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TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX
104 Atkinson Street and 109 Wood Street TEMPLESTOWE, Manningham City

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Manningham City
22566 Tstowe Uniting Church Complex - 104 Atkinson Street, Templestowe
22566 Tstowe Uniting Church Complex - 104 Atkinson Street, Templestowe
22566 Tstowe Uniting Church Complex - 104 Atkinson Street, Templestowe
22566 Entrance to Templestowe Uniting Church - 104 Atkinson Street, Templestowe
22566 Templestowe Uniting Church - 104 Atkinson Street, Templestowe
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Statement of Significance

What is Significant?

The Templestowe Uniting Church complex, comprising the original Presbyterian Church constructed c.1895 and the 1962 designed by the Office of Keith Reid, and the associated mature trees at Atkinson Street, Templestowe.

How is it Significant?

The Templestowe Uniting Church complex is of local historic, social and aesthetic significance to Manningham City.

Why is it Significant?

The Templestowe Uniting Church complex has historic significance as the two churches provide evidence of two key phases in the development of Templestowe: the initial settlement during the late nineteenth century and the suburban development of the post-war period. The c.1895 church is also significant as one of just six surviving nineteenth-century buildings in the Templestowe township. The 1962 church is significant as an example of the work of the office of noted architects, Keith Reid and Associates. (RNE criteria A.4, B.2, D.2 & H.1)

The Templestowe Uniting Church complex has social significance as it has played an important role in the development of the Templestowe community over a one hundred year period. (RNE criterion G.1)

The 1962 Templestowe Uniting Church has aesthetic (architectural) significance, possibly at a State level, as a particularly early and finely detailed neo-brutalist building by an architectural office that subsequently demonstrated a consistent approach to design in this manner in the municipality. (RNE criterion E.1)

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    • Historical Australian Themes

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Historical Australian Themes

      Local Themes

      6.02 - Churches

      Physical Description 1

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Physical Description 1

      The Templestowe Uniting Church property at 104 Atkinson Street (with a rear frontage to Wood Street) contains a c.1895 single-storey weatherboard church and the much larger 1962 brick church.

      The c.1895 church is an example of the simple Victorian Carpenter Gothic style. It has a gable roofed nave with metal ridge ventilators and a projecting entry porch to the front. The front gable ends have a simple timber gable screen with turned timber finials. Windows are narrow with triangular heads. The rear wing of the building may be a later addition. An early post and wire fence beneath a row of pines separates the site from the commercial vegetable garden adjacent. It may be compared with the former Christ Church at 177 Foote Street (refer to separate citation in this Study).

      The 1962 church is a simple rectangular pavilion beautifully built of rough clinker brick, further textured on the west wall by setting some forward. The north elevation has panels of brickwork rising to parapets between full-height windows with projecting fascias. There is a broad steelframed verandah facing the view and extending as an entry canopy, all very carefully detailed.

      The east end is all glass. The internal layout of pews has been altered from facing the long to the short axis (ie. to the south) and a crypt created under. There is a freestanding cruciform section steel cross.

      The 1962 church is comparable to a number of examples of the 1970s: Charles Duncan's houses, Graeme Gunn's Plumbers Union building in Victoria Street, Carlton; Clarke Hopkins and Clarke's two offices at Kew Junction, Robin Boyd's Menzies College at La Trobe & Pickin Court at Ormond College, University of Melbourne.

      Physical Conditions

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Physical Conditions

      Condition Excellent

      Integrity

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Integrity

      Integrity Intact

      Physical Description 2

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Physical Description 2

      Threats None apparent

      Physical Description 3

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Physical Description 3

      Key elements

      Buildings

      Fence/gate

      Tree(s)

      Physical Description 4

      TEMPLESTOWE UNITING CHURCH COMPLEX - Physical Description 4

      Associations

      Mrs. John Smith; D. & I. Irvine - builder

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Manningham - Manningham Heritage Study Review

      Author: Context Pty Ltd
      Year: 2006
      Grading: Local

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
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