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Showing posts from September, 2022

No. 1177 - South Hobart - The Way Christian Church (c.1987-2012)

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The Way Christian Church is a former Apostolic Church located on Degraves Street adjacent to the Cascades Female Factory historic site. The church was established in a former warehouse in the late 1980s. The church closed about 10 years ago and the premises were sold in 2013. The building is now occupied by Child’s Play Early Learning Centre. Further information about this church is most welcome as all articles are regularly updated. I can be contacted through the comments section on this page or my Facebook page "Churches of Tasmania" which is linked here: < Churches of Tasmania >. Former 'The Way Christian Church' - photo: realcommercial.com.au  Former 'The Way Christian Church' - photo: realcommercial.com.au  Former 'The Way Christian Church' - photo: realcommercial.com.au 

No. 1176 - South Hobart - Kingdom Hall

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South Hobart’s Kingdom Hall is situated on a secluded site off Cascade Road. It is a low-set modern brick building, typical of the style of most of the Kingdom Halls found in Tasmania. The hall was built in the late 1980s. The Jehovah's Witness diverges from the mainstream doctrines of Christianity in that it is a non-trinitarian tradition. Jehovah's Witnesses believe their denomination is a restoration of first-century Christianity. The historical persecution of members of the Jehovah’s Witness in many countries, including Australia, has further contributed to the denomination maintaining a low profile in the media. For this reason the history of the Jehovah Witness in Tasmania presents a challenge to research. The following information is derived from the Jehovah Witness’ official tract ''The Watchtower': “In the early 1900s a member of the International Bible Students Association, as Jehovah's Witnesses were known, was distributing Bible study publications in

No. 1175 - South Hobart - St George the Martyr Greek Orthodox Church (1958)

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South Hobart’s Greek Orthodox Church is Byzantine style building located on Antill Street close to Fitzroy Gardens. In the 1950s and early 1960s numerous Greek migrants arrived in Tasmania as a result of Australia's new immigration policy and the signing of a major immigration agreement with Greece in 1952. It was not long before the growing community acquired a place of worship. The original church was a modest brick hall built by volunteer labour in the 1950s. The land was donated by the Casimaty brothers, members of a prominent Greek family. Construction began in 1957 and the building was consecrated in 1958. In the 1980s the hall was expanded with addition of two transepts and a dome was added transforming the building in a Byzantine style Greek church. Commemoration stone marking the church's extension. A view of the church taken from the church's website (see links below) The original church hall built in 1957 - Photo: ABC News  Sources and links of interest: https:

No. 1174 - Launceston - Wharf Mission Hall (1881-1896) "Go and do Likewise"

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In 1881 a small mission hall was built on a site off William Street, near lower Charles Street. Following the demolition of the Bethel Chapel in 1878*, a need arose to minister to the poor who lived in the vicinity of the wharf. It was largely due to the efforts of 20 year old Francis Lindley Stephenson, that the Wharf Mission Hall was built for use as a Sunday school and mission room. In 1880 Stephenson approached the Launceston Marine Board with a request to lease a site, opposite the Salmon and Ball Inn, to build a “Undenominational Sunday-school”. However it was found that the site was on a public street, beyond the jurisdiction of Marine Board, therefore this did not proceed. In September 1880 the Launceston Examiner reported: “…Several gentlemen have for some time past been endeavouring to obtain permission to erect a Sunday-school for those children who do not attend any place of worship on the Esplanade, near the southern end of the Market Wharf, and behind Messrs Babington and

No. 1173 - Hobart - Cascades - St Thomas' Anglican Church (1913)

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Cascades is a suburb of Hobart situated between South Hobart and Mount Wellington. It is the location of the Cascade Brewery, the oldest brewery in Australia and is the site of Hobart’s historic convict Female Factory. St Thomas’ Anglican church closed in the 1980s. The building has been converted into a house after being used as the premises of a furniture upholstery factory for a number of years. St Thomas’ was established as a mission hall within All Saints parish. The foundation stone for the building was ceremonially laid on Saturday 21 December 1912. The Mercury reported: “A mission hall for religious services of the Church of England, Sunday school, working men's club, boys' and girls' club, and other social effort is being erected on the Cascades-road, near the tram terminus in connection with All Saints' Church. It is to be called St. Thomas's Mission-hall, and the memorial stone was laid on Saturday (St. Thomas's Day) by the Governor (Sir Harry Barron)

