St Matthew's

Services were first conducted at Rokeby—then known as Clarence Plains—in the year 1821, held either in a private residence or within the local school house.

St Matthew’s Church is historically associated with the Reverend Robert Knopwood, a prominent figure in early colonial Tasmania. In 1828, Knopwood was offered the chaplaincy at a salary of £200 per annum. Although he accepted the appointment, he did not live to see the church completed, passing away in 1838. His final resting place lies in the graveyard behind the church, where his legacy endures.

In June 1839, the Venerable William Hutchins, first Archdeacon of Van Diemen’s Land, received a memorial confirming that £441 had been pledged toward the construction of a church and parsonage at Rokeby. The church was subsequently designed by the esteemed English architect James Blackburn, whose work left a lasting imprint on colonial ecclesiastical architecture.

Constructed from stone quarried at the nearby Holmes farm, the building of the church was a communal endeavour, with local residents fulfilling their pledge to provide both labour and the transport of materials. Designed in the Gothic Perpendicular style, the church was completed in 1843, three years after its foundation was laid.

On 24th September 1843, the Right Reverend Francis Russell Nixon, first Bishop of Tasmania, conducted the opening dedication service at St Matthew’s Church. The chancel chairs, fashioned from timber taken from H.M.S. Anson—a vessel of Nelson’s fleet—stand as a tangible link to Britain’s naval heritage. The interior roof was generously donated by the Stanfield family, while the church organ, originally housed in St David’s Church, Hobart, was transferred to St Matthew’s in 1858, enriching its liturgical life.

In the decades following its completion, St Matthew’s Church inevitably bore the marks of age and weathering, and on several occasions restoration was required to preserve its fabric. The commitment of parishioners and the wider community ensured that the building was never abandoned, but rather carefully maintained as a place of worship and heritage. During the catastrophic bushfires of 1967, which ravaged much of Tasmania and destroyed countless homes and landmarks, St Matthew’s was fortunate to escape the flames. Its survival stands as a testament not only to chance, but to the enduring resilience of the community that has safeguarded it through times of peril and decline.

On 24th September 1953, St Matthew’s Church marked the centenary of its dedication, a milestone commemorating one hundred years of worship and community life.

St Matthew's Church and Burial Ground & Parsonage site are listed as follows on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.

St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Burial ground & C1857 parsonage site have strong and special meaning to the

Anglican community of Rokeby and the Clarence area as a place of worship, commemoration and memory. The

church is of historic heritage significance because of its association with the general community as a religious and

townscape landmark. St Matthew’s Anglican Church has been in continuous use as a place of worship for over 170

years. The burial ground contains pioneers of early settlement and agriculture in the area, descendants of whom

remain in the community.