Scots Church, Adelaide

Scots Church
Scots Church
34°55′18″S138°36′19″E / 34.92162°S 138.6052°E / -34.92162; 138.6052
Address	237 North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia
Country	Australia
Denomination	Uniting (since 1977)
Previous denomination	Free Church of Scotland (1850 –1865) Presbyterian (SA) (1865 –1901) Presbyterian (1901 –1977)
Website	scotschurch.org.au
History
Former name(s)	Chalmers Church
Status	Church
Founded	3 September 1850 (1850-09-03)
Founder(s)	Reverend John Gardner
Dedication	Rev. Thomas Chalmers
Dedicated	6 July 1851
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	English & Brown
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1858 (spire)
Construction cost	A£2,572
Specifications
Spire height	37 metres (120 ft)
Materials	Stone; shingles
Administration
Synod	South Australia
South Australian Heritage Register
Official name	Church - Scots
Type	State Heritage Place
Designated	11 September 1986
Reference no.	13370

Scots Church is a Uniting church on the southwest corner of North Terrace and Pulteney Street in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Founded by the Free Church of Scotland, the stone church was one of the early churches built in the new city in 1850, built as the Chalmers Church. ^[1]

History

A prominent group of immigrants to South Australia, settled by Europeans from 1836, supported the Free Church of Scotland movement. This group called Reverend John Gardner from Scotland, and established Chalmers Free Church, named after Rev. Thomas Chalmers, the first moderator of the Free Church of Scotland in 1843. ^[2] Gardner arrived in the colony in March 1850. He immediately initiated buying the land on the corner of North Terrace and Pulteney Street from (later Sir) John Morphett, appointed English & Brown as architects and builders and laid the foundation stone on 3 September 1850. He held the first service in the new building on 6 July 1851. ^[3]

The cost of land and building was £2,572 against the estimate of £1,800 despite cost-saving measures which included substituting a shingle roof for slate tiles. The loan to the church, of £1,000 at 12½ per cent interest, was guaranteed by trustees Capt. William Elder, George Young, George Elder, jun., Charles Matthew and Henry Chapman. The 120 feet (37 m) spire was added in 1858 at an additional cost of £200 and a bell, brought out from England, was donated by (later Sir) Thomas Elder. ^[4]

The Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of South Australia was formed 9 May 1854.

The Free Presbyterian Church, United Presbyterian Church and the Church of Scotland merged in 1865 to form one Presbyterian Church of South Australia, although a section of the Free Presbyterians led by Rev James Benny of Morphett Vale did not join the union. When the states federated in 1901, the main Presbyterian denomination in each state federated, so Chalmers Church became part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia. ^[3]

Chalmers Church amalgamated with the Flinders Street Presbyterian Church congregation in 1929, with the new name "Scots Church". The Flinders Street property was eventually sold in 1956, yielding funds to build on the western side of the North Terrace property, using bluestone facings from Flinders Street. The current organ and western stained glass also came from Flinders Street. ^[3]

In 1977, the majority of the Presbyterian Church of Australia joined with the Methodist and most Congregational congregations to create the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA), the denomination of Scots Church today. Scots Church minister Rev Ian Tanner was elected as the first Moderator of the UCA Synod of South Australia, and then in 1985 became the fourth President of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia

The Scots Church building was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 11 September 1986, ^[5] and is the second-oldest church building in the City of Adelaide. ^[3]

People

Ministers

• John Gardner ^[6]
• John Davidson 1870–1877;
• David Paton 1877–1906; ^[7]
• Arthur John Wade 1907-1913;
• Thomas Tait 1914–1915; left for Sydney
• James Arthur Seymour 1916–1928; left for Canada
• Norman L. D. Webster 1929–1939; ^[8]
• Ian B. Tanner 1963–1980

Organists

• Roy Mellish 1910–1919 ^[9]

Others

• Harriet Miller Davidson

References

1. "Chalmers' Free Church of Scotland". South Australian Gazette and Mining Journal . Adelaide. 5 September 1850. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2016– via National Library of Australia.
2. "Scots Church" (drawing and caption). State Library of South Australia. 1851. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
3. "Our History". Scots Church. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
4. Max Lamshed (5 July 1951). "Notable Scots Church 100 Years Old". The Advertiser . Vol. 94, no. 28, 933. South Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 14 January 2017– via National Library of Australia.
5. "Church - Scots". South Australian Heritage Register . Government of South Australia. 11 September 1986. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
6. "The Chalmers Free Church". Adelaide Times . Vol. II, no. 242. 4 September 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 25 August 2016– via National Library of Australia.
7. "Chalmers Church". The News . Vol. VII, no. 957. South Australia. 7 August 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 25 August 2016– via National Library of Australia.
8. "Adelaide Churches—No. 5 Scots, North Terrace". The News (Adelaide) . Vol. XXXII, no. 4, 910. South Australia. 20 April 1939. p. 18. Retrieved 4 December 2020– via Trove.
9. "Personal". The Daily Herald (Adelaide) . Vol. X, no. 2840. South Australia. 28 April 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 6 February 2022– via National Library of Australia.

External links

• Official website