2 Batman Street

Heritage Victoria Plaque

St. James Old Cathedral

“This foundation stone of St. James was laid in 1839 near the corner of Collins and William Streets. The church was designed by Robert Russell, architect, an early surveyor of Melbourne. Later additions and alterations were by Charles Laing. It was Melbourne’s Cathedral from 1848 until 1891 and was moved to this site in 1913.”

image: Heritage Victoria

St. Jame’s Old Cathedral, King Street, West Melbourne.

“The foundation stone of the original St. Jame’s Old Cathedral was laid on the ninth of November 1839 by Superintendent La Trobe.
Designed by Robert Russell and built by convict labour, it has the distrintion of being one of the earliest churches in the newly founded city of Melbourne, and boasts the name of John Batman as one of its first subscribers.
Melbourne’s first Church of England Bishop, Bishop Perry, was installed at St. Jame’s in 1848.
The Church formerly stood on a site in Little Collins Street nowpartially occupied by Henty House, but after St. Paul’s Cathedral was established at the opposite end of the town it was removed to the present King Street site and rebuilt stone by stone.
One of the few Melbourne examples of true colonial flavour, this simple church belongs to the pre-Gothic Revival period.
Constructed of square blocks of stone, the semicircular headed openings are finished with moulded architraves and keystones. The sturdy square tower has an octagonal top story capped with a dome.“

source: Early Melbourne Architecture 1840 to 1888 by Geoffrey Cumberlege

image source: Early Melbourne Architecture 1840 – 1888 by Geoffrey Cumberlege