Christ Church and Milton Hall, Launceston

Christ Church and Milton Hall are adjacent 19th-century buildings with significance in the early religious and secular history of Launceston, Tasmania. Both buildings are located on Frederick Street, near Prince's Square.

Christ Church and Milton Hall in the late 19th century

Milton Hall

1911 postcard with Milton Hall as Launceston High School

Milton Hall was put up in either 1841 or 1842 as St John's Congregational Church, under John West.^[1][2][3] The chapel was built in the Greek Revival style with a portico of four Doric columns topped with a pediment.^[4]

After the establishment of Christ Church, Milton Hall served as a Sunday school and, from 1884 till 1913, as Launceston High School.^[2]

Milton Hall hosted historic debates on the cessation of convict transportation and the framing of Federation.^[1] The first version of the Australian flag was said to have been conceived and sewn there.^[1]

Christ Church

Christ Church was renovated into a large red brick church between 1883 and 1885, to a Gothic Revival design by Granger & D'Ebro which included an octagonal spire, turrets and buttresses.^[4] The church was furnished with a c. 1875 organ by Bevington & Sons.^[4] A stained glass window representing the Calling of Matthew was made by Brooks & Robinson, Melbourne, for Christ Church, and was displayed in the Albert Hall as part of the Tasmanian Exhibition of 1891–92.^[5]

From 1983 till 2021, Christ Church functioned as a Baptist church, officially gazetted as City Baptist Church.^[1]

Today

In 2021, Christ Church and Milton Hall—both owned by the Baptist Union of Tasmania—were put up for sale,^[1][6] and in 2022 Tasmanian entrepreneur Rob Sherrard acquired both buildings.^[7]

See also

• William Stammers Button