Scots Kirk Hamilton - Enter your slogan here
Location
Newcastle
Located on the coast 150km north of Sydney, Newcastle has a spectacular coastline with several beaches close to the city centre. Its thriving port boasts the world's biggest coal export facility. Nearby Lake Macquarie is popular for boating and fishing, The Hunter Valley is rich in agriculture, and the vineyards at Pokolbin are world renowned. The town is friendly, with excellent education, sport and medical facilities. Many natural attractions provide a variety of opportunities for recreation.
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Hamilton
Hamilton is a busy Newcastle suburb located 3.5km from the CBD. Bustling Beaumont Street has many shops and cafes and there is a strong ethnic influence in the local community. Scots Kirk is just one street away!
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Scots Kirk Today
Just one block from Beaumont Street is the Presbyterian Scots Kirk which has stood proudly since 1887, its fine design based on Dunfermline Abbey in Scotland. By 1926 twelve beautiful stained glass memorial windows were in place illuminating the church and providing an atmosphere within of worship, peace and tranquillity.
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The Early Years...
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In the early 1860s an area known as Pit Town in Newcastle NSW was an isolated community of slab and bark huts built by coal miners employed in the Borehole pit. At first there were not more than 100 miners in the district but by 1871 when the Municipality of Hamilton was formed, there was a population
Hamilton Presbyterian Church and Hall from a feature article in the NSW Presbyterian 3rd May 1928 of almost 1000. The original settlers of Hamilton were mainly of Scottish descent and it is not surprising that a strong Presbyterian Parish was formed.
In 1882 the Parish gained independence as a separate charge and steps were taken to collect money for the erection of a new church on a site in Tudor Street. The design was based on Dunfermline Abbey in Scotland. The church was opened for services on Thursday 1st December 1887. It was admitted to be one of the finest pieces of ecclesiastical architecture in the Northern District.
Today we continue to follow in the footsteps of those early parishioners and worship in this beautiful church built and dedicated to the glory of God. Although the building sustained considerable damage in an earthquake in 1989, it was carefully restored and stands today as a symbol of the inspiration and faith of those early inhabitants of the district.