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{{good article}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox church
| icon =
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| name = St John's Anglican Church
| fullname = St John the Baptist Anglican Church, Reid
| other name = St John's, Reid
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = Exterior of St John the Baptist Church Reid April 2017.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Exterior from West, 2017
| pushpin map =
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| coordinates = <!-- {{Coord}} -->
| osgraw = <!-- TEXT -->
| osgridref = <!-- {{gbmappingsmall| TEXT}} -->
| ___location = Corner of [[Anzac Parade, Canberra|Anzac Parade]] and Constitution Avenue, [[Reid, Australian Capital Territory]]
| country = Australia
| denomination = [[Anglican]]
| previous denomination =
| tradition =
| religious institute = <!-- Can be substituted with 'religious order'-->
| churchmanship =
| membership =
| attendance =
| website = {{URL|https://stjohnscanberra.org}}<!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| former name = St John the Baptist Church of England, Reid
| bull date =
| founded date = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|MM|DD|df=y}} - but see note below -->
| founder =
| dedication = [[Saint John the Baptist]]
| dedicated date =
| consecrated date = {{start date|1845|03|12|df=y}} by [[William Broughton (bishop)|William Broughton]]
| cult =
| relics =
| events =
| past bishop =
| people =
| status =
| functional status =
| heritage designation = ACT Heritage Register
| designated date =
| architect = {{bulleted list|[[Robert Campbell (Australian landowner)|Robert Campbell]]<br />{{small|(1841–45; church)}}|George Campbell<br />{{small|([[nave]] extension)}}|[[Edmund Blacket]]<br />{{small|(1865–1870; replacement tower)}}|John Campbell<br />{{small|(1872–73; chancel)}}}}
| architectural type =
| style = {{bulleted list|Victorian Free Medieval|[[Australian non-residential architectural styles#Victorian Ecclesiastical Gothic|Victorian Gothic Revival]]}}
| years built = 1841–1873
| groundbreaking =
| completed date =
| construction cost =
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| capacity =
| length = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| width = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| width nave = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| height = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| diameter = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
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| dome quantity =
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| dome height inner = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
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| dome dia inner = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| spire quantity = 1 {{small|(in 1878)}}
| spire height = <!-- {{convert| }} -->
| materials = {{bulleted list|[[Bluestone]]|[[Sandstone]]}}
| bells = 8
| bells hung = 2m., 16 sp. st., 3c., tr.
| bell weight = <!-- {{long ton|0| }} -->
| parish = Canberra
| benefice =
| deanery =
| archdeaconry =
| episcopalarea =
| archdiocese =
| metropolis =
| diocese = [[Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn|Canberra and Goulburn]]
| province =
| presbytery =
| synod =
| circuit =
| district =
| division =
| subdivision =
| archbishop =
| bishop = Mark Short
| auxiliary bishop =
| cardinal protector =
| abbot =
| prior =
| subprior =
| exarch =
| provost-rector =
| provost =
| viceprovost =
| rector = Rev David McLennan
| vicar =
| dean =
| subdean =
| archpriest =
| precentor =
| succentor =
| chancellor =
| canonchancellor =
| canon =
| canonpastor =
| canonmissioner =
| canontreasurer =
| prebendary =
| priestincharge =
| priest = Rev Andrew Cameron (Public Theology)
| asstpriest =
| honpriest =
| curate = Rev Anna Krebs
| asstcurate =
| nonstipendiaryminister =
| minister =
| assistant =
| seniorpastor =
| pastor =
| chaplain =
| archdeacon =
| deacon =
| deaconess =
| reader =
| student intern =
| organistdom = Sheila Thompson
| director =
| organist =
| organscholar =
| chapterclerk =
| laychapter =
| warden =
| verger =
| businessmgr =
| liturgycoord =
| reledu =
| rcia =
| youthmin = Mary De Lautour (Children and Families Worker), Dr Kirsten Lamb (Youth Worker)
| flowerguild =
| musicgroup = St John's Choir
| parishadmin =
| serversguild =
| sacristan =
| logo =
| logosize =
| logolink =
| logoalt =
| embedded =
| Director of Music = Sheila Thompson
}}
'''St John the Baptist Church''' is an Australian [[Anglican Church of Australia|Anglican]] [[Church (building)|church]] in the [[Canberra]] suburb of [[Reid, Australian Capital Territory|Reid]] in the [[Australian Capital Territory]]. It is the oldest surviving public building within Canberra's inner city and the oldest church in the Australian Capital Territory,<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Randall |title=Sanctuary in the city : the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist Canberra |date=2012 |publisher=The Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, Canberra |isbn=978-0646574455}}</ref> dating back to 1845, and contains several medieval stones, including a 12th century stone from [[Canterbury Cathedral]] and a 13th century stone from [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref name="Wilson" /> The church is located at the corner of [[Anzac Parade, Canberra|Anzac Parade]] and Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the [[Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra|Parliamentary Triangle]].
