Semaphore, SA - St Bede's Anglican

Year Built: 1879

Denomination: Anglican

Saint: Bede

Address: 200 Military Road, Semaphore, South Australia, 5019

Architect: James Macgeorge

Traditional Owners: Kaurna people

Last Updated: 18/01/2025

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History and Architecture:

The first church was built in 1878 when Semaphore was developing into a place for business, residence and leisure. Lady Lervois, wife of the Governor of South Australia, laid the foundation stone. Beginning as the Mission Church of St Andrew, the original gothic style porch and nave were built with Dry Creek stone. With 300 seats, even then it was too small for the numbers wanting to rent pews. The church was extended first in 1885. In 1898, the organ chamber and the transepts were added using Tapley's Hill stone.

The current building replaces the original structure built in 1879 and an extension of 1885.

Until 1878 Anglicans living on Le Fevre Peninsula attended St Paul's at Port Adelaide. In June of that year services began at Semaphore in the large room of Mr Randford's house near the beach.1 The foundation stone for a new church was laid on 26 October. Planned by Mr J.O. Lovely with Messrs Williams and Cleave as contractors it was to cost £1050 and be of Gothic design. Seating 300 persons.

The walls are 18 feet high, surmounted by a gable roof. The chancel is 15 x 12, and there is a vestry 10 x 9.6. The porch is 10 x 6, and is provided with a door on the north and south sides. The whole of the exposed woodwork inside the building is Huon pine varnished. The roof will be of open woodwork, the panels between the main rafters being diagonally bordered.

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
1879 - 1883	Rev George Henry Farr	Missionary	1819	1904
1881 -	Rev Tom Ward	Lay Reader	1842	19919
1882 - 1882	Rev Thomas Abraham	locum tenens	1842	1907
1883 - 1884	Rev John Smith	Locum tenens	1846	1910
1885 - 1886	Rev Henry Howitt		1838	1922
1886 - 1891	Rev Walter Ward		1854	1933
1891 - 1891	Rev James Stuart Wayland	Curate	1836	1904
1892 - 1897	Rev William Adderley Campbell		1833	1925
1894 - 1896	Rev George Griffiths	Curate	1869	1945
1897 - 1900	Rev John Wellington Owen		1846	1905
1900 - 1918	Rev William Alexander Swan		1857	1927
1902 - 1902	Rev John Phillips Milne	Curate 3 months	1877	1924
1904 - 1904	Rev Alexander McCully	Asst	1848	1921
1906 -	Rev Donald Alexander Kerr	Locum tenens	1859	1919
1911 - 1913	Rev John Carlyle McDonnell	Curate	1868	1930
1912 - 1913	Rev Joseph James Emery	Curate	1867	1937
1913 - 1915	Rev Clement Haughton Williams	Curate	1890	1962
1918 - 1935	Rev James Welsh		1874	1951
1936 - 1952	Rector Frank Beaumont Hewitson		1882	1958
1952 - 1955	Rev Charles Roland Whereat M.B.E.		1896	1978
1959 - 1980	Rev Benjamin Raymond Jones
1980 - 1987	Rev Robert Niehus
1987 -	Rev Laurence Richard David Jupp	locum tenens	1912	1992
1987 - 1990	Rev Ross Morony
1990 -	Rev Laurence Richard David Jupp	locum tenens	1912	1992
1990 - 1997	Rev Garry Weatherill	With Port Adelaide
1997 - 2004	Rev Jeff Oake	With Port Adelaide
2004 - 2011	Rev Alison Wurm
2011 - 2013	Rev Gary Priest	Locum tenens
2013 - 2017	Rev Ken Bechaz
2017 - 2018	Bishop David McCall	Locum tenens
2018 - 2022	Rev Ruth Mathieson
1955 - 1959	Rev Vernon Desmond Hartwig

Organ:

The Organ was built by J.E. Dodd in 1901 It has 2 manuals, 18 speaking stops, 3 couplers, mechanical action
For a full description and photos click here.

Source:

1. Cable Clerical Index with permission.
2. Organ Historical Trust of Australia with permission.
3. Church website.
4. Historical Board at front of Church
5. Architects South Australia