St Mary's

On 1st August 1846, the Reverend George Otter received official permission to lead church services, perform marriages, and carry out other religious duties on behalf of the Bishop of Tasmania, Francis Russell Nixon. At that time, St Mary’s had not yet been formally consecrated.

In the 1840s, convicts at local probation stations helped build the church, contributing much of the labour needed for its construction.

St Mary’s underwent repairs in 1864, and once the work was finished, the church reopened in 1871.

By 2018, St Mary’s — the last remaining church in Kempton — was facing closure, and the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania was considering selling the property.

St Mary’s Community Cemetery Kempton Inc. successfully applied for a Community Small Grants Program grant, administered by the Southern Midlands Council. This funding made it possible to restore the historic front gates and fence. These gates are an important part of the cemetery’s heritage and help maintain the character of the streetscape.

The hard working committee thanked the Southern Midlands Council for supporting the project and helping preserve an important part of our community’s heritage.

St Mary’s is listed on the Tasmanian Heritage Register :

*St. Mary's Anglican Church is important as a representative of the principal characteristics of the Victorian

Romanesque style of church architecture. The squat and simple design, the weightiness of construction, the

predominance of solid spaces over voids, and the simple building footprint are all characteristic of the Victorian Romanesque.*