heritage management strategy

HERITAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH SITE, HUSKISSON HUSKISSON ANGLICAN CHURCH PROPERTY COMMITTEE

12 August 2018

Heritage Management Strategy 12 August 2018 Holy Trinity Anglican Church Site, Huskisson

Document title

ISSUE DESCRIPTION DATE ISSUED BY

A Draft for Review 6 August 2018 GB

B FINAL 12 August 2018 GB

GBA Heritage

1/71 York St, Sydney

NSW 2000 Australia

T: (61) 2 9299 8600

F: (61) 2 9299 8711

E: [email protected]

W: www.gbaheritage.com

ABN: 56 073 802 730

CAN: 073 802 730

Nominated Architect: Graham Leslie Brooks – NSW Architects Registration 3836


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 CONTEXT 1.2 THE SITE 1.3 HERITAGE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK 1.4 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED 1.5 AUTHORSHIP 1.6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2.0 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 7 2.1 HISTORICAL SUMMARY 2.2 CYRIL BLACKET ARCHITECT, 1857-1937

3.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE 14 3.1 THE SITE 3.2 THE 1930s CHURCH BUILDING 3.3 THE CHURCH HALL 3.4 THE RECTORY 3.5 THE MEETING ROOM AND GRAVES

4.0 HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE 23 4.1 COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 4.2 HERITAGE ASSESSMENT 4.3 THRESHOLDS FOR HERITAGE LISTING

5.0 FORMULATION OF HERITAGE STRATEGY 28 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.2 COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 5.3 OVERALL CONDITION 5.4 STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS

6.0 HERITAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 30 6.1 THE PREFERRED STRATEGY 6.2 RECOMENDATIONS


1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 CONTEXT This Heritage Management Strategy has been prepared at the request of the Huskisson Anglican Church Property Committee to provide advice on the heritage management implications of various opportunities that are being explored by the Committee for the future of the overall property.

1.2 THE SITE The subject site is located at 17 Hawke Street, Huskisson, and is known as Holy Trinity Church group. It comprises, the former Church (c1930), the Hall, part of which is the original Church, the Rectory (1970s) and a large shed. It comprises Lots 7 and 8 of DP 758530. The “L” shaped site faces east onto Hawke Street and has frontages to Bowen Street to the south , Currambene Street on the west, and a laneway along its northern boundary. There is a coastal park on the eastern side of Hawke Street and the site is located two blocks to the south of the intersection of Hawke and Owen Streets and the Huskisson Hotel. The remaining parcel of land (Lot 9) is not part of the subject property or ownership.

Figure 1 Aerial photo of the site (SIX Maps)


Figure 2 The subject site is located close to the commercial centre of Huskisson (NearMap)

1.3 HERITAGE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK The subject property is not listed on Schedule 5 of Shoalhaven LEP 2014. It is not included in any statutory heritage list at National, State or Local level. It was considered for listing during the most recent Shire Heritage Study process but passed over in favour of two other small timber churches in the coastal regions of the Shire. In the vicinity of Items 201 Tapalla Point geological rock platform and 207, the “Jervis Bay Hotel”, now trading as the Huskisson Hotel.

Figure 3 Extract from Shoalhaven LEP 2014 Heritage


The are two small timber Churches listed on Schedule 5 of the Shoalhaven LEP 2014 are in Sussex Inlet and Milton, as being of local significance.

• Item 459, Gothic Carpenter style relocated Church (former Termeil Wesleyan Church), 173 Jacobs Drive, Sussex Inlet. (Lot B DP 343373)

• Item 283, Milton Anglican Church Group including St Peter and St Paul Victorian Gothic Revival style Anglican Church, inter-war Carpenter Gothic style hall and Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm), 109 Pacific Highway Milton. (Lot 1 DP 780778)

These are discussed in detail in Section 4.1

1.4 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED

• Shoalhaven Heritage Inventory for Holy Trinity Church Group Huskisson, 2011

• Shoalhaven Heritage Inventory for Victorian Gothic Revival Style Church, also known as St Peter and St Paul’s Anglican Church, Milton. This property also contains a timber Church Hall on the Church Street frontage, dated 1918

• Shoalhaven Heritage Inventory for Gothic Carpenter Style Relocated Church (former Termeil Wesleyan Church), Sussex Inlet. The Church was originally erected in 1897 and moved to Sussex Inlet in 1939.

