[7]: 33–34  In early 2016, the rectory was first leased[8] and in 2018 it was reported that the local Anglican parish council sought to sell around 60 percent of the current precinct for development as an aged care facility to fund the construction of a new worship centre near the existing St John's Church.

[16] The first recorded trip by the colonists to the area was in August 1790, when Marine Captain-Lieutenant Watkin Tench, William Dawes and George Bouchier Worgan undertook a seven-day expedition to the south-west of Rose Hill (renamed Parramatta in June 1791[17]) travelling until they reached Mt Prudhoe on the Razorback Ridge.

The party reported "The country where they were found grazing was remarkably pleasant to the eye; every where the foot trod on thick and luxuriant grass; the trees were thinly scattered, and free from underwood, except in particular spots; several beautiful flats presented large ponds, covered with ducks and the black swan, the margins of which were fringed with shrubs of the most delightful tints, and the ground rose from these levels into hills of easy ascent.

[37]: 38 The property division on John's death, the considerable expenses of the construction of the homestead, security, the cessation of the assignment of convicts to private service, drought, and poor economic conditions caused a significant upheaval in operation and financing of the estate.

[citation needed] Of the many things which they were fond of, such as theatre and history, they had a special interest in a well-made or picturesque landscape that could encapsulate and frame the works and lives of men and women.

[3][40]: 34–35 Consequently, in December 1830 a group of local residents petitioned Governor Darling for the establishment of settlement, comprising a police station, court-house, goal, and church, near the Cowpastures Bridge.

The Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell recommended the land on the south bank of the Nepean on a rise close to the river being the most ideal choice, but this location was part of the Camden Park Estate.

In March 1827 Thomas Hassall was appointed Chaplain of the Cowpastures and settled at Denbigh near Cobbitty and he soon began his regular circuit of the properties and settlements within his parish, which included Camden Park.

At this time the liturgical emphasis of the Church of England was on the spoken word with the pulpit being the focus of attention and there was commonly social segregation through the use of rented pews for the wealthy and open galleries for the poor.

The nature of the movement to look towards the medieval past for inspiration led its liberal critics to label it as retrogressive and its Evangelical opponents as pro-Roman Catholic and a threat to the Protestant Church.

This design was in contrast to the traditional early nineteenth century style that featured high box pews, triple-decker pulpit, and a western gallery containing harmonium and choir.

[3][7]: 50 Further work to complete the church occurred by 1848 when it was suggested in the local press that the flooring had been laid and even perhaps the windows installed leaving just the interior furnishings, pulpit, seats, and chancel fittings, to be finalised.

The ceremony was attended by a congregation of around 500 people, including the Macarthur brothers, and the service was assisted by the incumbent Reverend Edward Rodgers and the clergy of the surrounding parishes (Rev.

The windows, which are of the "decorated " period, are exceedingly well wrought in the stone procured from the neighbourhood, which is of greyer colour and closer grain, though softer in the cutting, than the sandstone around Sydney.

Consequently, during his visit to Europe between 1855 and 1857 as commissioner of the NSW contingent to the Paris International Exhibition he commissioned the famous English Gothic Revival architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott to provide a design.

No action seems to have been taken to implement either of these designs over the following years until the death of James Macarthur in April 1867 that led to a desire by the congregation to install a fitting memorial in the church for the life of the gentleman who had been instrumental in its establishment and early management.

In the early 20th century when the Parish was in some financial trouble due to a decrease in the congregation and the changing nature of the surrounding area (from agriculture to dairy farming) the Macarthur-Onslow family came to its assistance through the granting of additional land.

[57][58][3] In July 1929, a 3.08-hectare (7.6-acre) strip of land to the south of the rectory from Menangle Road to the Nepean River was transferred from the Camden Park Estate to the Church of England Property Trust.

It considerably differs from earlier churches in its competent and authentic decorated gothic design and its internal layout with the pulpit and prayer desk in the east end and the table in the chancel.

These trees are visible in photographs from the 1860s onwards:[3] Other mature trees immediately around the church include Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), forest red gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), kurrajong (Brachychiton populneum), Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis), oleanders (Nerium oleander cv.s), funeral cypresses (Chamaecyparis funebris), Photinia glabra, Chinese elm (Ulmus chinensis), and brown pine (Podocarpus elatus).

[3][7]: 35–36, 44 The most important of these many vistas are the two deliberately planned by the Macarthur family with the assistance of Sir Thomas Mitchell:[3] As at 20 September 2017, St John's the Evanglist Anglican church was in good condition and retains all its original fabric.

This status, along with its strong connection to the 1836 Church Act, renders it an important early forerunner of the Gothic Revival movement which was to dominate ecclesiastical architecture in the Colony throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century.

St John's as an important regional landmark is a significant element in the picturesque landscape planning used to create the Camden Park Estate, the seat of the Macarthur family.

Their successors to the Camden Park Estate, the philanthropist and dairy farmer Elizabeth (1840-1911) and naval officer and politician Commander R. N. Arthur Macarthur-Onslow (1833-1882), were also strongly involved in the further running and development of the church and precinct during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

St John's Anglican Church Precinct has aesthetic significance at a State level as a fine group of ecclesiastic buildings with a cemetery located in an open rural landscape resplendent with mature native and exotic trees, rolling grassed slopes, fence lines, paths, and memorials.

This vista features St John's tower and spire framed by the peaks of Mount Hay and Banks of the Blue Mountains range in the distance as its focal point.

This vista was deliberately planned to delight and interest the eye and mind of early nineteenth century observers and the medieval inspired design of St John's was a fitting centrepiece according to the dictates of the picturesque.

[3] St John's is an important part in the framework of power dynamics the Macarthurs embedded in their regional landscape design to reinforce the social structures they wished to perpetuate.

It is secondly expressed in the relationship of St John's Anglican Church with the township design of Camden as envisioned by James and William Macarthur and put into effect by Sir Thomas Mitchell.

St John's Anglican Church retains many elements of its original built fabric, which makes it a unique repository for the future study of nineteenth century technology and artisan's crafts.