No. 501 - Liffey Wesleyan-Methodist Church

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The Liffey Methodist church was located on Liffey Road about 5 kilometres from Carrick and a little over 2 kilometres from the former Bishopsbourne station of the Launceston and Western Railway. The church opened in October 1872 and it was later removed to Elphinstone, near Cressy, in 1909. 

The church was described in a report in the Examiner on the occasion of its opening on Sunday 27 October 1872:

“The building is erected on land presented by Mrs Kerkham, and is an object of interest for a long distance owing to its elevated position. It is 27 foot long by 18 wide, built of timber, lathed and plastered inside. It has a very neat and comfortable appearance, and will seat about 100 persons. It belongs to the Wesleyan Methodists, Longford Circuit, and was erected by Mr Titmus, of Perth, at a cost of £87”.

The report went on to describe the opening ceremony and the fundraising ‘tea-meeting’ that followed:

“The opening services were conducted…by the Rev. J. White, of Launceston, who preached two excellent sermons to very large congregations in the morning…and in the afternoon.… On Monday a public tea meeting was held, and was attended by large numbers from Bishopsbourne, Carrick, Oaks, Whitemore, &c. There was an abundance of provisions and the usual et ceteras of such meetings, of excellent quality. When the wants of the inner man had been attended to there was an adjournment to the new chapel…”

Although numbers at the church were small the congregation remained active for almost 40 years before a decision was made by the Tasmanian Methodist Assembly to move the building to Elphinstone Road, about 15 kilometres away.

The history of the Elphinstone church will be taken up in a separate blog entry. The photograph of the church used in this article is one of the building as it appeared at the Elphinstone Road site, which I assume would have differed little in appearance from its previous location on the Liffey Road. 


The Liffey Road church at its new location at Elphinstone (c.1910). Photo courtesy of Ivan Badcock



Sources:

Cornwall Advertiser, Friday 22 November 1872, page 3
Launceston Examiner, Thursday 31 October 1872, page 2
Examiner,  Friday 7 May 1909, page 6
Daily Telegraph, Friday 2 April 1909, page 8

Notes prepared on the Liffey Church by Ivan Badcock, 24 May 2019.


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