No. 1645 - Taroona - Mary's Grange Chapel (1957-2020)
Taroona is an outer suburb of Greater Hobart located on the western shore of the Derwent River. ‘Taroona’ is a Mouheneener word for chiton, a marine mollusc found on rocks in the intertidal regions of the foreshore. The name ‘Taroona’ was adopted by Clarendon James Cox Lord for his 18-acre property which he purchased in 1894.
Mary’s Grange was a Catholic aged-care home opened in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. In 1956 the Catholic Church purchased a house and property known as the “The Grange”. The property was the site of a house built in the 1820s by George Cartwright. The house was rebuilt in 1837 but this was destroyed by fire in 1868. The house was again rebuilt and it was this building that was acquired by the Church 1956. Following the acquisition, the name "Mary's Grange" was adopted.
Following the bushfires that swept through Taroona in 1967, the Grange was considered to be a significant fire risk. This resulted in the demolition of the building and the construction of a modern facility. The new building was designed by architect Max Vincent and the first stage of the project opened in December 1969. The official opening of the complex took place on 22 November 1970.
In July 1986 the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart handed over the facility to the Archdiocese of Hobart as they no longer had the capacity to run the Home. In August 1986 the order of the ‘Little Company of Mary’ assumed responsibility for the operation of the Grange. In 2016 Southern Cross Care took over the governance and management of Mary’s Grange. In October 2020 Southern Cross Care announced that Mary’s Grange had come to the end of its life as an aged care home and would be closed. The site was redeveloped into a 15-apartment residential complex.
As with all Catholic aged care homes a chapel was a central part of the community. Little is known about the original chapel established by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart but this would have been housed in a converted room. A building with a dedicated chapel was constructed in 1970. Little is known about this multi-denominational chapel and few photographs of it exist.
Following the closure of Mary’s Grange in 2020, the chapel’s furnishings and sacred items were removed and installed at a new chapel at ‘Rivulet’, an aged care facility in South Hobart. In October 2021 ‘Our Lady of the Southern Cross Chapel’ was consecrated at Rivulet, maintaining a spiritual link with Mary’s Grange.
Mary’s Grange was a Catholic aged-care home opened in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. In 1956 the Catholic Church purchased a house and property known as the “The Grange”. The property was the site of a house built in the 1820s by George Cartwright. The house was rebuilt in 1837 but this was destroyed by fire in 1868. The house was again rebuilt and it was this building that was acquired by the Church 1956. Following the acquisition, the name "Mary's Grange" was adopted.
Following the bushfires that swept through Taroona in 1967, the Grange was considered to be a significant fire risk. This resulted in the demolition of the building and the construction of a modern facility. The new building was designed by architect Max Vincent and the first stage of the project opened in December 1969. The official opening of the complex took place on 22 November 1970.
In July 1986 the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart handed over the facility to the Archdiocese of Hobart as they no longer had the capacity to run the Home. In August 1986 the order of the ‘Little Company of Mary’ assumed responsibility for the operation of the Grange. In 2016 Southern Cross Care took over the governance and management of Mary’s Grange. In October 2020 Southern Cross Care announced that Mary’s Grange had come to the end of its life as an aged care home and would be closed. The site was redeveloped into a 15-apartment residential complex.
As with all Catholic aged care homes a chapel was a central part of the community. Little is known about the original chapel established by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart but this would have been housed in a converted room. A building with a dedicated chapel was constructed in 1970. Little is known about this multi-denominational chapel and few photographs of it exist.
Following the closure of Mary’s Grange in 2020, the chapel’s furnishings and sacred items were removed and installed at a new chapel at ‘Rivulet’, an aged care facility in South Hobart. In October 2021 ‘Our Lady of the Southern Cross Chapel’ was consecrated at Rivulet, maintaining a spiritual link with Mary’s Grange.
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| Mary's Grange Taroona. The building was demolished in 1968. Source: Libraries Tasmania - Photographs and Negatives by R C Harvey (NS1029) |
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| The 1970 Chapel at Mary's Grange - photograph: Southern Cross Care |
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| Mary's Grange complex. The chapel is located in a dedicated building visible at the rear centre of the complex. realcommercial.com |
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| The Missionary Sisters departed from Mary's Grange in 1986 - Photograph: Nell Pacoe, Taroona Historical Group |
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| Mary's Grange Chapel furnishings and sacred items were removed to ‘Our Lady of the Southern Cross Chapel’ at Rivulet. Photograph: Southern Cross Care |
Sources:
Taroona Historical Group. Taroona, 1808-1986 : farm lands to a garden suburb / written by past and present residents of Taroona Taroona Historical Group [Taroona, Tas.] 1988
Pamphlet - Southern Cross Care, Mary's Grange Residential Aged Care (undated)
Under the Stars, Southern Cross Care Tasmania Community and Lifestyle Magazine, Edition 3 December 2021
https://www.realcommercial.com.au/news/new-vision-for-former-nursing-home-revealed
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