John Knox Presbyterian Church

The John Knox Presbyterian Church complex at 60 Victoria Street, North Geelong, has significance for its associations with the Presbyterian Church in North Geelong from 1918, when the Church building was situated on the corner of Melbourne Road and Vautier Street (and had been constructed as the Congregational Church before 1910). The Church complex also has significance as examples of the Federation Carpenter Gothic style and interwar Hall Bungalow style (Church and hall buildings respectively), and as a altered example of the Late Victorian style (manse). These buildings appear to be in good-fair condition when viewed from the street.

The John Knox Presbyterian Church building at 60 Victoria Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of the Federation Carpenter Gothic style. These qualities include the simple gable roof form that traverses the site, together with the minor porch gable that projects towards the street frontage. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the single storey height, horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding, galvanised corrugated steel roof cladding, narrow eaves, ventilation stacks, narrow round-arched timber framed double hung windows (including the small window in the gable porch) and the timber framed doorway. The neighbouring interwar hall building also contributes to the architectural significance of the place.

The John Knox Presbyterian Church manse at 60 Victoria Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. Although altered, it still demonstrates some original design qualities of a Late Victorian style. These qualities include hipped roof form, together with the skillion verandah that projects towards the Bay. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the single storey height, horizontal weatherboard wall cladding, corrugated profile to the roof cladding, two unpainted brick chimneys with concrete bands and cappings, narrow eaves, symmetrical central front composition accentuated by the central doorway (with sidelights and highlights) and the flanking timber framed double hung tripartite windows, and the other timber framed double hung windows at the rear.

The John Knox Presbyterian Church complex at 60 Victoria Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with the development of the Presbyterian Church in North Geelong from 1918 when the Church building was situated at the corner of Melbourne Road and Vautier Street (then known as Shannon Street). It had been built before 1910 for the Congregation Church who sold it to the Presbyterian Church and relocated to its Melbourne Road site in 1919. The Church hall has long associations with the North Geelong Presbyterian Church, being constructed on the former Church site in Melbourne Road in 1925. The manse has associations with the Presbyterian Church from between 1915-1920, when the building was a private residence at 127 Melbourne Road. All three buildings were relocated to their current site in 1929, as a result of the widening of the Melbourne Road. The church complex then became known as the John Knox Presbyterian Church.

The John Knox Presbyterian Church complex at 60 Victoria Street is socially significant at a LOCAL level. It is recognised and highly valued by some sections of the North Geelong community for religious reasons.

Overall, the John Knox Presbyterian Church complex at 60 Victoria Street is of LOCAL significance.

Electoral Roll (Div. Corio; Sub-div. Geelong North) 1984, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Sands & McDougall's Directory of Geelong, 1972, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Sands & McDougall's "Invicta" Geelong Directory, 1968, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Geelong City Council Rate Books (Villamanta Ward), 1905-1960, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Town Plan of Geelong 1881, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Trustee Records 1879-1977, Item 13, North Geelong, Geelong Historical Records Centre,
Record no.319.
Anderson, D.S. & Smith, E.H., Faith through the years 1934-1984, Geelong Historical Records Centre.
Presbytery of Geelong - Reports and Submissions Item 10: Redistribution of Geelong Churches 1910-1911,Geelong Historical records Centre, Record no.229.
Presbytery of Geelong - Inwards & Outwards Correspondence, Item 110 - North Geelong 1975, Geelong Historical Records Centre, Record no.230.
Oral information supplied by former parishioner, Alison Reid.
Letters & other archival documents of the Presbytery of Geelong, Presbyterian Church Archives, 156 Collins St., Melbourne.
Presbytery of Geelong Minutes 1918-1928, Presbyterian Church Archives, 156 Collins St., Melbourne.
Notice of sale, St. Helen's Estate, 15 October, 1910, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

.

Group

Religion

Category

Church