Searching for a church in a non-religious context is harder to do than you’d be led to believe. I mean that. Just ask Marie Partridge, who had been looking for a church to convert into a living space for four years, on a range of apps with heavily refined searches.
Enter a modest Tantawangalo kirk, that appeared on Partridge’s phone in 2018. The church, with a green colourbond roof and conventional brickwork finish, was kept in excellent condition by the local congregation. Living within unorthodox structures throughout their upbringings Marie and her husband Simon had already whetted the appetite to remodel a building of interesting proportions. The church at Tantawangalo most certainly satiated it.
The couple were not fazed by the immediate challenges faced in order to turn the church into a fashionable living space. No running water and two power points and two lightbulbs headlined the lack of facility, but the church held a certain character and conviction which was enough for the couple to be convinced that it was the building they were looking for, so much so that they were measuring up the building at an open house inspection.
The first thing that strikes one upon viewing the church is that it has been left relatively untouched. Its facade still speaks to its past, with the couple leaving the green roof and brick exterior as it was intended. The doors and stained glass windows remain intact. The rendered interior walls have not been retouched in order to maintain the character of the church. The floor, clearly scarred by the pews and wet umbrellas resting upon it, has not even been oiled by the couple, because, again, character.
Upon receiving a standard gold-plated Yale key, the couple sought out a locksmith from Cobargo and asked him to survey the locks and create a set of keys reminiscent of the church itself. The keys and locks are now completely functional, with the Yale key made redundant by the work of the locksmith.
The dwelling that is now a house as opposed to a church has been very much left in the condition it was found in by the Partridge’s, with only a few minor alterations to improve liveability and functionality implemented. The roof has been insulated, to remove the harsh cold typically experienced at a Sunday morning service. A simple galley kitchen has been installed in the spot where a makeshift camp kitchen that sits at the rear wall is more practical than pretentious, in an effort not to take away from the space itself.
The mezzanine implemented by the couple was created in an attempt to increase sleeping room within the church. It looks as if it’s floating, due to the staircase created by Simon, after the couple failed to find a suitable piece. Brushed brass light fittings and tapware within the house give the church a more honest palette, as opposed to the use of chrome or black fittings.
Many of the furniture pieces curated by the couple are of a contemporary nature, with the ‘High Street’ style pieces that calmly juxtapose the church’s reverent accentuations. A ‘chunky’ sofa, an eight seater table and a cabinet that was on backorder for some 18 months fill the space, with colourful rugs, plantation and seats providing relief from the timber and cream wall backdrop.
The dwelling’s bathroom was created within what was the vestry, with the couple asking the council if the timber floor could remain in order to preserve the office’s aura. After waterproofing the floor and inverting the horizontal tiles to sit vertically, the bathroom is rounded out by a shower and large bath, with an ajar barn door on a sliding rail providing a view to the surrounding site.
The former St John's Anglican Church at Tantawangalo is steeped in history, but its new chapter has blessed it with a new lease on life. The work conducted by Marie and Simon Partridge — in spite of bushfires, floods and a pandemic — has left its character relatively untouched, while increasing its liveability. What has resulted is a house, accessible to all via Airbnb, that is as holy as any other.
