St John's Anglican Church

St John's is the oldest church in the Diocese of Newcastle and was built in 1833 as a chapel for the Australian Agricultural company by Sir Edward Willian Parry.

"In fact, the pioneering A.A.Co built St John’s in 1833 for the company settlement it had founded seven years earlier. According to parishioners today, it was really a company chapel for a company village. 

William Macquarie Cowper became the first Anglican rector at St John’s after succeeding a company chaplain and Congregationalist, the Rev Charles Price in 1836. Cowper then served the parish until 1856 and later became the long-time Dean of Sydney.  

Thomas Laman was the A.A.Company’s chief carpenter and he supervised building Stroud church. He had a long productive life, later serving as Stroud’s Clerk of Petty Session and died aged 83. He’s buried in St John’s graveyard.

Former Royal Navy Captain Sir Edward Parry, who was knighted for his Arctic explorations, actually had St John’s built at his own expense in 1833. 

Parry, the A.A.Co commissioner from 1829-34, and his wife Isabella, were dedicated to the religious, moral and educational welfare of the company’s servants. The church, rectory, parish hall and historic Quambi house (originally a school) formed the original hub of Stroud. The company later passed ownership of St John’s to the Church of England in 1851.

Lovingly maintained to this day with the help of The Friends of St John’s, the Stroud church contains original cedar furniture and joinery, a gallery and barrel-vault ceiling (probably a later addition). The rear gallery is supposed to have been originally reserved for convicts attending services.   

Striking interior features include highly unusual pews carved in a ‘wave’ design and the beautiful east window depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd. Dating from 1883, this large stained glass window is complemented by seven diamond-patterned coloured glass windows.

One window was a gift from E.C. Merewether, general superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Company from 1861 to 1875 and based in Newcastle". (Newcastle Herald, May 19 2017 - mikescanlan.history@hotmail.com),

More historical information/photographs of the church/congregation are invited. Photographs uploaded 29/10/2017 & 26/5/2021.

Note: For fuller story and photograph source (3) see- http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4669786/country-church-rings-a-bell/