St. John's Wollombi - The Parish of the Wollombi Valley

The Wollombi Village Church of St. John the Evangelist

The Church 'St. John's Wollombi' is a lofty stone building of good proportions, in pointed Gothic style with projecting porch, vestry and chancel, lit by single lancet windows and ornamented by a small belfry. Designed by Edmund Blacket, it was built of local sandstone of a beautiful variegated colour that is undimmed by over 100 years weathering.

Being situated in a remote village, the church is in exactly its original condition, except for a small lengthening of the nave in the 1860s.

Since it stands in what was once great cedar producing country, its pews and woodwork are of the finest timber, beautifully aged and completely unspoiled, and the wrought iron “mongery” still bears the marks of the long-dead craftsman's hammer.

St. John's Wollombi is an early Blacket church and although extremely simple, has features that differ from his later country churches in the Early English style.

There is a complete absence of buttresses on the building: the lancets are small and set high above the string course; and the west end door is surrounded with an odd vermiculated rustication – all atypical features.

The Church is approached from the front gate under a fine and unusual lantern. This lantern has been recently restored by John Gannon of Oil Lamps Australia at Braidwood NSW.

St. John's features glorious gothic style stained glass windows, natural stone walls in the interior and original brass sconces on either side of the pulpit, as well as many fine brass objects donated by local citizens. It remains one of the most uniquely beautiful buildings in the Wollombi Valley.

In 1998, for its sesquicentenary, the church was fortunate to be given a single manual pipe organ when the Woodville Church was closed. This lovely organ, used regularly in Sunday worship, is over 100 years old and is listed in the “Historic Organs of N.S.W.".