Churches of Tasmania

Ilfracombe is the name of a rural settlement which was renamed Beauty Point in 1939. Ilfracombe was located on the west bank of the River Tamar approximately 6 kilometres north of Beaconsfield. Two small settlements, Port Lempriere and Leonardsburgh, which were associated with iron mining and smelting, fell within the district known as Ilfracombe. While there is no longer an Anglican church at Beauty Point, there have been two Anglican churches established in the area. The second, more recent church, known as St Mark’s Anglican Hall, closed in the 1940s. [ See No. 625 ] This was preceded by a church closely associated with Mr. John Effingham Lawrence of Point Effingham, a property in the vicinity of Bell Bay on the opposite bank of the River Tamar. John Lawrence (1828-1874) was the son of William Effingham Lawrence and Mary Ann [Milligan], one of the largest landholders in the colony. In 1855 John married Frances Gaunt at Trinity Church in Launceston. He resided at a “comfortable r...

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. Kelso is a small settlement in the local government area of West Tamar. It is located about 14 kilometres north of the town of Beaconsfield. It was originally called Kelsalls Bay or Kelsalls Point after an early settler in the area. The Kelso Anglican Youth Centre was built as a joint venture between the parishes of the Launceston Archdeaconry of the Anglican Church. It was constructed in the late 1950s by volunteer labour from plans drawn up by architect Jim Hart. The Centre’s foundation stone was ceremonially laid by Bishop Cranswick on 22 November 1958. In February 1960 the building was dedicated following the...

The Cascades Female Factory operated in South Hobart from 1828 to 1856. Female factories were called factories as they were conceived of as manufactories to produce goods to assist the colonies. In total five female factories operated in Van Diemen’s Land: The ‘Hobart Town Gaol’ (which was replaced by the Cascades Female Factory); and factories at George Town, Launceston and Ross. The female factory was part of the probation system. The intention was to facilitate the transformation of women from convicts to reputable citizens. In the factories the lives of women were regulated by strict rules, work and religion. Prisoners were classified into ‘classes’. After serving six months in the ‘crime class’, approved prisoners, the so-called 'hiring class', became pass holders and could work for wages outside the factory as hired servants. In Tasmania’s penal institutions religious practice was, at least in theory, considered a critical part of reforming convicts. A 2008 a report for U...

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 was developed as an administrative centre for the district. The first regular Catholic Mass held at Westbury can be dated to 1847 when the Government permitted Catholics to use the Colonial Hospital ‘for divine service’ for Westbury and the surrounding districts. In 1850, Bishop Robert Willson asked for a Government land grant at Westbury on which to build a church, a priest's house and school. This was approved on condition that the Catholics built the church as soon as possible. Father Hogan, who ...

Cape Barren Island is the second largest island in the Furneaux Group. It is situated at the southern end of Flinders Island and separated by the Franklin Sound. The island is also known as truwana, an Aboriginal word meaning 'sleeping water’. In 1881 Cape Barren Island Reserve was established for the descendants of Aboriginal women and European sealers living in the Furneaux Islands of Bass Strait. In 1871 the inhabitants of the Furneaux Islands petitioned Governor Charles Du Cane for a reserve and the exclusive use of the mutton bird rookeries. They received only two ten hectare blocks on Cape Barren Island for homesteads and agricultural activity. While the government accepted that the Islanders were a separate community it did not acknowledge that they had exclusive land rights based on their Aboriginality. From the 1870s the Anglican Church sought to increase its influence on the Islands and, following a campaign by the Islanders, with the support of the Church, the government...

Westbury is a historic town situated approximately 30 kilometres west of Launceston. It was surveyed in 1828 and was developed as an administrative centre for the district. For most of its history Westbury has been served by only three religious denominations. The town’s Catholic, Anglican and Uniting (Methodist) churches all date back to the first half of the 19th century. The first regular Catholic Mass held at Westbury can be dated back to 1847 when the Government permitted Catholics to use the Colonial Hospital ‘for divine service’ for Westbury and the surrounding districts. Prior to this a priest from Launceston periodically ministered to Catholic convicts at Westbury’s Probation Station. In 1850, Bishop Robert Willson asked for a Government land grant at Westbury on which to build a church, a priest's house and school. This was approved on condition that the Catholics built their church as soon as possible. Father Hogan, who was to serve the Catholics of the Westbury district...

Bridport is a small resort town on Tasmania’s north-east coast. It is situated at the mouth of the Brid River. It was once a significant port for hinterland mining settlements during the boom of the late 19th century. Very little is known about Bridport’s Union Church. While there is no information about the opening of the church, it can be established that it was constructed in 1873 from a brief reference to it published in The Cornwall Chronicle: “Another accident also happened on Sunday last [9 November 1873] which might have proved fatal but for the intervention of a kind Providence….it appears that as Mr P. Miller was returning to Scottsdale, from Bridport, at which latter place he had been holding divine service in the chapel, lately erected there by the residents…”. In 1877 there is a further reference to the church made by the ‘travelling correspondent’ for the Tribune of Hobart. The article describes Bridport as “consisting of twelve weatherboard cottages” and that there was “...

Geeveston is a country town on the Huon Highway approximately 45 kilometres south of Hobart. The town is named after William Geeves, an English settler, who received a land grant at what was then called Lightwood Bottom. The settlement was renamed Geeves Town in 1861 before becoming Geeveston. The early history of the Catholic Church at Geeveston is not well recorded. Catholic’s initially worshiped at the home of Mr R. Hill, who established the first sawmill and flour mill in the Huon Valley. Catholic Church historian Terry Southerwood records that the church dates back to 1864 and was built from logs floated down the Huon River. The church was built by John Helmer who also constructed the first bridge at Huonville. St Joseph’s was designed by Henry Hunter. It was officially opened by Bishop Willson on Tuesday 29 November 1864. The opening is mentioned in an article published in the Hobart Mercury following Bishop Willson’s visit to nearby Franklin to administer the sacrament of confir...

Nicholls Rivulet is a small settlement located about 8 kilometres east of Cygnet. The rivulet was named after William Nichols who settled there in 1834. Up until the 1880s the settlement was known as Irish Town. Early Methodist services in the district of Nicholls Rivulet were held in the home of William and Fanny Smith. Fanny Cochrane Smith, (1834-1905) was born in early December 1834 at Wybalenna, Flinders Island. In 1889 she was granted 305 acres of land at Nicholls Rivulet. The Smith family became leading members of the Methodist community and services were initially held in the kitchen of the family home. One of the sons, William, became a lay preacher. In the mid 1890s Fanny she donated half an acre of land for the purposes of building a church. The foundation stone of the church was ceremonially laid on Tuesday 6 November 1900. The construction of the church took six months and the opening services were held on Sunday 5 May 1901, when the Reverend CW Atkinson preached in both t...

Rosebery is a mining town located on the Murchison Highway approximately 60 kilometres north of Queenstown. The town’s name is taken from a mine pegged out by Tom McDonald in 1893. He named it the Rosebery Gold Mining Company after the Prime Minister of England, Lord Rosebery. The develop of the town only took off in the 1920s. In February 1930 a visitor to Rosebery remarked on the development that had recently taken place: “Since our last visit over three years ago, Rosebery has made immense strides, and a now town has practically arisen. Building operations are still going on to provide new houses and places of worship. Ringed around by mountains of imposing height - Mounts Murchison, Read and Black, and by lower heights, clothed by trees and bush, Rosebery is really beautifully situated, and might be considered a most delectable residential town, if it were not for the heavy rainfall, the roads, alternately dusty and muddy, and the comparatively few days of sunshine and warmth”. “A ...