The Free Presbyterian Church of Victoria was formed in
1846 by James Forbes, the former minister of Scots Church in Melbourne.
After Union of the three Presbyterian denominations in Victoria, those who
wished to remain as Free Presbyterians left the congregation at Alma Road
in 1857. The Free Presbyterians were led by the Reverend Arthur Paul until
his death in 1910, aged eighty-five. They moved further along Alma Road
(numbers 23-29) and a manse was built at 88 Alma Road in 1858 (rebuilt in
1938). The church, adjoining the manse, on the corner of Chapel Street and
Alma Road, was opened on 17 January 1864.
The architect was Lloyd Tayler, the builder Benjamin
Williamson[1]
and it cost about £1525. Built of bluestone with white freestone
dressings, only half of the original design was completed. There is a
projecting buttressed porch at the front and a Gothic window above. To the
side is an octagonal base of a proposed tower. It accommodated 160 people.
The church only became free of debt in 1885 following the sale of some
land to Sir John Madden for his home Cloyne.
According to
Cooper the animosity between the two groups of Presbyterians led to some
Unionist ministers accusing the contractor of trespass and later sending
an agent to ‘oust the contractor’s men by violence, if necessary, and then
to take possession of the church’.[2]
There were
only six incumbents during its use as a Free Presbyterian Church: Arthur
Paul, 1855-1910; J. Campbell Robinson, 1921-52; Edwin Lee, 1959-66;
Raymond Murray, 1968-72; Eric Turnbull, 1973-79 and Rowland Ward, 1984-86.
The last
service held in the building by the Free Presbyterians was on 23 November
1986. The congregation moved to a new church in Wantirna. The building is
now used for services by the Salvation Army.
