Letters to the Editor

Updated September 20 2016 - 11:04pm, first published 8:19am

A well known corner gem forgotten

As the most significant wooden heritage building left on the foreshore of Lake Wendouree, the former Jubilee Methodist Church, on the corner of Wendouree Parade and Forest Street, is languishing in a state of utter disrepair and dilapidation. This deliberately-simple little church was privately funded by one of the city founders, James Russell Thomson, as his local place of worship, in the early days of the founding of the city. Thomson, is the same benefactor who left 3000 pounds (a fortune in the 1880s), for the erection of the Botanical Gardens Statuary, the magnificent marble sculptures it contains, as well as the Wallace statue, just outside. I believe we owe it to the legacy Thomson bequested the people of Ballarat, to save a building that clearly meant so much to he and his family. As a small child, attending the Jubilee kindergarten, I well remember this wonderful building, annually used for the kindergarten fair. In keeping with the Methodist penchant for unpretentiousness, it is lined with splendid tongue and groove timber and glorious gothic stained glass windows.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Ballarat news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.