08. North’s Grand Vision

Even in the first decades of St. John’s Church, the size of the building was seen as inadequate for the growing town. A small eastern chancel, added in 1866, hardly improved the seating capacity, and by 1884, Leslie Corrie had drawn up a plan, never implemented, to double the length of the building. Corrie’s business partner, Alexander North, was put to work in the 1890s to design a more impressive building, producing successive drawings culminating in the grand design of 1893 on which most of the present building is based. Changing economic times and the intervention of the National Trust meant that his design was never fully implemented, but the interior of the building is a marvel of North’s ingenuity and art, and numerous other buildings in our region and in Victoria contribute to his outstanding legacy.
St. John’s in the 20th Century and Today – Resources – All Saints Anglican Network
All Saints History Collection : Individual : Alexander North [P095]