Laying Foundation Stone of Warden’s Residence, St. Paul’s College, by Lord Carrington.

Rare engraving of the laying of the foundation stone of St. Paul’s College, Sydney University in 1886 by Lord Carrington.

St Paul’s was the first university college established in Australia. It was founded in 1856 following an unsuccessful attempt by members of the Anglican Church to incorporate the earlier St James’s College within the new University of Sydney. The founders of the University of Sydney had initially intended to emulate the collegiate structure of Oxford and Cambridge, and the founding of St Paul’s as the first of the colleges was a key development as part of this vision. The original building was designed in the Gothic style by English-born architect Edmund Blacket the distinguished ecclesiastical architect; he also designed the main university building and would go on to supervise the construction of the Catholic St John’s College.

From the original edition of The Illustrated Sydney News.

References:
Gibbs & Shallard. Illustrated Sydney News. ISSN 2203-5397.

Collections:
State Library New South Wales: F8/39-40
State Library Victoria: PCINF SLVIC=1853-1872
National Library Australia: Bib ID 440095