THE WALLERAWANG CHURCH BUILDINGS

The church of St John the Evangelist:

(Left) The historic Church of St. John the Evangelist is the home of the Wallerawang Presbyterian congregation. (Right) Inside St. Johns. Services are held here on the first and third Sunday of each month at 8.30am. 'This building was erected by Mrs. Georgina Abbott as a memorial to her parents, Mr. & Mrs. James Walker and her first husband, Mr. Edwin Barton. It was designed by Blacket & Son, architects and built by George Donald. It was opened on 6th November, 1881 as the "Wallerawang" estate private chapel. It was used by Presbyterian and Anglican Churches from the outset and was given to both on 18th November, 1952.' By the early 2000s, costs of repairs, maintenance and insurance, coupled with declining numbers attending services, were causing problems for the local congregations. Some structural problems developed that led to the fencing off of the property, preventing public use of the building for several years. It seemed that the building might have to be sold and possibly removed out of the Lithgow district. By mid 2006, some repairs had been made with the assistance of local industry and individuals, enabling services to resume. A local community group, "The Friends of St Johns", has now taken over ownership of the Anglican share of the building and function with the Presbyterians in seeing the continued use of St. Johns as a place of Christian worship.

This historic building has been "registered" by several bodies. Use following links for some further details: (There are no links at present. They will be added once we verify details.)

The hall at Wallerawang:

(Right) The Wallerawang Church hall is in Lyon Parade, Wallerawang. This building was refurbished following the need to vacate St Johns and was used for regular services until May 2006. This building will have to be sold to finance our return to St. Johns.

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An early meeting place:

(Left) An artists impression of the original church on the Walker - Barton estate. This building once stood on the Walker - Barton estate, close to the homestead and on a site now covered by Lake Wallace. A cemetery (still extant on the shores of this lake) was not far away. Several members of the Walker - Barton family lie buried here, as do many early settlers of the Wallerawang district. This cemetery is under the security of Delta Electricity and is not normally open to the public.

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Other historic items:

(Right) The old school house opposite St Johns. It is also understood that the local Presbyterian congregation may have met in a building a short distance north of St. Johns and on the opposite side of the road. This structure, which still stands, was built as a school. At the time of this building's construction, Lidsdale, located as it was on the Mudgee Road, was then the main settlement in this area. The settlement at Wallerawang was only established after the opening of the railway in 1871.

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This page last updated: 07Nov2006