too, Julie, and only then realised that the Civic Park of your last couple of posts is located where what in my time was a massive convent and school (Monte St Angelo?) fronting Miller Street on land that must have been worth squillions to developers. I remember last driving past in the mid-1980s and wondering how the good sisters felt about the then-newish office buildings opposite having views over their high wall. Nice to see that the Council used the land for peaceful purposes.

Julie said...

FM - the pub of which you speak is the UNION pub, and it is just up and across the road from St Thomas, where Church St morphs into West St. Monte St Angelo is still there, and gradually gobbling up terraces as they come onto the market. Mostly what I captured in this meander through North Sydney was the block bounded by Ridge, Miller, and McLaren Streets. However, Monte St Angelo is in the next block down (south) which is Miller, McLaren and Berry where the Rag & Famish is on the corner. That will be my next meander.

Allan Lloyd said...

Ah yes. I went back to Google Earth and got my bearings. As I recall, the Civic Park area was a row of two-storey shops in my time, including (and how's this for pointlessly-stored memory?) a dentist named Broadbent.

Julie said...

I store Roy Orbison lyrics ...

Allan Lloyd said...

Makes more sense than some dentist one never ever visited and only remembers from seeing his name on a brass plate – and recalling it for the first time in forty-or-so years.

Now, where did I put my glasses?

Joan Elizabeth said...

I too prefer Mr Blacket's style.

You would really hate many modern church congregations ... they meet in warehouses.

Julie said...

Yes, I suspect would, Joan. But my heart is not in it because I like the trappings in preference to the word. I guess I am all sizzle and no sausage.