No. 1358 - West Moonah - 'Springfield Methodist Church' (1956-1974)

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Springfield is an area in West Moonah centred around Springfield Avenue. Housing in the area was developed after World War Two. It was known as Springfield, the local name for the terminus of electric trams that ran along Moonah Main Road.

Springfield Methodist church began as a Sunday school which was conducted in a home in Keats Avenue. The first church service was held in the same house on 6 November 1955. In the following year a church built on Homer Avenue. The building was one of number of former army huts located at the 'Cornelian Bay Housing Settlement' used to accommodate homeless families. The Springfield Methodist church was officially opened in April 1956.

In 1961 a brick hall was built in front of the church. Services were held in the new hall while the church was renovated. Regular services were held at Springfield up until the church’s closure in April 1974. Most of the congregation subsequently joined the Glenorchy Uniting Church.

The church and hall still exist and are used as the headquarters of the Tasmanian Caledonian Society. I have not yet managed to locate a photograph of the 1956 church before the hall was built in front of it. A Google street-view image has been used for this article.

The former Springfield Methodist Church on Homer Avenue, Moonah. The original "army hut" church can be seen at the rear of the brick hall. (Google street-view image)


The Springfield Avenue tram terminus which resulted in the area becoming locally known as 'Springfield'. Photo: Trainic (Flickr.com) Source of photograph is not given



Sources:

Stansall, M. E. J. and Methodist Church of Australasia.  Tasmanian Methodism, 1820-1975 / [by M.E.J. Stansall ... et al]  Methodist Church of Australasia Launceston, Tas  1975

Dimmick, Leonard W. and Glenorchy Uniting Church (Tas.).  On the main road / written [and] edited by Leonard W. Dimmick  Glenorchy Uniting Church Glenorchy, Tas  2010



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