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Showing posts from January, 2025

No. 1581 - Avoca - St Thomas' Parish Hall

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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 of those that no longer exist. Avoca is town in the Fingal Valley and on the Esk Highway. It is situated on the junction of the St Pauls and South Esk Rivers. The area was previously known as St Pauls Plains. The word ‘Avoca’ is derived from Gaelic and means ‘meeting of the waters’. The Anglican church of St Thomas was completed in 1841 but only consecrated in 1886. [ See No. 160 ] St Thomas’ Parish Hall is located former storehouse constructed by R.C. Foster in 1850. In 1937, Mr B O’Connor, landowner of nearby property, Benham, purchased the building and donated it to the Anglican Church. In September 1937 the Launceston Examiner reported: “Th...

No. 1580 - Westbury - St Andrew's Anglican Parsonage (1867)

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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 of those that no longer exist. Westbury is a historic town situated approximately 30 kilometres west of Launceston. It was surveyed in 1828 and developed as an administrative centre for the district. For most of its existence Westbury has been served by only three religious denominations. St Andrews Anglican church which was built 1836 and was consecrated in 1851. Construction of the first parsonage began at a site on Shadforth Street site in 1842. Convict labour was used in the construction of a brick building which was completed in 1843. Bishop Nixon selected the site for the new rectory. The Reverend John Bishton, M.A. and his family were the...

No. 1579 - South Launceston - 'Sandhill Congregational Chapel and Sunday School' (1862-1905)

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In the 19th century Sandhill was an area of Launceston which extended from Melbourne Street to Gascoyne Street and west of Lawrence Vale Road. Parts of South Launceston and Glen Dhu were unofficially included within Sandhill. The northern end of Sandhill was the location of the Sandhill Potteries, notably McHughes Pottery and Campbell’s Pottery. Between the potteries was a small Congregational chapel and Sunday school which stood on the corner of Wilmot Street and Wellington Street. The chapel was established as a “Sabbath School” in 1862 as an outreach of Christchurch Congregational Church on Frederick Street. Under the leadership of of Reverend William Law, Congregational chapels and Sunday schools were also established at Prospect [ See No. 75 ] and Rosevale [ See No. 363 ] The Sandhill chapel’s opening in December 1862 is recorded in the Launceston Examiner: “On Sabbath afternoon last this building was opened by a public religious service, and notwithstanding a heavy torrent of ra...

No. 1578 - Bothwell - 'The United Episcopalian and Presbyterian Sunday-school' (1867)

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Bothwell is one of the oldest settlements in Tasmania and it is also one of the most important Georgian towns in the State. It is situated on the Clyde River, about 75km miles north of Hobart. The majority of the first settlers in the region were from Scotland. Bothwell once had four churches of which the Anglican, Uniting (Presbyterian) and Catholic churches remain. 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 of those that no longer exist. The former Sunday school at Bothwell is associated with the iconic St Luke’s Uniting Church. St Luke’s is amongst the oldest original Tasmanian churches. Building began in 1830 and was completed by the following year. Unusually, the church was shared ...

No. 1577 - King Island - Barn Church (2022)

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King island is located on the western side of Bass Strait approximately half-way between the Tasmania and Victoria. The island was discovered in 1798 by Captain Reid and named in 1801 in honour of the Governor of New South Wales Governor King. Established in 2022, the Barn Church, King Island’s newest church, is located at Pegarah Homestead about 13 kilometres from King Islands main town of Currie and 16 kilometres from the port town of Grassy. Reminiscent of church services in the early colonial period, worship takes place in a barn. It is an example of the many ‘home churches’ operating in Tasmania. Little information is available about the church however an interview broadcast on King Island Radio reveals the origins of the community. A link to the broadcast can be found < HERE > Sources and further information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/279356392254226  https://www.facebook.com/KingIslandRadio/ https://www.mixcloud.com/kingislandradio/king-island-barn-church-baptise...

No. 1576 - King Island - Currie Uniting Church (1961)

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Currie is the main town and administration centre of King Island. In 1866 the ship "Netherby" ran onto rocks off the island and was salvaged by Captain Archibald Currie. The harbour and later the settlement were named in his remembrance. Reverend Max Stansall’s ‘Tasmanian Methodism’ summarises the origins of the Methodist Church at King Island as follows: “As much as ninety years after the beginnings of Methodism in Hobart, the work in King Island was just commenced. Actually a young home missionary, C.C. Dugan, who later had a distinguished career as minister and historian, visited the island in 1903. But it was in 1910 that the real beginning was made. Rev. Joseph Penna that year became the first minister appointed to the island”. Soon after Penna’s arrival the construction of a church began in mid 1911. This was undertaken by volunteer labour under the direction of Mr Will Batton. The church was officially opened on Sunday 24 December 1911. The subsequent history of the ch...

No. 1575 - Flinders Island - Lady Barron - St Barnabas Anglican Church (1926)

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Lady Barron is a small town in the south of Flinders Island. It lies about 25 kilometres south of Whitemark.The settlement was named in honour of the wife of the Governor of Tasmania Sir Harry Barron. The Anglican church at Lady Barron was originally located at Badger Corner. It opened in 1915 but was moved into Lady Barron in 1926. In 1938 the church’s new chancel was dedicated in memory of Mrs A.B. Smallfield. At the same service an altar was dedicated to the memory of Mrs J. Robinson as well as a brass altar cross to the memory of Mr and Mrs J. Robinson. The church was practically rebuilt in 1941. It was modernised with brick veneer at a later date. The 1938 chancel is well preserved although little remains of the exterior of the original 1915 building. St Barnabas at Lady Barron The chancel which was dedicated in 1938. Photograph: Facebook: Flinders Island Anglican Church Sources: Examiner, Tuesday 9 February 1915, page 6 Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 21 April 1926, page 2 Mercury, We...

No. 1574 - Blackmans Bay - Kingsborough Salvation Army Hall (1994)

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Blackmans Bay is located close to the town of Kingston which is approximately fourteen kilometres south of Hobart. It is named after James Blackman who made a claim for a grant of land in the area in about 1844. It was once a popular place for holiday shacks but is now a residential area. The Kingborough Salvation Army Hall takes its name from the local government area which includes Blackmans Bay. As a relatively recently established place of worship, there is very little information about the history of the hall. A plaque records that the building was opened and dedicated by Commissioner John H Clinch on 7 August 1994. As more information becomes available this article will be updated. The Companion to Tasmanian History has the following concise summary of the history of the Salvation Army in Tasmania: “The Salvation Army had a seminal link with Tasmania. Launceston businessman and philanthropist Henry Reed, living in London, gave William Booth over £5000 to establish the Salvation A...