St. Peter's Anglican Church columbarium is located in the grounds of St. Peter's Church in William Street, East Maitland. It is excellently maintained by the church staff in a peaceful tree shaded garden setting at the front of this beautiful historic church. There are seats for visitors seeking quiet reflection.
St. Peter's Church is closely linked in history to the nearby historic Glebe Cemetery which was once called St. Peter's Anglican Cemetery or East Maitland Anglican Cemetery. The current Gothic style church was constructed between 1884-1886. The original St. Peter's Church was located on land a short distance away which was known as Stockade Hill. This area was located close to the military barracks of the time and close to the location of the Glebe Cemetery.
The columbarium was established in 1963 and the memorial gardens in 1994. As at March 2021 there were over 2000 niches in this columbarium which are held in perpetuity by the families. Some ashes have been interred within the gardens located around the columbarium panels and, for some of these people, memorial plaques are placed on the surrounding garden walls or on the central memorial stone plaque.
A central feature of the columbarium setting is the tomb of the Rev. George Keylock Rusden who died in March 1859 after being the Parish Minister for 25 years. His wife and sister are also listed on the tombstone. Rev. Rusden was the founding minister of the parish in 1834. (Copied from FaG)