Conserving St David s Cathedral Your Cathedral in the heart of Hobart. For today and the generations to come.
Table of contents A Message from the Right Reverend John Harrower OAM... 2 A Message from Mr Andrew Kemp AM Appeal Chairman... 3 A Living Cathedral... 4 Our perfect Cathedral... 6 History... 8 Looking to the future... 10 Level of funding needed... 12 Tax Deductibility Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible. Please make cheques for tax deductible gifts payable to: The National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) St David s Donors not requiring tax deductibility should make cheques payable to: The... the heritage we leave to them is ours to protect now! Correspondence All correspondence should be forwarded to: The St David s, GPO Box 748 HOBART Tas 7001 Telephone: +61 3 6234 4900 Email: dean@anglicantas.org.au
Messages Right Reverend John Harrower OAM A full restoration bringing the Cathedral into third millennium use will reveal an exquisite and elegant public space full of colour, light and history. St David s Cathedral stands in the heart of the beautiful city of Hobart as a paradigm of wholeness. In the simplicity of its grandeur is reflected the possibility of Church and State and City working together for the social, the spiritual, and indeed the common good of all citizens. St David s connects us to the rich fabric of the history of Van Diemen s Land. Hobart Town was created a City by Letters Patent of 21 st August 1842 whereby the Diocese of Tasmania was constituted, the former St David s made a Cathedral and consequently Hobart classified a city. Earlier from the days of the Reverend Bobby Knopwood, the first chaplain who rode around the expanding colony on horseback, and Lieutenant Governor David Collins, it has played a vital role from the founding of the colony to this day, a story of convicts and gentry, new ventures, new trades, war and peace, and occasions both spiritual and of State. The Cathedral and its treasures remind us of our roots and who we are. The Cathedral offers a living ministry. The Cathedral and its community of faith are engaging with the wider community for Christ. Its concerns are the living issues of the Kingdom of God. They are the vital issues of today; hope, peace, reconciliation, compassion, the relief of poverty, genuine justice and fairness without discrimination and good stewardship of our environment. This beautiful Cathedral is the testimony to the generosity of past generations. Your support of the Cathedral Appeal will help preserve and enhance an Australian treasure and help it live into the future. I commend the Appeal to your generous and prayerful support. + John Bishop of Tasmania As Chairman of the St David s Cathedral Foundation I invite every citizen and corporation in Tasmania to play their part in the raising of at least $4 million for the total restoration of the impressive Cathedral Church of St David. Why should you be involved with me? Firstly, because the Cathedral is a treasure on the Hobart landscape. It is a particularly fine building architecturally. It is well preserved but as the Cathedral s heritage architect, explains it now is at the stage of requiring major repairs. Immediate works are required to the roof and a number of the stained glass windows. A full restoration bringing the Cathedral into third millennium use will reveal an exquisite and elegant public space full of colour, light and history. Secondly, you might say is not this the church s responsibility? The short answer is that the congregation is already raising funds, but if government grants are to be received the Foundation must have wider and strong general community support. We are looking to raise at least $500,000 by gift or commitment over the next three (3) years from your generous tax deductible gifts. Your gift will help us show Commonwealth, State and Local Government and community funds that this is a worthy project for substantial grants. Thirdly, the restored Cathedral with its adjacent Close on Macquarie Street offers Sanctuary and peaceful tranquillity from our busy world A link to the very soul of our colonial history Treasures of the past to be admired The finest Australian Gothic revival Cathedral in Australia A pre-eminent venue for orchestra, massed bands and soloists, and Above all, a place of corporate and private worship. Finally an additional goal of the Foundation is to further raise an endowment of not less than $2 million to maintain the Cathedral for the generations to come. I have been actively involved in a number of major appeals. This is the one closest to my heart. St David s is integral to Hobart. It is an inspiration to believer and nonbeliever alike. We are a small state and a small metropolitan capital but I am confident that the size of the project is not beyond us. I am confident of your generosity, more than that, I am confident in your belief in our fine City, and so seek your generous support. Andrew Kemp AM Chairman Andrew Kemp, Chairman Mr Andrew Kemp AM Appeal Chairman 2 3
