Churches of Tasmania

The first Catholic church at Deloraine was a small timber church built by Father Hogan in the 1850’s at a cost of £400. This was replaced by the church of the Holy Redeemer in 1886. The origin of this landmark bluestone church was recounted in the Launceston Examiner: “Some twelve months ago the Rev. E. F. Walsh, the pastor of the district, found the little wooden church which for many years had been used for the services of his church too small for the increased and increasing congregation, and voluntary subscriptions were invited, and so liberally were these responded to that a large sum was obtained. It was then determined to have plans drawn, and tenders invited for the erection of a church to accommodate 600 persons, which will be erected contiguous to the present edifice, and on the Northern side.” Father Edward Walsh was effective in raising funds for the project, even going to Victoria for this purpose. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on the 9th of November 1...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or 'Mormons' in Tasmania dates back to 1854 when Robert Owen began to proselytise in Hobart. This mission was however unsuccessful and it was not until the 1890’s that congregations were established in Hobart and the Upper Huon. Chapels were built in North Hobart in 1924 and in Glen Huon in 1927. Many early converts migrated to Utah in response to opposition to proselytising by government. The church in Tasmania grew rapidly in the 1950’s. By the early 21st century membership reached 4000 attending ‘churches’ in Moonah, Rosny, Launceston, Glen Huon, Deloraine, Devonport and Burnie. Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Source: http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/C/Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ..htm https://pacific.lds.org/au/about-us

Writing in August 1919, the correspondent for the North Eastern Advertiser described the township of ‘Ringarooma Road’ which had recently been renamed Legerwood: "An amphitheatre of tree-clad hills, wooded to the very summits, with some of Tasmania's typically fine sawmill timber, with the bold denuded peak of Mt Victoria keeping sentinel over the ranges of lesser mountains and hills, an area of partially cleared country with giant trees still standing or innumerable trunks on much of the ground, and in the midst of this noble hill setting a new, cosy little town nestling around the railway station and sawmill; that is the first impression one gains of the picturesque little town of Legerwood, which is a new name given old Ringarooma Road. The name, of course, is taken from the famous Legerwood estate so long connected with the Scott family, one of the very earliest to settle in this part of Tasmania. One was informed that the alteration was made because of the confusion broug...

A correspondent for the Daily Telegraph who visited Derby in December 1887 wrote: “Derby township is situated on the face of a steep range, and close to the Ringarooma River, and like most growing mining towns, is at present in a very rough state, but on every side new and handsome cottages are being erected…. I noticed two places of worship, the Roman Catholic Church being a really imposing building, and clear proof that the Rev. Father Marie [sic] has a most liberal flock to deal with”. The Catholic church had in fact only been built a couple of months earlier. The foundation stone was laid on 28 February 1887 by Bishop Murphy who had visited Derby after opening the new Catholic church at nearby Branxholm: “The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of a new Roman Catholic Church was performed in the presence of about 200 spectators. The service was an impressive as well as an imposing one, taking place as it did in the midst of fallen timber, and on an eminence facing the now ...

St Catherine’s Anglican Church was a short-lived church that was built to serve the Anglican community at Norwood and Launceston’s southern suburbs. Construction began in 1959 and the church opened in 1960 at a cost of $25 000. The church originally fell under St Leonard’s parish but was transferred to the St Mark’s parish in 1962.   The building was sold to the St Leonard’s Municipality in 1974. After the St Leonard’s was absorbed into Launceston City Council in 1985, St Catherine’s had been used as a public hall. Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Photograph: Duncan Grant 2018 Sources: Henslowe, Dorothea I and Hurburgh, Isa Our heritage of Anglican churches in Tasmania. Mercury-Walch, Moonah, Tas, 1978.

The Methodist church on Bonneys Lane at Greenbanks opened on Sunday 26 October 1879. The Devon Herald reported on the opening service and the fundraising tea meeting held on Monday 27 October. The report suggests that the church replaced an earlier place of worship at the same location. “The new church just built for the Wesleyan denomination at Greenbanks was opened for divine service on Sunday last, when the Rev. J. Cowperthaite delivered an eloquent and most appropriate discourse to a crowded congregation, amongst whom were visitors from Latrobe, Torquay, Sassafras, Northdown, and other surrounding places, all anxious to show their sympathy with the good work… On Monday afternoon a tea meeting was held in the old church, followed by a public meeting. About 200 friends sat down to tea…” The Devon Herald reported that the tea meeting resulted in the churches debt being paid off and it also provides further information about the new church: “This is very satisfactory, and the people of...

Viewed from the street front, the former gospel hall at Fenton Street is barely recognisable as a church. But from the rear of the building it is obvious that it has changed little since it was built by the Christian Brethren at the start of the last century. The Christian Brethren originated in Ireland and England in the 1820s. By the 1850s the movement had spread to Australia, with revival meetings in Tasmania taking place from 1869. Fellowships were formed in Hobart and Launceston and were particularly strong across the north of the State. Meetings were usually held in 'gospel halls', many of which were built in the northwest. The Gospel Hall as Devonport was opened in December 1903 and a rather cryptic report of this occasion was published in the North Western Advocate and Emu Bay Times: “The opening took place yesterday of the new Gospel Hall erected in Fenton street by the Christian Brethren. The building measures 35ft x 25ft, with plastered walls and dado, and is ver...