St Andrew's Kirk, Launceston
| St Andrew's Kirk | |
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St Andrew's Kirk from St John Street
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 St Andrew's Kirk
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| 41°26′10″S 147°08′15″E / 41.43617°S 147.13762°ECoordinates: 41°26′10″S 147°08′15″E / 41.43617°S 147.13762°E | |
| Location | Launceston, Tasmania |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church of Australia |
| Website | launceston |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 April 1831 |
| Consecrated | 16 October 1849 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) |
William Henry Clayton (main church) William Clennett (commercial chamber extensions) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Colonial Gothic |
| Years built | 1850 (main church completed) 1974 (commercial chambers completed) 1986 (vestibule added) |
| Groundbreaking | 1849 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 320 |
| Length | 38.4 m |
| Nave width | 14.4 m |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | Sandstone, brick, stucco |
| Administration | |
| Metropolis | Launceston |
| Province | Launceston |
| Division | Presbyterian Church of Tasmania |
| Subdivision | Presbytery of Bass |
| Clergy | |
| Minister(s) | Rev Jason Summers |
St Andrew's Kirk, Launceston, is a Presbyterian church in Launceston, Australia serving the Presbytery of Bass. It was the second Presbyterian church to be built in the city of Launceston following the Scotch National Church on Charles Street (built 1831). St Andrew's is located on St John Street between Patterson Street and Civic Square.
On the 9 April 1831, a meeting of the Scotch inhabitants of Launceston met to discuss the idea of erecting a place of worship for the Presbyterian community which resulted in the construction of a chapel, the Scotch National Church, on Charles Street near the port for the cost of £400. The first minister appointed to the church was a former Church of Scotland minister, Reverend John Anderson MA, who arrived in the city earlier the same year. On the 6 November 1835, the Presbytery of Presbytery of Van Diemen's land, the second oldest presbytery in Australia, met for the first time in the chapel. On 6 July 1848, Reverend R.K.Ewing joined Mr. Anderson in charge of the church and shortly thereafter it became apparent that a larger church was needed to accommodate the growing congregation.
Following calls for a new, larger church, a suitable site was secured closer to the growing business district of Launceston. The land was secured with a petition to Lieutenant-Governor, Sir William Thomas Denison for a lot of land occupied by one of the colony's original watch houses. The Building Committee advertised for plans of a church capable of seating 700 people.
A total of 14 designs were submitted by eight competitors with the winning design, though significantly smaller than advertised with a capacity of only 320, was won by William Henry Clayton of Norfolk Plains who later went on to become the Colonial Architect for the New Zealand Government. Clayton's plans called for a simple Gothic-inspired church built from local bricks rendered over in stucco with sandstone decorations and spire with entrances off both Patterson and St John Streets.
On 16 October 1849, the foundation stone for the new church was laid by Lieutenant-Governor Denison. Alongside the foundation stone, a time capsule containing newspapers of the time and various coins including a gold sovereign and a half sovereign was placed. Construction of the church was undertaken by builder William Tyson, himself a member of the congregation for a cost of £3,956 which was paid in 6 installments coinciding with milestones of completion with a timespan of 15 months for works to be done by. The church was officially named and opened to service on 5 December 1850 and within 4 years was debt free.
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