A Living Cathedral The values taught are those of Christ peace, justice, freedom of the oppressed, relief from poverty, good stewardship of the creation and the value of life. St David s Cathedral is a Cathedral church. Consecrated in 1874 St David s is the Bishop of Tasmania s principal place of teaching. It is a Cathedral because it is the place where the Bishop s Cathedra or seat is placed. It is also the venue for great occasions of Diocese, City and State. The developing mission of St David s is expressed in the four words Cathedral City Creative Christ. The building sits on the Corner of Macquarie and Murray Street and forms one quadrant of the finest Georgian streetscape in Australia. On the pinnacles of each gable is a quatrefoil, repeated on the extremities of the large crucifix of the rood screen which dominates the sanctuary. The quatrefoil reminiscent of the four points of the compass reminds us that the Cathedral s mission is a universal mission bringing the love of God in Christ to Hobart and far beyond. The Cathedral is a living Church with music of the highest quality. The St David s Choir offers sacred music both classical and contemporary in worship and in concert. The St David s Organ, considered one of the superior organs of Australia, is played by quality organists. The acoustics and 650 seating capacity demand frequent concerts and appearances of The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Harpist Christina Sonneman, massed military bands and in 2008 a planned visit by the Royal Copenhagen Choir. St David s is known for its fine contemporary Anglican liturgy. Linked with England s Coventry Cathedral, the Dean and associate clergy are committed to creative liturgies that lift the heart and proclaim the Biblical faith as our society, increasingly dissatisfied with a purely materialistic worldview, seeks a sense of the transcendent and apprehension of a living spirituality. This desire for a living spirituality is reflected in the Cathedral s commitment to serve the City, State and community. In services from those for the Opening of Law Term, the Opening of Parliament, Heart Foundation, The Cancer Council Tasmania, Battle of Britain, Anzac Day, Hutchins and Collegiate Schools and as a venue for State Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools the tranquillity and peace is often suspended with laughter, tears and memories. The Memorial Service for the Port Arthur Tragedy is remembered in the Hope Chapel. And the memorial to the last Anzac Alexander Campbell (died on the 16th May 2002, aged 103) who was buried from the Cathedral is a place of pilgrimage. For about 250 Hobart Anglicans St David s is their City Church. Here they come for worship, to link in with a faith community, to learn from the Bible of the love and grace of God and to equip them as servants of Christ to serve Him in Church and community. The values taught are those of Christ peace, justice, freedom of the oppressed, relief from poverty, good stewardship of the creation and the value of life. Above all the Cathedral proclaims the Living God who is rich in mercy. The Very Reverend Dr Lindsay Stoddart 4 5
Our perfect Cathedral Conserving perfection in an exceptional setting The building is one of the most perfect cathedral designs in Australia in terms of its proportion, scale, detail and layout St David s Cathedral is an exceptional Gothic revival church building set in the centre of the civic precinct of Hobart. It has meaning particularly for its spiritual associations with the life of Hobart and its citizens but also on a wider basis as a symbol of the development of the State of Tasmania and the City of Hobart. It is the spiritual centre of the Anglican Church (former Church of England) in Tasmania and the seat of the bishop. It is the place for civic celebrations and for the outpouring of public grief at times of tragedy and crisis. It is a building and place that is part of the life of the city. The cathedral has reached a time in its life where substantial work is required both to maintain it replacing failed materials such as roofing and stonework - and to present it as a vital and contemporary part of the city upgrading services such as lighting, heating and providing for a wider range of uses of the building. Over its life work has been undertaken to maintain and improve the building. This has included adding the bell tower and cloister and various changes around the site and within the building. However the building now requires a major works program to ensure that it will continue well into the future as the principal place of Anglican worship in Tasmania and as a key part of the civic life of Hobart. It also needs a regular and ongoing maintenance program to maintain its condition into the future. The cathedral is the second church on the site and replaced the earlier building that occupied the corner where the tower is now located. The current building was designed by George Frederick Bodley, a noted English architect, in the Gothic revival style and was built in three stages commencing in 1868, being consecrated in 1874 and completed in 1936. This continued the tradition of English cathedrals that were often built over long time periods. The building is one of the most perfect cathedral designs in Australia in terms of its proportion, scale, detail and layout and retains an exceptional setting within the city. It is of State and National significance. Although many new cities in Australia have elevated their church buildings to cathedral status there are only six Anglican Cathedrals that are associated with the capital cities of Australia, five of which are in the Victorian Gothic revival style, they are each different is design and scale. St David s is the second oldest Anglican cathedral in Australia after St Andrew s in Sydney. It is significant not only for the building itself which is of exceptional aesthetic and architectural value but also for many of its separate components such as the very fine set of stained glass windows, many of its fittings and furnishings and its early and rare use of reinforced concrete. St David s is listed on the Registers of the Heritage Council of Tasmania, Hobart City Council, and the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) and was included in the former Register of the National Estate. All of these registers acknowledge that it is a place of high value to the community and of heritage significance. Paul Davies, Heritage Architect 6 7