St John's has been variously described as a "spiritual and social centre", a "sanctuary in the city" and "the Westminster Abbey of Australia".<ref name="Wilson" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Directorate |first=Environment and Planning |date=2022-08-04 |editor-last=Jans |editor-first=Edwina |title=St Johns Church |url=https://www.canberratracks.act.gov.au/heritage-trails/track-2-the-limestone-plains/st-johns-church |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.canberratracks.act.gov.au |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Body" /> Overlooking [[Lake Burley Griffin]] today, it has remained a small English village-style church even as Australia's capital grew around it.<ref name="Sue W" /><ref name="Allbrook" /> Over time, it became a focal point for Australia's governors-general, politicians, public servants and military leaders,<ref name="Allbrook">{{cite journal |last1=Allbrook |first1=Malcolm |title=History of Canberra's oldest church |journal=Australian National University Reporter |date=2015 |volume=46 |issue=2}}</ref> and has hosted royalty on numerous occasions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Royalty Attends Wedding |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppLYo4Z3XBo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ppLYo4Z3XBo |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=British Pathe}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="abc.net.au">{{cite web |title=Queen meets Rush, attends church service |date=22 October 2011 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-23/queen-to-host-luncheon-at-government-house/3595662 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>
The church remains an active place of worship and a Canberra landmark, although it has now been surrounded by offices and residential buildings. The bells of St John's, cast from the same foundry as the [[National Carillon]],<ref name="Bells">{{cite web |title=The Bells of St John's |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/the-bells |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209131034/https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/the-bells |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="National Carillon">{{cite web |title=National Carillon |date=8 May 2017 |url=https://www.nca.gov.au/carillon |publisher=ACT Government|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> are audible from [[Lake Burley Griffin]]. St John's Care, a local charity, emergency relief and community organisation affiliated with [[Anglicare]],<ref>{{cite web |title=St John's Care |url=https://www.stjohnscare.org.au/ |publisher=St John's Care|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> is based in the church precinct, as is the parish's musical group, the St John's Choir.<ref name="Choir">{{cite web |title=St John's Choir |url=http://www.stjohnschoir.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205173519/http://www.stjohnschoir.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=5 December 1998 |publisher=St John's Choir|access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> An annual community fair has been held in the church grounds since the 1930s, with participation from local schools, bands and arts organisations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fair |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/fair |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> In March 2020, the church celebrated its 175th anniversary since consecration.<ref name="A Service to Celebrate">{{cite book |title=A Service to Celebrate 175 Years of Christian Worship on the Limestone Plains |date=15 March 2020 |publisher=St John's Anglican Church Canberra}}</ref>
==Construction==
[[File:Church of St Johns Canberra-01%2B (448617320).jpg|thumb|East facade with the east window|left]]
