Back to search results » Back to search page »

Former St Jude's Church of England & Organ

Other Name

St. Jude's Anglican Church

Location

351-357 Lygon Street,, CARLTON VIC 3053 - Property No B2296

File Number

B2296

Level

State

[1/1]
B2296 St Jude's Anglican

Statement of Significance

Church Statement of Significance: The first fully polychromatic brick church in Australia, designed by Reed & Barnes and built in two stages between 1866 and 1870, but without the intended tower and spire. The building comprises a buttressed nave of eight bays elevated above a crypt and a chancel with square termination. It is of great significance for its early use of fully developed polychromy, employing red and cream bricks against a brown background in quoining, diaperwork and window surrounds; the last deriving explicitly from Italian examples published by Street and Ruskin.
The plastered interior includes a western gallery, an early pipe organ by George Fincham, and stained glass by several prominent makers, including Ferguson & Urie, Rogers & Hughes, Brooks Robinson, and William Montgomery.
Church Classified: 09/07/1969

Organ Statement of Significance: This organ is the earliest surviving unaltered example of an organ built by the major nineteenth century Australian organ builder George Fincham. Some of his other early instruments exist, but have been severely altered in recent years. It is of vital importance that this instrument does not suffer the same fate, but remains intact and unaltered as an example of George Fincham's early style of organ building.
Further historic interest is added to this organ by the fact that it has a complete tonal design (including a Mixture and reed) on a single manual. This is unusual for this (or later nineteenth century) period, and is unique in Victoria.
Organ Classified: 03/03/1983

Group

Religion