No. 1067 - Chigwell - Plymouth Brethren Christian Church

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Chigwell is a suburb of Greater Hobart approximately 20 kilometres north of the city. It was developed by the Housing Department in the 1950s. It takes its name from "Chigwell House", the home of William Gore Elliston established in the 1840s.

Chigwell’s Plymouth Brethren church is located off Kilpa Street and above the Brooker Highway. As with most Brethren churches access to the site is very restricted. The Chigwell church is on a large block of land and the building is obscured by walls and fences. For this reason an aerial photograph has been used for illustrative purposes.

Similarly, there is little information about the church available in the public domain. The site was acquired in 2006 and building commenced some time after this.

The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain, in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the Christian Brethren became established in Australia.

The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away from the original Christian Brethren in 1848. In 2012 the Exclusive Brethren adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’. Tasmanian Plymouth Brethren churches are part of global organisation with about 50 000 members. The Plymouth Brethren are notorious for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to the denomination being considered a Christian sect.

With very limited contact with the secular world and the Brethren’s determination to be invisible to the outside world or any public scrutiny, no more than a cursory ‘history’ of this church is possible.


A Google Earth view of the church. The high walls surrounding the complex are clearly visible in the image.



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