Church & Cemetery
Description
A church and adjacent cemetery, which contains the gravesites of some early settlers dating back to 1860's. The church building is in excellent condition and is constructed with single-storeyed gabled end walls of bluestone rubble with contrasting brick dressings. The semi-circular heads to windows and doors are of finely gauged brick.
The Church is reminiscent of the Romanesque style, with arched openings, dentilled gable and cornice and slightly projecting central panel to the Candy Road elevation, which contains the entrance with its twinleaf door. The church has four bays, is set on a bevel brick topped plinth and has a matchboard ceiling. Tie rods run through the church. Origianlly the principal façade was topped by a belfry.
The more recently erected corrugated galvanised iron clad shed, colorbond fencing, and kindergarten building mars the setting of the church and compromises the visual and historical association of the cemetery to the church.
The cemetery contains the gravesites of some early settler dating back to the 1860's.
History
The Church was constructed in 1856 by builder John Adams for the congregational community.
Reverend A. R. Philps (arriving from Truro in England) took charge of the Congregational Church at Happy Valley in March 1855. This original church and associated cemetery was built on land given by Dr Montgomery. This was situated opposite the present Church on land now under the Happy Valley Reservoir wall. Nothing of the original structures survives. It became a Uniting Church in circa 1977 when the Australian Uniting church was established (comprising the union of the Congregational, Methodists and Presbyterians), and subsequently a Baptist Church (after 1988).
Photos courtesy of: Bruce Harry and Associates (2007).