• Shoalhaven Heritage Inventory for Mechanics Institute and School of Arts, Berry Street, Nowra. Erected in 1891, This is Cyril Blacket’s most highly regarded architectural work in the Shoalhaven LGA.

• Morton Herman, The Blackets, An Era of Australian Architecture, Angus and

Robinson, Sydney 1963.

• Nick Vine-Hall, My Name is Blacket, self published, Sydney 1983

• Various documents held in the Paris Archives

1.5 AUTHORSHIP This Heritage Management Strategy has been prepared by Graham Brooks, Managing Director of GBA Heritage, Heritage Consultants, Sydney. All photos, unless otherwise acknowledged, are sourced from GBA Heritage Pty Ltd

1.6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GBA Heritage wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the following people in the preparation of this report:

• Mr Ian Deck, Huskisson Anglican Church Property Committee

• Mr Jeff Park, Huskisson Anglican Church Property Committee


2.0 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

2.1 HISTORICAL SUMMARY The 2011 Heritage Inventory Form contains the following historical notes for the property The site of Huskisson was surveyed in 1840 as a government town located in a strategic position in Currambene Creek. Land at Huskisson was subdivided in 1870 with many blocks purchased by local families. In 1871 a half-time school opened, followed in 1881 by a full-time school. The arrival of the railway at Nowra in 1893 opened the area still further to tourists. In 1893 George Dent opened a hotel on the site of the present Jervis Bay Hotel. Land for the Anglican Church was set aside in 1876 and a Union Church was erected to serve the community c1900 at the junction of Hawke and Bowen Streets. This Church was relocated to its present position to allow for the erection of the rector’s house at the northern side of the block and is now the Anglican Church Hall. The existing Anglican Church was designed by Architect Cyril Blacket who completed his drawings on the 7 November 1930. The foundation stone was laid by Archbishop of Sydney, Most Rev E Walker, Rural Dean of Wollongong on 24 January 1931. The building was as erected by A E Green of Nowra and completed on 9 June 1931, taking nearly three months to complete at a cost of £482/5/-. The Church has eleven windows with arched heads made of cedar costing £72/6/-. The roof had a stringy bark roof (split shingles). Tree Planting The Church was opened on 4

th April and at the time trees were planted on the church

grounds. Trees were planted by Mrs F Dent, Mrs J Dent, Mr B Loutitt, Mrs Wilcox, Mrs Lackersteen, Mr Lawson, Dr Hansard and others. Graves in the Church Yard From several sources it appears that there were at least six headstones visible at one time in the graveyard. There were two graves with a picket fence surround. One grave was a whaler from across the bay and the other was a man who was crushed by a log. Evidence of two burials has been found. Swedish seaman Carl Niclasson, aged 32 years a native of Gothberg Sweden, employed on the whaling factory ship the “Lock Tay” at Jervis Bay died suddenly in November 1912. The seaman was buried at the rear of the Union Church along side the grave of a sailor interred some 42 years earlier. The Modification Dates section of the Heritage Inventory contains the following information: The church building has been modified by the addition of a porch or sacristy to the north side at relatively early date and by the addition of a new entry at the western end in compatible materials when relocated to its present position. The information is essentially incorrect in that the sacristy on the northern side was part of the original building and the church remains in its original position. It was the earlier church that was relocated and heavily modified. The recent addition of a replacement entry is correct. The information presented on the following pages confirms these historical developments.


Further research into Parish Archives and discussion with Parish representatives has revealed additional information and confirmed much of what was captured by the Heritage Inventory Form. 1878 - 1880 Two parcels of land comprising Lot 8 of Section 3 facing Currambene Street and Lot 7 facing Hawke St, on the southern side of Huskisson, were transferred to the Church representatives. (CT Vol 461 folio 84 and Vol 486 folio 137) 1880s A small timber church was erected at the northern end of the overall site. Figure 4 shows this small building set against a heavily wooded backdrop. 1931 Erection of a new Church at the southern end of the site, near the corner with Bowen Street. Architectural drawings (Figure 6) were prepared by Cyril Blacket, (1857–1937), son of the famous 19

th century architect Edmund Blacket (1817–1883) . Cyril was by this date in his 70s

and living in Osborne Street, Nowra, he died at Manly in 1937. Possibly as part of the original construction, iron rod tie bars were installed to stabilise the thrust of the main roof trusses. No such tie bar was installed in the Chancel arch. (Figure 20) 1938 A large number of trees were planted by parishioners to mark the 3