St John's is oriented east–west, with the nave to the east and the main entrance (with [[choir]] [[loft]] and [[Organ (music)|organ]] above) to the west. The site was chosen by [[Robert Campbell (Australian landowner)|Robert Campbell]] in 1840, with the support of [[William Grant Broughton]], the first Bishop of Australia.<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /> Campbell was a generous supporter of the then Church of England in Australia, despite being Presbyterian. He also wanted a place for the local community to congregate and was willing to donate his own land to this cause.<ref name="Sue W">{{cite web |last1=W |first1=Sue |title=St John's Church & Schoolhouse Museum |url=https://www.weekendnotes.com/st-johns-church-and-school-house-museum-canberra/ |website=Weekend Notes |publisher=Weekend Notes |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> Bishop Broughton's ambition went further: he sought to establish the Church of England as "the national church, established in law, charged with the care of all subjects of the Crown, apostolic in its doctrine and government".<ref name="Allbrook" /> St John's was a product of these efforts. The foundation stone was laid in on 11 May 1841 by the Revd Edward Smith, Rector of Queanbeyan, and the church was consecrated on 12 March 1845 by Bishop Broughton.<ref name="Step back" />
The building was constructed over a period of several years and was completed in three stages in the Victorian Free Medieval and [[Australian non-residential architectural styles#Victorian Ecclesiastical Gothic|Victorian Gothic Revival]] styles:<ref name="Body">{{cite book |last1=Body |first1=Alfred H. |title=Firm Still You Stand: The Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, Canberra; its parish and parishioners, 1814 - 1924 |date=1986 |publisher=St John's Parish Council |___location=Canberra |isbn=0959171118 |url={{GBurl|VLRVGQAACAAJ}}}}</ref>
* The original church erected by [[Robert Campbell (Australian landowner)|Robert Campbell]] (1841–45)
* [[Nave]] extension by George Campbell
* [[Chancel]] by John Campbell (1872–73)
The church's sandstone walls were quarried from the base of Black Mountain and Quarry Hill (located in the suburb of [[Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory|Yarralumla]]).<ref>{{cite book |author=Robinson F. W. |year=1924 |title=Canberra's First Hundred Years |publisher=WC Penfold & Co Limited }}</ref>
The original {{convert|20|ft|m|0|order=flip|adj=on}} church tower was erected in 1845 but developed a {{convert|2|ft|m|0|order=flip|adj=on|spell=on}} lean, was deemed unsafe and was dismantled in 1864. The present tower was designed by [[Edmund Blacket]] and erected during the period 1865–1870. Sandstone for the tower's window mouldings was hauled by [[ox|bullock]] from the Camden-Bargo district, a distance of {{convert|100|mi|km|0|order=flip}}.<ref name="Body"/> The spire was completed in 1877,<ref name="Step back" /> making the church on a hill a prominent countryside landmark.<ref name="Sue W" /> The tall trees, many planted by long-serving Rector of Canberra Revd Pierce Galliard Smith, formed another landmark.<ref name="Canberra Tracks"/><ref name="ACT Heritage Register"/>
The church and associated schoolhouse museum were added to the (now defunct) Australian [[Register of the National Estate]] on 21 October 1980.<ref>{{cite AHD|13265|St Johns Church and Churchyard, 1 Anzac Park West, Reid, ACT, Australia|date=21 October 1980|access-date=9 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite AHD|13264|St Johns Schoolhouse Museum, 45 Constitution Av, Reid, ACT, Australia|date=21 October 1980|access-date=9 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite AHD|13263|St Johns Church Precinct, 1 Anzac Park West, Reid, ACT, Australia|date=21 October 1980|access-date=9 December 2019 }}</ref> The church, churchyard and Schoolhouse Museum are now listed by the ACT Heritage Council, which notes, in particular, that the east and west [[lychgate]]s at St John's are a rare example of this type of structure in Australia.<ref name="ACT Heritage Register">{{cite web|url=http://client14.matrix01.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/148470/220.pdf |title=20019. St.John the Baptist Church and Churchyard (Entry to the ACT Heritage Register) |publisher=ACT Heritage Council |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
==Interior==
[[File:St John the Baptist Anglican Church in Reid congregation with Rev. D McLellan 9 June 2024.jpg|alt=Nave of St John the Baptist Anglican church with Rev. David McLennon.|thumb|Nave of St John the Baptist Anglican church with Rev. David MacLennan.]]
