St John the Baptist Church (former)
Former St John the Baptist church building
31°33′19″S 116°28′28″E / 31.555412°S 116.474528°E / -31.555412; 116.474528
Address	35 Stirling Terrace, Toodyay, Western Australia
Country	Australia
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Church (1863 – 1963) Private use (since 1963)
Founded	1863 (1863)
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1863 – 1864
Completed	1920
Closed	1963

St John the Baptist Church is a former Roman Catholic church located on Stirling Terrace in Toodyay, Western Australia, built 1863–64.

History

Following the move from Old Toodyay to Newcastle, Father Francis Salvado called for tenders to build a new Catholic chapel to replace the Sancta Maria of Old Toodyay.^[1]

The foundation stone of the Catholic Church of St John the Baptist was laid in January 1863 by Father Martin Griver. He was assisted by Fr Francis Salvado, the Parish priest, and Fr Venanzio Garrido from the New Norcia mission.^[2] By Christmas 1864 the church was completed and had been blessed.^[3][4] The church's transept was used for a time as a school room for Catholic children until 1884 when the Sisters of Mercy came to Toodyay.

In 1920 the west wing was added.^[5] In 1963, a new church with the same name was completed, next to St Aloysius (in the Catholic Precinct grounds), and the older church was de-consecrated and sold into private ownership.^[3]

This is a rendered brick and corrugated iron building with tall pointed arch lancet windows. It has pointed pinnacles to the entrance porch and main facade. In the gable end a round window has been incorporated into rendered cross.^[6]

References