rd anniversary of the

consecration of the church. 1940s The original, heavily deteriorated, timber shingle roof was replaced by a galvanised roof. It is believed that the roofing shingles had not been properly seasoned before they were installed. 1970s The original church building was relocated further south, towards the centre of the overall frontage to Hawke Street. At this stage the building was heavily modified by a large addition to the west, doubling the length of the original building. A further addition to the west provided a large kitchen area, an addition to the east provided additional hall space and an external toilet block was added to the west. At this stage, the Hall was not fitted with a verandah. (Figure 5) 1970s A new, free standing, single storey, face brick cottage was erected at the northern end of the site for a Rectory. (Figure 30) Late 20

th century

The small entry porch at the western end of the Church building was replaced with a much larger porch. This porch is now accessed by an external ramp system for the mobility impaired. (Figure 17) Early 21

st century

The large southern verandah was added to the Hall building. (Figure 26) Early 21

st century

The large single storey prefabricated meeting room building was erected to the west of the main Hall. (Figure 32) 2014 Numbers at 10am family service had outgrown the capacity of the available buildings and was moved to rented premises at Vincentia Primary School. Numbers at the 8 am service began to dwindle over the next few years, forcing an amalgamation with the worship venue at Vincentia. The Church building has been largely unused for the last two years.


Figure 4, the original Church building located on the northern part of the subject site

Figure 5 The Church Hall prior to the recent erection of the southern verandah. The original hall building comprises the right hand (eastern) half of the main building. The building was moved south in

the 1970s to make way for a new Rectory Source Shoalhaven Heritage Sheet for the site, October 2011.

Compare with Figure 23 of the building with its recently constructed side verandah Note that the large building to the left has yet to be constructed


Figure 6 Original architectural drawings prepared by Cyril Blacket in 1930. Note the small entry porch

and the lack of any tie bars to stabilise the roof structure. Source Parish archives

Figure 7 Laying of the foundation for the new Church on 24

th January 1931 by the Most Reverend John

Charles Wright. Note the original Church building in the background.

Source Parish archives


2.2 CYRIL BLACKET, ARCHITECT, 1857 - 1937 The following summary (from Morton Herman’s The Blackets) captures the career of Cyril Blacket, as background to his architectural drawing for the 1930s Holy Trinity Church building at Huskisson. 1880 Cyril Blacket, at the age of 23, returns from studying architecture in England and joins the firm of his famous father Edmund Blacket. The name of the firm was changed to Blacket and Son. 1880 – 1883 The firm Blacket and Son was very busy with a wide range of residential and commercial projects across New South Wales, including many Anglican churches in metropolitan and regional locations. 1882 Cyril left his position as Instructor at the Sydney School of Arts to take up a similar position at Sydney University. 1883 Edmund Blacket died at the age of 65 and Cyril, at the age of 26, was thrust into taking control of the large and well established firm. He called on his elder brother Arthur to assist and for several years the practice, known as Blacket Brothers, continued in business. 1885 - 1894 Facing a number of business and professional problems, Cyril left the practice in 1886, which was continued with some success by Arthur. Cyril left Sydney and the practice of architecture to try his hand at sawmilling and opening up large tracts of land on the south coast. Unfortunately this venture was also unsuccessful and he returned to the practice of architecture while living on the NSW south coast. In 1891 he designed the Nowra Mechanics Institute and School of Arts. (Figure 8) 1894 Cyril returned to Sydney to take up a lectureship in architecture at Sydney Technical College. Two years later, Arthur Blacket, who had continued the practice with a good deal of success, went into semi retirement. Cyril had recovered both mentally and physically enough to revive the former practices and went from strength to strength over the years, particularly as the famous architect John Horbury Hunt’s reputation faded. 1903 Cyril became President of the Institute of Architects and the following year became Mayor of Lane Cove Borough, holding both positions for many years, while his practice and business prospered. He was appointed Diocesan Architect, a role that required him to approve the designs of many new churches, while his firm designed a number of country churches as well as commercial and residential buildings. Eventually Cyril took his son, Pendril Cyril Blacket into the firm and renamed it Blacket and Son, the name of Edmund Blacket’s firm from 1880 until 1883. The renamed practice was very active until the outbreak of the First World War. 1930 Cyril, by then aged 73, designed the new Anglican Church at Huskisson. This year was the 47th anniversary of the death of his famous father, Edmund Blacket. 1937 Cyril Blacket died at Manly at the age of 80. During this decade the Blacket name gradually faded from the architectural scene in New South Wales.


