St Paul's Lutheran Church Sydney first started in 1915 but it was not until 1961 that we were located in Stanley Street on the East side of Sydney CBD.
Early beginnings
Not many years after Sydney was first settled, a magistrate and grazier named Edward Riley was given a grant of land by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1814. This land stretched from the Botanic Gardens up to the heights of Darlinghurst Road and across to Hyde Park. Over the next eight years he added more parcels of land until he owned all the land as far as St. Vincent’s Hospital and across to the far side of Surry Hills. A portion of Riley’s Estate would one day be the site of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Stanley Street. In 1825 Edward Riley became depressed over trying to procure grazing land near Goulburn, finally driving him to take his own life. He left a wife and six children – and two conflicting wills. Dispute over the wills led to 19 years of legal wrangling between his family and a gentleman named Campbell who also claimed ownership of the Darlinghurst side of the Estate. After four court cases the frustrated judge settled the dispute in 1844 by dividing the estate into seven equal portions, with no regard to any surveyed roads. Each of the beneficiaries picked out of a hat to claim their portion. The traditional Gadigal aboriginal owners of this land had continued to roam and live on the land right up to this time. The land was sandy or clay and unsuitable for agriculture. Only after the court case was settled were the majority of streets surveyed, developers moved in and many houses were built. One of the cottages, built around 1870 was at 3 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst. City of Sydney archives give the last listed owner of the property as Mary Lister Hawkins in June 1951. The block of land only measured 26 ft. wide by 71 ft. deep, and the old cottage was 26ft. square with an attic. City Council inspectors described the cottage as derelict. The property was legally sold to St. Paul’s congregation, on 1st March 1956 for the sum of £3,500 however the tenant did not move out until January 1958 frustrating plans to start the new church building.
Pastor Noske 1960's