The Church - Waypoint 1
The St Andrew's Church has perhaps the most beautiful steeple in Canberra and was designed by the same architect who designed the wonderful spires of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Melbourne.
But what we see today is it far from the original concept.
The site for St Andrews was selected back in 1929 with the foundation stone laid later that year. A large gothic style church was planned for the site and it was intended to become the National Cathedral of Australian Presbyterians.
The church was set to cost £80K and the congregation duly raised half of this by the time construction commenced in October 1929. This unfortunately coincided the stock market crash of that year which lead to the Great Depression. Needless to say, the remaining funds could not be obtained. This is what the cathedral was intended to look once completed (looking south-west, not far from WP1):
By the time the church was opened in 1934, it was barely half completed with the nave (the long bit with all the pews) still to be constructed. The resulting church was little more than a chapel in size. Nonetheless it was opened by the then Governor General, Sir Isaac Isaacs in a large ceremony. But hopes it would become the cathedral once envisaged were dashed.
The design of the church is classified as inter-war Gothic c1915-c1945. This was a very conservative choice for a new church as the style was well past it's prime. What is unusual about this church is the building material. This is clearly sandstone, a material that is not native to the Canberra region. Many wonderful examples of honey-coloured sandstone buildings exist in the Sydney area, so this is probably where the stone was sourced and shipped down by railway. Clearly the architect wanted this church to stand out in its prominent capital hill position and sandstone serves this purpose well.
From WP1, observe the following features of Inter-war Gothic style:
- The Spire
- Vertical elements on skyline which include:
- the smaller pinnacles
- the parapeted gable which is a façade of the actual roof gable
- window tracery
- a few Gargoyles are present
- an unusual external pulpit
- stone mullions surrounding the long thin vertical windows
The memorial hall located at the State Circle facing end of the church was added in the 1950's. This was part of the original plan. The church interior retains the feel of a war memorial since it was constructed just after WW1 which had taken such a terrible toll.
Let A be the number of steps can you see from WP1 of the left staircase (labelled "Church Entrance"). Let B be the number of white, spherical dome lights visible above this staircase. Let C be the number of ventilation slots under the external pulpit.
Now wander around the eastern end of the church to WP2. On the way you can observe the Peace Memorial Nave added in 1979, with its contrasting style.
The Manse - Waypoint 2
This surprising building is probably of the pre-WW1 Queen Anne Federation style. I say probably, because it was built too late to be true Queen Anne Federation style. As the name suggests, Federation occurred around 1901, but Canberra is not old enough to have any buildings of this style. You would have to travel to Queanbeyan for the nearest examples. This building, and the caretaker's cottage were constructed and donated by the wealthy Ross family of Holbrook NSW who were wealthy pastoralists. These two buildings were the first to be constructed on this site in August 1928.
From this point, observe some of the features of this building and the style. Note the asymmetry of the building. At the right there is a bay (protruding) window and immediately above that, a battlement. (They must have been expecting an uprising !) Note the battlements echoed on the 1st floor veranda.
Let D be the number of gaps in the battlements of the 1st floor veranda but excluding those above the bay window
Federation style incorporated the popular Art Nouveau style which I will not go into here, but it is apparent in curved, sinuous features. There are a couple of examples here including the cloud-shaped design above each window and the shape of the rafters visible under the veranda. The white windows are very typical of Queen Anne Federation style, as is the stained, transom window above the door. The pointed arches lend a slightly Gothic touch to this building.
Let E be the number of pointed arches visible from this point only.
The roof is slate and has a number of ornate, high chimneys. An aerial shot of the manse highlights the complexity of the roof structure
The Caretaker's Cottage - Waypoint 3
Please note: We have permission from the church to wander around the church grounds, but the yellow/orange cottage is a private residence, so please keep out of this property.
From this point you have a great view of the caretakers cottage (and perhaps gz). This cottage is built at the same time and in the same style as the Manse, but the contrasts could not be greater. The cottage is a muted, unsophisticated structure, but still retains elegant proportions and has been well maintained.
There is an information notice at this place. Find the name of the architect of the church. Let F = the number of characters in the last name of the church's architect.
The cache is located at S35 18.(A-1)(B+C+E)(E+F-C) CS=36 E149 07.DEF CS=34
I hope you enjoyed this short tour. FTF to the persistent Cankid. Well done and thanks for help debugging.