No. 125 - Don - St Olave's Anglican Church (1877)
Don is a suburb of Devonport and is centred on the the western bank of the River Don. In 1854 a large sawmill was built and operated by Cummings and Raymond, who came from Ottawa and Nova Scotia. Tramways were constructed for harvesting timber which was shipped out from the settlement at Don. A sizeable settlement developed with a school and Independent church, a furniture and joinery factory and a trading store.
In March 1869 an Anglican service were held in the River Don Schoolroom with the aim of establishing a permanent congregation. It had been expected that the Bishop would attend but this did not eventuate and it was “supposed the dark evening prevented him coming”. However, in the following week Bishop Bromby did make it to Don and “preached in the Independent Chapel”. Some of the large congregation that attended “were doubtless attracted by the novelty of a Church of England service being held in a dissenting place of worship”.
A Sunday school was established at Don and the construction of a church was begun in September 1876. The local correspondent for the Launceston Examiner reported:
“The Church of England ministers here are commencing to build a place of worship in a paddock almost opposite the residence of Dr. Dundas. I have a drawing of the intended building which looks very pretty upon paper, and I dare say it will look very well when it is finished”.
The church was built on Cutts Road on land belonging to Cummings, Henry, and Co., and was in close proximity to the Cummings, Henry & Co. Store.
The church was still under construction in December 1876 and was likely completed in January 1877 as a report of the Church of England Synod of February 1877 states that the building had been completed. The church eventually officially opened in May 1877 and was dedicated to St Olav, King of Norway (995-1030), an ally of King Ethelred the Unready in his war against the Danes.
The closure of the local sawmill in 1880 and the departure of people to nearby districts led to a decrease in attendance at St Olave’s, and by the 1890s the church was closed. The building remained unused for several years until one of its long-term wardens, Elijah Nickols, donated land on the corner on the main road to Devonport. A decision was therefore made to relocate the church building ‘nearer to Devonport, and more convenient to the attendants’. The removal of the building was partly funded by Mrs M. A. Nickols from the estate of her late husband. St Olav’s was reconsecrated by Bishop Montgomery on Sunday 6 October 1901.
In 1926, the small cemetery at the church was consecrated. The congregation seemed to be thriving and the Bishop “complimented the congregation on the care they had taken of the church and the grounds and also the improvements which had been effected”.
Services at St Olav’s were discontinued in 1940 due to falling numbers and the windows were boarded up. In 1960, the congregation of St John’s in Devonport decided to restore the building and it was reopened in 1961. The church was extended in 1967 with the addition of a room at the western end of the building for use as a Sunday school classroom. Further additions, including a bathroom and porch were completed in 1987.
Declining numbers again led to the church’s closure in 2009 which led to the buildings deconsecration and sale in 2017.
In March 1869 an Anglican service were held in the River Don Schoolroom with the aim of establishing a permanent congregation. It had been expected that the Bishop would attend but this did not eventuate and it was “supposed the dark evening prevented him coming”. However, in the following week Bishop Bromby did make it to Don and “preached in the Independent Chapel”. Some of the large congregation that attended “were doubtless attracted by the novelty of a Church of England service being held in a dissenting place of worship”.
A Sunday school was established at Don and the construction of a church was begun in September 1876. The local correspondent for the Launceston Examiner reported:
“The Church of England ministers here are commencing to build a place of worship in a paddock almost opposite the residence of Dr. Dundas. I have a drawing of the intended building which looks very pretty upon paper, and I dare say it will look very well when it is finished”.
The church was built on Cutts Road on land belonging to Cummings, Henry, and Co., and was in close proximity to the Cummings, Henry & Co. Store.
The church was still under construction in December 1876 and was likely completed in January 1877 as a report of the Church of England Synod of February 1877 states that the building had been completed. The church eventually officially opened in May 1877 and was dedicated to St Olav, King of Norway (995-1030), an ally of King Ethelred the Unready in his war against the Danes.
The closure of the local sawmill in 1880 and the departure of people to nearby districts led to a decrease in attendance at St Olave’s, and by the 1890s the church was closed. The building remained unused for several years until one of its long-term wardens, Elijah Nickols, donated land on the corner on the main road to Devonport. A decision was therefore made to relocate the church building ‘nearer to Devonport, and more convenient to the attendants’. The removal of the building was partly funded by Mrs M. A. Nickols from the estate of her late husband. St Olav’s was reconsecrated by Bishop Montgomery on Sunday 6 October 1901.
In 1926, the small cemetery at the church was consecrated. The congregation seemed to be thriving and the Bishop “complimented the congregation on the care they had taken of the church and the grounds and also the improvements which had been effected”.
Services at St Olav’s were discontinued in 1940 due to falling numbers and the windows were boarded up. In 1960, the congregation of St John’s in Devonport decided to restore the building and it was reopened in 1961. The church was extended in 1967 with the addition of a room at the western end of the building for use as a Sunday school classroom. Further additions, including a bathroom and porch were completed in 1987.
Declining numbers again led to the church’s closure in 2009 which led to the buildings deconsecration and sale in 2017.
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| The church at its original location on Cutts Road. Photo: Wells Plates, Devon Historical Society - reproduced in Gardham |
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| The church at its new location in 1901 (Gardham) |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 |
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| The final service for St Olave's - Photo - The Advocate 15 February 2018 |
Sources:
Launceston Examiner, Saturday 6 March 1869, page 6
Launceston Examiner, Saturday 6 March 1869, page 6
Launceston Examiner, Saturday 13 March 1869, page 3
Cornwall Chronicle, Monday 16 September 1872, page 3
Launceston Examiner, Tuesday 3 October 1876, page 1
Weekly Examiner, Saturday 9 December 1876, page 14
Weekly Examiner, Saturday 24 February 1877, page 12
North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times Friday 16 August 1901
North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times, Tuesday 8 October 1901, page 2
The Advocate Tuesday 9 November 1926
North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times Saturday 22 August 1903
Advocate, Friday 14 February 1919
The Advocate Tuesday 9 November 1926
North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times Saturday 22 August 1903
Advocate, Friday 14 February 1919
Advocate, 25 December 2009
Advocate 15 February 2018
Advocate 15 February 2018
Gardham, F (1996) Sawdust, Sails and Sweat, Port Sorell.
Henslowe, Dorothea; Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania. Mercury-Walch, Moonah, Tas, 1978.
Henslowe, Dorothea; Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania. Mercury-Walch, Moonah, Tas, 1978.
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