Historical information

Situated at 810 Main Road on the corner of John Street. The Church was surrounded by a picket fence and tall pine trees. The Church was built by George Stebbings in the 1850s and is an example of fine craftmanship.

Formerly Wesleyan, Methodist then Uniting church; the foundations of the church building were constructed with stone from the walls of the first Eltham State Primary School (No. 209) building which collapsed in 1874 and were purchased by Robert David Taylor.

Significance

REVISED STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE, CONTEXT, 2010 via Victorian Heritage Database

What is significant?
The 1880 bichromatic brick church and the surrounding site to the title boundaries.

How is it significant?
The church is architecturally, historically, socially and spiritually significant to the Shire of Nillumbik.

Why is it significant?
The church is architecturally significant as a finely detailed example of a brick 19th century rural community church, one of only four in the Shire (Criteria E & B). The church is historically significant as an important link with the time when Eltham was a small, insular country settlement. Also for the historical evolution visible in the complex, with the modest 1880s church and larger red brick rear hall from the early 20th century as a reflection of population growth in the area (Criterion A). The church is historically, spiritually and socially significant because it has played, and continues to play, an important part in the spiritual and social life of the community (Criterion G).

Physical description

Sepia postcard of Eltham Methodist Church, 1909