Friends of Buckland Church
Revitalising an historic building as a vibrant community space
We bought the church!
Thanks to Friends of Buckland Church Inc, the church has belonged to the community since December 2022.
The local community continues to work in earnest to revitalise this historic building for all to enjoy.
Keep an eye out for what’s happening in our EVENTS section - you’ll find a warm welcome awaits.
Better still, join in as a Friend and be a part of this special piece of Tasmanian history.
Have a bit of time to spare? Volunteers are very welcome to assist in all manner of ways - just contact FOBC if you’re interested.
Buckland Church - for the community
Friends of Buckland Church Inc (FOBC) is a community organisation formed to acquire the historic St John the Baptist Church from the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania. We have a passion for this historic building and work hard to preserve and revitalise the church into a vibrant community space that everyone can enjoy into the future. There is lots to do and we’d love you to join us in this great endeavour. As a FOBC, you can be as involved as much or as little you wish. From providing practical help to discussion to background support, all members are most welcome. We look forward to meeting you, in person or online!
History
Buckland Church, like many historic buildings in Tasmania, was built by convicts. Designed in the tradition of old English chapels, in this case as a replica of the church at Cookham Dean in Sussex, England, Buckland Church is a simple building of sandstone. The foundation stone was laid in 1846, and the building completed 4 years later. The incomparable stained glass window behind the altar - brought to Buckland by the Reverend F H Cox, Rector of the church 1846-48 - was reported in 1850 as "the work of Mr. O'Connor, a London artist". Visit the church and see it for yourself..
Image (left) courtesy of the George Musgrave Parker Collection and the UTAS Library Special and Rare Collections
Graveyards
There are 3 graveyards; one in the immediate church grounds, with headstones denoting burials back to the mid-1800’s. The second graveyard sits outside the church walls and is a more modern cemetery, with headstones dated within the past few years. Many local families have relatives in these graveyards. The 3rd graveyard sits across the road and remains the property of the Anglican church: these graves are currently the subject of an identification project to ascertain the names and histories of the people buried there. With the church now belonging to the community, FOBC is responsible for the graveyards and burials.
Events
FOBC encourages functions and events, from the more traditional functions such as weddings and funerals to contemporary concerts, art exhibitions and other gatherings in response to community inputs. Contact us if you would like to book a private function or if you have any suggestions.
“Historic Buckland Church is known far and wide for its beauty of design and solidity of construction.”
Get in touch
Feel free to contact us with any questions or discuss how you can be a FOBC. You can be involved as much or as little as you like.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Visit
Location
1 Duke Street, Buckland, TAS 7190
Travel: 60 km north east of Hobart
Hours
Open for events and by appointment: we’re working on a system where people can visit at anytime
Contact
friends.buckland.church@gmail.com