Kyneton
Bluestone Theatre

This gorgeous bluestone building in the sleepy Macedon shire town of Kyneton is now called the Kyneton Bluestone Theatre, but was formerly known as the Kyneton Congregational Church, and later, the Kyneton Independent Church.

The church first met in a carpenter’s shop before a wooden church was erected on this site in 1853 under the spiritual guidance of Reverend Robert Anderson.

A respected minister, Anderson was very well loved by the community and surrounds, and when he sadly passed in 1855 – just two years after heading up the first congregational church – the funeral procession was one of the largest the colony had seen.
Anderson was then succeeded by Reverend George Cowie Morrison, a Scottish minister from Aberdeenshire. A bit of a “sickly” youngster, Morrison had felt the calling of religion since he was a young man, and around 1855, he left his homeland to take up the reigns at the Kyneton Congregational Church on a trial basis.

There was some concern how the community would embrace a new minister after the death of their beloved Rev Anderson, but after a three-month probation period, Morrison was officially appointed to the position.
In memory of their beloved Rev Anderson, and to house a larger congregational due to the popularity of Morrison’s sometimes controversial sermons,  the community rallied to raise money to build a stone church on the site and by 1857 fundraising was well underway.

To raise money for the building of such an imposing and grand structure at this time was  an impressive feat as funding had to come entirely from the community; an independent church meant no government funds were allocated to the project.

Sadly, just 15 months into his ministership, Morrison, who suffered from a heart condition, became gravely ill. Under advice of his physician, he stopped preaching until he could recover.
Morrison gave his last sermon at the church on December 28, 1856, and his final words to the congregation were:

“But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefor sober, and watch unto prayer.”

Morrison’s condition grew worse, and he knew his time to join the Lord was drawing near. He gathered all his friends around his bedside, with his closest confidants asking him if he was actually ready to go with Christ, especially because his work at the church had become so important to him and there was still so much work to be done. He reportedly said:

“I love natural affections, I love to be engaged in the work of Christ — I love to write the name of Jesus upon the human heart.”

Soon after, Morrison whispered the word “victory”, and passed from a suspected haemorrhaged lung. He was 32. He left behind his wife of just four months, Mary Dawson Harper, who gave birth to their son whom she named after him, a few months later. 

Construction on the new Gothic style bluestone church, designed by architect William Douglas, was completed in 1859, and officially opened in 1860. Additions done in 1871 were designed by Crouch & Wilson. Dr James Pestell and his wife Agnes, who were foundation members of the congregation, were honoured with a plaque, and marble tablets were also erected in memory of reverends Anderson and Morrison.

With such heartbreak, sadness and tragedy surrounding the formation of the church, it’s little wonder there’s residual energy on the site, and perhaps even some spirits who loved the church so much, they never wanted to, or refused to, leave.

In 1892, the church also became home to the Congregational Church Sunday School as well as one of the most popular choirs in the region. Many shows and concerts were performed here over the years, thanks to the installation of the incredible George Fincham organ which was installed in 1880. The church is know home to the local theatre company.