4 January 2025

The Presbyterian Church on Barkly Street St Kilda has dominated the hill since 1885, and just sold after only 2 weeks on the market. It’s got so little land, no room for underground parking for instance, so perhaps it was another denomination, or going to be a large house ? It was designed by John Beswicke, who was very prolific, but didn’t do many churches, and it’s actually a curious bit of Gothic – rather spiky (which I like), but the details are all rounded, the curves of the window tops are just round instead of proper quatrefoil, and the crockets are like little spheres when they should be like little fern fronds. The cast iron is good though, much more frondy, and it’s certainly a landmark, the spire is in line with Punt Road way to the north. I’ve not been inside, but it looks tall and airy, at least with the lights on. There’s some fine stained glass and a notable Fincham & Hobday organ from 1897 too. The church is listed by Port Phillip, and with interior controls ! Not at all specific though. Exterior pics mine, interior from the real estate ads and Facebook.

15 January 2018

StKildaPresbyterianChurch. Posted this 6 months ago, they’ve taken away the scaffolding now, and I saw they’d put new #stonework on the #gables; ones got a little spire/crocket thing, but the bigger one doesn’t, thought it was odd, so found an old photo (no date possibly 1950s #StKildaHistoricalSociety) and sure enough there was another one, so why didn’t it get reproduced ? I know it’s only a little thing, but soooo annoying. Also lost the four #spirelets around the #spire. Still think it’s a pretty ordinary church, I mean nice enough, but no outstanding features. #JohnBewicke, of Beswicke & Finch, 1885.

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