St Andrew’s History
In 1910 Cronulla was a seaside village of about 100 people, most of them Anglican. The first regular church services commenced in a former dance hall in Nicholson Parade, bought for £700. With St Andrew's the Church of England had come to Cronulla.
In 1919 the church had to be moved for road building and St Andrew's was moved to a purchased site in Oceangrove Avenue where it was also used post 1935 as the parish hall until 1961. That building, much improved, is now St. James Anglican Church , Kurnell.
The present St Andrew's Church goes back to the depression days. Nathaniel George Bull bequeathed about £2,500 in 1911 for the building of a church in Cronulla. This was finally realised 23 years later at a cost of £5000. The foundation stone was laid in December 1934 and the opening of the new church took place on July 3rd 1935. The Church of St Andrew's at Cronulla is said to be the only one of its design in the Southern Hemisphere. It is of Byzantine architecture, most unusual in Australia.
St Andrew's is well known amongst the local and wider community as the Elephant House. This is because its domed structure resembles the original Elephant House at Taronga Zoo. Although it is different from the Gothic and stone churches of England, it has something that many modern churches lack, that atmosphere that usually only comes with passing years.
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Its striking domed structure and graceful curves enclose a beautiful interior and a sanctuary with strong devotional appeal. The beautiful stain glass windows were added over a period of half a century and despite different styles and locations all point to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The windows, along with other furnishings were all donated by parishioners often in memory of loved ones.
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St Andrew's Church is a beautiful building but more than that it is the place where God's people meet together to praise Him, to pray and to learn more of Him from His word. It is a place where the door is always open to welcome those who are seeking.
The Rectors of St Andrew's
1910-18 Rev. I.D. Armitage
1919-33 Rev. Fred W.R. Newton
1934-46 Rev. A.E. Reeves
1947-73 Rev. Fred Camroux
1974-81 Rev. Roy Gray
1982-90 Rev. John Campbell
1991-99 Rev. Bryan Findlayson
2000-09 Rev. Richard Humphrey
2009-10 Rev. Andrew Monk
2010 - Rev. Richard Wenden
Rev. A.E. Reeves