| St Matthew's Church Albury | ||||||||
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The Albury Anglican Parish was established in February 1850. Bishop William Grant Broughton of Sydney came to what was then the edge of his diocese, to meet with Bishop Charles Perry of Melbourne. Within a year the first rector Henry Elliott had arrived.
Plans were developed for the building of a church to be dedicated in the name of St Matthew, the apostle and evangelist. In 1856 a plan by the noted Sydeny architect Edmund Blacket was accepted. Work began in 1857 and the first portion: nave, south porch and tower base, was opened on March 13 1859.
The external walls were of local Monument Hill granite with a single cross on the gable at the eastern end. The roof was covered with shingles. The building was 92ft (28m) long by 28ft (8.5m) wide. It provided seating for 350 people. Calico covered the window openings until small glass-paned windows were installed in August 1860. The aisle floor was of brick.
Plans were put forward in 1861 to plaster the internal walls and to add a choir gallery. The first choir had been formed in 1860 by Mr W.N.M. Edmonson who acted as conductor and organist. A harmonium was also bought at the time for 60 pounds. Previous musical accompaniments had been supplied by flute and violin.
By 1865 the internal walls had been plastered, stained glass had been placed in some of the windows and oil chandeliers installed, but the choir gallery never eventuated. The choir was still located in a corner of the church entrance. The parish was also keen to complete the chancel, colour the walls and to extend the brick flooring of the aisle.
In 1866 only eleven years after the opening the building was considered too small and during the next seven years sveral plans were discussed for the enlargement of the existing building or for its complete replacement.
The corner stone for the new St Matthew's was laid by T.H. Mate, Esq. on March 29 1874 at the north-east corner of the church. Due to lack of funds, the Bole's design was never completed but a ceremony was held on January 13 1876 blessing the work to date - transept, chancel, vestry and organ chamber.
The 1857 Blacket nave was incorporated into the new church building by demolishing the old east wall and one bay to allow construction of a single bay of the Boles' nave. As the Boles' design was wider then that of Blacket there was a gap between the two structures which was closed by a timber-framed wall that was covered in flat steel sheeting. This temporary wall remained in that state for the next 115 years.
The outer walls of the new St Matthew's were built of granite with freestone for the ornamentation. All the windows, porch and door arches were built of cut stone. The stone for the tracery of the magnificent east window came from the quarries at Table Top, and the granite from Black Range. The white freestone in the transept windows came from Omaru, New Zealand.
The slate roof was laid in rows of alternate square and diamond-shaped pieces and was finished off with a chastely designed trefoil ridging. The internal walls were of white plaster. The chancel floor was covered with mosaic tiles in a geometric design and the lighting for night use was provided by a richly ornamented kerosene fuelled Gothic chandelier in the chancel.
A visitor entering from Kiewa street would have been struck by the wonderful expanse of space and light where the transept and the nave met. The fine timber roof of massive New Zealand Kauri trusses lined with cedar featured quite remarkable interlocking circles of heavy beams. Fine glass from the best available at the time was a major feature of the pre-fire church. The main sanctuary window The Calling of St Matthew was a Lyon and Cottier from Sydney.The transept windows, full of rich reds and blues were by Ferguson and Urie of Melbourne. All were destroyed in the fire of September 1991.
The Fincham pipe organ installed in 1876 was recognised as one of the best in the colonies. It consisted of two manuals and pedal board and contained 1419 pipes on 20 stops. The entire organ was made in Victoria, replacing the pedal organ that had come from Boston in 1869.
In the ensuing years there were several reworkings, rebuildings and remodellings of the Fincham organ. The final siting of the pipes was on a raised structure located at the back of the south tansept. The console was located in a pit on the south side of the church near the south-west wall of the transept.
A bell dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Mitchell was presented to the church by her son James on July 24 1907, on the Golden Jubilee of the laying of the Foundation Stone of the original church. A larger bellcote with slate roof was provided to house this new addition. After the fire, Elizabeth was joined by eight others in a new bell tower, rung in the traditional English style of change-ringing.
The great conflict of 1914-1918 resulted in the erection of a memorial cross, unveiled in 1922. It stood in the grounds at the western end on the church. After the fire it was moved to the east end where it faces out onto Queen Elizabeth II Square.
The Second World War also had a special commemoration. The colours of the 2/23 battalion Albury's Own were laid up in the church on April 27 1947. At the time of the fire they were located on the south wall of the transept. Although the banner was destroyed, several fragments were recovered from the ashes. A memorial window was part of the reconstruction.
The last alterations to the old building were made in the 1970s when the bell tower was enlarged and a small copper spire added. Many treasures were lost in the fire including: sterling silver chalices from 1897, a large wooden eagle lecturn from 1922, timber work by local craftsman Gerry Curtis, and the spectacular 1988 bicentennial altar frontal made of brocade, silk and gold thread.
An excellent history of of our church, with specific reference to the rebuilding after the fire, The three 'lives' of St. Matthew's Anglican Church, Kiewa Street, Albury has been written by Dirk H. R. Spenneman, associate professor at Charles Sturt University.
The rebuilt church incorporates the best features of the original Blacket (1857-9) design and has carried through the Boles(1874-6) extensions to the nave. The reconsecrated 1994 church includes :
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