Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Armstrong Street South, Ballarat

Restoration of a Heritage Place - Winner

Owner: Presbyterian Church of Victoria

Background

The history of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church at 212 Armstrong Street South, from its purchase of the property and the construction of a wooden Church building in 1857, and the replacement of that building with the present bluestone Church in 1862, is well documented.

Tracing the many and varied minor changes, brought about by changes in population growth and or decline, the availability of gas lighting to replace candles, then electric light to replace gas, and various types of heating that would certainly not conform with today’s regulations, all present interesting insights to the march of time.  However, despite these changes, this solid building has maintained the cultural significance as a Place of Worship.  With exception of the adding of the front porch and the Gallery in the 1880’s to cater for the growing congregation, no major works were undertaken.

In early 1980, following the sale of the St John Presbyterian Church in Peel Street South, and that congregation joining the Ebenezer congregation, a building committee report was prepared listing major and minor works that should be addressed to bring all of the property up to public building standard, and provided both the congregation and its outreach organisations with the facilities required in their respective functions.

Madin Lyons and Associates designed the “Link Building” to connect the Church with the Sunday School buildings, and to incorporate the necessary up-grading of the toilet-washroom facilities, light and power, gas services etc to the whole complex, taking into account the conservation and character of the existing buildings to suit their social values.

This was the commencement of a bold programme of restoring both the Church and the Sunday School buildings, and still allowing the compatible use of the whole congregation.  The “Link Building” was completed in 1982 by the building firm, A W Nicholson Pty Ltd.  In the following year, 1983, the slates and the roof battens on the Church were replaced providing again a weatherproof roof. With these items attended to, bricklayers were employed to rake out the perished mortar in the bluestone walls and buttresses of the church and replace.  The Board of Management could be confident that externally the Church was weatherproof.

In September 2001, the Board of Management requested an up-dated costing on the stripping and re-plastering of all damaged areas to the internal walls of the Church.  Work began on the 2^nd February 2009, and as expected, the breakdown in the original plaster and its adhesion to the bluestone was evident in most areas, including the recessed tablet panel above the pulpit.

The builders acceded to the approval of a private artist to take tracings, measurements and photos of the artwork on the tablet, and after much inquiry, Mr David Muzik was contracted to reproduce this artwork on the tablet when plastering was complete.  David was apprenticed in 1989 and began his own business in 2002.  David has a flair for Heritage and Artistic work, which is evident in his craftsmanship on this Tablet.

The full restoration proposed by the Board of Management was far from complete, but the results achieved gave renewed impetus to tasks ahead.  Offers from two members of the Board, one Mr Alan Clements, a retired builder and the other Mr Keith Harris, a retired furniture maker, to restore all the furniture and fittings was accepted.

An electrician re-wired the Church so that all cabling for power and P.A system was under the floor.  The old gas lamp stands on the pulpit, which had been stored away for years, were converted to power and again restored to there original position on the pulpit.  The wall panelling behind the pulpit, which had leaned away from the plastering, was re-plugged after concealing the lighting and power behind.  A wood turner made two pedestals, copying from an old photo, and these were French polished to blend with the other furnishings.