8 St Paul’s Anglican Church

39 Church Street

The original St Paul’s Anglican Church of 1842 was designed by colonial architect John Lee Archer and consecrated by Bishop Nixon, the first Bishop of Tasmania.

Later, the stone church had to be demolished due to cracks appearing in the walls – salt water was likely used in the mortar. In 1887 it was replaced by the present timber structure.

Some of the most significant moments in Meg’s life were experienced at St Paul’s. She was christened and married inside, and also spent many years as a Sunday School teacher and as the organist in very recent years when the need arose.

In the 1970s she established the Discovery Centre in the old Parish Hall next door where the stories of Circular Head and its marine and pioneering history are preserved and kept. If you’d like to take a look inside the church ask for the key from the knowledgeable volunteers at The Discovery Centre.

The interior is made of Baltic pine with Tasmanian blackwood fittings. A striking stained glass window over the altar depicts The Last Supper. Meg recalled an elderly stalwart of the church, Mary Edgar, sitting in the front row of the choir, and nodding off during many a Sunday service. In those days, you could barely hear any of the service for the birdsong outside in the big old pine trees, although this wasn’t the case when the organ was played by Minnie or Doreen.