Windsor Tour

First, visit St Matthew’s Windsor, which was designed and built by Francis Greenway and is the oldest Anglican church in Australia. Consecrated by Samuel Marsden in 1822 its church yard is the resting place of Jonathan Hassall and his wife Mary (Rouse). Several other substantial Hassall memorials are in good condition and can be read clearly. Sadly, Jonathan’s seventh son Charles drowned in the Cudgegong River and commemorated by a plaque within the church.

The Windsor and Richmond district has many Hassall associations as Rowland and his son Thomas preached to settlers along the Nepean river at Ebenezer and Wilberforce which are in easy distance. The townships have many pleasant places for a picnic lunch.

In the afternoon a visit to Rouse Hill Farm has many attractions for parents and children. Built by Richard Rouse it became the home of Jonathan’s wife Mary after his early death in 1834.

The property includes a well restored school as well as several farm buildings. In 1984 the summer house was repaired/ reconstructed, and the property was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust in 1987.

Research by the Historic Houses Trust places it on the line of the old Hawkesbury Road (1794-1813) on which the pursuit and "battle of Vinegar Hill", an armed conflagration between convicts and troops, took place in 1804. That event is commemorated by an historic marker.

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A cafe and store provides visitors with refreshments and information about the property.