Churches of Tasmania

Stanley is a historic town on the northwest coast approximately 80 kilometres west of Burnie. The Van Diemen's Land Company once had its headquarters in the area which was originally known as Circular Head. It was later named after Lord Stanley, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who went on to serve three terms as British Prime Minister. Stanley has had four Catholic places of worship: Edward Curr’s Chapel at Highfield (1838); a church built of timber (1850); a stone church (1897) and the present brick church (1931). The first Catholic place of worship at Stanley was a two story stone chapel at Highfield. It was built by Edward Curr, a devout Catholic and the first manager of the Van Diemen's Land Company. The chapel was principally used for Anglican services. When Curr’s chapel was built in 1838 there were only three Catholic priests in the colony with Stanley falling under the charge of Launceston. When Bishop Willson arrived in Tasmania in 1844 he decided to make Stan...

Merton is an area on the fringe of Glenorchy situated at the top end of Tolosa Street. The name comes from an orchard called “Merton Vale” that once covered most of the area. In the late 19th century the construction of the Tolosa dam effectively divided the settlement in two: Lower Merton, situated below the dam, has merged into Glenorchy, while upper Merton, which fell within the dam’s catchment area has been swallowed up by the bush. The church hall on Merton Street is the premises of the Hobart Salvation Centre. The building was erected in 1911 as a public hall and as a place of worship for the “Church of England, Presbyterians and Wesleyans, but no other”. It was built by Mr Alfred Sawyer who also permitted the hall to be be “let for entertainments and meetings, but not for dancing and not on behalf of the Labour Party”. By the 1970s the hall was used only by the Anglicans. The hall was used for the first time on Sunday 1 January 1911. The Hobart Daily Post reported: “The new hall...

Wivenhoe is a suburb of Burnie situated on the east bank of the Emu River. It has developed into an industrialised area less than 3 kilometres south-east of the city centre. In the 1850s the area was named after the town (and parish) of Wivenhoe in Essex County by Captain Henry Butler. The Lifehouse Church, which is located on Wivenhoe Main Road, describes itself as an independent church. It is associated with the Apostolic tradition which has had a presence at Burnie since the 1940s. The Apostolic Church in Australia is now known as the “Acts Global Churches” . The Apostolic Church is a denomination linked to the Pentecostal movement. The term "Apostolic" represents the denomination's belief that it follows the teachings of the twelve apostles who followed Christ. With roots in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, it seeks to revive first-century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government. Additional information about this church and the building is most welcome as al...

Rocky Cape is a rural settlement on the Bass Highway located about 30 kilometres north-west of Wynyard. The name Rocky Cape is taken from a prominent coastal feature described by Matthew Flinders in 1798. Monthly Presbyterian services at Rocky Cape were held from 1896. Services were initially held at the Rocky Cape State school and then in the public hall after this opened in 1907. The construction of a Presbyterian church was first proposed in 1921 with Mr John Bauchop donating land for the building. A fundraising committee formed and in 1922 the land was cleared by a working-bee in preparation for building work. For reasons which are not clear the construction of a church on John Bauchop’s land did not proceed and little progress was made until the mid 1930s. In 1935 a quarter acre of land was purchased from Mr. A.F. Brakey, “facing Bauchop’s road, directly opposite the Church of England”. Construction commenced in 1935 with the church designed and built by H. Jones & sons of Wyn...

Lenah Valley is a suburb of Hobart situated in the foothills of Mount Wellington north of the city centre. Lenah Valley was originally known as Kangaroo Bottom and later as Kangaroo Valley. Lenah is the native Aboriginal word for kangaroo. The Exclusive Christian Brethren, now known as the Plymouth Brethren, originated in Plymouth, Great Britain in the 1820s. By the mid 19th century the movement had spread to Australia. The 'Exclusive Brethren' is a restrictive group which broke away in 1848. In 2012 the Exclusive Brethren adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren Christian Church'. Tasmanian Plymouth Brethren churches are part of global organisation with about 50 000 members. The Plymouth Brethren are notorious for avoiding social interaction with people outside the faith, which has contributed to the denomination being considered a Christian sect. The Lenah Valley Plymouth Brethren Hall is located on Pottery Road. The hall is built in the typical style of modern Exclusive ...

Ravenswood is a suburb north of Launceston which was one part of the former St Leonards Municipality. The suburb is named after the farmstead ‘Ravenswood’ which was established in the 1830s. The Ravenswood Gospel Chapel once stood near the intersection of Henry Street and Wildor Crescent before it was demolished in the 1970s. The chapel was originally the Ravenswood Christian Mission Hall, established by Henry Reed’s Christian Mission Church. The Mission opened in March 1883 and was built on land belonging to Robert Gibton. The Mission Hall operated for 25 years before it came under the control of the Baptists in either 1907 or 1908. A photograph published in the Weekly Courier (1909) shows the old Mission Hall opposite the Ravenwood Methodist Church adjacent to the old Ravenswood cemetery. The Baptist Mission fell under the authority of the Cimitiere Street Baptist Tabernacle. The Baptist’s used the hall until the late 1930s when it was closed for a period of time before reopening ...

