St John the Baptist Church, Reid
Encyclopedia
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and also the oldest building within Canberra's city precinct. It is sited at the corner of ANZAC Parade
ANZAC Parade, Canberra
This article is about the road in Canberra. For other uses, see Anzac Parade .ANZAC Parade, a significant road and thoroughfare in the Australian capital Canberra, is used for ceremonial occasions and is the site of many major military memorials.Named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand...
and Constitution
Constitution of Australia
The Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
Avenue in the suburb of Reid
Reid, Australian Capital Territory
Reid is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located directly next to Canberra City, Reid is one of the oldest suburbs in Canberra....
.
Construction
St John's is an Anglican church, and is oriented east-west, with the nave to the west and the main entrance (with choirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
loft
Loft
A loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial...
and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
above) to the east. The foundation stone was laid in 1841, with the church being consecrated on 12 March 1845 by William Grant Broughton
William Grant Broughton
William Grant Broughton was the first Bishop of Australia of the Church of England....
, the first and only Bishop of Australia.
The building as it stands today was constructed over a period of several years and was completed in three stages:
- The original church erected by Robert Campbell (1841-45)
- NaveNaveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
extension by George Campbell - ChancelChancelIn church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
by John Campbell (1872-73)
Sandstone for the church was sourced from quarries located at the base of Black Mountain and Quarry Hill (located in the suburb of Yarralumla
Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory
Yarralumla is a large inner south suburb of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Located approximately south-west of the city, Yarralumla extends along the south-west bank of Lake Burley Griffin...
). The original 20-foot church tower was erected in 1845 but developed a two-foot lean, was deemed unsafe and was dismantled in 1864. The present tower was designed by Edmund Blacket
Edmund Blacket
Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
and erected during the period 1865-1870. Sandstone for the tower’s window mouldings was hauled by bullock from the Camden-Bargo district, a distance of a hundred miles. The spire was added in 1878.
The church bells were donated by Governor-General William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC , was the 15th Governor-General of Australia and the final non-Australian to hold the office...
and mark his term of office (1961-65).
A practice hall for the Canberra Boys' Choir is also housed within the church complex.
Church hall
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
at its southern end, depicting people and events from the life of the church and the region. Rendered in a simplistic style, the mural depicts subjects as diverse as: a theodolite
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
, a microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
, an Australian aborigine man, Bogong moth
Bogong moth
The Bogong moth is a temperate species of night-flying moth notable for appearing in large numbers around major public buildings in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during spring as it migrates to the High Plains. The moth's name 'Bogong' is the same as the mountain ranges on the High...
s, Merino sheep, liturgical
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
symbols, the Guides Australia
Guides Australia
Girl Guides Australia is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. It provides a girls only space and its mission is to enable girls and young women to grow into confident, self respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women from all cultures, faiths and...
logo and a girl in the uniform, a Boy Scout
Scouts Australia
Scouts Australia is an organisation for children and young adults from 6 to 26 years of age. Scouts Australia is part of the global Scouting movement and has been a national member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since 1953...
, Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
, early ministers of the church and settlers including Robert Campbell
Robert Campbell
-Politicians:*Robert Campbell , Australian merchant/politician from New South Wales*Robert Campbell , New South Wales politician, son of the above*Robert Campbell , New York politician...
and his nearby house "Duntroon" (also shown) that is now part of the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
.
Churchyard
St John's picturesque churchyard contains Canberra's original cemetery and was also the location of Canberra's first school, which now houses the Schoolhouse Museum. The burials in St John's churchyard date from 1844 onwards.The mortal remains of many pioneers of the Canberra district are interred at St John's. They include the church's long-serving 19th-Century rector, the Rev Pierce Galliard Smith
Pierce Galliard Smith
Pierce Galliard Smith was the rector at St John the Baptist Church, Reid in Canberra, Australia. He was well known for planting trees all over his 2330 square kilometre parish....
, and Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes, who occupied Yarralumla
Yarralumla
Yarralumla may refer to:* Government House, Canberra, the residence of the Governor-General of Australia known as Yarralumla* Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra* Yarralumla Primary School...
homestead from 1859 until his death 14 years later. Gibbes was reputed to be the illegitimate son of a Royal Duke. Coincidentally, lying close to Gibbes' grave is the final resting place of another person with a link to the British throne, albeit one greatly separated in time and circumstance from that of the Colonel. That person is Viscount Dunrossil
Viscount Dunrossil
Viscount Dunrossil, of Vallaquie and of the Isle of North Uist in the County of Inverness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1959 for the Conservative politician William Morrison upon his retirement as Speaker of the House of Commons. His son, the second Viscount,...
, a former Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
, who died in office in 1961.
Also interred in the churchyard are the remains of Colonel Gibbes' wife, Elizabeth, his son Augustus Gibbes (Yarralumla's proprietor from 1859 to 1881), his grandson Henry Edmund Gibbes, and his great-grandson, the Australian air ace Bobby Gibbes
Bobby Gibbes
Robert Henry Maxwell Gibbes DSO, DFC & Bar, OAM was a leading Australian fighter ace of World War II. He was officially credited with shooting down 10¼ enemy aircraft, although his score is often reported as 12 destroyed...
, DSO, DFC and bar — as well as St Christopher Battye and members of the pioneering Guise
Guise
Guise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The ruins of the medieval castle of Guise, seat of the Dukes of Guise, are located in the commune.-Miscellaneous:...
, Shumack and Campbell
Campbell
-Places:In Australia:* Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, AustraliaIn Canada:* Campbell, Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia* Campbell Road, Edmonton, AlbertaIn New Zealand:...
families. This information is drawn inter alia from the definitive guide to all known burials at the site, namely Jean Salisbury's St John's Churchyard Canberra.
Contemprary references
Former Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
, and his wife, Thérèse Rein
Thérèse Rein
Thérèse Rein is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of Ingeus, an international employment and business psychology services company. Ingeus operates from more than 150 locations across the UK, Australia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Korea, Sweden, Poland, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and New...
, regularly attended the church during 2009-2010. Rudd, the 26th Australian Prime Minister, took the opportunity to address the assembled media and television cameras after Sunday services and and field and answer questions on topics of the day.
2011 visit of Queen Elizabeth II
During the visit of the Queen of Australia in October 2011, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip attended St John's for the 11.15am service on 23 October 2011. She was welcomed by the rector, the Revd Paul Black, and the Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn, the Rt Revd Stuart Robinson. The service was also attended by Kevin Rudd, Thérèse Rein and Sir Zelman CowenZelman Cowen
Sir Zelman Cowen, was the 19th Governor-General of Australia. He is currently the oldest living former Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...
.
See also
- St. John the Baptist ChurchSt. John the Baptist ChurchSt. John the Baptist Church, or variants thereof, may refer to:-Australia:* St John the Baptist Church, Reid, Canberra, Anglican* Saint John the Baptist Anglican Church -New Zealand:...
(disambiguation) - St. John the Baptist Cathedral (disambiguation)