[1] The place now called Morpeth, situated on the Hunter River some 29 water miles from Newcastle, appears to have been occupied by the Wonnarua (or Wanaruah) people, and to have been known to them as Illulong, Illalaung or Illullaung.

Not until the introduction in 1889 of differential railway freight rates, which from 1901 deliberately made it cheaper to send wool to Sydney than to Morpeth or Newcastle, did the port begin to decline.

This placated Sydney merchants; undercut coastal shipping; and helped to pay for the very expensive Homebush to Waratah railway (now part of the Main Northern line).

[6][5]: 253  Close, much offended, acted on the suggestion, but maintained an undiminished reputation throughout the colony; yet his role in the Lowe affair, one of considerable importance in the legal history of NSW, and particularly with regard to the question of the rights of Aboriginal people before the law, pending further research must remain controversial.

In addition, he had a very personal reason for the establishment of a local place of worship: the satisfaction of an oath, made during the Battle of Albuera (May 1811) with his comrades falling on every side, that if his life were spared he would one day build a Church to the Glory of God.

[1] Tyrrell initially lived in the St. James' Rectory; and it may have been at this time that, as argued by Stuart Read of the Garden Historical Society of Australia, he planted in its grounds a still-extant camellia bush from John Macarthur's Camden Park.

[1] Close's influence on St. James' was reflected in other ways also, such as the dedication of a prominent marble wall monument to his friend Captain Rinaldo Sheberras (originally Sceberras) of the 80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers), one of several officers and other ranks who fell in capturing one of the black standards of the Nihang (Akali) Sikh warriors at the Battle of Ferozeshah during the Anglo-Sikh war of 1845-1846.

The sandstone pulpit, a replica of the 13th-century example in Beaulieu Abbey, Hampshire, where Tyrrell had formerly been parish priest, was carved by Maitland stonemason Daniel Yeates from Blacket's copy of measured drawings in 'Weale's Quarterly Papers' (1844), an English journal.

Like Blacket's later design for the Pulpit of St Thomas' Anglican Church, North Sydney, a variant on that of St. James', it was corbelled, in this case out of the east wall of the nave.

[1] The completion of the roof, described by Professor A. P. Elkin as "a thrilling conception and a most remarkable feature", did much to alter St. James' from a rustic place of worship to a Parish Church in the traditional sense.

[10] The roof design, which has been described as a radical departure from his customary unadorned "as from saw" construction, appears to have been intended to impress Bishop Tyrrell, and was inspired by that of St. Wendreda's, March, Cambridgeshire, although Hunt did not seek to replicate its exact detail.

[1] Joan Kerr assesses the church as having 'Close's tower, Blacket's east end and Hunt's nave, quite harmoniously combined because of the continuous use of sandstone and the emulative English ambitions of the parish'.

The siting of the building at the crest of the ridge running east–west to the south of the Hunter River renders it visible across a wide area on both sides of the waterway, and assists in defining it as a structure both geographically prominent and physically substantial.

The lancet windows at each location are positioned under an equilateral pointed stone arch, with simple hood mould complete with a cube form label stop.

The chancel continues the parapeted gable form of the nave, with cross finial and skew stones, however the eastern end is where the Gothic decoration of the exterior is most notable.

[16] In his 1915 survey of building and ornamental stones, R. T. Baker, curator at the Sydney Technological Museum, described the Ravensfield sandstone as "amongst the best in the State", being excellent for carving purposes.

[1] St. James parish hall is a simple, symmetrical sandstone structure with a belfry over the central entry; simply-formed window apertures; and a substantial early 1980s addition at rear.

Developed in England in the early 20th century, this form of treatment for rising damp was introduced into Australia in the late 1960s, during which decade it was extensively installed in public and private masonry buildings.

[1] The group retains its physical integrity, although the church as it stands is the result of three distinct stages of construction, the rectory was internally modified in the 1960s, and the parish hall was extended in the 1980s.

Hunt not only reconstructed the roof and replaced the timber shingles in slate, but also removed the internal brick lining of the nave and raised the walls by two courses of sandstone.

[1] Interior alterations have included the deletion of the choir within the chancel; the provision of electric lighting to replace ceiling-hung oil lamps; the installation of commemorative and memorial plaques; and the introduction of a Crucifix and statues.

In the mid-1960s, the rectory underwent major alterations, including the introduction of cement roof tiles; the provision of an indoor kitchen, bathroom and lavatory; and the placing out of use of the loft rooms.

The rectory having been slightly damaged by the 1989 earthquake, in conjunction with the necessary repairs its roof tiles were replaced with metal sheeting; the loft rooms were reopened, necessitating the rebuilding of the staircase; the dormer windows were reinstated; and the badly-damaged chimneys were reconstructed.

[1] The St. James' Anglican Church Group, Morpeth is of state heritage significance for its strong association with the prolific 19th century architects Edmund Blacket and John Horbury Hunt, both of whom are recognised as having made important contributions to the development of ecclesiastical buildings in NSW, and especially in the Hunter Region.

Inspired by the example of English church properties, Close deliberately made the group visually prominent so as to mark the location of the township when viewed from river vessels and from the approach roads, a function it continues to perform.

Other moveable heritage items that are significant include the sandstone pulpit, a replica of the 13th century example in Beaulieu Abbey, Hampshire, and the ornately-carved stone baptismal font, designed by architect Edmund Blacket and installed in 1864.

Its location in a prominent position, both visually and in proximity to the main thoroughfares, demonstrates the historic importance of religious observance in the early European settlement of regional NSW.

The St. James' Anglican Church Group, Morpeth is of state significance for its historic association with prolific 19th century architects Edmund Blacket and John Horbury Hunt, both of whom are recognised as having made important contributions to the development of ecclesiastical buildings in NSW, and especially in the Hunter Region.

The rectory is significant as an example of a Colonial Georgian brick country parsonage, distinguished by its steeply-pitched roof, simple verandah posts, and french doors with shutters to provide both security and the regulation of ventilation as required.

[1] The Horbury Hunt-designed hammerbeam truss roof with boarded ceiling, a defining feature of the interior and a very fine example of its type both in the integrity of its conception and the skill involved in its execution, is a radical departure from Hunt's customary unadorned "as from saw" construction, and is therefore of state heritage significance.