Historical information

The foundation stone for the Cairns Memorial Church in East Melbourne was laid on 20 November 1882, and construction began in 1883 to a design produced by architects Reed, Henderson and Smart of Melbourne. The church was named in memory of the Rev. Dr. Adam Cairns (1802-1881), late pastor of Chalmers Church on Eastern Hill. Cairns was born in Scotland and ministered there until coming to Melbourne in 1853, where he served as a minister until 1876. The church in East Melbourne was intended to accommodate those who had seceded from Chalmers Church and formed themselves into a new charge. The original design for 'a handsome and commodious edifice in the early English Gothic style capable of seating 750 persons' was described and illustrated in The Australasian Sketcher (January 1883). The interior was to be octagonal in form, with the organ and choir placed in the southern transept. The first portion of the church was opened in November 1883, but was soon found, under the popular ministry of the Rev. G.D. Buchanan, to be too small for the congregation. A new design by the architects Twentyman and Askew was developed, and the first part of the redesigned building was opened on 5 October 1884. The completed building was opened on 17 April 1887. Built from Barrabool Hills stone with Waurn Ponds freestone dressings, it consisted of a nave and transepts, with raking floor, a substantial undercroft and the base of an incomplete tower and spire to the north-west. The church was gutted by fire in August 1988 and was subsequently redeveloped as an apartment complex.
The congregation of Cairns Memorial now worships at Richmond-Collingwood, or at St. Michael's Collins Street.

Physical description

B & W photograph showing the congregation of the Cairns Memorial Church attending a service held under the verandah of the East Melbourne Cellars (Cheers Bottle Shop) after fire had destroyed their church on 15 August 1988.