ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
5155 PORTLAND-CASTERTON ROAD, HENTY, GLENELG SHIRE
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
St. Paul's Anglican Church, located on the south west corner of the Portland-Casterton Road and Dunan Road at Henty, is a modest but fine example of the Arts and Crafts Gothic style. The land on which the church stands was left to the Anglican Church by Lousia Henty, the unmarried daughter of Francis Henty of nearby Merino Downs. It is said that her wish to have the church built was to keep the workers at Merino Downs sober for work on Monday morning. The church is red brick with a white painted cement render, generally rectangular, with a polygonal apse at the southern end and three bays. The interiors include a fine altar, main window, lectern, pews, memorials and plaques. The church was designed by Louis R. Williams, and has many distinctive features common to the architect's style, such as jerkin head gables, circular rose windows and a sense of the building being 'stretched' upwards. The corrugated iron roof is steeply pitched at 45 degrees and either end is finished with timber finials. The original post and rail wooden fence, set with wire, and the metal gate survive around the church, defining the boundary of the land. Within the churchyard, there are mature plantings of Pinus radiata, typical of public buildings of the period. Generally, the church and its surrounding fences and plantings are in very good condition and retain an excellent degree of integrity.
How is it significant?
St. Paul's Anglican Church is of architectural and historical significance to the Glenelg Shire.
Why is it significant?
St. Paul's Anglican Church is of architectural significance as an excellent local example of the Arts and Crafts Gothic style in its application to places of worship and for expressing particular religious values. It is also of architectural significance as a fine example of the work of important architect Louis R. Williams, who undertook many designs of Anglican Churches, including the nearby Tahara Anglican Church. It's architectural significance is also demonstrated by the range and quality of its interiors, including the altar, the main window, lectern, and several memorials and plaques. St. Paul's is of historical significance as the only church to be built in Henty, andreally it was built as a church for Merino Downs, illustrating the Anglican faith of both Lousia Henty and the Henty family in general. The donation of land, materials and furnishings represents the affluence and generosity of the Henty Family who belonged to the congregation.
-
-
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH - Usage/Former Usage
Continues to be used as a church
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH - Physical Description 1
The building is a small church of red brick with white cement in an Arts and Crafts Gothic style, and is aligned north-south. The building is rectangular with a polygonal apse at the rear or southern end and is set on a projecting brick plinth. There are three bays separated by brick buttresses topped with Gothic gablets. A jerkin-head gable, typical of the architect's work, projects over a small rose window surrounded by raised brickwork high on the northern wall. The northern gable is corbelled at the eaves line.
The steep corrugated iron roof is pitched at 45-degrees with timber finials (now reduced).
The west wall has two doors and both have pointed segmental arches above. The main door has two rectangular leaves, each with two small windows. The other door is a single leaf and has no windows. In the middle bay is a high level stained glass window with a pointed segmental arch. There is a matching stained glass window on the middle bay of the east wall and similar windows in the adjacent bays. The apse is divided by an intermediate cornice of raised bricks. In the upper section of the south wall of the apse there is a diagonal cross in raised dark stretcher bricks.
An early gate and fence posts (c.1920s) remain at the entrance to the site and early Pine trees (Pinus Radiata) line the perimeter of the site.
The Foundation Stone reads "AMDG/ AND IN MEMORY OF /LOUISA HENTY/ THIS STONE WAS/ PLACED ON/ 11TH OCTOBER 1936". A brick beneath reads "LOUIS R WILLIAMS/ A.R.A.I.A /MELBOURNE ".
Tablet in the stained glass window reads "A.M.D.A. and in loving memory of Francis Henty, who landed at Portland, 13th December, 1834, and settled at Merino Downs, 3rd August, 1837, and his wife Mary Ann Lawrence, 1819-1881, with their children - Lawrence Shum, 1845-1877; Louisa 1847-1924; Fieldplace, Kew; Caroline, Mrs. A McLeod, 1849-1914, Talisker; Alice, 1852-1932, Mrs. John Hindson, of Canterbury and Sorrento" (Lawrence & Davis, ibid).ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH - Physical Conditions
Very Good
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH - Historical Australian Themes
8.6: Worshipping
8.6.1: Worshipping together
8.6.2: Maintaining religious traditions and ceremonies
8.6.3: Founding Australian religious institutions
8.6.4: Making places for worship
8.6.5: EvangelisingHeritage Study and Grading
Glenelg - Glenelg Shire Heritage Study Part One
Author: Carlotta Kellaway, David Rhodes Mandy Jean
Year: 2002
Grading:Glenelg - Glenelg Heritage Study Stage Two (a)
Author: Heritage Matters
Year: 2006
Grading:
-
-
-
-
-
MERINO DOWNS HOMESTEAD COMPLEXGlenelg Shire
-
Dwyer's Creek Railway BridgeNational Trust
-
Henty Honour RollVic. War Heritage Inventory
-
1 Fordham CourtYarra City
-
10 Fordham CourtYarra City
-
-