CHRIST CHURCH

The foundation stone for Christ Church, Castlemaine was laid on February 24th 1854 by Anglican Bishop Perry but it was not completed until 1858. The delay, mainly caused by problems with the foundation, resulted in legal action between the trustees and the architects, Burgoyne and Poeppel. The church is a Gothic style stone building comprising a nave, chancel, transept and vestry. The flags in the church are from regiments which served in Victoria during the gold rush days. The present pipe organ was built by George Fincham in 1888 and re-built in 1953 with further restoration in 1992. The chancel and vestry were added in 1892. The large east window was placed as a memorial of sixty years of Queen Victoria's reign in 1897.

Christ Church is of historic and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.

Christ Church, built on Agitation Hill where the diggers gathered to protest about conditions on the goldfield, is historically important for its associations with the early history of Castlemaine from the time in March 1852 when the Bishop of Melbourne, Bishop Perry, preached from a tree stump on Forest Creek field. Christ Church is one of the oldest substantial churches on the Victorian goldfields and is particularly notable for its relative intactness.

Christ Church is architecturally significant for its use of local sandstone, its rose window and its detailing, including the carved faces on the crockets. Notable interior features include the timber pews, the baptismal font, the creed and commandments panels in the chancel, the lettering around the chancel arch and nave walls, the George Fincham organ of 1888, and the stained glass including the rose window.

Group

Religion

Category

Church