[[File:St Johns Church Canberra-5 (5674776239).jpg|thumb|Chancel and east window depicting scenes related to [[Saint John the Baptist]]]]
The entrance walls contain three medieval stones of significance, marked by plaques. The oldest is a 12th century stone from Canterbury Cathedral, which was originally intended to be the foundation stone of the National Anglican Cathedral of St Mark.<ref name="Wilson" /> As the national cathedral never eventuated, St John's came to be viewed by some as the ''de facto'' "Westminster Abbey of Australia"; and to mark the first visit of the Queen of Australia in 1954, a stone from Westminster Abbey dating back to the 13th century was gifted and installed.<ref name="Body" /> The third medieval stone is dated 1215 and was part of an exchange of stones with the [[Brinklow|Church of St John the Baptist in Brinklow]] in the United Kingdom in 1948 (a stone from St John’s rests in the Brinklow Church).<ref>{{Cite web |last=TheRamblingWombat |date=2017-08-31 |title=Church of St John the Baptist |url=https://theramblingwombat.com/2017/08/31/church-of-st-john-the-baptist/ |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=The Rambling Wombat |language=en}}</ref>
Memorial plaques to parishioners cover the interior of the nave, from earlier pastoral families to eminent Australians after Australia's federation.<ref name="Allbrook" /> Prominent memorials include those for Sir [[Robert Garran]], Sir [[Littleton Groom]], [[H. V. Evatt]], Sir [[William McKell]], Major General Sir [[William Bridges (general)|William Bridges]] and General Sir [[Brudenell White]].<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /><ref name="Step back">{{cite web|title=Take a step back in time and get in touch with Canberra's early history|url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/history|publisher=St John's Canberra|access-date=11 April 2020|archive-date=11 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411023910/https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/history|url-status=dead}}</ref> Extensive use of stained glass is evident in the chancel, the nave and within the tower. The chancel's east window was added between 1872 and 1874,<ref name="Step back" /> and depicts biblical scenes related to [[Saint John the Baptist]], after whom the church is dedicated.<ref>{{cite web |title=St John's Stained Glass Windows |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/st-johns-stained-glass-windows |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> The east window was designed by William Macleod and made by the Sydney firm of John Falconer. It is one of the earliest Australian stained glass windows and was a prize-winning window at the Sydney Exhibition in 1873 before its installation at the church.<ref name="Wilson" /><ref name="Canberra Tracks" />
The [[Royal Military College, Duntroon|Royal Military College]] and St John's have long been associated with each other. Both are situated on land originally owned by Campbell. The historical ties between the church and the college are recognised by the military colours (flags) which are [[Military colours, standards and guidons|"laid up"]] beneath the organ gallery: one of the [[3rd Battalion (Australia)#Inter war years|Werriwa Regiment]] and the other of the Royal Military College.<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" />
In the side chapel on the north edge is a small bamboo cross with the words "Reconciliation and Repentance". The cross was presented to the church by the presiding bishop of the [[Anglican Church in Japan]], Bishop Michael Yashiro, on 9 June 1950 in the years following the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref name="Wilson" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Our magnificent East Window |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/photos |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Warden">{{cite journal |last1=Warden |first1=Ian |title=The Bamboo Cross at St John's Canberra |journal=Anglican Historical Society Journal |volume=59 |issue=April 2015}}</ref> It serves as a memorial to Sister May Hayman, a staff member at the Canberra Hospital and a parishioner at St John's. Sister Hayman was killed by Japanese soldiers in New Guinea whilst serving as a missionary and nurse during the war.<ref name="Sister May Hayman">{{cite news |title=Sister May Hayman |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/may-hayman |access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald, cited on the St John's Church website |date=10 June 1950}}</ref> In September 2014, the Bishop of Kobe (Andrew Yatuka Nakamura) attended a service at St John's in memory of Sister Hayman and to celebrate the modern Australia-Japan relationship.<ref name="Sister May Hayman" /><ref name="Warden"/>
== Music ==
