St Stephens Anglican Church – Serpentine

Welcome to St Stephen’s Church.  We are part of the Anglican Parish of Serpentine Jarrahdale.  St Stephen’s Church is nestled at the foot of the Serpentine Falls and was part of the original Serpentine Settlement in the 1900’s.  Bishop Riley laid the foundation stone on 10^th May 1913 and consecrated the church on 6^th December 1913.

Our Services are:

      Morning Prayer:       9.00am     Wednesday’s

      Eucharist Service:    8.00am     1^st & 3^rd Sunday of the month

Parish Priest

     The Reverend Lorna Green ~ Rector

     Anglican Parish Serpentine Jarrahdale

     Parish Office – 21 Clifton St, Byford.    Ph.: 9525 0247

Serpentine History

The river was so named in the 1830’s and the township was gazette in December 1893.  Bishop hale purchased “Serpentine Falls” from Stephen Longbottom for £200 in March 1861.  He noted in his diary on 7^th September 1860 that he reach Longbottom’s at 2.40pm and after conducting a service in the schoolroom, where the attendance was excellent, he baptized the infant Edward Francis Spencer first born child of Joshua and Mary Ann Spencer.  The following morning he examined the Fairbain and Longbottom children and then went to the waterfall.  The house was of red brick construction completed with a steeply gabled roof built in two stages with the more recent western section incorporating a wine cellar.  It is known that services were being held here in 1865.  Bishop Hale sold the property in June 1867 to H.M. Lefory for £230.  The farm consisted of 27 acres enclosed and 80 acres unenclosed freeland, and was about 36 miles from Perth.  Bishop Parry held services in the schoolroom in 1878.  Plans had been prepared by F.Bird as early as 1885 for the building of a stone church.

The Church of St Stephen’s

Bishop Riley had suggested a building here in 1898 but it was not unitl 1913 that a building committee was set up consisting of James Hardman, Edith Hardman, Elizabeth Thorpe, Edward Thropre, Maxwell Law, Ronald Laurie and Henry Turner.

Herbert Parry was the architect of a structure estimated to cost £340.  Bishop Riley laid the foundation stone on Saturday 10^th May 1913.  The bricks were laid by Fred Allum and the building costs a total of £436-6-8 to erect.  The lamps were given by Guildford Vestry, the font by the Community of the Sisters of the Church, Sanctuary furnishings and chairs by Miss Laurie, the oak Sanctuary chair by Mrs Brockman, the Lectern by the Reverend R.D. Ure and the east window by G.A. Lefroy in memory of his father Henry Maxwell Lefroy.  The church was consecrated by Bishop Riley on Saturday 6^th December 1913.  The following year the Alter rails were given by Mrs W. Rudall.  In 1946 a new organ was placed in the church in memory of Elizabeth Wallace – this in turn was replaced by an electronic machine in 1995.  Two new pew fronts were made by Mr Sparrow in 1972.  A brick vestry was added to the east end of the church and a stone toilet block on the north side.