Victorian Collections logo
From the collection of St Kilda Historical Society
1128 Items featured online

Photograph, Christ Church St Kilda exterior - images collection #2

  • Double solid wood doors, painted yellow, shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch doorway. On the lower half of each door are two recessed rectangular panels, one above the other. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of a pointed arch and a small panel triangular panel.

    Christ Church St Kilda, SE transept door

  • Double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. Each door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. On the lower half of each door are four recessed triangular panels. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of the arch.

    Christ Church St Kilda, main doors, SW entrance

  • The left hand side door of double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. The door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. On the lower half of the door are four recessed triangular panels. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of the arch. Adjacent to the archway entrance, on the left, is a sandstone colonette.

    Christ Church St Kilda, main door, SW entrance, left colinette detail

  • The right hand side door of double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. The door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. Adjacent to the archway entrance, on the right, is a sandstone colonette.

    Christ Church St Kilda, main door, SW entrance, right colinette detail

  • Christ Church St Kilda, main door, SW entrance, pointed arch top

  • Multi-angular sandstone tower with a pointed tiled roof supported by buttresses. A narrow pointed arch window is placed half way up the tower.

    Christ Church St Kilda, bell tower, NW elevation

  • Christ Church St Kilda, bell tower, NW elevation, detail

  • Multi-angular sandstone tower with a pointed roof supported by buttresses. A narrow pointed arch window is placed half way up the tower.

    Christ Church St Kilda, bell tower, SW elevation

  • Damaged blocks in a bluestone wall that have been repaired with white mortar

    Christ Church St Kilda, bell tower detail

  • Two pointed arch windows, in two of the three stone walls that form the apse of the church. A supporting buttress is on each side of each window. Next to each buttress is a vertical metal drainpipe. A metal pipe also runs horizontally under the windows. A sign on a metal post in front of the apse says 'Playground for young children only. Football and cricket prohibited.'

    Christ Church St Kilda, choir windows

  • Two pointed arch windows, in two of the three stone walls that form the apse of the church. A supporting buttress is on each side.

    Christ Church St Kilda, NW choir nativity window

  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall. A buttress is to the left of the window. Between the window and the buttress is a metal drainpipe.

    Christ Church St Kilda, annunciation window, choir

  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, left of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh. There are stones missing from the wall and other signs of water damage and weathering.

    Christ Church St Kilda, St Paul window, NW transept

  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, to the right of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh. Metal drainpipes have been attached to the stone wall below and to the right of the window.

    Christ Church St Kilda, first window, NW facade

  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, right of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh

    Christ Church St Kilda, second window, north west facade

  • The apex of a pointed arch window of stained glass that is obscured by wire mesh. The stonework around the window is eroded.

    Christ Church St Kilda, window, NW elevation, detail

  • Christ Church St Kilda, window, NW transept, with shipwreck roundel

  • Christ Church St Kilda footings and stonework #1

  • Christ Church St Kilda, footings and stonework #2

  • Christ Church St Kilda, three windows, vestry

  • Christ Church St Kilda, three windows, nave, SW side

  • Christ Church St Kilda, window, nave, SE side

  • Christ Church St Kilda, triangular rose window, SW facade

  • Christ Church St Kilda, window, NW transept, main triptych

  • Christ Church St Kilda, guttering and roof, detail

  • Christ Church St Kilda, downpipe head

  • Christ Church St Kilda, roof, detail #1

  • Christ Church St Kilda, roof, detail #2

  • Top of buttress, detail

  • Double solid wood doors, painted yellow, shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch doorway. On the lower half of each door are two recessed rectangular panels, one above the other. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of a pointed arch and a small panel triangular panel.
  • Double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. Each door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. On the lower half of each door are four recessed triangular panels. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of the arch.
  • The left hand side door of double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. The door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. On the lower half of the door are four recessed triangular panels. On the upper half is a large panel in the shape of the arch. Adjacent to the archway entrance, on the left, is a sandstone colonette.
  • The right hand side door of double solid wood doors, painted yellow and shaped at the top to fit a pointed arch entrance. The door has two large ornate black hinges, the width of the door, placed at the intermediate and bottom rails. Adjacent to the archway entrance, on the right, is a sandstone colonette.
  • Multi-angular sandstone tower with a pointed tiled roof supported by buttresses. A narrow pointed arch window is placed half way up the tower.
  • Multi-angular sandstone tower with a pointed roof supported by buttresses. A narrow pointed arch window is placed half way up the tower.
  • Damaged blocks in a bluestone wall that have been repaired with white mortar
  • Two pointed arch windows, in two of the three stone walls that form the apse of the church. A supporting buttress is on each side of each window. Next to each buttress is a vertical metal drainpipe. A metal pipe also runs horizontally under the windows. A sign on a metal post in front of the apse says 'Playground for young children only. Football and cricket prohibited.'
  • Two pointed arch windows, in two of the three stone walls that form the apse of the church. A supporting buttress is on each side.
  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall. A buttress is to the left of the window. Between the window and the buttress is a metal drainpipe.
  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, left of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh. There are stones missing from the wall and other signs of water damage and weathering.
  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, to the right of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh. Metal drainpipes have been attached to the stone wall below and to the right of the window.
  • A pointed arch window set in the sandstone wall, right of the northern transept entrance. The image in the stained glass window is obscured by wire mesh
  • The apex of a pointed arch window of stained glass that is obscured by wire mesh. The stonework around the window is eroded.

Historical information

Christ Church was constructed in 1854-57 and designed in Decorated Gothic style by Albert Purchase & Charles Swyer. It was enlarged in 1874 and 1881 to the designs of Sydney W Smith. It is one of four main buildings constructed on land granted to the Church of England in 1855 and named Church Square. The other buildings are the bishop's residence, vicarage and parish hall. Heritage Victoria describes it as a 'rare and significant square in the history of town planning in Victoria which demonstrates the importance of the church to the community'. It is built from rarely used undressed random coursed sandstone from Point King Sorrento. It is located at 14 Acland Street, St Kilda.
The triangular rose window is said to have been modelled on Lichfield Cathedral and shows outstanding craftsmanship. According to Heritage Victoria, the only other known example in Victoria is at St Georges Presbyterian Church in East St Kilda, designed by the same architect, Albert Purchas.
The Church has a varied collection of stained glass, including work by leading stained glass firms and artists in Victoria in the nineteenth and early twentieth century: Ferguson & Urie, William Montgomery and Brooks Robinson. The 'shipwreck window,' north west transept, is an historically significant memorial window dedicated to Miles and William Dalzell Nicholson, the second and third sons of the Hon. William Nicholson, M.L.A, a Lord Mayor of Melbourne and Premier of Victoria in the 1850s. Miles, died in England on 27 April 1874. His younger brother William died in the wreck of the ‘British Admiral’ off King Island on 23 May 1874.

Significance

The images show the condition of the church at the time they were taken (c 2012). Signs of deterioration can be seen. The bell is not rung any more because of damage to the stonework.There has been some remedial work since and the National Trust of Australia conducted a heritage restoration appeal.

Subjects

References

TOP
Back to top