Darwin City, NT - Christ Church Anglican Cathedral
Year Built: 1975
Denomination: Anglican
Address: 2 Smith Street, Darwin City, Northern Territory, 0800
Architect: Wilkins, Klemm and Morrison
Traditional Owners: Larrakia people
Last Updated: 07/04/2024
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History and Architecture:
Construction of the first church, except for the vestry which was added later, was completed three months after the laying of the foundation stone. That stone was laid (three times) by Mr Justice Dashwood, the Government Resident, on 12 July 1902. The Architect of this Church was A. Andrews. The current Church was consecrated on Sunday 13 March 1977.
The Church did not evade World War 2 air raids. In the severe air raid of 19 February 1942, the church was hit by a bomb that landed at the back of the vestry, blasting out the windows and riddling the roof and walls with shrapnel.
The old church was totally destroyed during Cyclone Tracy, about an hour after the midnight Christmas Eve service on 24 December 1974. Only the porch, which was erected in 1944 by military personnel during WWII, survived the 1974 Cyclone.
The building achieved an Architect's award in 1978 Tracy Memorial Award form the Australian Institue of Architects, NT Chapter.
The new building is simply stunning with some wonderful artwork, including the Cyclone Tracey Memorial Window, the Altar, paintings of Jesus' Baptism and the Annunciation. The Church has an interesting design feature where three sides of the wall can be opened to allow a complete breeze through the building.
A complete hisotry can be viewed here.
Clergy:
This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 - 1913 | Rev William Ernest Godson | 1865 | 1944 | |
| 1912 - 1916 | Rev Walter Adam Fletcher | 1878 | 1939 | |
| 1916 - 1918 | Rev Cyril Horswill Massey | 1886 | 1969 | |
| 1916 - 1919 | Rev Frere Henry Tremayne Lane | 1883 | 1944 | |
| 1919 - 1922 | Rev Charles Wilfred Light | 1889 | 1942 | |
| 1922 - 1925 | Rev Ivor Llewellyn Skelton | 1890 | 1970 | |
| 1924 - 1949 | Rev Henry Brune Arkinson | Archdeacon | 1874 | 1960 |
| 1925 - 1933 | Rev William Herbert Davies | 1876 | 1939 | |
| 1933 - 1936 | Rev James Alan George Housden | 1904 | 1994 | |
| 1937 - 1940 | Rev William Bernard Eales | 1907 | 1986 | |
| 1941 - 1941 | Rev Bertram Pilcher Wrightson | Catechist | 1914 | 1984 |
| 1941 - 1945 | Rev Ernest Kenneth Leslie | 1911 | 2010 | |
| 1946 - 1948 | Rev Gordon Frank Guy | 1914 | 2003 | |
| 1948 - 1951 | Rev Alfred Cecil Smith | 1906 | 1993 | |
| 1955 - 1958 | Rev Arthur Gwyn Jones | 1909 | 1966 | |
| 1971 - | Rev Percival McDonald Smith | Honorary Can | 1903 | 1982 |
| - 1974 | Canon McGowan | |||
| 1974 - 1983 | Rev Clyde Wood | |||
| 1983 - 1992 | Rev Murray Johnson | Locum Dean | ||
| 1992 - 1997 | Rev Michael Chiplin | |||
| 1998 - 2000 | Rev Dennis Vanderwolf | |||
| 2000 - 2001 | Rev Keith Elvish | Locum | ||
| 2000 - 2003 | Canon Barry Butler | Locum | ||
| 2007 - | Dean Jeremy Greaves | |||
| 2003 - 2020 | Dean Michael Nixon |
Organ:
No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.
Contributions:
1. Simon Saunders for ref to links and Architect details
Source:
1. Cable Clerical Index with permission.
2. NT Modern.org for church photo
3. Church website history