Hillwood is an orchard-growing district on the East Tamar approximately 33 kilometres north of Launceston. Hillwood has had only a single church, a Methodist church, which opened on Sunday 20 March 1932. A report published in the Launceston Examiner provides the essential information about the building. The honour of opening the church was given to 100 year old James Walden of Launceston: “The new Methodist Church at Hillwood was officially opened for worship yesterday in the presence of a large gathering from Hillwood, surrounding settlements, and Launceston. A strong southerly breeze made the out-door part of the celebration slightly unpleasant. The people assembled at the entrance shortly before 3 p.m., were addressed by Rev. W. H. Leembruggen, and joined in the singing of “All People Who On Earth, Do Dwell, Sing to the Lord." "After prayer the officiating minister introduced Mr. James Walden to the task of unlocking the double Gothic doors which led to the sanctuary. Th...

Moonah is a suburb of Greater Hobart and is located approximately 5 kilometres north of the central business district. Moonah was previously known as South Glenorchy before it was developed as a residential area in the late 19th century. The Moonah Baptist church, which was located at 187 Main Road, no longer exists. In 2004 it was demolished to make way for a commercial development. The church was opened in 1907 as a mission of the Hobart Baptist Tabernacle. The proceeds of the sale of the old Baptist chapel in Harrington Street [ see no 631 ] was used to fund the establishment of the new Moonah church. In December 1906, the extension of the Baptists to Moonah began with the establishment of a committee comprising Dr. Harry Benjafield, J.T. Soundy, F.W. Heritage (Church Treasurer) and David Williams (Church Secretary). The foundation stone for a new church was ceremonially laid on Saturday 1 February 1908 with the event recorded by the Hobart Mercury: “In an interval between the sho...

Forest is a small settlement off the Bass Highway about 12 kilometres south of Stanley in Tasmania’s far North West. The early settlers referred to the area as "the forest" and when an official name was needed it became simply "Forest". St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church (1905) was preceded by a much earlier church established in the vicinity of Forest in the 1850s. Little is known about the ‘Forest Chapel’ which appears to have been a short-lived and simple building. The chapel was built in 1857 and used until at least the 1870s. The building was situated close to the old Anglican cemetery on Ford’s Hill Road. [ See No. 789 ] In the 1890s Anglican services were held in the Forest schoolroom and then in the Union Church which opened in 1894 on South Road. Fundraising for an Anglican church began in the same year with a cricket match, tea, concert and dance, netting £18 for the church building fund. By 1904 sufficient progress had been made to begin construction. Work...

Hobart’s first church service took place in 1804 on a spot where the Town Hall now stands. The service was led by Reverend Robert Knopwood and it is regarded as the first formal Christian services at the settlement. Later services were held in a carpenter’s shop which had a thatched roof, earth floor and wooden slabs for seats. One of Knopwood’s first duties was to establish a burial ground. Together with Lieutenant- Colonel David Collins, he marked out a burial site which is now St David’s Park. It was here that the first church, a basic wooden structure was built in 1810. The site of the building was near the east end of St David’s Park. It was built alongside Collins’ grave following his death in March 1810. The church was never consecrated. The chapel existed for only a short time as it was blown down in a storm in 1812 and was not replaced until the construction of St David’s began in 1817. In the meantime services were held on the parade ground and on the verandah of Hobart...

New Town is a northern suburb of Hobart. It is also one of Hobart’s oldest suburbs and consequently the area contains many historic churches. New Town became a municipality in 1907 but was absorbed into Greater Hobart in the 1920s when its municipal status was relinquished. St James’ Anglican church is one of a handful of Tasmanian churches that largely owes its existence to the generosity of single benefactor. The church was established in 1916 in response to new housing development around Augusta Road and the opening of a tram service to Lenah Valley. However, the cost of land in the area was prohibitive and the construction of a church was delayed due to financial considerations. This situation changed with with a generous donation of £1300 from Mrs Catherine Watt, widow of Mr Gilchrist Watt. In 1915 a paddock adjoining Augusta Road was purchased from Mrs H.H. Brent, of Beaulieu at a cost of £500. Work began on the church in 1916 with the foundation stone ceremonially laid on Sat...

Devonport was created in 1890 with the merging of two towns on the opposite banks of the Mersey River: Formby on the west bank and Torquay on the east bank. The area was first settled in the 1840s. Devonport’s first Baptist church was established in 1889 following the purchase of a former Protestant Hall in Stewart Street. The Protestant Hall was built by Mr Thomas Pressland Cowle, a prominent businessman, land owner and member of the first Formby Town Board. Cowle was actively involved in the development of Devonport and was a staunch supporter of town improvement and charities. The Protestant Hall opened on Monday 24 May 1887 with the occasion reported by the North West Post: "The opening concert in connection with the, building recently completed to the order of Mr Cowle took place last evening. The hall was fairly filled, and a musical treat was presented, which well repaid those those that assembled in spite of the sloppy state of the footpaths and roads. Before proceeding wi...