St John's Anglican Church, Fremantle
| St. John's Anglican Church | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 3 Adelaide Street, Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Geographic coordinates | 32°03′11″S 115°44′54″E / 32.052972°S 115.748262°ECoordinates: 32°03′11″S 115°44′54″E / 32.052972°S 115.748262°E |
| Affiliation | Anglican |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Year consecrated | 1843 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | William Smith |
| General contractor | Joshua James Harwood |
| Completed | 1843 and 1882 |
| Materials | Limestone, shingles |
St John's Anglican Church also known as St John the Evangelist Church, is an Anglican church in Fremantle, Western Australia. It was originally opened in 1843, and then replaced with a larger building in 1882. The older building was demolished, which allowed Fremantle Town Hall to be built and for the High Street to be extended, giving the Kings Square its current shape.
The present Church of St John is the second of that name in Fremantle. The first was founded after petitions were made in 1839 to the newly arrived Governor of Western Australia, John Hutt, to create an Anglican church on King's Square. It stood at the centre of the square at the end of the High Street. The expense of building the church was underwritten by Daniel Scott, who was an enterprising harbour master and supporter of the Church of England.
The church was opened on 4 August 1843. This church stood for decades but was demolished when the new church was available. The outline of this building is still shown in the pavement and two stained glass windows in the nave of the present church are said to have been moved from this building to the new church. In 1855 a rectory was built.
In 1876, the church applied to the Fremantle City Council for an additional strip of land by the existing church wall, to be given to the Church of England, for a new church. In this application, all of Kings Square was said to have been legally given to the Church of England, though in later years this assertion was thought to be debatable. This application was refused, as the strip was used for storing and preparing stone and some councillors believed the church already had enough land. A year later, the church made a second proposal, offering the council the south-western corner of the square, and a right of way for the extension of High Street through the square, in return for the strip of land and 500 pounds. The council accepted, subject to minor modification.
This new St John's church was said to be due to the determination of a new priest who would become Archdeacon Watkins. He could see that the old church had been outgrown but some suggested that extensions could be added to the old building. He was determined that a new building was required, and this was completed in 1882 at a cost of £7,500. The cost of this was defrayed by the demolition of the old church, which allowed the street to continue through what had been Kings Square. Nearly £2,000 pounds was raised by selling the right of way through the land, for the space to build Fremantle Town Hall, and by selling off blocks of land.
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