79 Great Western Hwy
Although never an independent parish church, St Peter’s has the distinction of being the earliest Christian church in the City of the Blue Mountains. The church has had social significance to the Anglican community in the area for a century and a quarter.
St Peter’s Anglican Church was built in 1874-5 on land donated to the church by Henry Bell. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Barker on 18 September 1874 and the church was completed in 1875, the earliest church built in the Upper Mountains. The church was completed in 1875, the earliest church built in the Upper Mountains. The architect was David Macbeath and the contractor Alexander Armstrong. Its original affiliation was to St John’s Anglican Church at Hartley, opened in 1859.
This link to a Sydney Morning Herald article dated 13th November, 1889 describes the laying of the Parsonage Foundation Stone. The site of the Parsonage was donated by Mrs Henry Bell and she was presented with “a massive silver trowel and mallet, beautifully mounted in ivory, bearing the following inscription:-” Presented to Mrs Henry Bell on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of St. Peters parsonage, in grateful recognition of her generous gift of the site, and her many kindnesses to the church at Mount Victoria. November 9, 1889.”
People have come together as community in the Church and its hall and grounds and still do. This article from the Sydney Morning Herald dated 10th December, 1889 describes a bazaar at the Church. Until recently, the Church Hall has had annual makeovers as the “Railway Refreshment Room” with former RRR workers re-enacting their former workplace in the Church Hall.
The development of Blackheath and St Aidan’s church there in the twentieth century led in 1965 to the incorporation of both Mount Victoria and Hartley into Blackheath parish St Peter’s Church of England is a good example of a Victorian rustic gothic style church. Unlike many of the early churches in the Blue Mountains which were built of timber, the church is a solid sandstone building. Its simple form enhanced by the use of rockfaced sandstone set in lawn surrounds give a quiet, rural character to the site.
Please treat this place and its people respectfully.
Source: NSW Dept of Environment and Heritage
Please respect the privacy of the occupants.
This page is part of the Great Places project about places in Mount Victoria. Each place in Mount Victoria will, one day, have its own page where its story can be told.
This might be historical information, photos or more recent or current information. It can be about people who have lived at or been associated with this place, links to articles or information about the structures on the property.
Places with a sign that has a QR code can be scanned into a smart phone. The QR is connected to a web page like this one with more information about the property for a self guided tour of Mount Victoria.