Church of Christ, Northcote
The Church of Christ in Northcote, which opened on 22nd September 1913, was originally between Campbell Grove and James Street. It was described as “a fine brick chapel”. The opening was a well-attended morning tea. The evangelist at the church was Mr. C. A. Anderson.
Footballer and Aboriginal Rights Activist Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls visited the church in the 1930s. The church inspired him, and he became a pastor in 1939.
On June 21, 1953, the church celebrated its 40th Jubilee. The church was decorated inside and outside. There was a Sunday afternoon programme that included the Northcote Choral Society, a speaker Rev. Dr. G. Calvert Barber, and a sermon by the Northcote Church of Christ Minister Mr. W. G. Graham. It was reported in early September that year that attendance had increased since the Jubilee celebrations.
These celebrations were short lived, however, as the building was burned down some weeks later, on 27th September, just hours after Sunday service. Around 100 children had arrived for afternoon Sunday School to see their church in a blaze. The greatest personal loss was an organ, which was donated to the church by Misses Emma and Maud Amery. Their mother had been an organist at the church since its opening. The piano had been saved. Northcote Council offered the use of a room in Northcote Town Hall for services while they built a new church.
The new church was built on the corner of Bastings Street and Prospect Grove (25 Bastings Street). The building had a church large enough to seat 250 people, a hall to seat 300, a kindergarten and a kitchen. The church had a sloping floor in a hexagonal shape. The architects were A. S. and R. A. Eggleston. The wall facing the preacher had an acoustic treatment and the church featured stained glass windows.
In the mid-1990s, a group of four Church of Christ congregations, including Northcote, began discussions about coming together. The Northern Community Church of Christ, at 81 High Street Preston, began services on 7th November 1999. The site is now a private home.
Fourth District Church Gutted by Fire in Four Years (1953, September 30), The Northcote Leader, pages 1 and 10.
New Church Will Hold 250 (1954, October 2), The Argus, page 7
Northcote Church of Christ: Jubilee Services (1953, June 17), The Northcote Leader, page 16
Our History. Retrieved January 2, 2025, from https://nccc.org.au/about-us/
Church of Christ Northcote (1953, September 9), The Northcote Leader, page 12
Opening of Chapel (1913, September 29), The Northcote Leader, page 3
Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1864- 1974. [Microfiche]. (1974). Melbourne, Australia: Sands & McDougall.