St John's has had several organs installed throughout its history. The present pipe organ, built by [[Ronald Sharp]] and installed in 1981, is the builder's last major instrument. It is a 2-manual tracker action instrument located in the west gallery, with a case made of Western Australian [[Eucalyptus marginata|jarrah]] and tin facade pipes.<ref name="Hastie">{{cite journal |last1=Hastie |first1=Kelvin |title=The Sharp Organ in the Anglican Church of St John the Baptist, Canberra |journal=Sydney Organ Journal |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=31–33}}</ref> Sharp built many other significant Australian pipe organs including the [[Sydney Opera House Grand Organ|Sydney Opera House Concert Hall organ]] and organs at [[St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney]], the [[Canberra School of Music]], the [[Perth Concert Hall, Western Australia|Perth Concert Hall]] and [[Knox Grammar School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ohta.org.au/organs/organs/CanberraSharp.html |title=St John's Anglican Church, Reid, Canberra |publisher=[[Organ Historical Trust of Australia]] |date=2006 |access-date=9 December 2019 }}</ref> In the mid-1970s, the work was undertaken to extend and strengthen the gallery in order to accommodate the new organ.<ref name="Choir and Pipe Organ">{{cite web |title=Choir and Pipe Organ |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/choir |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>
St John's first organ was an English-built, single manual tracker, installed around 1862. It is now located at St Luke's Anglican Church, [[Deakin, Australian Capital Territory|Deakin]]. A second instrument was built in 1933 by Hill, Norman & Beard had five extended ranks with electro-pneumatic action. It was sold in 1979 to a private owner.<ref name="Hastie"/>
St John's Choir is a [[Four-part harmony|four-part]] volunteer choir which sings at the traditional [[Book of Common Prayer]] services of [[Mattins]] and [[Evensong]].<ref name="Choir" /> The choir is usually accompanied by the organ at Sunday services. At special occasions such as weddings and church festivals, accompanying instruments can include the flute, trumpet and keyboard.<ref name="Choir and Pipe Organ" />
==Bells==
The chime of eight church bells were donated by Governor-General [[William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle]] and mark his term of office (1961–65).<ref name="Bells"/> They were presented as a memorial to his wife Jacqueline. The bells were cast by [[John Taylor & Co]]—the same foundry at which the bells of the National Carillon were cast<ref name="National Carillon"/>—and were installed in 1964. They range "in weight from 2 to 13 hundredweight and in diameter from 3 feet 4.5 inches to 1 foot 9 inches".<ref name="Bells"/> The bells are rung in the English [[change ringing]] tradition, but rather than swinging [[full circle ringing|full circle]], are chimed using an [[Ellacombe apparatus]]. Instead, the ringers pull ropes attached to the bell clappers, which strike the inside of the bells, with two ringers ringing four bells each. The bells are rung at selected Sunday services, for weddings and funerals, and for special occasions. When required, hymns and other melodies can also be rung.<ref name="Bells"/>
==Church precinct==
===Churchyard===
[[File:St John the Baptist Church April 2013.jpg|thumb|Grave (left) of the widow of Major General Sir William Bridges, the first Australian [[Chief of Army (Australia)|Chief of the General Staff]]]]St John's churchyard contains Canberra's original cemetery, which is the oldest single denomination graveyard still in use in the ACT.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Directorate |first=Environment and Planning |date=2022-08-04 |title=St John's Reid Churchyard |url=https://www.canberratracks.act.gov.au/heritage-trails/track-4-act-pioneers-cemetery/st-johns-reid-churchyard |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=www.canberratracks.act.gov.au |language=en}}</ref> The first burial in the churchyard was on 3 May 1844.<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /><ref name="Salisbury">{{Cite book |last=Salisbury |first=Jean |title=St John's Churchyard Canberra |publisher=Heraldry & Genealogy Society of Canberra Inc |year=2000 }}</ref>
The mortal remains of many pioneers of the Canberra district are interred at St John's. They include the church's long-serving 19th-century rector, the Revd [[Pierce Galliard Smith]], and [[Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873)|Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes]], who occupied [[Government House, Canberra|Yarralumla]] homestead from 1859 until his death 14 years later. Gibbes was reputed to be the illegitimate son of a royal duke. Coincidentally, lying close to Gibbes' grave is the final resting place of another person with a link to the British throne, albeit one greatly separated in time and circumstance from that of the colonel. That person is [[Viscount Dunrossil]], a former [[Governor-General of Australia]], who died in office in 1961.<ref name="Salisbury"/>
