Bishopscourt sale window approved
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Media Release
Wednesday October 17th 2012
Bishopscourt ‘sale window’ authorised
The Synod of the Anglican Diocese in Sydney has authorised the sale of the present residence of the Archbishop, ‘Bishopscourt’ in Darling Point, at any time in the next five years.
‘Bishopscourt’ (formerly Greenoaks) was built in the mid 1840’s by wealthy businessman Thomas Sutcliffe Mort. It has been the official residence of the Archbishop of Sydney since 1911.
A sale of the neo-gothic mansion was first mooted in 1982, under Archbishop Donald Robinson. In 1991, a church report cited ‘compelling reasons’ for the sale of the property.
In 1993, Archbishop Harry Goodhew called for the construction of a new residence and the matter was raised again in 2001 and in 2007 under Archbishop Peter Jensen.
A sale motion was defeated in 2010. It was put again at the 2012 Synod this week and a resulting ballot was strongly in favour of authorising a ‘sale window’ for the property, with final approval of any sales deal to go before the Standing Committee of the diocese for sign-off.
The Bishop of South Sydney, Robert Forsyth, says “There was a gracious spirit about the debate and some strong feelings about the history of Bishopscourt. This is something we all feel. It is a beautiful building but its grand manner was not felt to be in keeping with the lifestyle and demands of a 21st century Archbishop.”
Archbishop Peter Jensen retires next July and an election for the next Archbishop is due in August.
‘Bishopscourt’ is listed on the Register of the National Estate and is one of the most significant properties in Sydney.
The core of the mansion was designed by F J Hilly with later additions by Edmund Blacket in academic gothic style. Professor Leslie Wilkinson, the influential head of the Architecture Faculty at Sydney University designed additions to the property in the 1930’s.
High-resolution photos can be download from this link [url=http://cl.ly/3b1f273i0F1L]http://cl.ly/3b1f273i0F1L[/url]
For more information contact Archbishop’s Media Adviser, Russell Powell
