THIS week's image is a postcard photo looking north over King's Parade, with the Walshaw Hall and All Saints' Cathedral on the right. The gardens are well laid out. The photo is thought to be taken during World War Two. After January 1942, the park's lighting and the city's streetlights were not turned on due to the fears of being attacked from the air by Japanese aircraft. Note the small pine trees in the centre and compare them with their size today.
The first All Saints' Church in Bathurst took about four years to build from 1845 to 1848.
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The newspapers of the day declared that the Anglicans were too slow in having their church built.
When the first Anglican church was started, King's Parade was an open space designated as a market square when the township was resurveyed in 1833.
It was not until the town's population reached 2000 in 1848 that the governor and authorities in Sydney decided to establish a number of commissioners to establish and oversee Bathurst's market square.
Sixty-five householders in the town signed an application to the police magistrate in Bathurst requesting him to call a public meeting to take the matter into consideration.
Finally, on November 2, 1847, the Government Gazette announced that His Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, had approved the establishment of a public market in the town of Bathurst.
Almost two months later, the election of five market commissioners took place at Dominique Popilarie's Inn. Patrick White, Matthew Smith Finley, Edward Austin, James William Bligh and Joseph Simmons were appointed.
Certain days were nominated for Bathurstians to sell their excess fruit, vegetables, vegetable seeds, preserves, chickens, ducks, birds, eggs, cheese, butter, bacon, secondhand carts and sulkies and much more.
In February 1848, the Bathurst Advocate reported that it had been several months since the roof of the main part of the church building had been covered, except for a small portion of it adjoining the tower.
It had been allowed to remain open for months, to the serious injury to the building, yet all that was required to make things secure and weather-tight was to carry up the wall of the tower, abutting on the church, about three feet higher than it was at the time.
It would take a bricklayer, with about 1000 bricks, and a day's work.
Then some 500 to 1000 shingles would be required with the labour of a shingler for a day at most and the main part of the building would be safe.
The delay had annoyed almost every resident of the town and neighbourhood, with some blaming the person who had been employed to superintend the building, though he could show the blame did not rest with him.
It was then found that the management had fallen into different hands and that work was in rapid progress towards completion.
Another report at Christmas in 1855 stated that owing to the indefatigable exertions of Messrs. Mockett, Arthur, and Chittenden, five out of the six bells had already been hung in the tower, and the sixth was to be hung that day.
They intended to organise a corps of ringers in the course of a week so it was hoped that the townspeople would be treated to a peal of the new bells on the following Saturday evening.
In March 1887, a bazaar and fancy fair to raise funds on behalf of All Saints Organ Fund was held in the School of Arts Hall in Howick Street.
It turned out to be a most attractive affair and financially profitable for the organ fund.
The lady members of the church had been employing their deft fingers in preparing innumerable and varied articles for the sale,
The bazaar was open for four days from 7am to 10pm.
Additions were made to the church over time: the south aisle was added in 1860, the north aisle in 1864, and the eastern extension from 1872 to 1874.