Also interred in the churchyard are the remains of Colonel Gibbes' wife, Elizabeth, his son Augustus Gibbes (Yarralumla's proprietor from 1859 to 1881), his grandson Henry Edmund Gibbes, and his great-grandson, the Australian air ace [[Bobby Gibbes]] DSO, DFC and bar—as well as St Christopher Battye and members of the pioneering McDonald, Guise, Shumack and Campbell families. The McDonalds are of Cranachan, Inverness Shire, Scotland, the same lineage as Flora Hannah McKillop (McDonald), mother of the Australian saint [[Mary MacKillop]]. This information is drawn ''inter alia'' from the definitive guide to all known burials at the site, Jean Salisbury's ''St John's Churchyard Canberra''.<ref name="Salisbury"/>
On 12 November 1845, a local Canberran, Sarah Webb of [[Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve|Tidbinbilla]], was buried in the churchyard after dying in childbirth.<ref name="Canberra History"/> The epitaph on her headstone reads, "For here we have no continuing city but seek one to come", a reference to St Paul's letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 13:14). Webb's headstone became known as the "Prophet’s Tombstone" and became a magnet for travellers when Canberra was announced as Australia's future capital city.<ref name="Step back" />
The churchyard was closed to new burials in 1937 unless exclusive rights to a plot were held.<ref>{{cite web |title=St John's Churchyard |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/st-johns-churchyard |publisher=St John's Canberra |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209131621/https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/st-johns-churchyard |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Schoolhouse museum===
[[File:St John's Schoolhouse Museum.jpg|thumb|St John's Schoolhouse Museum]]
Canberra's first school opened in 1845, the same year that St John's was consecrated.<ref name="Canberra History">{{cite web |title=Discover our territory |url=http://www.canberrahistory.org.au/discover.asp |website=Canberra History |publisher=Canberra & District Historical Society |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=12 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912075512/http://www.canberrahistory.org.au/discover.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was sponsored by the Campbells. The schoolroom was surrounded by five other rooms and served as the schoolmaster's residence. The schoolhouse's rubble and bluestone were quarried locally, with a shingle roof and thick walls to shelter against the harsh Canberra climate. The first students arrived in 1845 and it was the only school on the Limestone Plains until 1880 when the first public school was opened.<ref name="Canberra Tracks">{{cite web |title=St John's Church |date=11 October 2016 |url=https://www.canberratracks.act.gov.au/heritage-trails/track-2-the-limestone-plains/st-johns-church |publisher=ACT Government |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref> It was built to educate local settlers children,<ref name="Nohra"/> including the Blundell children who lived in nearby [[Blundell's Cottage]], another surviving remnant of Canberra's past.<ref name="Sue W" />
The schoolhouse closed in 1907 and reopened in 1969 as a museum containing records and artifacts from Canberra's rural and recent past.<ref name="Sue W" /> These include schoolhouse artifacts, photographs, letters, newspaper cuttings and other heritage items, serving as tangible evidence of the lives of early European settlers in the region.<ref name="ACT Heritage Register"/><ref name="Canberra Tracks"/><ref>{{cite web |title=St John's Schoolhouse Museum |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/st-johns-schoolhouse |access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=St John's Church |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209131016/https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/st-johns-schoolhouse |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Rectory===
The rectory, the residence of the rector of Canberra, lies in the southeastern corner of the church precinct, opening onto Anzac Parade. It was completed in 1923.<ref name="Body"/> The original rectory of St John's was built in 1873 in what is now [[Glebe Park, Canberra|Glebe Park]] in inner Canberra. The first occupant was the Revd Pierre Galliard Smith, who surrounded the rectory with poplars, elms, willows and hawthorns.<ref>{{cite web |title=Plaque commemorating opening of Glebe Park, photograph of the plaque available at the URL |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/photos?lightbox=dataItem-j4kx928w |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Wardle">{{cite book |last1=Wardle |first1=P |title=Smith, Pierce Galliard (1826–1908) |date=1976 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smith-pierce-galliard-4611}}</ref> The survivors and descendants of those trees remain in today's [[Glebe Park, Canberra|Glebe Park]]. From 1926 to early 1928 the old rectory was leased from the government by an Anglican religious order, the Community of the Sisters of the Church, or the Kilburn Sisters, to found St Gabriel's school which later became the [[Canberra Girls' Grammar School]].<ref name="Body"/>
===Church hall===
[[File:St John mural in the hall of the St John the Baptist Church, Reid, Canberra.jpg|thumb|Mural painting in church hall]]
