This month Synod will consider a motion to sell Bishopscourt, the Archbishop's residence in Darling Point.
Famous industrialist and refrigeration pioneer Thomas Sutcliffe Mort bought the property in 1835 and built the current building (formerly Greenoaks) in the 1850s. It was purchased as the official residence of the Archbishop of Sydney in 1911.
The sale of the neo-gothic mansion was first mooted in 1982 under Archbishop Donald Robinson. In 1993, Archbishop Harry Goodhew called for the construction of a new residence and the matter was raised again in 2007 when Archbishop Jensen asked the Diocesan CEO to look into the feasibility of a sale.
The Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth is set to move the proposed sale at Synod.
"There are arguments both ways but there is a feeling that such a grand and imposing residence is out of character… in the 21st century,” he said.
“Furthermore, with a restructure of assets under way, Bishopscourt can be classified as too large an asset to have just housing the Archbishop."
