Melbourne, VIC - Baptist
Year Built: 1861
Denomination: Baptist
Address: 164 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
Architect: Joseph Reed
Architectural Style: Classical
Traditional Owners: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung & Bunurong Boon Wurrung people
Last Updated: 21/02/2024
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History and Architecture:
Two early settlers Samuel Crook and Robert Reeves, felt the honour of taking the first steps to form a Baptist congregation of their own faith and order. There was no building available in which to hold meetings, so a tent, placed at their disposal by Messrs. Virtue and Miller, Storekeepers, was set up on a block of land in Collins Street owned by Mr. Thomas Napier, who is believed to have been the first Baptist to come to Melbourne.
The first Baptist Service was held in that tent in the year 1838.
In 1861 a contract was let for the completion of the building as it stands today. The Architect was Mr Joseph Reed who designed the Melbourne Town Hall.
The foundation stone was laid on September 10 of that year, and the completed sanctuary was opened for public worship in January, 1862, with a seating capacity of 1,000. The Church is i the Classical style of Architecture.
Clergy:
This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1843 - 1847 | Rev John Ham | |||
| 1857 - 1868 | Rev J. Taylor | |||
| 1869 - 1877 | Rev J. Martin | |||
| 1877 - 1899 | Rev S. Chapman | |||
| 1900 - 1909 | Rev Samuel Pearce Carey | 1862 | 1953 | |
| 1909 - 1914 | Rev S. P. Spurr | |||
| 1924 - 1935 | Rev W. D. Jackson | |||
| 1936 - 1942 | Rev R. Kirby | |||
| 2015 - | Rev S. C. Holt | |||
| 2020 - | Rev Carolyn Francis |
Organ:
No information currently available. Submissions welcomed.
Source:
The First Hundred Years 1843 - 1943 LTP 286.194511