St Katherine’s Church, St Helena

The story of St. Katherine’s Church begins on the Island of St Helena in the Atlantic ocean, where Anthony Beale was born on 3 November 1790. Anthony became Paymaster for the East India Company which then controlled the island on behalf of the British Crown. On 15 June 1814 he married Katherine Rose Young, niece of the Governor of St. Helena, and together they went on to produce 17 children, all but the last of whom were born on the island before the family migrated to Australia.

It was to the Island of St. Helena that the British exiled Napoleon after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on 15 June 1815.

In 1836 the British Government took over the administration of the island when the East India Company’s charter expired, and Anthony Beale retired to England on a pension of 500 pounds a year. After three years in England he migrated with his family to the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, travelling via Van Dieman’s Land where his son Onesophorous drowned in the Tamar River. A granite tablet in memory of Onesophorous can be seen in the back wall of St. Katherine’s Church.

His first residence was on a three acre allotment purchased for 250 pounds in the suburb of Newtown (now known as Fitzroy). In 1841 he took a pastoral lease of an extensive area on the Plenty River where he built his cottage which he called St. Helena, and which ultimately gave the district its name.

The family appears to have lived quite happily at St. Helena until the death of Anthony’s wife, Katherine Rose, on 5 August 1856. To her memory Anthony erected in his front garden, this beautiful place of worship which he named “The Rose Chapel”. For some two years after her death he used the chapel for long periods of meditation and prayer, much of which he recorded in his diary, now in the State Library of Victoria. After his death on 4 September 1865 the chapel was willed, with three acres of land to the Church of England. It was consecrated St. Katherine’s in 1876 by Bishop Thornton of Ballarat.

1 Children married locally
2 Fire
3 Stained Glass Windows
4 Churchyard
5 Reading
6 Link

[edit] Children married locally

Some of the nine surviving children who came out to Australia married into local families. On 14 July 1857 the second daughter Isabella married architect Charles Maplestone who was responsible for the redesigning of the chapel when it was taken over by the Church of England in 1876. He also designed St. John’s Church of England at Diamond Creek in 1867, and the Presbyterian Church at Kangaroo Ground in 1878. Other early links with local families were with the Ormes of Diamond Creek, the McLennans of St. Helena, and the Wingroves of Eltham.

[edit] Fire

On 28 February 1957 St. Katherine’s Church was severely damaged in a bush fire, but fortunately detailed architectural drawings had recently been prepared by a student, so that the church could be fully restored. It was re-dedicated by Archbishop J J Booth on Sunday 7 November 1957. On hearing of its destruction, the people of the Island of St. Helena presented an engraved alms dish (which is on display in the front of the church) to its Australian sister church.

[edit] Stained Glass Windows

The stained glass windows in the sanctuary commemorate the founder and his wife, while other windows honour the memory of Beale relatives and those who served in World War One. It is believed that the bell, still used to sound the commencement of Sunday morning services, came from the island of St. Helena. The church and its surroundings have provided inspiration for artists and poets over the years, and some of their work is displayed on the walls.

[edit] Churchyard

The portion of the church yard to the right of the entrance gate is reserved for the graves of Beale relatives and the headstones record much of the family’s history. The portion to the left of the entrance has been open to the public, but is now closed. There are some interesting graves in the churchyard. Close to the path is the grave of a well known artist of the Heidelberg School, Walter Withers. Further along on the same side, the grave of Police Magistrate Graham Webster records that he was the last of a family whose descendants could be traced back for 179 years. In the far corner of the yard lie the remains of Dr. Edward Cordner Snr, who with three of his sons, played football for Melbourne. The Church grave yard has been registered by the National Trust. The garden at the front corner of the church has been established as a memorial garden for the interment of ashes.

A large area of land outside the bounds of church property, has been reserved as public open space under the control of the Banyule Municipal Council, so that the historic church of St. Katherine’s St. Helena will always remain in a quiet oasis for worship in a busy suburb.

N.B. The number 1-8 are depicted on the Historic Ceramic Panel outside the church which was dedicated by Bishop Stephen Hale to commemorate the 150th Anniversary December 7th 2008.