St Paul's Church, Manuka, Anglican church in Griffith, Australia
St Paul's Church in Manuka is a church building made of red brick that blends Art Deco and Gothic Revival elements together. The structure features a long nave, a chancel area, and a bell tower positioned at the corner of Canberra Avenue.
The parish began in 1914 as a district of St John the Baptist Church in Reid, served by a corrugated iron hall at Eastlake, later Kingston. A building fund opened in 1933, and a design by Sydney architects Burcham Clamp and Son was approved in 1938. Governor-General Baron Gowrie laid the foundation stone on 11 December 1938, and the church was dedicated on 6 August 1939. St Paul's was proclaimed a parish on 26 March 1950.
The church stands opposite Manuka Oval and the Manuka shops, and its size and location mean it hosts major diocesan and national services as well as parish functions, since Canberra has no Anglican cathedral. The building is also the territory's only representative in the Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers.
St Paul's stands on the corner of Canberra Avenue and Captain Cook Crescent, opposite Manuka Oval and the Manuka shops, so it is easy to reach on foot from the Manuka shopping strip. The nave was extended by two bays in 2001, making it the largest Anglican church in Canberra, and the 1956 bell tower sits at the corner. Visitors should check service times before coming, as the building is used for parish and diocesan services.
The bell tower holds the only change ringing bells in the Australian Capital Territory, which were installed in 2003. This uncommon installation represents a musical tradition that is found nowhere else across the region.
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