1921
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MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE
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PARISH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY TIGHES HILL |
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FOUNDED 1921 |
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DIOCESE MAITLAND-NEWCASTLE |
| PARISH CHURCH | STATION CHURCHES | HISTORIC CHURCHES | OTHER BUILDINGS |
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PARISH CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY |
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 | PARISH |
| JUST TO THE NORTH-WEST OF THE CITY CENTRE OF NEWCASTLE LIE THE OLD WORKING CLASS SUBURBS OF TIGHES HILL AND CARRINGTON. HERE LIVED THE WORKERS IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY ON WHICH NEWCASTLE'S WEALTH DEPENDED. TODAY TIGHES HILL WITH ITS NARROW STREETS HAS BECOME LARGELY GENTRIFIED WITH THE CLOSING OF THE MILLS AND THE FLIGHT OF YOUNGER COUPLES TO THE SUBURBS. THE PARISH OF TIGHES HILL WAS FORMED IN 1921. IT ENJOYED A HEYDAY FROM THEN TO THE POST-SIXTIES CHANGES TO THE ECONOMY BEFORE DRIFTING BACK INTO OBSCURITY. TOWARDS THE END OF THE 20th CENTURY IT TOOK OVER THE SIMILAR NEIGHBOURING WORKING CLASS PARISH OF CARRINGTON. TODAY THOUGH THE SCHOOL HAS CLOSED, IT CONTINUES ITS CARE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA THROUGH THE PROVISION OF THE SACRAMENTS AND SOCIAL SERVICES AND HAS ALSO BECOME THE HOME TO NEWCASTLE'S CROATIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE AND CHAPEL. NEXT |
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| THE SPLENDID CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY WAS BUILT IN THE INTER-WAR PERIOD. IT IS LARGELY CLASSICAL IN ITS DETAILS BUT GOTHIC IN ITS GROUNDPLAN. IT IT DOMINATED BY THE LARGE CENTRAL WEST TOWER WITH ITS GEORGIAN BALUSTRADE AND CROSS TOPPED CUPOLA DOMINATING THE NARROW STREETS AROUND IT. THE SITE OF THE CHURCH WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE RESTRICTED BECAUSE OF THE NARROWNESS OF THE STREETS. THE SMALL FORMER SCHOOL IS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE CHURCH AND THE PRESBYTERY AND CONVENT NEXT DOOR. THE CHURCH IS FORMED OF A NAVE AND CHANCEL WITH VARIOUS PROJECTED ROOMS SERVING AS CONFESSIONALS AND SACRISTIES. A STATUE OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OVER THE ENTRANCE DOOR IS IN KEEPING WITH ITS TIME. TO THE MANY WORKING CLASS FAMILIES IN THEIR CRAMPED DWELLINGS THE CHURCH MUST HAVE APPEARED AWE-INSPIRING AND INVITING. EVEN TODAY WITH THE GENTRIFICATION OF THER SUBURB THE CHURCH PROCLAIMS ITSELF BOLDLY IN CONTRAST TO THE OFTEN DELIBERATE LOW PROFILES OF MODERN CHURCHES. THOSE WHO FIND THEIR WAY TO THIS CHURCH IN ITS BACK-STREET LOCATION, JUST A FEW HUNDRED METRES FROM ONE OF THE CITY'S BUSIEST ARTERIAL ROADS, CAN ONLY GIVE THANKS FOR THE FAITH AND COMMITMENT OF THAT EARLIER GENERATION OF CATHOLICS WHO BUILT FOR OUR LORD THIS MAGNIFICENT HOME IN THE MIDST OF THE MEAN LITTLE STREETS AND HOUSES OF TIGHES HILL. TOP STATION CHURCHES |
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| STATION CHURCHES |
| CARRINGTON |
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| CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER, CARRINGTON | |
 | LOCATED ON AN ISLAND IN THE HEART OF NEWCASTLE IS THE FORMER WORKING CLASS AREA OF CARRINGTON. THOUGH LARGELY ABANDONED BY THE FLIGHT TO THE SUBURBS AND GENTRIFIED, IT RETAINS THE UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE. WIDE STREETS AND SMALL HOMES WHICH MARK THE AREA, A SELF-CONTAINED WORLD WHICH THE BUSTLE OF THE CITY RARELY SEEMS TO TOUCH, A QUIET BACKWATER JUST MINUTES FROM THE CITY. AS ONE OF THE OLDEST SUBURBS OF NEWCASTLE, CARRINGTON HAS HAD A CATHOLIC PRESENCE SINCE THE LATE 1800's. IT WAS FOR A TIME A PARISH IN ITS OWN RIGHT WITH A JOSEPHITE CONVENT AND A SCHOOL RUN BY THEM. TODAY THESE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN CONVERTED FOR USE BY THE CEO AND MERCY COMMUNITY SERVICES. NEXT |
