New Site for Diocesan Office

The Diocesan Office is moving!

The Trustees and Diocesan Business Manager have secured the Kings Hall Chambers in Newcastle CBD property as an investment. This will, from early November, house the Diocesan Offices as well as other long term tenants that will provide a commercial return on this property investment.

Archdeacon Stephen Pullin said, “The purchase of this property and the move of the Diocesan Office is offering a long term solution with flexible options for the future.

“The move will provide the Diocese with more space for the things we need to do and it has no financial impact on the Diocesan budget with it in fact offering savings in real terms,” he said.

“It provides for more efficient operations of the Diocese and will allow us to offer more to parishes.”
The current Diocesan office, located at 51 Newcomen Street Newcastle, was sold at auction in September.  The successful purchaser was Newcastle Grammar School.

In the past the building housing the Diocesan headquarters has been known by a number of different names.

Originally based at Morpeth in Closebourne, Diocesan Registry building (Closebourne site); then
Tyrrell Hall (Hunter Street); Diocesan Registry (Darby Street);
Closebourne (Morpeth); and most recently Diocesan Office (Hunter Street and Newcomen Street).

The new building is currently known as Kings Hall Chambers and Bishop Brian Farran has decided that the building be named after Bishop Housden, the eighth Bishop of Newcastle who served the Diocese from 1958 to 1972.

“With the establishment of a new Diocesan Office in King St has come the opportunity and naming rights for what will be in the future a significant building for the Diocese. The name for the new building will be Bishop Housden Hall,” he said.

“The establishment of two meeting rooms in the new building also gives the opportunity to mark with gratitude our thanks for the ministries of other significant persons who have served the Diocese over the years. In this instance it would be appropriate to record our thanks for the two ‘home grown’ and long term ministries of Bishops Stibbard and Parker in their service as Assistant Bishops within the Diocese,” Bishop Brian said.

The names for these meeting rooms are The Stibbard Room and The Parker Room.

Archdeacon Pullin said, “The new office offers a more professional layout with modern fit-out, up-to-date IT and other important requirements for the efficient running of the Diocesan Office.”

The Diocesan Office will be closed from October28 to November 5 for the move.

The blessing of the Bishop Housden Hall and the Parker and Stibbard Rooms will take place on November 21.