No. 1552 - Cressy - Holy Trinity Sunday School (1895) and Parish Hall (1828)
This article is one of a series about buildings associated with Tasmania’s historical churches. These buildings include Sunday schools, parish halls, convents, schools and residences of the clergy. Ancillary buildings are often overlooked and rarely feature in published histories. My aim is to create a simple record of these buildings, including those which no longer exist.
Cressy is a small country town approximately 15 kilometres south of Longford. The town’s name is taken from the Cressy Company, which was established in England in the 1820s to run large agricultural farms in the colony.
In 1858 Cressy’s Holy Trinity Anglican church was built to replace a small church which stood at Bell Post Hill. The new church was substantially replaced by the present church which was built in 1894. A Sunday school hall was built in the church grounds in 1895 as was reported in Launceston’s Daily Telegraph:
“The building, which is made of wood, is lined throughout with Tasmanian hardwood. It has a dado to a height of 4ft., very neat Gothic top windows, and a fireplace for winter use. The building is 28ft x 18ft. The contract was let to our local builder and contractor, Mr Chas. Titmus, and the work reflects the greatest credit upon him…”.
In 1928, the Sunday school room was extended and the old building was incorporated into parish hall. The parish hall was officially opened by Archdeacon Beresford on Wednesday 11 April 1928. An article in the Launceston Examiner described the newly completed building:
“Of the many signs of progress in the township of Cressy one of the most important is the new parish hall, which has just been built for the Church of England. It is 45ft. in length and 25ft. wide, and special features are the splendid floor, the ample provision of light from large windows, and the specially designed, roof to make the building suitable for badminton. The whole building has very graceful lines, and is a credit to the architect (Mr. P. Cuthbertson) and the contractor (Mr. C. Titmus, of Cressy), and his staff, who are to be congratulated on their work. The new building has been joined on T fashion to the smaller Sunday school, so that this can be used as a supper room or for small gatherings. The church has been badly in need of this accommodation, and will now have ample room for its various activities”.
A recent photograph of the building reveals part of the original Sunday school room. The fireplace described in the Daily Telegraph in 1895 would have been removed when the parish hall was joined to the western end of the old building.
Cressy is a small country town approximately 15 kilometres south of Longford. The town’s name is taken from the Cressy Company, which was established in England in the 1820s to run large agricultural farms in the colony.
In 1858 Cressy’s Holy Trinity Anglican church was built to replace a small church which stood at Bell Post Hill. The new church was substantially replaced by the present church which was built in 1894. A Sunday school hall was built in the church grounds in 1895 as was reported in Launceston’s Daily Telegraph:
“The building, which is made of wood, is lined throughout with Tasmanian hardwood. It has a dado to a height of 4ft., very neat Gothic top windows, and a fireplace for winter use. The building is 28ft x 18ft. The contract was let to our local builder and contractor, Mr Chas. Titmus, and the work reflects the greatest credit upon him…”.
In 1928, the Sunday school room was extended and the old building was incorporated into parish hall. The parish hall was officially opened by Archdeacon Beresford on Wednesday 11 April 1928. An article in the Launceston Examiner described the newly completed building:
“Of the many signs of progress in the township of Cressy one of the most important is the new parish hall, which has just been built for the Church of England. It is 45ft. in length and 25ft. wide, and special features are the splendid floor, the ample provision of light from large windows, and the specially designed, roof to make the building suitable for badminton. The whole building has very graceful lines, and is a credit to the architect (Mr. P. Cuthbertson) and the contractor (Mr. C. Titmus, of Cressy), and his staff, who are to be congratulated on their work. The new building has been joined on T fashion to the smaller Sunday school, so that this can be used as a supper room or for small gatherings. The church has been badly in need of this accommodation, and will now have ample room for its various activities”.
A recent photograph of the building reveals part of the original Sunday school room. The fireplace described in the Daily Telegraph in 1895 would have been removed when the parish hall was joined to the western end of the old building.
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The 1895 'school-room' is visible on the right of the parish hall built in 1928 |
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The parish hall built in 1928 (my photo) |
Sources:
Mercury, Monday 25 October 1886, page 3
The Mercury, Thursday 10 January 1895, page 4
The Tasmanian, Saturday 6 April 1895, page 48
Daily Telegraph, Friday 3 May 1895, page 1
Examiner, Friday 6 April 1928, page 5
Examiner, Saturday 14 April 1928, page 7
Examiner, Monday 16 April 1928, page 9
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