Centenary of St Andrew`s KirkPrint Page

The stained glass window commemorates the centenary of St Andrew`s Kirk from 1850 to 1950.  The window depicts 'David the Shepherd Boy' and is surmounted by a roundel featuring a torch. 

On the 9 April 1831, a meeting of the Scotch inhabitants of Launceston met to discuss the idea of erecting a place of worship for the Presbyterian community which resulted in the construction of a chapel, the Scotch National Church, on Charles Street near the port for the cost of £400. The first minister appointed to the church was a former Church of Scotland minister, Reverend John Anderson MA, who arrived in the city earlier the same year. On the 6 November 1835, the Presbytery of Presbytery of Van Diemen`s land, the second oldest presbytery in Australia, met for the first time in the chapel. On 6 July 1848, Reverend R. K. Ewing joined Mr. Anderson in charge of the church and shortly thereafter it became apparent that a larger church was needed to accommodate the growing congregation.

On 16 October 1849, the foundation stone for the new church was laid by Lieutenant-Governor Denison. Alongside the foundation stone, a time capsule containing newspapers of the time and various coins including a gold sovereign and a half sovereign was placed. Construction of the church was undertaken by builder William Tyson, himself a member of the congregation for a cost of £3,956 which was paid in 6 installments coinciding with milestones of completion with a timespan of 15 months for works to be done by. The church was officially named and opened to service on 5 December 1850 and within 4 years was debt free.

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