History of St Pauls Church - Port Adelaide

The first settlers in Port Adelaide did not land at the wharf in 1836 because there wasn't one, but landed at the mouth of a man made in-let which terminated at the sandhills at the junction of Webb Street and Causeway Road. At that time ships couldn't reach the sandhills and goods were floated ashore and people sometimes had to be carried. Near this very temporary disembarkment point stood a hall with walls made of roughly trimmed posts and branches with a roof of the same. This was called the Union Hall and was used for worship by Anglicans and other Protestant churches. In 1840 Mr. David McLaren built the first wharf, including sheds, which is now No.2 Berth or McLaren Wharf and early worshipers gathered there at the back of this structure - a church was badly needed. The Anglican Church members in the district wanted to be "first cab off the rank" and launched an ambitious subscription list to acquire such a building. People from all walks of life were contacted both in the City and the Port. £1,000 was raised (or promised) and the new church rose very quickly. (Drawing 1)

The Piles for this building were already in place on the back of St Paul's block facing the Birkenhead Bridge - Captain Sturt drove the first pile. The wooden church was hurriedly erected with second hand timber and had calico for window coverings. This new church was opened for worship on 15th May 1841 by the then Colonial Chaplain Charles Beaumont Howard. There was an anti climax for the tide had risen while the worshippers were inside and they all had to be carried away from the steps in rowboats. The reason for the piles became evident. This "jerry build" church stood for 10 years but at the end of its life it was becoming very unsound as dust and rubbish blew through the wooden walls as the wood had provided many gaps. Finally, one stormy day, the structure began to totter and the priest, Father Edward Bayfield, declared that he did not want to conduct any more services in this leaning structure. What became of St Paul's on the Piles? A final storm attacked it later in 1851 and it collapsed. The scrap timber was welcomed by local residents and disappeared quickly. There is no existing photograph of this building but a drawing gives an idea of its appearance. The old church would seat about 100 people at a pinch and was the first church in the infant settlement.

A new stone church was erected rather hastily in 1852, in front of the old one. (Drawing 2) This new structure still presented problems as it was often subject to flooding from the river. A form of a barge was permanently moored in front of the church to carry away worshippers in times of emergency. The new church looked much better in the eyes of the congregation and seated more worshippers, and it had a bell tower! The bell came from an impounded French whaler, which was moored in the river as a light ship. This bell from the Ville De Bordeaux, called residents of the early Port to church for many years until the second enlarged church was demolished in 1904 to make way for the present building.

On 23rd September 1904 tenders were invited for the erection of the new church using the design of the architectural firm English and Sowar 1 .
Mr Soward whose specialty was the design of large houses, often in the Gothic style, such as Culver House in Walkerville, St Corantyn in East Terrace and St Margaret's on Brougham Place, was largely responsible for the design of the new church 2.
The offer to build the church was made by the builder Walter Charles Torode, which was finally accepted. On 27th January 1905, tenders were again called, this time for pulling down and removing the old church structure 3.
Torode was again awarded the contract, which was executed for a sum of £96.

The stained glass windows which had been especially shipped from England, and may still be seen in the church today, was also donated by Samuel Tyzack. (Drawing 4) The church was finally completed and opened on "All Saints Day", 1 November 1905. On 13th May 1905, Mrs Ann McFarlane, daughter of the late William Tyzack, finally laid the foundation stone of the new church. The organ that now resides in St Paul's was first installed in 1865 and used in a service on the 19th February of that year. Its present appearance is different to the original one as it has been added to and redecorated. (Drawing 5)

Where did the organ come from? It was built in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk by William Christmas Mack who built many organs for churches in that part of England. It has a twin in St Edmund's church Wembley, Western Australia, but there are no other instruments in Australia resembling it. One of the early organists was Mrs. Annie Duncan, the wife of the Quarantine doctor for the Port, Dr. Handsyde Duncan. This couple's memorial plate is at the back of the church. The organ is not entirely visible in its place in the sanctuary but the decoration on the pipes can be glimpsed and admired. However, about 30 years ago this decoration was deemed to be a distraction, deflecting the congregation's focus from the service so the pipes were painted cream. Fortunately Mr. Andrew Holden repainted them in the original colours again, or as near as can be ascertained, and we can admire the instrument's appearance once more. Throughout the Organs history, concerts have been and are still being held today so this wonderful instrument can be enjoyed by all. St Paul's church has been extremely fortunate now and in the past to have such dedicated organists.

A war memorial in the form of a covered porch was added to the Church after the First World War.(Drawing 6) That began back when the Shrine, including the Honour Roll, was the idea of Father Matthew Williams. He was intensely patriotic and lauded the nobility of any man at all who enlisted to fight under "the Colours". When the church was erected and the foundation stone laid in September 1915 by Rev, Williams as a memorial to those who have fallen or may fall in the war, (60 - 70) men's names had already appeared on lists placed on the church door who had volunteered for active service. The idea of the War Shrine was that this shrine would be decorated with flags and flowers on appropriate occasions like Anzac Day, In November 1917 difficulty of obtaining materials for the project became evident but Rev. Williams obtained a crucifix and thought there should be places near the steps for flowers in tubs etc. The crucifix was ready by December 1918 and £800 was given by the Parish for the War Shrine, Lady Chapel and Honour Roll. Dedication of the "War Shrine - 1914-1918" was in March 1920 4.