History City and Cathedral 1817 Foundation stone of the Old St David s laid 1819 First service on Christmas Day 1823 Old St David s consecrated by the Rev. Samuel Marsden of NSW 1842 Dr Francis Russell Nixon consecrated as first Bishop of Tasmania in Westminster Abbey By Letters Patent of 21st August the See of Tasmania created and Hobart Town declared City of Hobart 1843 Bishop Nixon enthroned in the Old St David s 1864 Appointment of Architect George Frederick Bodley for a new cathedral estimated to cost 20,000 1868 Foundation stone of St David s Cathedral laid by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, during the first royal visit to Tasmania 1874 St David s Cathedral nave consecrated by Bishop Bromby Old St David s demolished 1894 Bishop HH Montgomery consecrated the Chancel, Sanctuary and Nixon Chapel constructed at cost of 9,000 1903 English oak pulpit installed 1909 Reconstruction works completed at cost of 4,000 1914 Sicilian marble to sanctuary area, brass sanctuary rails, flooring finished and heating completed to 1915 Organ works 1916 Rood screen installed Foundation Stone laid 1868 Rood screen arrived 1916 Royal visit 1954 1921 The War Memorial Shrine installed 1931 Cloisters and base of Tower completed to Bodley s original design 1935 Eight bells (full circle swing) and chime of five caste by John Taylor of England 1936 Tower completed with bells in place to 2000 Various stained glass windows installed 2006 Four additional bells cast by John Taylor installed and bell tower refurbished 8 9
Looking to the future Buildings or the way we use them rarely stand still and St David s is no exception. Historic buildings and sites are not just important for their past but for what they will contribute in the future to our way of life, our understanding of where we come from and for their ability to provide places of quality both in their built form but also in the way they can inspire us to greater things. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in a cathedral. Simply spending time within a building such as St David s allows us to stop, refocus and appreciate much about life and the spirit. Buildings or the way we use them rarely stand still and St David s is no exception. It has seen change over its life and will continue to see change to accommodate new forms of worship and new activities, to be more comfortable and to include new elements. The broad approach to the future is threefold: firstly to conserve and upgrade the Cathedral, the cloister and the former deanery buildings to present them in a way that is appropriate for the current and future uses and worship secondly to re-present the grounds to recover their setting for the cathedral buildings, to provide private open space and to create a distinct and beautiful area for the people of Hobart to enjoy, and thirdly to look for opportunities for future development of discrete parts of the site, principally the current carpark area, to establish future funding for the upkeep of the buildings and site and the ministry of the cathedral to the city. The first stage of looking to the future is securing the buildings so that they will provide the focus of religious life in the city in a setting that is exceptional in its beauty and which offers hope and encouragement to Hobart. The Very Reverend Dr Lindsay Stoddart 10 11
Level of funding needed Estimates of cost for the maintenance, conservation and upgrade of the Cathedral have been prepared following a detailed assessment of the building and its heritage values. The various areas of cost that need to be funded over the next 5 years (stages 1 and 2) and in the longer term are as follows. These figures do not include fabrics and movable heritage items within the complex: Estimated Cost of Restoring St David s Cathedral $4,243,500 Stage 1 or immediate works Stage 2 works (within 5 years) Stonework...350,000 Stained glass stabilisation...50,000 Stained glass...205,000 Organ conservation...185,000 Electrical Upgrade (basic)...80,000 New lighting...150,000 Heating...90,000 Stonework...200,000 Stained glass...300,000 Roof work...300,000 Miscellaneous other building works...50,000 Upgrade and conservation work to Church House (Conservation work + Upgrade of amenities)...150,000 Stage 2 works total estimate... 1,000,000 Flooring repairs...30,000 Roof and roof drainage work...400,000 Miscellaneous other building works...105,000 Grounds urgent work...50,000 Security...50,000 Fire systems...100,000 Murray Street Entry...95,000 Stage 1 works total estimate... 1,940,000 Stage 3 or longer term works Stonework...300,000 Roof work...350,000 Bells...50,000 Miscellaneous...50,000 Stage 3 works total estimate... 750,000 Contingency sum... 553,500 12 13
St David s Cathedral is one of the most perfect cathedral designs in Australia in terms of its proportion, scale, detail and layout and retains an exceptional setting within the city. Paul Davies Paul Davies Heritage Architects Pty Limited A National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) Conservation Project