Saint James' Church, Sydney

Saint James’ Church is the oldest surviving church building in the city, standing prominently on King Street near Hyde Park. Designed by Francis Greenway, the colony’s first government architect, it was completed in 1824 under Governor Lachlan Macquarie as part of his vision for a planned and dignified city. Built from warm local sandstone in the Georgian style, the church’s restrained exterior features a tall spire, arched windows, and symmetrical proportions that reflect early 19th-century British classicism adapted to the Australian climate.

The interior is notable for its simplicity and craftsmanship, with cedar box pews, high ceilings, and finely detailed joinery. The chancel and sanctuary were later embellished with stained-glass windows, a carved reredos, and memorial plaques that record Sydney’s early colonial families and civic figures. The organ, dating from 1827 and later rebuilt, remains one of the oldest in continuous use in Australia, contributing to the church’s rich musical tradition.

Throughout its history, Saint James’ has played an important civic and spiritual role. It served convicts, settlers, and soldiers in the colony’s formative years and continues to host services, concerts, and public events that engage with Sydney’s cultural and religious life. Its location among other Macquarie-era landmarks—such as the Hyde Park Barracks and Supreme Court—anchors it within one of the city’s most historically significant precincts, where Greenway’s architecture endures as a symbol of Sydney’s early urban design and enduring Anglican heritage.