Historical information

The Congregational Church was built on the site of the first church in Kew. This church, the second on the site, was designed by the Kew architect Charles Vickers and opened in 1860. The distinctive polychrome brick façade designed by Vickers contrasted with the style that he employed for other churches he designed during this period; they were usually constructed in bluestone. In the 1960s, a new ministry saw the erection of a neon cross at the apex of the church. The illuminated cross could be seen from Church Street, Hawthorn. The church was later to be demolished, and the land sold for the construction of modern villas.

Significance

The Kew Historical Society's Pictures Collection is comprised of photographs, postcards and original works of art. The photographs include original (mainly) images dating from the 1870s to the present. A number of these photographs derive from the former City of Kew's Civic Collection while others are the work of amateur and professional photographers. Most of the images in the collection depict people, places and objects within the suburbs of Kew and Kew East. Other photographs depict other locations in Melbourne and Victoria. A number of the photographs are of statewide and/or national significance.

Physical description

Congregational Church, Walpole Street, Kew, 1977 (now demolished). View of the polychrome facade facing Walpole Street. The use of polychrome brick by Alfred Purchas (the second architect) reflects his preference for this architectural style, such as in his design for Tarring (now Ruyton Girls' School)

Inscriptions & markings

Inscriptions on reverse: "KH-99. Congregational Church Walpole St Kew. Built 1854. Now amalgamated with United Churches 1977."