1841
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MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE
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PARISH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST MAITLAND |
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FOUNDED 1841 |
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DIOCESE MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE |
| PARISH CHURCH | STATION CHURCHES | HISTORIC CHURCHES | OTHER BUILDINGS |
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PARISH CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST |
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| PARISH | DIOCESE | ||||
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| HISTORY | CHURCH | ||||
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| PARISH |
| WHEN THE RICH AGRICULTURAL LANDS OF THE WIDE HUNTER VALLEY WERE DISCOVERED IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT A GOVERNMENT CENTRE WOULD BE ESTABLISHED TO MAINTAIN LAW AND ORDER IN THIS ESSENTIAL BREADBASKET OF THE GROWING COLONY. THE PLACE CHOSEN WAS A SPOT ON THE HUNTER RIVER WHERE EAST MAITLAND NOW STANDS. MEANWHILE ANOTHER SETTLEMENT GREW UP A FEW MILES UPRIVER WHICH BECAME KNOWN FIRST AS WEST MAITLAND AND SUBSEQUENTLY AS MAITLAND TO AVOID CONFUSION. IN DUE COURSE MAITLAND BECAME THE MORE IMPORTANT SETTLEMENT AND MOST GOVERNEMTN FUNCTIONS MOVED THERE. ALTHOUGH THE COMMERCIAL TOWN OF NEWCASTLE EVENTUALLY TOOK OVER AS "CAPITAL" OF THE HUNTER REGION MAITLAND REMAINS AN IMPORTANT REGIONAL CITY OF 40,000 PEOPLE WITH AN HISTORIC PAST AND A THRIVING FUTURE AS THE SERVICE CENTRE FOR THE MID-HUNTER AREA. THE FIRST PARISH IN THE MAITLAND AREA WAS EAST MAITLAND ESTABLISHED IN 1835 IN THE "GOVERNMENT TOWN", HOWEVER BY THE 1840's WEST MAITLAND HAD GROWN SUFFICIENTLY TO WARRANT ITS OWN PARISH AND ONE WAS DULY ESTABLISHED IN 1841. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN NOT ONLY THE PREMIER PARISH OF THE AREA BUT FOR A LARGE PART OF ITS EXISTANCE A CATHEDRAL PARISH AS WELL. TODAY IT CONTINUES TO LOOK AFTER A LARGE AREA THAT INCLUDES CAMPBELL'S HILL AND LARGS AS WELL AS CARING FOR A NUMBER OF THE SURROUNDING PARISHES INCLUDING EAST MAITLAND, MORPETH, RUTHERFORD, DUNGOG AND GRESFORD NEXT |
| DIOCESE |
| THE STORY OF THE DIOCESE OF MAITLAND IS UNIQUES AMONGST AUSTRALIAN DIOCESES AND POSSIBLY EVEN THE WORLD-WIDE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE DIOCSEE WAS ESTABLISHED ORIGINALLY AT THE REQUEST OF ARCHBISHOP POLDING AS A TITULAR SEE FOR THE CO-ADJUTOR BISHOP OF SYDNEY. AT THE TIME IT CONSISTED OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAITLAND ALONE. ITS FIRST BISHOP, CHARLES DAVIS, SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME IN SYDNEY AND WHEN HE DIED IN 1854 NO SUCCESSOR WAS APPOINTED. IN 1865 THE DIOCESE WAS REVIVED THIS TIME COVERING THE WHOLE OF THE HUNTER AND NORTHERN NSW UP TO THE QUEENSLAND BORDER. SINCE THEN THE "NEW" DIOCESE WAS GRADUALLY WHITTLED AWAY UNTIL IT REACHED ITS PRESENT BOUNDARIES COVERING THE HUNTER VALLEY ONLY. IN THE MEANTIME THE UNFORSEEN TENSION BETWEEN THE DOMINANCE OF NEWCASTLE AND THE HISTORIC PRESENCE IN MAITLAND WAS FINALLY RESOVLED IN 1995 WITH THE TRANSFER OF THE CATHEDRAL TO HAMILTON AND THE RENAMING OF THE DIOCESE MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE. NEXT |
