ST AUGUSTINE’S CHURCH
UNLEY, SA ANGLICAN
PAUL SCOTT
We are going to investigate St Augustine’s Anglican Church in Unley in some detail. The full name of this Church is St Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church, but the shorter version is almost always used.
On this page we shall look at a satellite view, a plan, and then give a brief history of this Church.
But here for reference we give a set of links which will give quick access to various key parts of the Church. This will allow for easy navigation of the site. Just click / tap on the links below.
19 Church Entry
SATELLITE VIEW
The satellite view shows the Church placed on the East side of Unley Road, a couple of kilometres south of the city and in fact opposite the Unley Shopping Centre.
The axis of the Church is essentially East – West, with the sanctuary facing in the Easterly direction. The Church Hall is just north of the Church itself. Historically this was the original church, but is now used as an op shop.
The Church consists of a rectangular nave with a broad Western tower, and (in fact) two covered aisles. The chancel / sanctuary is a smaller rectangular extension to the East, with some adjacent office space to the North, hiding under three short gables.
We find it is not possible to walk right around the Church due to building works.
PLAN
After exploring the outside of the Church we will enter through the Northwest entry (top left in the Plan).
This plan is taken from a Church pamphlet. It shows the positions of the Font, the lectern, the nave altar, the high altar and the pulpit. After exploring the nave, we shall visit the Southwest porch (bottom left), where there is a window, and steps up inside the tower.
HISTORY
Year Built: 1922
Address: 183 Unley Road, Unley, South Australia
The first Anglican Church in Unley (the smaller building to the north) was built between 1869 and 1890 in the neo-Gothic style. When opened in 1870 it lacked a roof and glass in its windows. Two accomplished colonial architects were involved: RG Thomas designed the church under the guidance of Thomas English, who also supervised its construction.
The new and larger Gothic Revival style church was built in 1922 and consecrated in 1933 when free of debt. Bruce and Harral were the architects and Emmett and Sons were contracted to build it. The bell tower is a memorial for those who died in World War I. The church features a fine collection of stained glass windows by William Morris & Company of London and its successor Dearle. The pipe organ, made in 1876, came here from St Peter’s Cathedral, North Adelaide after modifications in 1931.
The original school was a wooden building later replaced by the current stone structure (the old church), once funds were raised. The Kilburn Sisters opened the St Augustine’s Parish Church Day School here in 1888. and then oversaw the school until 1912 when the parish assumed responsibility. During most of its existence, the school was known as St. Augustine’s Parish Church Day School. From the middle of the 1950s it was St Augustine's Grammar School. From early 1964 it was a kindergarten or preschool and beginning in 1984, the Lindisfarne School. An antique shop opened here in 1999.