Figure 8 Nowra Mechanics Institute, 1891. Cyril Blacket’s most notable building in Shoalhaven, is listed

on Schedule 5 of the Shoalhaven LEP. (Source Google Maps)

Figure 9 1938 photo of the Church with its early fence and gate to Hawke Street. Note the small building to the left, which may be a toilet block or on an adjoining property, but is no longer extant on

site. (Source Parish Archives)


Figure 10 Early photo of the original entry porch with the then Church organist Compare with Figure 17 of the much larger, recently installed Porch and Access Ramp


3.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE

3.1 THE SITE The Physical Description of the Church in the Inventory Sheet is: Representative weatherboard and galvanised iron Federation Carpenter Gothic Church constructed of local hardwood. Gabled roof with 3 roof ventilator dormers in each side of the main roof. Alter enclosed by a lower rectangular “apse”. Windows of lanceolate form with timber drip moulds. Open eaves of gables and gutters. The northern side is propped by a timber buttress which appears to be original. Supported on brick piers. The building forms a group with the later church Hall. Two graves set amongst a mature stand of Eucalyptus sp. (spotted gums) are also located in the grounds of the church marked by plain white crosses. The group as a whole makes a major contribution to the streetscape. Its “central” location defines its historical role in the growth of the town. There are several factual errors in this description:

• While the style may evoke the Federation Carpenter Gothic, it was built in 1931, well after the Federation period, and its plain gable barge boards present a far less decorated character that the finer examples of this style.

• While the current roofing is corrugated galvanised iron sheeting, this was the replacement material in the late 1940s after the original timber shingle roof failed.

• The reference to the small timber buttress on the northern side ignores the similar buttresses on the southern elevation.

• The Hall is only partly of “later” construction, having been commenced as a small structure in the 1880s, long before major alterations and additions in the late 20

th

century.

• The white crosses that marked the graves are no longer in place, although the grave locations have generally been mapped.


Figure 11 The 1930s Church building viewed from Hawke Street, in its landscaped setting.

Figure 12 The 1930s Church at the south-eastern corner of the site, with its new fencing and the Hall in the background.

Figure 13 Looking back from the rear of the Hall towards the Church at the southern end of the site.


Figure 14 The open centre of the overall site, with the handrail to the Church stairs on the right, fencing to define the car parking in the centre with the Hall and Rectory in the distance.

Figure 15 The unused north-western portion of the overall site, with its grassed areas and tall trees.

Figure 16 The laneway that runs along the northern side of the overall site. The Rectory and Hall can be seen behind the timber fence.


3.2 THE 1930s CHURCH BUILDING

Figure 17 View from the north-west showing the recently erected large porch with its access ramp, steps and side doors. The original timber shingle roofing was replaced with corrugated iron sheeting after the Second World War. The small bell tower and roof vents were re-installed after the roof was sheeted.

Figure 18 The western end of the Church showing the recently erected large porch. The small side buttresses for the main Church can be seen on the side elevation.

Figure 19 Eastern end of the Church with its three windows and side vestry


Figure 20 View looking down the nave to the chancel. Note the tie bars at each of the main roof trusses . The choir stalls have been removed.

Figure 21 The nave looking towards the entry porch. The internal walls are lined with timber panelled dado and a compressed fibre board above, which has a pre-painted surface finish.

Figure 22 Interior of the recently erected entry Porch, looking in to the nave. Note the new doors, new viewing windows and new internal wall cladding.


3.3 THE CHURCH HALL

Figure 23 View towards the Hall from the driveway area behind the Church. Note the toilet block adjacent to the western end.

Figure 24 Eastern end of the Hall, showing the room that was added when the Building was moved.

Figure 25 Northern elevation showing the original portion that comprises the original church. Note the brick piers that support the building in its new configuration.


Figure 26 The recently erected covered verandah along the southern side of the Hall.

Figure 27 The main body of the extended Hall, with the original portion at the far end, looking towards the eastern addition.

Figure 28 The Kitchen at the western end of the Hall


3.4 THE RECTORY

Figure 29 The single storey Rectory at the northern end of the site, including the fences that enclose a private rear yard.

Figure 30 The Rectory viewed from the south east, indicating the Hawke Street elevation.

Figure 31 Photo showing the relationship between the Rectory and the rear of the Hall.


