Published on Tuesday, 29 July 2025 at 4:36:59 PM
Welcome to #TimeWarpTuesday and a look at the history of one of our local churches, the Methodist Church, as it was in Victoria Park, before June 1977 when the Uniting Church denomination was born out of the joining together of most congregations from the Methodist Church of Australia, roughly two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and nearly all the churches of the Congregational Union of Australia.
Victoria Park Methodist Church
From “Praise the Lord with Gladness: [The] Story of [The] Methodist Church Victoria Park"
In 1896 the Rev G. E. Rowe (Chairman of the Perth Methodist Circuit) approved the building of a Church in Victoria Park.
On 18 May 1894 Victoria Park was proclaimed a Road’s Board, and the year after the church was built Victoria Park was gazetted a Municipality (1897).
The Church building erected in Albany Highway (later the site of Hearn’s furniture shop) in 1896, was a galvanised iron structure purchased from Coomb Ward & Co., of Lord Street Perth.
The Church was situated on the northern side of Albany Road facing south.
The building consisted of a white painted corrugated iron structure of two rooms and a small entrance porch which faced east. The main room was the church and a small rectangular room at the rear was used for Sunday school classes, social purposes etc. The interior was lined with varnished light coloured knotty pine. Several large kerosene lamps hung from the ceiling.
When the new Church was built in Cavendish (now Duncan) Street in 1912, the old church was used for a time as a furniture factory.
During 1911 the land on Albany Highway was put up for sale and a block of land was purchased (on what is now the south west corner of Shepparton Road and Duncan Street).
During the ministry of the Rev Frank Close, (who was at Victoria Park from 1911 till 1914), the foundation stone was laid by Charles Harper Esq. on the 12 October 1912. (cost £830).
PH00459-04 Victoria Park Methodist Church, erected 1912. This photograph was probably taken soon after 1912 and before Cavendish (now Duncan Street) was sealed. Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
PH00459-01 Victoria Park Methodist Church, cnr Duncan St and Shepperton Rd
Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
PH00459-02 Victoria Park Methodist Church, cnr Duncan St and Shepperton Rd
Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
PH00459-03 Victoria Park Methodist Church and Hall, cnr Duncan St and Shepperton Rd
Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
On 6 September 1918 Cavendish Street was renamed Duncan Street after the Municipality’s first Mayor, Hugh George Duncan.
On 10 September 1921 the foundation stone for the new hall was laid by Mr F. S. N. Mortlock, and Mr H. E. Mofflyn. Cost of the new hall was £185. The building of the Manse (1923) in Shepperton Road on land donated for that purpose by Mr Mortlock, cost £750.
List of Ministers of the Victoria Park Methodist Church through the years
Local History Collection, Town of Victoria Park Library Service.
The Duncan Street Church was demolished in 1977 due to the widening of Shepperton Road, and a shopping mall was built on this corner.
A new Church was built at 49 Swansea Street to cater for the congregations of Bentley, Carlisle, Duncan Street and St David’s.
Did you attend Victoria Park Methodist Church, or have a family member that did? We would love to see more photos and stories of the Church. We’d be particularly interested to know if anyone has any knowledge of war memorials from the church and photos of this in particular. If you can help, please reach out to Rosemary, our Local History Coordinator via phone: 08 9373 5500 | email: vicparklibrary@vicpark.wa.gov.au or visit us in person: 27 Sussex Street, East Victoria Park.
Next week, we return to our series celebrating the entries made in our 2025 Local History Awards.
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