Mortuary Station

Mortuary Station was completed in 1869 as one of two railway stations purpose-built for funeral trains running between Sydney and the new Haslems Creek cemetery (now called Rookwood), at Lidcombe. This modern way of burying people, far distant from their local parishes, was created along the lines of the gardenesque Highgate Cemetery in London.

Both railway stations were designed in the Gothic Revival style by the renowned NSW Colonial Architect James Barnet, with elaborate funerary symbolism carved into their sandstone fabric. They were very different in style from other railway architecture; these buildings aspired to the sombre ambience of a church, while also facilitating the efficient movement of mourners and caskets to the remote burying ground.

As the original cemetery became full, its extent was expanded to become the largest Victorian Cemetery in the World and the largest cemetery in the Southern Hemisphere, with four railway stations. When full, the original cemetery became neglected and the receiving house fell into disrepair.

With better roads and increased car ownership, railway funerals were phased out, and in 1938 the Mortuary Station ceased to be the terminus. While a funeral train service restricted to weekends was provided from Central Station, this ceased in April 1948 and the branch lines were closed.

In 1957 the Rookwood receiving house was sold for £100, dismantled and re-erected in Canberra where it is now All Saints Church, Ainslie; it is on the ACT Heritage Register.

Gradually, Mortuary Station fell into disrepair, but its heritage worth was recognised in 1981 and it was restored. The Mortuary Station is evidence of the fundamental role played by the railways in establishing Sydney’s largest cemetery. It is on the NSW State Heritage Register as part of the Sydney Terminal & Central Station Group, and is on the Railcorp Register under Section 170, NSW Heritage Act.