Churches of Tasmania

  Wesley Dale, near Chudleigh, is located on land granted to Lieutenant Travers Hartley Vaughan in 1829. In 1837 he sold his property ‘Native Hut Corner’ to Henry Reed, a successful businessman and devout Wesleyan. Reed named the property WesleyDale, after his spiritual leader. He extended the house and built a church. In the 1870’s Reed built a large ‘summer home’ and another church on the property which he named Mountain Villa. His first residence then became known as Old WesleyDale. The church featured in this article is the second built by Henry Reed and is located close to Mountain Villa.  Henry Reed was one of Tasmania’s leading businessmen, bankers and philanthropists. He was also an ardent evangelist who made a significant contribution to the Christian cause in Australia and in Britain. Henry Reed was born in Doncaster, England, in 1806. At the age of 20 he sailed for Hobart arriving in April 1827. From Hobart he walked to Launceston, a distance of 120 miles. Reed had a

The history of the Baptist Church at Devonport goes back to the 1880’s when services held in a billiard hall. [see No. 220]  In 1898 a hall on Stewart Street was purchased but this was replaced by a substantial brick ‘tabernacle’ that opened in 1904. This building now houses the Devonport Art Centre. In 1958, the Baptists purchased land on William Street to build a hall which was completed in 1962. A modern Baptist church on the William Street site was opened in December 1972 and is now known as the Lifeway Baptist Church. Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Sources: http://www.devonportbaptists.org.au/home/a-brief-history/

Rowella is a small settlement on the Tamar River about 50km north of Launceston. In 1911 Charles Brady, a devout Anglican and one of the pioneers of the orchard industry in the West Tamar district, bought Waterton Estate with its 1860’s Georgian homestead. This was enlarged by architect Alexander North who changed its appearance to that of a Tudor building which included an attached chapel. The Anglican residents of Rowella and Kayena were to use this chapel for over 30 years. In 1949, the Roman Catholic Church purchased Waterton Hall to use as a school for girls. The furnishings of the chapel were removed to St Stephens, a small wooden church that was built at Rowella for the Anglican community. Among the items removed from the Waterton chapel were a clamshell font from Papua New Guinea in memory of Sister May Hayman, one of the ‘New Guinea Martyrs’ and a ‘rose window’, a memorial to Alexander North. St Stephen’s was was consecrated by Bishop Cranswick in June 1950. In the 1980’

The Uniting Church at Wesley Vale is the third church built by the Methodists in the area. The first church, a “bush chapel”, was opened in May 1866 and built on land donated by Sampson Andrews. Mrs Alexander Findlay, interviewed in 1926, recalled that “the seats were made of blocks of wood with boards nailed across them, and the reading desk was of sawn timber”. The “bush chapel” was intended as a temporary meeting place until a ‘proper’ church could be built. In 1870, a new church was opened but it too was replaced in 1888 by the Uniting Church building which is still in use today. The third church opened on Sunday 29 April 1888. The North West Post reported on the opening service and provides a description of the original building: “A neat compact little building, of 40x20, weatherboard, with galvanised iron roof throughout, well lined within, and lighted by stained glass windows. There is a rostrum platform with a handsome Blackwood railing. The church is situated on a very nice

Wesleyan Methodist activity began in the Leven River area in that late 1850’s at a house at Gravel Hill (about 2km from the centre of Ulverstone). By the 1860’s Reverend Cooke and Reverend Edward Nye were conducting services in a building known as ‘Rats Castle’ on a farm on the outskirts of Ulverstone owned by Samuel Tongs. It was a very rough building which had had its partitions knocked out to create a space for the congregation. Reverend George Heywood continued to hold regular services at ‘Rats’ Castle’ until it fell into ruin. After the demise of ‘Rats Castle’ Sabbath meetings were held at the Ulverstone residence of Mr Stratton up until a church was built in 1880. Planning for the church began in July 1880 and by the 17th October a weatherboard building was opened for service. A report in the Devon Herald provides a record of the services: “The attendance on either occasion was not large; no doubt the very heavy rain we had on Sunday morning and the threatening aspect of the we

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or 'Mormons' in Tasmania dates back to 1854 when Robert Owen began to proselytise in Hobart. This mission was however unsuccessful and it was not until the 1890’s that congregations were established in Hobart and the Upper Huon. Chapels were built in North Hobart in 1924 and in Glen Huon in 1927. Many early converts migrated to Utah in response to opposition to proselytising by government. The church in Tasmania grew rapidly in the 1950’s. By the early 21st century membership reached 4000 attending ‘churches’ in Moonah, Rosny, Launceston, Glen Huon, Deloraine, Devonport and Burnie. Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019  Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2019 Source: http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/C/Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ..htm

Highclere is a small settlement about 18km south of Burnie in Tasmania’s North West. The settlement grew around a siding built in 1903 by the Emu Bay Railway. It was initially called Oonah Road Siding before it was changed to Highclere in 1922. In 1911 the North West Post described progress in the area: “…[At] Oonah, .. quite a village is springing up. Several houses have been erected, the place has its State school and public telephone, and it is said the Methodist body contemplate erecting a wooden church. The V.D.L. Co. are the owners of all the land hereabouts, and if they were to dispose of some of their blocks it would give a great impetus to the settlement”. By 1916 a Methodist Sunday school was operating at Oonah Road and afternoon church services were held. In October 1918 the Methodists purchased “an allotment of land” to build a church. In July 1919 the Examiner reported that “arrangements had been completed for the purchase of a Methodist church at Dundas, to be erected

In 1870 Devonport’s first Catholic church was established at Torquay (East Devonport). Known as “Star of the Sea” [see No. 242 here] , it served the Catholics of Torquay until 1899 when it was literally ferried across the Mersey River to a new site in West Devonport. It was reconstructed near to the ‘Star of the Sea’ convent that had opened in 1893. The Torquay church was built on land east of Wright Street and north of Drew Street. Sixty years after the Star of the Sea was removed, East Devonport acquired its second Catholic church; St Joseph the Worker. The establishment of a separate parish of East Devonport in 1960 provided the impetus to once again build a church to serve the eastern part of the city. By the 1970’s, East Devonport parish had reverted back to the Devonport parish and it was only a matter of time before St Joseph’s was closed. Very little is known about the history of the church and this article will be updated when further information becomes available. A note on