Adjacent to St John's is the church Bishop [[Gordon Arthur (bishop)|RG Arthur]] hall. (He was Rector of St John's in 1953-56.) The hall has a [[mural]] [[painting]] at its southern end which depicts people and events from the life of the church and the region. Rendered in a simplistic style, the mural depicts subjects as diverse as a [[theodolite]], a [[microscope]], an [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal Australian]] man, [[Bogong moth]]s, [[Merino sheep]], [[liturgy|liturgical]] symbols, the [[Guides Australia]] logo and a girl in the uniform, a [[Scouts Australia|Boy Scout]], [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Old Parliament House]], early ministers of the church and settlers. Campbell and his nearby house, "Duntroon", are also depicted; Duntroon is now part of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. The church hall provides a facility for events and meetings and also houses the office of the parish of Canberra.<ref>{{cite web |title=Venue Use and Hire |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/venue-use-and-hire |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>
==Contemporary references==
[[File:St John the Baptist Church, Reid ACT - HRH Queen Elizabeth II - 23Oct11.jpg|thumb|Queen Elizabeth II emerges from St John's after a service on 23 October 2011]]
[[File:Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip with Canberra Anglicans 23Oct11.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] talking with the rector, the Revd Paul Black, and Prince Philip with the [[Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn|Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn]] the Rt Revd [[Stuart Robinson (bishop)|Stuart Robinson]]]]
Today, St John's holds both traditional and contemporary worship services. Traditional Book of Common Prayer (17th-century language) services are held at 7:00 am, 8:00 am and 11:15 am on Sundays. Contemporary services are held at 9:30 am and 6:00 pm. Once a month, a choral Evensong service is held at 5:00 pm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sunday and weekday service times |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/sunday-and-weekday-worship-times |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> There are also weekday services held from Tuesday to Friday at 8:30 am, along with a meditation service on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Christian meditation |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/christian-meditation |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> The building is open every day for private prayer, visitors and tourists.<ref name="Canberra Tracks"/>
A former [[Prime Minister of Australia]], [[Kevin Rudd]], and his wife, [[Thérèse Rein]], regularly attended the church from 2009 to 2010. Rudd and Rein had been married at St John's and their eldest son had been baptised there. Rudd took the opportunity to address the assembled media and television cameras after Sunday services and field and answer questions on topics of the day.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.abc.net.au/offair/2009/10/rudd-squanders-chance-to-practise-what-he-preaches.html |title=Rudd squanders chance to practise what he preaches |author=Uhlmann, Chris |author-link=Chris Uhlmann |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |___location=Australia |access-date=22 October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rudd |first1=Kevin |title=Church-going folk aren't political property of the Tories |url=https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/church-going-folk-aren-t-political-property-of-the-tories-20190604-p51uaa |publisher=Australian Financial Review |date=4 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=More than just a light on the hill |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/more-than-just-a-light-on-the-hill-20071222-gdru68.html |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |date=22 December 2007}}</ref>
During the visit of the [[Queen of Australia]] in October 2011, [[Queen regent|Queen]] [[Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip]] attended St John's for the 11:15 am service on 23 October 2011. She was welcomed by the rector, the Revd Canon Paul Black, and the [[Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn|Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn]], the Rt Revd [[Stuart Robinson (bishop)|Stuart Robinson]]. Kevin Rudd and Thérèse Rein were among the 120 guests at the service. The visit was Queen Elizabeth II's sixth to St John's;<ref name="abc.net.au"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Queen cheered at church |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6172622/queen-cheered-at-church/ |access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=The Canberra Times |date=23 October 2011}}</ref> her first was in 1954.<ref name="Nohra"/>
