The photograph above featuring the nave of St John’s Church was taken about 1910 or 1911, when the new red brick walls met the rough convict brick of the old.
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In the image, the cedar face of the old balcony, supported on ten thin pillars and the front pipes of the first organ on the wall above are clearly visible.
When the organ was in its original position, the several organists sat with their back to the service with a mirror mounted at a convenient height to keep in touch with proceedings, and allowing them to keep the choir, near the organ, in their eyeline.
The door on the back, or west wall to the right opens to cedar stairs down to outdoors.
Hidden on the left is a similar door and stairs.
After the convicts were removed from the balcony, tiered seats were provided for free settlers, who paid for the privilege.
Gas lights were installed above them in 1860.
Four windows let in the daylight on the north and south sides and a large marble plaque hangs in memory of Sir Richard Dry, once premier of this state and the first knight created for Tasmania.
Two windows seen near the plaque have stained-glass and are early memorials.
Low on the west wall is an open door.
This was the library and churchwardens’ vestry.
In the other corner is the door to the ministers’ robing-room and here the old prayer desk has been placed for safe-keeping.
This was one item of a set given to St John’s in the 1880s by the Reverend MB Brownrigg.
Under the balcony in the centre of the western wall is the main entrance and very narrow narthex enclosed by cedar panelling with double doors at each end.
The narthex was a large porch or an antechamber, interestingly usually found on the western side of most churches.
On the wall near this panelling is a marble plaque to the memory of two little girls of the Gilles family who died as infants.
In the nave at the back are the open pews, with two aisles, installed in the 1860s when a small chancel was added at the east end of St John’s.
In the foreground are some of the Bennett memorial pews with central aisle, carved several years later with stylised flora by Hugh Cunningham and later his pupil Gordon Cumming.
The floor plan provided shows the dotted outline of the original church and its small extension.
The majority of the new portion of St John’s was finished in 1911-12 with new vestries for churchwardens and choir.
The Brindley organ installed in 1862 on the balcony had been moved to its new loft.
