Kyneton, VIC - St Paul's Anglican

Year Built: 1856 - 1860

Denomination: Anglican

Saint: Paul

Address: Powlett Street, Kyneton, Victoria, 3444

Architect: William Douglas

Traditional Owners: Taungurung people

Last Updated: 05/12/2023

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History and Architecture:

The first service was held in temporary digs in 1851 in Kyneton.

St. Paul's Church is one of Victoria's oldest substantial churches and one of the very earliest with a tower. This church is also unusually large for a country town's church, being seven bays long rather than the norm of five or three bays. Interestingly St. Paul's is very similar in design to the first St. Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne, which was demolished circa 1880. The organ from the Melbourne church was brought to St. Paul's in Kyneton in 1889.

The building itself is a local landmark, being situated on one of the highest parts of Kyneton.

St. Paul's was designed by local architect William Douglas in the Gothic Early English style and is well detailed, using the dark and hard local bluestone for almost all of the external walls, but relieved by sandstone or cement render dressings. The design is early English and both exterior and interior are simply detailed. The top of the tower was added in 1927-1928, though the spire is still to be constructed. Features of the exterior are the tower, finials, eaves blocks, buttresses and the stringcourses. Inside the arched altar recess, stained glass windows, simple trusses, gallery, Fleck memorial window above the altar, pews, the Andrea Stombuco carved Barton memorial (1866) and the organ with its stenciled pipes are all features.

Clergy:

These names are now in the Database and can be searched individually.

Years Name Annotation D.o.B D.o.D
1851 - 1854 Rev J Sullivan
1854 - 1858 Rev F Barton
1858 - 1862 Rev J Barlow
1862 - 1870 Rev G Vance
1870 - 1878 Rev W Chalmers
1878 - 1887 Rev Herring
1887 - 1893 Rev J Carlisle
1892 - 1897 Rev W. S Chapman
1897 - 1899 Rev Frank Lynch 1868 1929
1899 - 1901 Rev N. Herring
1901 - 1918 Rev George Nickells Bishop 1851 1939
1918 - 1922 Rev J Rowell
1922 - 1924 Rev H Needham
1924 - 1928 Canon D Haultian
1928 - 1937 Rev A. Bamford
1937 - 1945 Rev H Onions
1945 - 1968 Canon H Jones
1968 - 1977 Canon H Sturton
1977 - 1990 Rev Brian Arthur Harding 1930
1985 - 1988 Rev S. May
1985 - 1986 Rev S. J. May Asst
1988 - Rev W. J. Blomeley Asst 1947
1990 - 1994 Canon A Austin
1992 - 1993 Rev W. Warne
1994 - Rev Graham Wilfred Snell
2009 - Rev Tony White

Organ:

Built by John Smith of Bristol in 1854 for St Paul's Church, Melbourne. Installed in present location in 1889 by George Fincham & Sons. Alterations by Keith M. Lavers in 1930. Rebuilt by George Fincham & Sons in 1971. It has 2 manuals, 25 speaking stops, 8 couplers, electro-pneumatic action.
For a full description and photos click here.

 

Source:

1. Cable Clerical Index.
2. Organ Historical Trust of Australia.