On 29 September 2018, a service was held at St John's to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first Ukrainian Orthodox service in Australia. That service was held at St John's on 26 September 1948. St John's continued to accommodate Orthodox services until a Ukrainian Orthodox church was built in 1959. Bishop Daniel Zelinsky of South Bound Brook, New Jersey, celebrated the Divine Liturgy and preached in Ukrainian and English.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukrainian Orthodox Celebrate 70 Years |date=4 October 2018 |url=https://catholicukes.org.au/ukrainian-orthodox-celebrate-70-years/ |publisher=Ukrainian Catholic Church, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ukrainian Orthodox Liturgy |url=https://www.stjohnscanberra.org/photos?lightbox=dataItem-jmoj79x7 |publisher=St John's Church |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>
On 15 March 2020, St John's celebrated its 175th anniversary since its 1845 consecration. A special 10:00 am choral service was held, attended by the Governor General, [[David Hurley]], and the [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Australia|Ambassador of the United States]], [[Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr.|Arthur Culvahouse]]. The sermon was preached by the [[Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn|Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn]], the Rt Revd [[Mark Short]]. St John's was described as "an English village church and through a quirk of history they literally put the national capital around us".<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /><ref name="Nohra">{{cite news |last1=Danielle |first1=Nohra |title=New roof for Canberra's oldest church |url=https://citynews.com.au/2019/new-roof-for-canberras-oldest-church/ |access-date=22 April 2020 |publisher=City News (Canberra) |date=3 July 2019}}</ref> The service was the last to be held before the church closed temporarily as a result of the 2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic|worldwide coronavirus pandemic]], with services being recorded and distributed online.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Steve |title=Isolation diary: Free at last ... to do what? |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6701785/free-at-last-to-do-what/ |access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=The Canberra Times |date=30 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Steve |title=Coronavirus: churches move to online innovations ahead of Easter |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6713285/churches-embrace-online-intervention-ahead-of-easter-celebration/ |access-date=11 April 2020 |publisher=The Canberra Times |date=9 April 2020}}</ref>
==Incumbents==
The first incumbent, the Revd Edward Smith, was rector of the Queanbeayan parish (which preceded St John's). The longest serving incumbent was Pierce Galliard Smith, who served as rector for 51 years from 1855 to 1905.<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /><ref name="Wardle"/>
The following have served as incumbents:<ref name="A Service to Celebrate" /><ref name="Step back" />
* Edward Smith (Rector of Queanbeyan) (1845–1850)
* George Gregory (first Rector of Canberra) (1850–1851)
* Thomas Wilkinson (1851–1854)
* [[Pierce Galliard Smith]] (1855–1905)
* Arthur Hopcraft (1905–1909)
* Arthur Champion (1909–1913)
* Frederick Ward (1913–1929)
* Charles Robertson (1930–1949)
* [[Robert Davies (bishop)|Robert Davies]] (1949–1953)
* [[Gordon Arthur (bishop)|Robert Gordon Arthur]] (1953–1960)
* Frederick Hill (1960–1972)
* [[Owen Dowling]] (1972–1981)
* [[Ian George]] (1981–1989)
* David Oliphant (1989–1995)
* [[Allan Ewing]] (1996–2003)
* [[Greg Thompson (bishop)|Gregory Thompson]] (2004–2007)
* Paul Black (2008–2021)
* David McLennan (2022–present)
==See also==
{{stack|{{portal|Christianity}}}}
* [[St Paul's Church, Manuka]]
* [[:Category:Churches in Canberra|List of churches in Canberra]]
* [[:Category:Landmarks in Canberra|List of Canberra landmarks]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.stjohnscanberra.org/ Official website]
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{{Anglican Church of Australia}}
{{Canberra landmarks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:John the Baptist, Saint, Church Reid}}
[[Category:Cemeteries in the Australian Capital Territory]]
[[Category:Churches in Canberra]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1845]]
[[Category:19th-century Anglican church buildings in Australia]]
[[Category:1845 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Sandstone churches in Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Capital Territory Heritage Register]]
[[Category:Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn]]
[[Category:Australian Capital Territory places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Canberra]]
[[Category:Stone churches in Australia]]
[[Category:Churchyards in Australia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Canberra]]
[[Category:Anglican churches dedicated to John the Baptist|Reid, St John the Baptist Church]]
[[Category:Churches dedicated to John the Baptist in Australia|Reid, St John the Baptist Church]]
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