St. Paul's Anglican Church

Bay Street, Frankston

History
Built: 1933-1959
The first St. Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1886-7 at the estimated cost of £474.1 It opened in February 1887.2 With the support of Frankston pioneer, William O'Grady, the church's debt was only £70 by 1890.3

The foundation stone of a new St. Paul's Anglican Church was laid on December 16 th, 1933.4 The Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Reverend F.W. Head, laid the foundation stone and addresses were giving by Archbishop Head, General H.W. Grimwade and Reverend P.B. Hayman, the vicar.5

Designed by Louis R Williams, the new building incorporated the nave of the old church. An imposing tower at the western end was included in the plans but was to be built at a later date. Contractor, T.D. Barrett, built the church at an estimated cost of £3,500.6

The church jubilee was celebrated in 1937 with festivities in the mechanics hall being the main activity. Maj. Gen. & Mrs. Grimwade attended along with Bishop and Mrs. Booth.7 The future form of the church was depicted on the front of the programme as a reminder of Williams' sketch of December 1932.8

After a fire, builders S.W. and J Gardner were contracted to extend and reinstate the church in January 1959, based on a revision of the original design made by Louis Williams.9 Estimated to cost £96,000, St. Paul's was to be of 3800 square feet. The original side chapel and sanctuary, main sanctuary, crossing, chancel and vestries were retained but the 1887 section of the nave was demolished and the 1933 line of the nave extended sideways and towards Bay Street, with a larger tower and porches included.10 The old nave was replaced with extensive multi-gabled glazed chapels on both sides. All of this was achieved in matching brickwork and detail to that of the retained east end of the church.

Stained glass designs by the noted artists, Napier and Christian Waller, John Ferguson and Derek Pearse are represented there.11

Description
The architect, Louis Williams, claimed to have introduced the fashionable but rugged clinker brickwork to church architecture in line with his philosophy of simple and meaningful ecclesiastical architecture rather than the mock Gothic decoration still applied to many churches contemporary to this one. Terra-cotta roof shingling underscores the emphasis of the architect or display of the natural materials. The church plan is typically cruciform.

Beyond the choice of materials is the bold form of the design, with its squat Norman bell-tower centered on the sea-ward elevation. Viewed From the foreshore, the tower and surrounding bays are prominent elements in the skyline and would have dominated Frankston in the years up until the post-second war redevelopment of the town centre. Another vantage point is from the adjoining oval, where the multi-gabled (added) side chapels with their extensive stained glass are displayed to good advantage, as they are when viewed from High Street. Lancet- like windows at the tower base contain early glass designs in the Pre-Raphaelite manner of Waller.

External Integrity
Given the staged construction described above, the original design is still apparent, despite the addition of the side chapels to the concept. Minor changes to the original concept include the concrete masonry screen wall, pipe handrails and chain-wire side fence.

Context
The church is sited near to other public buildings such as the sports pavilion, and the former Mechanics Institute in Bay Street, the churches in High Street and the school and police complexes in Davey Street. It is also clearly visible fro, the opposite water's edge and elsewhere.

Significance – Study Grading C
Architecturally, this is an interesting example of Williams work, given that he adhered to the original concept in the reinstatement and is expressive of his Arts & Crafts preoccupations. Also it is a prominently-sited building visible from many places in the township; of regional interest and local importance.

Historically, valuable to the Frankston community as a long-term meeting place and holder of many residents' past associations also a built contribution to an area and site which were at the heart of local community life for more than 100 years. St. Paul's is one of the few Frankston religious buildings' surviving (in part) from before the Second World War. The alterations and additions reflect the continuing role of the church as an important local symbol: of local importance.