Pilgrim Uniting Church @ 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA

Pilgrim Uniting Church @ 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide SA

Adelaide, South Australia is rightly called the city of churches. A walk around the city testifies to this and many churches are still standing. Although not all have retained their original purpose, they are still worth a visit.

This week I visited the Pilgrim Uniting Church. This Church is just of Victoria Square on Flinders Street. This architectural gem is build in the Revival Gothic style and is listed with the National Trust. The building is set a little back from Flinders Street and almost dwarfed by the buildings and trees surrounding it.

According to the Pilgrim Uniting Church History Pamphlet provided inside the land for the church was originally bought in 1863 and the foundation stone was laid by Alexander Hay on 7 February 1865. Alexander Hay was the member for Gumeracha and a leading merchant and pastoralist. The church was opened 12 April 1867. And named after the reverend Thomas Quinton Stow, the first Congregational Minister in the colony, who had passed away in 1862.

The building was designed by Robert G. Thomas and the front porch is supported by large columns sporting carved decorations by carver Samuel Peters. Please try and locate the squirrel on the center pillar. Other decorations include fruits and flowers. It gives the front of the building a very Gothic but charming appearance. Once through the arches into the inside porch, doors on both sides lead to the interior.

In 1969, after years of talk, the Pirie Street Methodist Church and the Stow Memorial Congregational Church formed an united Parish with the interim name of Union Church in the City. Both church buildings had stood back to back for years, divided by a high fence and a locked gate but now they joined together. In the early 1970’s the Adelaide City Council compulsory acquired the Pirie Street building and the congregations moved into the present building. Before the demolition of the Pirie Street Church, the memorial plaques, stained glass windows, wood paneling from the pulpit and the large organ were moved to the Flinders Street church.

Upon entering the Nave of the building, you are immediately struck by the lightness of the building. The beautiful stained glass windows let in marvelous light and are very decorative. There are three large Rose windows in the Chapel, One each on the west and east transept and a beautiful blue/purple colored one above the altar. The nave window is from circa 1920 and features 10 cherubs and a small central cross. The other smaller windows along the clerestory are a bit harder to see but the Aisle windows are magnificent, each depicting a Christian scenes. My favorite was the rose window in the nave but I would recommend everyone to take some time to study these amazing examples of the glass makers art.

On the opposite of the Church above the entrance is the organ. The original organ was sold in 1973 but the current Organ is pretty amazing. It was built originally by Eagle ltd of London and installed in the Pirie Street Methodist Church in 1855. It was then the largest in the Colony with 21 stops over two manuals and pedals. It was renovated, rebuilt and enlarged in 1884, 1902 and 1930. In 1973 it was installed in this Church, it was also enlarged at this time and is now the largest organ in the state.

In 1977 the church was renamed to the Pilgrim Uniting Church upon formation of the Uniting Church of Australia. The Uniting Church in Australia was formed by a union of most Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in Australia.

I can heartily recommend a visit to this small but charming church. It is open everyday from 12 to 2pm with lunch time concerts on Wednesdays and Organ recitals on Thursday. For more information please visit www.pilgrim.org.au