Christ Church c1964 Pambula. Image courtesy of the George Family Collection.
LISTEN NOW to the story of Christ Church, Pambula
In many European settlements across Australia, churches and pubs were amongst the first facilities established, and Pambula was no different.
As one of the oldest Anglican Church centres in the Goulburn diocese, ministrations at Pambula date from about 1842 and were delivered by an itinerant minister, travelling through this rough, mountainous district on horseback. Services were initially held in private homes and commercial venues until, in 1856 a slab building, whitewashed inside, was erected near the original settlement on the flat. But as with most of the original township, the building was lost to flood waters.
The erection of a more permanent church built from local and ‘Pyrmont’ sandstone was completed on this site in 1866 and served the community for almost a century. However age gradually took its toll on the old church and one morning the east wall of the sanctuary crumbled and collapsed, leaving the roof suspended over the ruins.
On 27 November 1953, the construction of Pambula’s third and current Anglican Church commenced. The original foundation stone from the 1864 church was incorporated into the structure, providing a tangible link with the long connection to the site.
The Anglican Rectory alongside Christ Church, Pambula, C. 1890s. Image courtesy of the George Family Collection.
CROSS QUONDOLA STREET CAREFULLY
Directly opposite Covington’s, the Royal Hotel, also known as Royal Willows Hotel or the Bottom Pub (can you guess why?) was constructed during the 1880s, operating until the mid-2010s. Its free-standing billiard room on the southern side was built in the 1890s and was later used as a general store.
CONTINUE HEADING NORTH UP QUONDOLA STREET