Celebrate Blacktown history on Back to St Bartholomew’s Day

It stands as a historic church on the hill in Prospect with grand vistas of the city, and this Saturday, St Bartholomew’s will be open to the public for an annual open day.

Volunteers Graham Wicks and Gary Leabon at St Bartholomew’s Church, which will open to the public for Back to St Bartholomew’s Day on Saturday, April 6. Picture: Tim Pascoe

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Local history buffs will have a chance to explore a significant piece of Blacktown’s history for Back to St Bartholomew’s Day.

The oldest church and cemetery in the Blacktown area will be open to the public on Saturday, April 6, and will transport guests back in time with special appearances from a town crier and the NSW Corps of Marines.

There will be history stalls, a photographic exhibition documenting the church’s restoration, cemetery tours and cemetery record displays for family research.

Friends of St Bartholomew’s president, Jill Finch, said the open day was a rare occasion for the public to get a glimpse of the historic site.

St Bartholomew’s volunteers Graham Wicks and Gary Leabon at the church in Prospect ahead of an open day on April 6. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“It is the oldest church in the Blacktown area, and when it opened in 1841, it would’ve been the only church in Sydney west of Parramatta,” Ms Finch said.

“Before it opened, people would’ve had to have travelled into St John’s in Parramatta for church.”

The cemetery is a resting place for many early settlers, including explorer William Lawson, Blacktown Shire’s first president Thomas Willmott and historic local families the Leabons and the Lalors.

The cemetery’s last burial was in 2017, with plans for an expansion to cater for the region’s growing population.

Graham Wicks and Gary Leabon at St Bartholomew’s. Picture: Tim Pascoe

Ms Finch said the site held an important place in the history of the western suburbs.

“Hosting Back to St Bartholomew’s Day is important for the younger generation,” Ms Finch said.

“In Blacktown, we have a lot of new people moving to the area, so it’s an opportunity to learn something about the place they’re living in.”

The church operated until 1967 when an act of vandalism forced it to close. In 1989, a fire severely damaged the church’s interior, including an organ dating back to the 1850s and furniture from the early 1900s.

In 2000, the church was restored and purchased by Blacktown City Council.

Plans to expand the cemetery are currently before the council, with a proposal to open up new cemetery land in stages over 40 years to address the shortage of burial space in Sydney.

An estimated 10,000 new burial plots are expected to be delivered.

Friends of St Bartholomew’s has served an important role in conserving the site since 2005 and holds working bees once a month.

Back to St Bartholomew’s Day will take place from 9am to 3pm, on Saturday, April 6, at Ponds Rd, Prospect.