No. 1172 - Launceston - Central Baptist Church - 'Duncan House' (1954-1981) "An Ecclesiastical Feeling"

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Duncan House is a striking Art Deco-Gothic style building located on Brisbane street in central Launceston. The building’s bold appearance is far removed from that of a traditional church but it has had a very close association with the Baptist Church and was the location of the ‘Central Baptist Church’ for over 30 years. Duncan House was built in 1934 and designed by architect Colin Philp. It was built as the Ford showroom and workshop for City Motors. The building was named after James Duncan, a staunch supporter of the Cimitiere Street Baptist Tabernacle. James Duncan was a native of Dundee (Scotland) whose family migrated to Tasmania in the 1850s. He worked as a “shoeman” and later went on to establish businesses at Zeehan and Queenstown. He was best known as the proprietor of “James Duncan, The Boot Palace”, a business on Brisbane Street selling “high-class fashionable footwear”. For a number of years Mr. Duncan was managing director of McarHugh's pottery on Wellington-stree

No. 1171 - Launceston - Catholic Apostolic Church (1898)

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The Catholic Apostolic Church is a proto-pentecostal denomination founded in 1832 by the followers of Edward Irving. Irving was a Church of Scotland pastor and an exponent of the imminent ‘Second Coming’ of Christ and of the gift of speaking in tongues. As a revival movement with a strong millennialist focus, the church experienced strong growth in the late 19th century. When the last of the church’s original ‘apostles’ died in 1903, it became apparent that the Second Coming was not imminent, and the denomination underwent a rapid decline. The Catholic Apostolic Church had only one church in Tasmania. The short-lived Launceston congregation was active for about 20 years. The Launceston church’s origins date to 1888 following a visit by “an evangelist”, Mr Miller, who held a series of lectures in the Mechanics Institute. A local church was established in 1890 which met in the “Catholic Apostolic church-room” in the Quadrant, premises previously occupied by the Young Men’s Christian As

No. 1170 - Castle Forbes Bay - All Saints' Catholic Church (1904)

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Castle Forbes Bay is located on the Huon Highway approximately 50 kilometres south of Hobart. overlooking the Huon River. It is named after a ship, Castle Forbes, which landed sick Irish women migrants at nearby Hospital Bay in 1836. It is thought that the Captain of the "Castle Forbes" mistook the Huon River for the Derwent. Two churches were built at Castle Forbes Bay, a Methodist church in the 1870s (which was replaced in 1905, and a Catholic church which opened in 1904. The foundation stone for this church was ceremonially laid on Sunday 1 November 1903 by the Archbishop of Hobart, Dr Daniel Murphy. The Tasmanian News reported: “Dr Murphy, who has been for the past few days the guest of Father Hennessy at Franklin, on Sunday, laid the foundation stone of All Saints Church at Castle Forbes Bay. The day being fine a large number of residents and friends assembled at the site in the afternoon. His grace performed the long and impressive ceremony with unusual vigour for one w

No. 1169 - Saltwater River - The Convict Probation Station Chapel (1841)

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Saltwater River (previously Saltwater Creek) is a settlement on the Tasman Peninsula approximately 25 kilometres west of Eaglehawk Neck. It was the site of two convict out-stations of Port Arthur Penal Settlement. Saltwater River Convict Probation Station was an agricultural station and is a separate site from the convict ‘Coal Mines’ which is also at Saltwater River. The Saltwater River station was the first of six probation stations established on the Tasman Peninsula. The first men arrived on the ship ‘British Sovereign’ on the 29th March 1841. The station was established as an agricultural outpost to supply Port Arthur and in time some 300 acres of land was farmed to produce wheat and vegetables. After 1850 the station was used to house ‘invalid’ and ‘lunatic’ convicts. The last convicts arrived on board the ‘St Vincent” on 26 May 1853. In 1860 the site was closed and leased for commercial farming. The ‘probation system’ was an experiment in penal discipline unique to Van Diemen