 | PRO-CATHEDRAL OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, MAITLAND |
| WHEN BISHOP MURRAY TOOK OVER THE DIOCESE HE FOUND A HUMBLE STONE PARISH CHURCH BY THE ARCHITECT MORTIMER LEWIS BUILT BETWEEN 1844 AND 1846. HE PROMPTLY DECLARED THIS CHURCH HIS CATHEDRAL AND EXTENSIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN 1866 TO ACCOMODATE ITS NEW STATUS. BY THE INTERWAR PERIOD HOWEVER IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE CHURCH WAS TOO SMALL. IN 1933 THEREFORE IT WAS CLOSED AND THE PARISH HALL DECLARED THE PROVISIONAL CATHEDRAL WHILE THE ORIGINAL CONTINUED IN USE AS THE PARISH HALL. THE PRO-CATHEDRAL, COMPLETED IN 1922 IN THE CLASSICAL STYLE WITH ROUND-HEADED ARCHES, WINDOWS AND DECORATIVE EFFECTS IS A LOVELY BUILDING IN ITS OWN RIGHT. OF SPECIAL NOTE ARE THE CLASSICAL ARCHITRAVES AND THE STATUE OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF HEAVEN WHICH GRACES THE WEST GABLE. IN 1989 THE PRO-CATHEDRAL WAS SEVERLEY DAMAGED IN THE NEWCASTLE EARTHQUAKE AND WAS CLOSED. WITH THE TRANSFER OF THE BISHOP'S CATHEDRA TO HAMILTON THE OLD ST JOHN'S WAS REOPENED AS A PARISH CHURCH IN WHICH FUNCTION IT SERVES TODAY. NEXT |
| CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, MAITLAND |  |
| THE EXTERIOR OF ST JOHN'S APPEARS HAS CHANGED LITTLE APART FROM SOME UNSYMPATHETIC EXTENSIONS. THE BEAUTIFUL SQUARE WEST TOWER WITH ITS MERLONS AND FINIALS IS A GEM OF ENGLISH GOTHIC, A STYLE UNUSUAL FOR CATHOLIC CHURCHES. THE INTERIOR HAS BEEN RE-ORGANISED BUT RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL ALTAR AND MENSA (MOVED FORWARD TO ALLOW THE PRIEST TO FACE THE PEOPLE). DUE TO ITS CONSTRICTED POSITION THE CHURCH IS USED FOR WEEKDAY MASSES WITH SUNDAY MASSES BEING HELD AT CAMPBELL'S HILL. TOP STATION CHURCHES |
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| STATION CHURCHES | |
| CAMPBELL'S HILL | LARGS |
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CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART, CAMPBELL'S HILL |
 | CAMPBELL'S HILL IS TODAY A SUBURB OF MAITLAND LYING JUST WEST OF THE CITY CENTRE. IT IS A RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREA SERVING A LARGE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION. CAMPBELL'S HILL WAS THE LOCATION OF THE FIRST BISHOP'S RESIDENCE AND LATER OF A BOY'S SCHOOL AND THEN AN ORPHANAGE. IN 1918, RESPONDING TO THE GROWING POPULATION OF THE AREA A CHURCH WAS BUILT NEXT DOOR TO THE ORPHANAGE AND DEDICATED TO THE SACRED HEART. TODAY IT SERVES AS THE MAIN SUNDAY MASS CENTRE FOR THE MAITLAND PARISH. BUILT OF RED BRICK BY ANDREW BURG IN AN ITALIANATE ROMANESQUE STYLE, ITS MOST INTERESTING FEATURE IS THE WEST TOWER WITH ITS DECORATIVE EFFECTS AND ITS TWIN CROSSES ECHOED IN THE TWIN PORCHES. TOP STATION CHURCHES NEXT |
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CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY, LARGS |