3.5 NEW MEETING ROOM AND GRAVES

Figure 32 The recently erected new meeting room comprises pre-fabricated sections.

Figure 33 The new meeting room has no architectural distinction. It is envisaged as being of a temporary service nature.

Figure 34 The majority of the known graves are situated on the adjoining lot, to the south west of the subject land, to the right of the driveway from Bowen Street.


4.0 HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

4.1 COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES There are two historic coastal Anglican churches listed on the Shoalhaven Local Environmental Plan, at Milton and Sussex Inlet.

MILTON ANGLICAN CHURCH Item 283, Milton Anglican Church Group including St Peter and St Paul Victorian Gothic Revival style Anglican Church, inter-war Carpenter Gothic style hall and Ulmus parvifolia (Chinese Elm), 109 Pacific Highway Milton. (Lot 1 DP 780778) The Statement of Significance for this Church, which was originally erected in 1859 and extended in 1907 states: Early Victorian Gothic Revival Church of considerable historical and social interest. Unfortunately, architectural integrity has been severely compromised by unsympathetic renovations. Local significance. The Church Hall on the same property and included in the heritage listing was erected in 1918.


Figure 35 St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Milton, 1859 (Source Google Maps)

Figure 36 The Church Hall on the site of St peter and St Paul’s Milton (Source Google Maps)


SUSSEX INLET RELOCATED CHURCH Item 459, Gothic Carpernter style relocated Church (former Termeil Wesleyan Church), 173 Jacobs Drive, Sussex Inlet. (Lot B DP 343373) The Statement of Significance for this Church, which was originally erected in the village of Termeil by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1897 and relocated to Sussex Inlet in 1939 states: Good example of a simple gothic sty le weatherboard church, representative of emerging coastal communities, recreation and lifestyle.

Figure 37 The Sussex Inlet Church, 1897, formerly the Wesleyan Methodist church at Termeil (Source

Google Maps)


WANDANDIAN RELOCATED CHURCH The Anglican Church at Wandandian was originally erected in the small community of Falls Creek, inland from Huskisson, and subsequently moved to Wandandian in the 1960s. The Falls Creek property, known as St Andrew’s and built in 1887, was sold in 1965. The funds from another property, St John’s at Terara, a suburb of Nowra, sold several years earlier, were used to pay for the relocation of the Falls Creek building. The property was sold by the Anglican Church in 1989 and the funds used to build a new centre further south for the rapidly developing residential community at Sanctuary Point.

Figure 38 The former Falls Creek Church, 1887, relocated to Wandandian and sold in 1965 to fund a new parish centre at Sanctuary Point. (Source Parish Archives)

HUSKISSON ANGLICAN CHURCH The Shoalhaven Heritage Inventory for the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Group in Huskisson provides the following Statement of Significance: Representative Federation Carpenter Gothic Church important in Huskisson for its historical, social and streetscape values. The Church was erected in 1931 to replace a small and by then inadequate timber church that had been erected on the overall site in the 1880s. The original building was relocated further south on the same site in the 1970s to make way for a new Rectory, and was enlarged to provide a substantial Hall.


4.2 HERITAGE ASSESSMENT Of the existing buildings on the overall site only the 1930s Church building is considered to be of potential heritage significance. The original 1880s church has been utterly changed by its inclusion in the Hall, the 1970s Rectory is a modern building of no architectural distinction, while the recently erected Meeting Room is of no heritage value. Consideration of the aesthetic heritage significance of the 1930s Church building must take into account its relatively restrained inter-war version of the Federation Carpenters Gothic style, subsequent alterations to the building including the change of roofing and the replacement entry. The design was developed against a very tight budget, one reason for its lack of architectural distinction. Its “gothic” imagery was a derivation of the dominant Victorian Gothic Revival style for church buildings developed by Cyril’s father Edmund Blacket in the mid 19

th century. It remained the preferred style for the vast majority church buildings erected

in Australia until the Second World War. Its association with the architect Cyril Blacket, came when he was in his early 70s and had not practised architecture to any degree of intensity since before the First World War. Historically the 1930s building fits into a continuity of worship on the site from the 1880s until 2016. The Anglican community who own and have used the Church building since the 1880s have effectively abandoned the building as a place of worship and are keen to move their assets to a new facility in Vincentia. In this they are acting within a strong local tradition of moving or selling redundant churches as a response to changing demographics and community needs. Primarily, the building is one of the most recent of the small churches in the coastal communities of the Shoalhaven and Jervis Bay area, with others considered by Council to be more important and representative.

