(former) Chalmers Church, Launcestom

Constructed in 1859 as the Free Church of Scotland, later Presbyterian.

In the 1970s, the congregation that used Chalmers Church became part of the Uniting Church, and a few years later, moved to Pilgrim Church in Paterson Street. The church was de-consecrated in 1981. A short history on the Pilgrim Church website has this background to the construction of Chalmers:

While the other denominations were busy, so too was a band of Presbyterians. In 1840 – 1850, they worked together to form the Van Diemen’s Land Free Church of Scotland. On 11th May, 1844, the Launceston group formed “The Launceston Free Church Association” for the purpose of supporting those ministers in Scotland who had chosen to secede to the Free Church rather than remain with the established Church of Scotland and submit to the dictates of parliament. They hired a room belonging to a Mr. Bell and began a Sabbath School, conducting a Divine Service when a minister was available. An appeal was made to the Assembly of the Free Church for a permanent minister and the Rev. James Lindsay was appointed on 7th December, 1850. A move was then made to Wycliffe Chapel, York Street and the Temperance Hall. On January 19th, 1859, a special service was conducted in the Wycliffe/Baptist Chapel, followed by a procession to the site of the proposed Presbyterian Church and the foundation stone was laid. Twelve months later, 15th January 1860, Chalmers Church was opened. It was named after Dr. Thomas Chalmers who in 1859 took a strong stand on Assembly’s declaration “… that the Church should not submit.”