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| ACROSS THE FLOOD PLAINS OF THE HUNTER FROM MAITLAND LIES THE HISTORIC VILLAGE OF LARGS. ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED BY THE LANG FAMILY IT WAS AN IMPORTANT RIVER PORT UNTIL THE RIVER CHANGED COURSE AND LEFT IT STRANDED. TODAY IT IS A QUIET LITTLE VILLAGE THAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE FROM MAITLAND SEEKING A LESS FRENETIC EXISTANCE. LARGS WAS ORIGINALLY SETTLED BY SCOTSMEN BUT IN TIME A CATHOLIC COMMUNITY GREW UP THERE AND A CHURCH WAS OPENED. DESPITE THE MANY CLOSURES OF COUNTRY CHURCHES THE CHURCH HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AND CONTINUES TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF LARGS TO THE PRESENT DAY. NEXT |
| CHURCH |  |
| THE CHURCH AT LARGS WAS BUILT IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20th CENTURY AND IS AN IMPRESSIVE BUILDING FOR A SUCH A SMALL VILLAGE. BUILT OF BRICK IN A SIMPLIFIED GOTHIC WITH LANCET WINDOWS AND MOCK BUTTRESSES, IT CONSISTS OF A LARGE NAVE WITH A SMALL WEST PORCH, CHANCEL AND SHALLOW SACRISTY. THE PORCH WAS CLEARLY ADDED LATER AS IS EVIDENCED BY THE DIFFERENT STYLING OF THE WINDOWS. THE WEST END IS MOST ATTRACTIVE WITH ITS TWO TALL LANCETS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE PORCH AND THE TWO SMALL LANCETS AND ROUNDEL ABOVE IT. THE WARM BRICK IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY THE YELLOW BANDING THAT RUNS ALL THE WAY AROUND THE CHURCH. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |
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| OTHER BUILDINGS | |
| CAMPBELL'S HILL ORPHANAGE | MAITLAND BISHOP'S RESIDENCE |
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| ORPHANAGE OF MONTE PIO, CAMPBELL'S HILL | |
 | THE MONTE PIO ORPHANAGE HAS HAD A LONG AND VARIED HISTORY. BISHOP MURRAY PURCHASED A HOUSE HERE FOR HIS RESIDENCE BUT IN 1875 WHEN HE MOVED INTO THE TOWN THE RENOVATED BUILDINGS ON CAMPBELL'S HILL BECAME THE SACRED HEART COLLEGE FOR BOY'S. RUN FIRST BY THE PATRICIAN BROTHERS AND LATER BY THE MARIST BROTHERS, THE SCHOOL WAS CLOSED IN 1904. IN 1910 BISHOP DWYER REOPENED THE BUILDINGS AS THE BISHOP MURRAY ORPHANAGE UNDER THE CARE OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY. GENERALLY KNOWN AS MONTE PIO IT CONTINUED ITS WORK UNTIL 1972 WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. THE PRESENT BUILDINGS DATE FROM THE MID 1900's AND REPLACED THE ORIGINAL 1870 BUILDINGS. AFTER SEVERAL USES WERE TRIED FOR THE BUILDINGS THE WHOLE COMPLEX WAS SOLD IN 1985 AND TODAY IT IS USED AS A MOTEL. |
| TOP OTHER BUILDINGS NEXT | MONTE PIO WEBSITE |
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| BISHOP'S HOUSE, MAITLAND | |
 | THE ORIGINAL RESIDENCE OF THE BISHOP OF MAITLAND WAS A COTTAGE ON CAMPBELL'S HILL PURCHASED IN 1870 BY BISHOP MURRAY. BY 1875 HOWEVER A MORE SUITABLE RESIDENCE AND ONE CLOSER TO THE CATHEDRAL HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND THE BISHOP MOVED INTO THE HISTORIC BISHOP'S HOUSE NEXT DOOR TO ST JOHN'S. IT REMAINED THE BISHOP'S RESIDENCE UNTIL THE 1990's WHEN THE CATHEDRAL WAS MOVED TO HAMILTON AND IT WAS NO LONGER REQUIRED. TODAY IT IS USED AS A PARISH HOUSE. THE BUILDING IS A LOVELY EXAMPLE OF AUSTRALIAN COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE GRACED WITH AN ATTRACTIVE VERANDAH AND STATUES. IT HAS BEEN LISTED AS A HERITAGE BUILDING BY THE CITY COUNCIL. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES OTHER BUILDINGS |
