Saint Philip's Church, Sydney

Located in the oldest Anglican Church parish in Australia, the Saint Philip’s Church stands on what was later called Church Hill. It was a well known Sydney landmark for many years. It is also called the York Street Anglican.

The Saint Philip’s parish was established in 1802. The parish church at the time was a stone structure that earned the name, the ugliest church in Christendom. The foundation stone for the present building was laid in 1848. It was designed by Edmund Blacket and constructed between 1848 and 1856 and was consecrated in 1856 by Bishop Frederic Barker. The first two ministers were William Cooper and his son William Macquarie Cooper, who was the first Australian born minister in an Anglican Church. He served the church for 60 years.

The church has many interesting objects in its interior. There are memorial tablets of notable parishioners adorning the walls. The organ was placed in 1874. There is a magnificent seven light east facing stained glass window. The tower is 102 feet tall and is designed in the style and form of the Magdalen Tower in Oxford. The Australian Register of the National Estate lists Saint Philips Church as an important national cultural building.