No. 1636 - New Town - Rosary Gardens - Rosary Chapel (1994-2026)

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Rosary Gardens is a Catholic aged care facility located at St John’s Park at New Town. Before the 1990s St John's Park was a precinct with facilities for aged care as well as housing a range of health and welfare services. The site was originally the location of the King's Orphan Schools and St John's Anglican church.

Rosary Gardens was purchased from the State government by Southern Cross Care in 1994. Southern Cross Care was established in October 1972 by the Knights of the Southern Cross, a Catholic community of laymen with a mission to provide dignified and respect-based care for the elderly. Southern Cross Care Head Office is also located at the New Town site.

A chapel was established at Rosary Gardens in the mid 1990s and has been regularly used as a place of worship for 30 years.

A feature of the chapel is a contemporary Art Deco and De Stijl-inspired rear triptych window designed by glass artist Ellen Houston Harris. It was commissioned in 1997 by Lan & Skinner Architects. It is technically a stained glass window, as the Marian monogram (crowned yellow 'M') is stained. Each panel measures 700 mm × 1200 mm.

In 2025 Southern Cross Care announced plans to close Rosary Gardens due to a shift from residential aged care towards home based care. The property was purchased by the State Government in 2026. Rosary Gardens will remain open and operational until 30 June 2026.


Rosary Chapel - Photograph courtesy of Southern Cross Care


A contemporary Art Deco and De Stijl-inspired rear triptych window designed by glass artist Ellen Houston Harris - Photograph and Information courtesy of Jacob Harris

Sources and Further Information:

https://hobart.catholic.org.au/2026/02/13/rosary-gardens-aged-care-site-sold/

Church Stained Glass Windows - Facebook Group. Photograph and information by Jacob Harris - posted -10-03-2026

Comments

  1. J. Harris9 March 2026 at 06:09

    The contemporary, Art Deco and De Stijl-inspired rear triptych window in St Mary's Chapel (Rosary Chapel), Rosary Gardens, New Town, Hobart, was designed by glass artist Ellen Houston Harris and commissioned in 1997 by Lan & Skinner Architects. Technically a stained glass window, as the Marian monogram (crowned yellow 'M') is stained. Each panel measures 700mm × 1200mm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Duncan Grant9 March 2026 at 18:01

      Thank you for this information. I will update the post and try and locate a photo of the window.

      Delete
    2. J. Harris11 March 2026 at 01:19

      No worries, Duncan. Thank you for your work in documenting Tasmania's churches. I have more details on other church windows. If possible, could I email you directly?

      Delete

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