Then & Now - Cnr Clarence and Margaret Streets

Background Back in 2009, scrummaging through the trove on the top floor of Berkelouw's in Paddington, I unearthed "Cazneaux's Sydney 1904-1934", being a collaboration between Philip Geeves and Gael Newton, both admirers of the photography of Harold Cazneaux (1878-1953). There are 62 B&W plates in the book, with a facing page from Geeves telling the history of the scene. I will share with you the images which resonate with me.

Plate 13. St Philip's from Margaret Street It would seem that the only constants are the church, and the gradient of the corner. This is the intersection of Margaret Street, and Clarence Street, facing north. The period is between 1908 and 1910. The laneway on the left was Clarence Lane, which, created in 1888, disappeared in the 1982 redevelopment of this city block. The only building which seems to have survived is St Philip's, which is barely visible between the trees. A good thing, I grant you. The trees, not necessarily the being hidden. Note the gradient in both images. To the left, Margaret Street drops away considerably toward Darling Harbour (previously Cockle Bay). Show you this in the next post in this series. Prior to 1887, Margaret Street was called Wynyard Square North.

Parish of Church Hill

Two exterior shots of St Philip's

During 2013, something of significance, ecclesiastically speaking, went under the radar here in the centre of Sydney. I have mentioned before how in about 1802 the new colony was divided into two parishes - St John's Parramatta and St Phillip's Sydney - both presided over by The Rev. Samuel Marsden who had arrived in the colony in 1794 as underling to the first cleric, Rev. Richard Johnson. The first church in the colony was St Phillip's and its third incarnation (1856) stands today at the top of Church Hill, on York Street. About a kilometre away, much closer to the harbour bridge, stands the Church of the Holy Trinity, more well-known as The Garrison Church, which was established in 1840.

An interior shot of St Philip's which is far nicer than either of our cathedrals

In 2013 these two parishes combined to form the Parish of Church Hill. This is a wonderful gesture to the history of this part of Sydney. St Philip's is a puzzlement to me. The Australian History Society maintains that it was named in honour of Governor Phillip, and hence the double-L. However, the current building uses only a single-L. Was there a Saint Philip? St Philip's also likes to label itself "York Street Anglican". Now it is part of this new parish. I guess they fit together well, noting the double name of The Garrison church mentioned above. And that is another puzzlement. Why did Holy Trinity come to be known as "Garrison" when at that time the troops were garrisoned at the George Street Barracks (Wynyard) which is alongside St Philip's!

Two exterior shots of The Garrison, the interior of which I find a smidge gloomy

I have posted about St Philip's York Street before.

Then & Now: The ugliest church in all Christendom!

Lang Park is a triangular handkerchief of land on the rise up from George Street to the ridge that goes over the bridge. It is inconsequential, sans meaning, sans beauty. But it resounds with history.

With the second image, I tried to recreate the first, which allegedly was sketched in 1817. St Phillips stood in the centre of what is now Lang Park, but which in the first half of the 19th century was known as "Church Hill". There were churches all around, eventually, but not initially. This was he only church in colonial Sydney until the construction of St James on Macquarie Street. Indeed, the colony was divided into two parishes, St Phillip's Sydney and St John's Parramatta, both presided over by the Reverend Samuel Marsden.

This was the second St Phillip's, the first was burnt down in 1798 - deliberately, I gather. This one on Church Hill had a sod turned in 1798, but was not "open for business" until toward the end of 1800. It was built of shoddy materials to a shoddier design, by shoddy workmen, and was replaced in 1856 by another building about where that windmill is (now we would say "on York Street").