Congregational Church

BOOKINGS OPEN AT 12 PM ON THURSDAY, 8 FEBURARY 2024

Architect/s: Edward Casson Rowntree (1873); Builder: John Shipley

Designer: Renovations by Mirella Bywaters (2016)

The heritage registered Congregational Church was built in 1873 to replace a nearby 1844 church in Torrens Street, demolished in 1876 following storm damage, its cemetery remaining and used until about 1920. The 1873 sandstone church, constructed by John Shipley for ₤430, is in the Gothic Revival style with buttresses, and a pointed arch doorway and lancet windows accentuated using moulding. The stone for the church was quarried at Butchers Hill but came to the church from the Richmond Goal as sections were demolished.

The building of the new church was largely the result of three women. When the foundation stone was ceremonially laid in 1873, the large crowd, were reminded that the occasion was due to the work of the town’s women. 2 A century later, the congregation decided to remain independent when most other Congregational Churches became part of the Uniting Church in 1977. The church held its final service in May 2016 after 141 years of worship.

Occupying a 746 sqm allotment on the corner of Bridge and Percy Streets in the heart of Richmond – the property was sold by the Congregational Church in 2016. It then comprised an entry vestibule opening to the spacious 7 x face12m congregation meeting area, for approximately 100 people, with an annex containing kitchenette with washroom amenities.

The new owners undertook major improvements, converting the church into visitor accommodation and adding a private residence at the rear. They overhauled the garden with substantial new plantings to create a private and charming oasis in the centre of the village. The space has incorporated recycled timbers from the floor and pews originally in the church with underfloor heating throughout.

Open: Sunday 25 February, 1 pm – 4 pm