Information for Heritage Architects and Consultants
The Sydney Diocesan Archives holds many types of records about with heritage items and the lands on which they are constructed.
It will be necessary for the researcher to visit the Diocesan Archives to work with the records in person. Working with archival records is time-consuming, and thus the project budget should allow for that time commitment.
Briefing information is required before you visit
Please provide as much relevant information as possible in order that your request can be assessed and prioritised appropriately. Do not simply ask “Do you have anything on [x] church?” when you contact the Archivist.
Please tell us:- The company you are working for
- The client (often the Anglican Church Property Trust on behalf of a parish)
- The nature of your project (e.g. CMP / HIA / HIS)
- The brief and scope of your project
- The kinds of resources you have already consulted and information already gathered
- The information you are seeking, and the kinds of records you wish to consult
- And most importantly: the deadline for your project
We only hold records for the Diocese of Sydney
The Sydney Diocesan Archives holds only information about heritage items situated within the boundaries of the Diocese of Sydney. Other adjacent dioceses, such as Bathurst, Newcastle, and Canberra Goulburn, should be contacted for information about buildings and land which were once part of the Diocese of Australia and are now part of these other dioceses.
Our relevant heritage architecture records were created by administrative units, and parishes & churches
Head Office Administrative Records
- Architectural plans approved by the Archbishops Architectural Panel (and now Regional Panels), associated correspondence & specifications
- Church Property Trust minutes, from 1882 onwards - monthly meetings which record purchase, sale and transfer of land and buildings
- Correspondence files of the Secretary to the Church Property Trust
- Church Building Committee Minutes (if they exist) - minutes which document the process from the decision to build a church, via fund-raising and building process, through to the opening ceremony of the new church
- Parish Council minutes - monthly meetings at which all matters concerning buildings and land within the parish are discussed and approved
- Financial Records - payments for architects and building works will be recorded in statements of income and expenditure
- Service Registers - which sometimes show the time from which offertory monies were allocated towards building funds