All Saints Church
All Saints Anglican Church at Ainslie.
The original building was at Rookwood Cemetery. It was dismantled and rebuilt in Ainslie in 1959.
How to get there
From the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre, return north on Northbourne Avenue. Turn right at the seventh set of lights into Ipima Street then through the roundabout and straight ahead at the lights into Cowper Street. The church is on your left.
Why is this interesting?
Why is All Saints Church at the start of the ACT Pioneers Cemetery Track when there are no grave sites nearby? This heritage listed site is remarkable for its history. Originally a disused mortuary railway in Sydney, it was successfully relocated and adapted for reuse as a flourishing place of worship in suburban Ainslie.
On 1 June 1958 the foundation stone for All Saints Anglican Church was laid. The sandstone of the church building was moved stone by stone from the Rookwood Mortuary Station, which fell into disuse when motorised transport made the need for a funeral train from the city redundant in the early 1900s.
All Saints successfully tendered for its removal, however the challenge was dismantling, transporting and reconstructing the sandstone blocks into a unique building. This project was supported by the local Ainslie community and with vision, faith and commitment the results are there for all to see.
Come and see if you can work out where the train once drove through this meticulously rebuilt church.