Sitting in the middle of Torrens Square, Augusta Street, St Peter’s Anglican Church has a unique place in the heart of Glenelg and South Australia as shown by its Heritage Listing. The 2023-2025 conservation appeal will focus on the ongoing preservation of this important church for future generations through a number of projects.
In 1839 Colonel William Light set aside Torrens Square for a church at Glenelg. The first church, built in 1852, was “on the very spot where some sixteen years ago the glad tidings of the Gospel truth were first proclaimed in the colony” (The Register) at the first service in the colony led by Rev. C.B. Howard on 1st January 1837. That first church proved too small and a new church, designed by Edmund W. Wright, was founded in 1881 and opened in 1882.
Visitors to St Peter’s are amazed by the beautiful collection of stained glass windows. In 1923 The Advertiser reported on the dedication of the final window “no other building in the State can compare with this fine church in this respect, and doubtless few South Australians have any idea that so much beauty can be found in any sacred edifice in or around Adelaide” .
As part of the new memorial garden to be constructed on the south-west corner of the Church, the Parish’s new appeal will also help to fund the necessary stonework repairs due to rising damp causing fretting of the bluestone. Our Stonemason, Anthony Richichi, will carry out repairs and replace some of the bluestone and use lime mortar to prevent further damp incursion.
In 2017, the Parish had a very successful appeal through the National Trust to fully restore the Great West Window, at a cost of $100,000. We are continuing this preservation work by replacing the rusted screens on the southern side of the Church with the same protection used for the western windows.
The third project at St Peter’s will focus on the welcoming nature of our Parish with new painting in the Western Porch, including painting of all doors on site, which are badly degraded.
Feel free to visit the church Sunday mornings or Tuesday-Friday 9:30am-2:30pm or take the 360 degree tour on the St Peter’s Anglican Church website.
St Martin’s Church, part of the Glenelg Parish, has recently received Local Heritage Listing and is currently undertaking heritage repairs to external doors to preserve and revitalise it’s streetscape.
Please help fund repairs and improvements to this unique church. The 2023-2025 projects include a revitalisation of the Porch entrance, including the painting of all doors, Stonework repairs to the church and memorial garden, and commencement of window repairs and protection.
If you have any queries, please feel free to telephone the church on 08 8295 2382 between 9:30am-2:30pm Tues-Fri, or email parish.office@glenelganglican.org.au