4.3 THRESHOLDS FOR HERITAGE LISTING The updated heritage assessment of the Church property, undertaken as part of the Heritage Management Strategy, agrees with the Council officers and the Department of Planning, that the Holy Trinity church at Huskisson does not meet the threshold for inclusion on Schedule 5 of the Shoalhaven LEP 2014 for any of the statutory Heritage Assessment criteria.


5.0 FORMULATION OF HERITAGE STRATEGY

5.1 INTRODUCTION The Parish ceased using the Holy Trinity Church at Huskisson for services in 2016 and is seeking to develop a new Parish centre at Vincentia using funds from the sale of the site at Huskisson. This large site is located within the Huskisson Town Centre and presents a good opportunity for redevelopment for uses that reinforce the viability of the central area. It is a large site with a long frontage to Hawke Street. It also has frontages to Bowen and Currambene Streets and a laneway that runs along its northern boundary. It adjoins land zoned for business and residential purposes. Church representatives have been advised that Council staff would be supportive in principle of rezoning the property if it is no longer to be used for church purposes.

5.2 COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES The history of worship by the Anglican communities on the mid south coast of NSW, in the late 19

th and the 20

th century is one of responding to changes in the growth, vitality and often

subsequent decline of the many small coastal communities across the Shoalhaven district. In some cases early buildings were progressively enlarged, while others were relocated. The Church at Wandandian, previously moved from nearby Falls Creek, was sold to utilise its asset value to build a new community centre to serve the growing community at Sanctuary Point

5.3 OVERALL CONDITION The Church and Hall buildings are generally in fair condition. The Rectory and Additional Meeting Rooms buildings are generally in good condition.

5.4 STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS The subject property is not listed on Schedule 5 of Shoalhaven LEP 2014 and is not listed in the NSW State Heritage Register. When the current LEP was being formulated, Council officers have advised (email dated 29June 2108 to Wayne Smith) that Council had written to the Department of Planning in August 2006 with the following general and specific justifications for deleting the subject property from a future heritage list:. Council considers that either there is sufficient and adequate representations of similar items retained in the draft plan, or restrictions will hinder works which are essential for viability, efficiency or safety.


Additionally, items 1 to 9 are within areas designated for commercial or higher density residential and Council considers listing may inhibit the desired future character of Huskisson which is seen as the tourist accommodation gateway to Jervis Bay. The letter also provided examples of representative samples that will be retained in the plan. For the Huskisson Anglican Church the listed ones were:

• Victorian Gothic Carpenter Style relocated church, 175 Jacobs Drive, Sussex Inlet • Victorian Gothic Revival Style church, 109 Princes Highway, Milton

The email concluded: However, as your consultants may have advised, just because it is not listed it does not necessarily mean that the heritage significance of the Church etc will not require closer consideration or raise issues/concerns as part of any future rezoning or DA. Additionally items (e.g. Graves) on site may also be considered to be ‘relics’ under the NSW Heritage Act and as such require the appropriate consideration.


6.0 HERITAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

6.1 THE PREFERRED STRATEGY In the light of the above research and discussion the current Parish strategy of selling the property and moving their funding resources to the establishment of a new centre at Vincentia, is entirely supportable and justifiable from a heritage management perspective. Such a strategy would enable this large property to be developed to its optimum potential given its close proximity to the commercial centre of the township. The alternative is for the site to be held by the Parish and to languish without any prospect of future use or vitality. In larger metropolitan centres, there have been examples where some of the younger faith communities have taken over redundant church buildings. This is highly unlikely in the Huskisson context.

6.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

• Given the nature of the buildings, there are no heritage requirements for the on-site retention of the Hall, the Rectory or the Meeting Room.

• The Church building could be relocated within the site and adapted for a new use, if

this was feasible and if a viable adaptive re-use could be identified that did not impact to an unacceptable degree on its architectural character. If such an option does not prove to be feasible, demolition is an acceptable outcome.

• All of the buildings on site should be photographically recorded before any physical intervention takes place and such records lodged with Shoalhaven Council or Local History Library.

• An Interpretation Plan should be prepared and implemented as a component of any future redevelopment and/or adaptive re-use, in order to celebrate the history of Anglican worship on the site.

• The Parish should retain their current archives in perpetuity.

heritage management strategy

Documents