Primary contact
St James' Hall, 169 Philip Street, St James, Sydney Postal Address: PO Box Q190, Queen Victoria Building Post Office, Sydney, NSW, 1230Sydney, New South Wales 2000
The Sydney Diocesan Archives is a private, ‘in-house’, business, and academic research archive. The Sydney Diocesan Archives provides information storage and retrieval services to the staff of the Archbishop’s Office, the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat, Anglican parishes and churches, and Anglican organisations, within the Diocese of Sydney.
The Sydney Diocesan Archives collection is a rich and, in many cases, unique source of information about the early history of the Anglican Church in Australia, the history of the Colony of New South Wales, and the history of the city of Sydney, both in terms of institutions and people. This collection is also a valuable resource for research into the role of the Anglican Church within the life and culture of the people of Sydney.
The provision of access to researchers and historians, who undertake research leading to publication, is deemed to be an important means of making a contribution to the academic, social, cultural and historical development of Sydney and Australia. The fostering of scholarship is an important part of the mission of the Sydney Diocesan Archives.
The Sydney Diocesan Archives collects administrative and financial records created by administrative entities and agencies of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney; parish records created by churches and parishes within the Diocese of Sydney; personal papers created by senior clergy.
For the Archives' Collection Policy, see: http://www.sydneyanglicanarchives.com.au/collectionpolicy.html
The Sydney Diocesan Archives collects those records created by the offices and officers of the Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney in pursuit of their day-to-day business since circa 1811.
We have limited holdings of records created during the Archdeaconry and Chaplaincies.
The creation of the Diocese of Australia in 1836 (and thus a Diocesan Registry) led to an increase in records creation.
The collection includes the records created by parishes and churches; the records created by diocesan administrative and corporate divisions and departments; and the records created by some diocesan agencies.
The Sydney Diocesan Archives also holds a small collection of personal papers created by former Archbishops and Bishops.
For further details, see the website.
Academic, consultant, and parish researchers are admitted upon written application for access.
Written recommendation may be required.