St. Matthews Uniting Church, 9-13 Scallan Street, STAWELL
11-13 SCALLAN STREET STAWELL, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
Stawell Main Street Precinct
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Statement of Significance
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St. Matthews Uniting Church, 9-13 Scallan Street, STAWELL - Physical Description 1
The St. Matthew's Uniting Church site at 9-13 Scallan Street, Stawell, makes a significant contribution to the local streetscape and is visually connected to the Baptist Church and St. Peter's Lutheran Church that are also situated in Scallan Street. The site is identified by a large brick church with a landmark tower and spire. The Church grounds form a large open carpark with some plantings to one side. The front is bound by an introduced brick fence with flanking entrance piers crowned with lamps, neighbouring brick Sunday School hall, together with substantial lawn areas and mature trees.
The unpainted locally-made brick, Victorian Free Decorated Gothic styled Uniting Church building is especially characterised by a parapeted steeply pitched gable roof form and an imposing, centrally placed octagonal tower and spire. The 40 foot high roof form is clad in early slate, with ventilation dormers adorning the ridgeline of the church gable. The tower is also constructed of unpainted brick, while the steeple is rendered in Portland cement. The base of the tower forms a square and is flanked by projecting brick buttresses on the main elevation which terminate as four turrets where the tower changes form to an octagon on which is surmounted the steeple, the whole being 133 feet in height. The three dimensional form of the tower is defined by the projecting minor gable end. At the base of the square portion of the tower is the early pointed double timber doors with incised decorative Gothic relief. Above the door is a Free Decorated tracery window adorned with leadlighting. A tablet with the inscription "St. Matthew's A.D. 1868" surmounts the window. The tower's octagonal base has a blind oculi (initially built to accommodate a clock face) and pointed gable ventilator with additional, much smaller dormer ventilators located on the spire.
The symmetrical composition of the main elevation is identified by the flanking lancet windows that are located over two levels that light the stair rooms either side of the tower. These flanking rooms are terminated at the corners by angled buttresses.
The side elevations of the building are characterised by eleven projecting brick buttresses that diminish as they rise. Between the buttresses are pointed windows, with smaller pointed clerestorey windows in the upper reaches of the walls. These double rows of windows contain diamond lights within, with variously coloured borders.
The rear of the building is identified by the central unpainted brick, rectangular apse adorned with angled buttresses. The community centre building has been added.
Other early external decorative features of the design include the Portland cement dressings and enrichments, as identified in the drip moulds and quoinwork about the window and door openings, projecting buttress pediments, copies, bosses and in the circular turrets that crown the recessed buttress.
Heritage Study and Grading
Northern Grampians - Shire of Northern Grampians - Stage 2 Heritage Study
Author: Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe, Phil Taylor
Year: 2004
Grading: StateStawell Main Street Precinct peer review
Author: Landmark Heritage PL
Year: 2024
Grading:
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HILL PIPE ORGAN - ST PETER'S LUTHERAN CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H2177
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CENTRAL PARKVictorian Heritage Register H2284
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COMMONWEALTH MEMORIALVictorian Heritage Register H1943
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