Community push to save historic Old Noarlunga church
A DILAPIDATED, state heritage-listed church in Old Noarlunga is for sale, worrying residents who fear the area could lose some of its history.
A DILAPIDATED, state heritage-listed church in Old Noarlunga is for sale, worrying residents who fear the area could lose some of its history.
The Diocese of The Murray put St Philip and St James church and cemetery, of 1850 origins, on the market last week because it had fallen into disrepair.
The Church Hill Rd property has been advertised as suitable for a cafe, wine bar, cellar door, Airbnb, private residence or business location.
But community group Save Old Noarlunga’s Church on the Hill group want it to be retained or used as a “place to reflect”, like an art gallery.
The Bishop of the Murray, the Right Rev John Ford, said the number of worshippers had decreased and the building had not been used for almost three years.
Repairs would cost too much.
“Whatever the figure, the diocese is better off using the funds from the sale to support and nurture our existing and emerging communities across the expanding western Fleurieu,” Bishop Ford said.
“The church members who have regularly worshipped in St Philip and St James these past years have, after much prayer and heart-searching, come to the conclusion that this is the best way forward for the diocese.”
It would be “exceptionally difficult to estimate a price expectation” because of the “uniqueness” of the property, an advertisement for proposed sale says.
The cemetery, which has burial records dating back to 1850, would have to remain open after the sale.
It is unknown how many people in total are buried at the site because not all plots have headstones.
The church’s first stone, quarried from the banks of Onkaparinga River, was laid in December 1850, according to an old pamphlet.
Rima Milen, of Old Noarlunga, has set up the Save Old Noarlunga’s Church on the Hill Facebook page, which attracted 163 people in a week.
“It is iconic for both Old Noarlunga and South Australia,” Ms Milen, 33, said.
“It means so much to the community, and a big part of Old Noarlunga’s history will be lost if it is sold.”
She said if that happened, its “historic integrity” had to be preserved and the owner needed to commit to repairs.
“It needs to be something that the public can visit and reflect – even an art gallery,” Ms Milen said
The Old Noarlunga church, as well as St Ninian’s at Clarendon, will be auctioned on November 10.