Carmel Welsh Presbyterian Church complex
263-265 ALBERT STREET, SEBASTOPOL - PROPERTY NUMBER 2046650, BALLARAT CITY
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Statement of Significance
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Carmel Welsh Presbyterian Church complex - Physical Description 1
Carmel Welsh Church of 1865-6 is a small basalt building with a slate roof, set well back from the footpath. To its rear is the current manse, a modern building, while the 1947 manse is situated on the north side of the site, near the street (at 261 Albert Street). Between it and the church is the 1970s hall built of cinder block. At the rear of the church is a timber hall, which was relocated to the site in 1936.
Church
The church is constructed of basalt worked in a variety of methods and with the utmost skill. The walls are coursed squared rubble, the buttresses are mostly smoothly dressed with small insets of rock-faced stone, the door and window reveals are also smoothly dressed with stop chamfering, while the projecting label moulds to these openings are also dressed stone. The combination of these textures provides additional modelling with light and dark areas.
The building combines Italian Renaissance elements with medieval buttresses. The narrow windows have arched heads and label moulds, while the timber tracery is in the Italian Renaissance form of double arches below a circular motif. Three of these windows surmount the central entrance. Above the tallest, middle window is a semi-circular louvered vent with its own label mould. The front arched doors are ledged and have large, decorative wrought-iron hinges. The chunky gable eaves are supported by large raking modillions, and the timber finial is unusually large and rectilinear.
The church is five bays long, divided by buttresses, with arched windows with voussoirs creating the arch and the same timber tracery as on the facade.
On the north side elevation, the 1928 porch has been added to the fourth bay from the front. It has a parapeted gable front, and was constructed of coursed squared basalt rubble, but it lacks the interplay between dressed and rock-faced stone of the rest of the church. Instead, there are voussoirs and a keystone above the arched entrance doors (ledged and framed with arched glazing at the top). The small window on the west elevation of the porch copies the double-arched tracery of the original windows. The roof of the porch is slate, and the rafter ends are exposed - a detail that was popular in the early 20th century.
The rear elevation of the church is very similar to the front (eaves, modillions, finial, and arched windows in the two side bays), but the central bay is blank apart from a semi-circular vent at the apex, and the three arched openings have simpler rock-faced voussoirs instead of dressed stone label moulds.
Inside, the walls are ruled render, emulating stone. It has hammer beam trusses supporting the roof, with lining boards in between. The lining boards are divided into panels with a flat star motif created by slim stop-chamfered timbers. Both the trusses and ceiling panels feature graining, which may be original.
Overall, the church is highly intact to its 1860s appearance, apart from the addition of the 1928 porch, and the replacement of the timber tracery in two of the side windows with stained glass.
Manse
The 1947 manse is a hipped-roof brick dwelling with a design typical for its era, but displaying careful and creative detailing. The walls are red brick with cream brick accents. There is a matching brick fence with steel gates at the front of the house. The cream bricks are used to great effect in 'speed whiskers' of varying lengths on the front fence and front porch.
The hipped roof is pyramidal with a slightly projecting front bay on the left-hand side. It is clad in terracotta tiles and accented by three exaggeratedly tall external chimneys. The red brick chimneys have cream brick strips at the top.
At the front, there are two banks of three windows wrapping around the corner, in a fashionable manner. These timber sashes are divided into two horizontal panes - another detail popular in the 1930s and '40s. The central front porch has a flat roof, cream brick piers and a solid brick balustrade. It has been in-filled - the only external alteration noted to the manse.
Trees
Mature trees planted throughout the site make an important contribution to the setting of the church. In particular, a pair of Sequoia giganteum (Giant Redwood) mark the entry to the church, and frame the facade. A row of (1) Quercus robur (English Oak) and (2) English Elm (Ulmus procera) line the driveway on the south side of the church, and other specimens are planted on the east and north boundaries of the site.
Heritage Study and Grading
Ballarat - Sebastopol Heritage Study (Stage 2)
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 2015
Grading: Local
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QUEENS GM NO.1Victorian Heritage Inventory
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Carmel Welsh Presbyterian ChurchNational Trust
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State School No 1167National Trust
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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'CARINYA' LADSONS STOREVictorian Heritage Register H0568
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1 Alexander StreetYarra City
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1 Botherambo StreetYarra City
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