| THE HISTORIC CHURCH OF ST FRANCIS XAVIER WAS BUILT IN 1887. COMPRISING A NAVE, TRANSEPT STYLE SACRISTIES AND AN APSIDAL EAST END IT ACHIEVES THE FEEL OF A PARISH CHURCH DESPITE ITS SIMPLE WEATHERBOARD CONSTRUCTION. |  |
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| TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES | |
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| HISTORIC CHURCHES | |
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| OTHER BUILDINGS | ||
| CARRINGTON JOSEPHITE CONVENT |
TIGHES HILL CROATIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE | TIGHES HILL CROATIAN COMMUNITY CHAPEL |
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| CONVENT OF ST JOSEPH, CARRINGTON | |
 | AS WAS FREQUENTLY THE CASE THE TASK OF PROVIDING A CATHOLIC EDUCATION IN THE POORER AREAS FELL TO THE SISTERS OF ST JOSEPH. THE LOCHINVAR CONGREGATION FOUNDED THE PARISH SCHOOL AND RAN IT UNTIL THE LATER 1900's WHEN DECLINING VOCATIONS FORCED THEM TO WITHDRAW. THE CONVENT IS A SIMPLE TWO STORY BRICK BUILDING STANDING NEXT TO THE CHURCH. SOME ATTRACTIVE LATTICE WORK AND TREES SOFTEN THE OTHERWISE BARE APPEARANCE OF THE BUILDING. IN ITS SIMPLICITY IT RECALLS THE ORIGINAL VISION OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER, FR WOODS AND MOTHER MARY McKILLOP TO GO WHERE NEEDED AND TO STAY ONLY AS LONG AS NEEDED. TODAY AS McKILLOP HOUSE, IT IS USED BY THE DIOCESAN EDUCATION OFFICE. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS NEXT |
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| CROATIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE, TIGHES HILL | |
 | THE STRONG NATIONAL AND RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS OF THE CROATION MIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA IN THE POST-WAR YEARS LED TO THE ESTABLISHMNET OF A NUMBER OF CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AND MASS CENTRES. NEWCASTLE WAS NO EXCEPTION WITH MANY CROATIONS SEEKING WORK IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY TILL IT CLOSED DOWN. IN KEEPING WITH THEIR DESIRE TO MAINTAIN THE RELIGIOUS IDENTITY THE CROATIAN COMMUNITY SET ABOUT ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY CENTRE FOR THEIR USE. THEY TOOK OVER THE OLD PARISH SCHOOL AT TIGHES HILL AND CONVERTED IT INTO A COMMUNITY CENTRE, WHTH ONE WING BEING CONVERTED INTO A CHAPEL. TO DECLARE ITS PURPOSE AS A CATHOLIC CENTRE A SIMPLE STEEPLE WITH A MULTI-DIRECTIONAL CROSS WAS ERECTED OVER THE JOIN BETWEEN THE CENTRAL AND WEST WINGS OF THE OLD SCHOOL. TOP OTHER BUILDINGS NEXT |
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| CHAPEL OF ST JOSEPH, TIGHES HILL | |
 | WHEN THE CROATIAN COMMUNITY CONVERTED THE FORMER PARISH SCHOOL INTO A COMMUNITY CENTRE, THEY SET ASIDE THE EAST WING OF THE BUILDING AS A CHAPEL NAMED IN HONOUR OF ST JOSEPH. FROM THE OUTSIDE IT HAS CHANGED NOT A BIT FROM ITS DAYS AS A SCHOOL BUILDING. IT IS A SIMPLE BRICK OBLONG WITH RECTANGULAR SASH WINDOWS AND DOORS GIVING DIRECT ACCESS TO THE NAVE. OVER THE DOORWAY A PLAIN WHITE CROSS AND A SMALL SIGN ANNOUNCING THE NAME OF THE CHAPEL ARE THE SOLE INDICATIONS OF THE BUILDINGS FUNCTION ALTHOUGH IT SHARES WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTRE THE STEEPLE ERECTED OVER THE OLD SCHOOL AS A SIGN OF THE COMMUNITY'S ALLEGIANCE. TOP STATION CHURCHES HISTORIC CHURCHES OTHER BUILDINGS |
