History of St Paul's Frankston
On 9th July 1856 Charles Griffin, Chancellor of the Diocese of Melbourne, applied for two acres of land on the Frankston Reserve, as recommended by the Rev’d Samuel Taylor, then Circuit Minister from St. Andrew’s Brighton.
On 30th September 1856 the appropriation of the land for “Church of England” purposes was approved by the Executive Council. The appropriation included the present site of the Church building and halls plus the Vicarage land and the land now occupied by St. Paul’s Court Nursing Home. The Park site was used for school, church and burial ground.
A school building was erected on the church site in 1857 and was used both for education and worship purposes until the completion of the church in 1887.
The foundation stone for a Church building was laid on 2nd February 1875 by Miss A.M. Baxter but the Church was not completed until 5th February 1887.
February 21st 1888 St Paul’s licensed as a place of Worship.
February 7th 1889 Frankston a separate parish with responsibilities for Somerville and Langwarrin
August 27th 1894 Frankston becomes a separate parish without Somerville and Langwarrin
The north and south transepts, St Richard’s Chapel, Chancel, Sanctuary and Vestries were added in 1933 but a fire on the October 26th 1957 left only the Sanctuary intact. Most church records were also destroyed by the fire.
The foundation stone tells us that the building of the current Church commenced on 2nd May 1959.
A Church building is only consecrated once it is paid for. St. Paul’s was consecrated on 18th December 1966.
During the Revd. Albert Church’s tenure a number of important initiatives took place:
St. Silas’, Seaford, another offspring of this period, closed in June 1987, but there is a permanent reminder of it in St. Paul’s Memorial Garden, where its foundation stone was relaid in August 2000
Length of tenure seems to have been something of a tradition at St Paul’s.
Previous Vicars
Rev'd Thomas Quinton 1881-1888
Rev'd A.R. Stackhouse 1888
Revd. B. Newport White 1889
Rev'd Andrew Patrick McFarlane 1889-1911
Revd. George Ambrose Kitchen 1911-1916
Rev'd Andrew Patrick McFarlane 1916-26
Rev'd Clifford Moyes 1926-1929
Rev'd Philip Barclay Hayman 1929-1937
Rev'd Anthony John White 1937-1950
Revd. Albert George Church 1950 to 1984
Rev'd John Cottier 1984-1986
Rev'd Brian Thewlis 1987-1994
Rev'd William Bernard Peacock 1994-2008
The Ven. Alan Hughes 2009-2014
Rev'd Claudia Mauracher 2017-
On 30th September 1856 the appropriation of the land for “Church of England” purposes was approved by the Executive Council. The appropriation included the present site of the Church building and halls plus the Vicarage land and the land now occupied by St. Paul’s Court Nursing Home. The Park site was used for school, church and burial ground.
A school building was erected on the church site in 1857 and was used both for education and worship purposes until the completion of the church in 1887.
The foundation stone for a Church building was laid on 2nd February 1875 by Miss A.M. Baxter but the Church was not completed until 5th February 1887.
February 21st 1888 St Paul’s licensed as a place of Worship.
February 7th 1889 Frankston a separate parish with responsibilities for Somerville and Langwarrin
August 27th 1894 Frankston becomes a separate parish without Somerville and Langwarrin
The north and south transepts, St Richard’s Chapel, Chancel, Sanctuary and Vestries were added in 1933 but a fire on the October 26th 1957 left only the Sanctuary intact. Most church records were also destroyed by the fire.
The foundation stone tells us that the building of the current Church commenced on 2nd May 1959.
A Church building is only consecrated once it is paid for. St. Paul’s was consecrated on 18th December 1966.
During the Revd. Albert Church’s tenure a number of important initiatives took place:
- St Paul’s School, which had outgrown its site, relocated and became Woodleigh School, a secondary school with Minimbah as its junior campus;
- St Luke’s Anglican Church, East Frankston
- St Paul’s Court for the elderly was begun
- St Paul’s Op Shop, the first on the Peninsula and the brainchild of the Vicar’s wife Betty, opened.
St. Silas’, Seaford, another offspring of this period, closed in June 1987, but there is a permanent reminder of it in St. Paul’s Memorial Garden, where its foundation stone was relaid in August 2000
Length of tenure seems to have been something of a tradition at St Paul’s.
Previous Vicars
Rev'd Thomas Quinton 1881-1888
Rev'd A.R. Stackhouse 1888
Revd. B. Newport White 1889
Rev'd Andrew Patrick McFarlane 1889-1911
Revd. George Ambrose Kitchen 1911-1916
Rev'd Andrew Patrick McFarlane 1916-26
Rev'd Clifford Moyes 1926-1929
Rev'd Philip Barclay Hayman 1929-1937
Rev'd Anthony John White 1937-1950
Revd. Albert George Church 1950 to 1984
Rev'd John Cottier 1984-1986
Rev'd Brian Thewlis 1987-1994
Rev'd William Bernard Peacock 1994-2008
The Ven. Alan Hughes 2009-2014
Rev'd Claudia Mauracher 2017-
