160th Anniversary of St Jude`s ChurchPrint Page

The plaque commemorates the 160th anniversary of St Jude`s Church.

The foundation stone of the church was laid on December 16, 1854, by Lady Fox Young, wife of the Governor of the province. Mr. Pitt Cobbett, secretary of the building committee, deposited a bottle containing documents beneath the stone. There were between 200 and 300 present at the ceremony. Besides the Bishop (Dr. Short), the following clergy attended: —Archdeacon Woodcock (Christ Church, North Adelaide), G. H. Farr (then head master of St. Peter's College), Robert Strong (St. Mary's, South road), J. B. Titherington (Glenelg, to which parish Brighton then belonged), and D. J. Ibbertson (Norwood). A banquet was held afterwards at the Grace Darling Hotel, and Mr. R. B. Colley (first Mayor of Glenelg) presided.

The church is a compact structure, built of stone, with brick facings, and a slate roof. The style of architecture is decorated Gothic, and the seating accommodation is now about 150. The opening ceremony was performed by the Bishop on April 8 (Easter Sunday), 1855. Mr.Titherington officiated at the evening service, the preacher being the Rev. C. Marryat. Messrs. English & Brown supplied the cedar pews,10½ ft. long at £4 15/ each, and a number of parishioners, paid the cost. The first seatholders were Mrs. Hillier (who kept a ladies' boarding school). Dr. Topham, and Messrs. Atkinson, John Beer, Henry Highet, Edward Stephens, Bristow, W. V. Brown, who took great interest in the affairs of early Brighton, being one of the first councillors of the district, Waters, Hall, and Sherwood, who each paid for a full pew. Messrs. Pitt, Cobbett, and Hulbert shared a pew. The first vestry meeting was held on April 11, 1855, when Messrs. Brown and Highet were elected wardens. Mr. Cobbett was elected lay representative to Synod. He held lay services at St. Jude's, and also at Echunga. The Rev J. B. Titherington, rector of St Peter's Church, Glenelg, was the first in cumbent of St. Jude's from 1855 to 1859, the work there being done in conjunction with his duties at Glenelg.
Excerpt from The Register, 1 February 1855.

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