Brougham Place Uniting Church Conservation Appeal

Overview:

Brougham Place Uniting Church in North Adelaide is an elegant heritage listed building that overlooks the Brougham Gardens. For 160 years it has stood proudly as part of Adelaide’s architectural landscape. This building has witnessed celebrations and brought comfort in times of grief. With its beauty, it has offered sanctuary to many and with its open doors, it has offered community to all.

Built in a Greco-Italian style, it was founded as a ‘Congregational’ Church on the 20th of October 1859. The foundation stone was laid on the 15th of May, 1860. Designed by Edmund Wright in partnership with E.A. Hamilton, the church is one of the largest buildings to attest to the reputation of South Australia as a “Paradise of Religious Dissent”.

The building features a graceful square tower that sits above the rising marble steps, an Italianate parapet rail around the roof line, ornamental urns, and stone ornamentation at the top of each of the vertical buttresses. The stunning stained-glass windows are a feature of this building bringing beauty and colour. They contain historical and theological significance set in a variety of styles of glass work. The organ, designed and built by William G. Rendall in 1882 has been maintained and restored numerous times, including by J.E. Dodd (1914) and L. Jacob (2007). It is musically and visually beautiful. The ceiling roses, lighting, balconies, monuments, and carpentry all contribute to the aesthetic of the sanctuary.

The church was built on two different kinds of foundation. After many years, the building is now twisting and moving, resulting in significant cracking. This movement has also led to the need for roof repairs. The nature of the building and its age also means that salt damp repairs are required.

The church is home to a vibrant, energized, compassionate community and this historic building offers grace, welcome, care and compassion to all of North Adelaide. With your help, this building will stand tall.

Thank you for supporting the restoration of the Brougham Place Church building, as together we uphold the past and shape the future.