The Parish of St Paul’s Church of England, established in October 1854, first worshipped in a Frankland Street schoolroom between Charles and Wellington streets, Launceston.
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Rev. Augustus Barkway, appointed to the parish in January 1859, soon instigated the building of a ‘temporary mission church’ in Cleveland Street.
Rev. Archdeacon Reibey laid the foundation stone on November 1, 1860 for a plain wooden church designed by architect Peter Mills.
The builders, Messrs. Fowler and Davies, completed the work in time for the opening by Bishop Nixon on May 12, 1861.
A Gothic-style stone Sunday school, also designed by Mills, built next to the church opened in November 1863.
The Cornwall Chronicle wrote that without a penny of State Aid the “Church and School House of St. Paul’s are permanent monuments … made available by the exertions of active, intelligent Church Officers, and a united body of parishioners”.
For more than a hundred years the church and Sunday school were the centre of an active congregation with extensions and beautiful stained-glass windows installed to memorialise devoted parishioners.
In 1867 an organ arrived from London and a surpliced choir first sang on Christmas Day in 1887.
The minister at St Paul’s was also the Hospital Chaplain and after much soul-searching, parishioners agreed their church and Sunday school should make way for the new Launceston General Hospital.
The final service was held on October 10, 1975 by the Bishop of Tasmania, the Right Rev. RE Davies. He performed the last rites, stripped the altar and carried out books from the lectern in a solemn procession, symbolising the end of life for St Paul’s.
But the church lives on in two locations.
Careful demolition of the old church in February 1976 preserved the roof beams, oak columns and stained-glass windows for the new St Paul’s Chapel by the Sea at Ainslie House, Low Head.
The organ and other historical fittings grace the interior. The original tower was to adorn the new brick chapel, but the replica is nowhere near as grand. It opened in November 1979.
St Paul’s Chapel, built on the same spot as the original church, lies within the hospital complex. Designed by Robert Nunn, it has a magnificent sweeping ceiling of celery top pine and Kevin Perkins crafted the Huon pine furniture. A cupboard containing relics from the old church stands by the entrance.
But what happened to the bell? Thieves reportedly stole it from the tower before the demolition started.