St George’s Uniting Church

St Georges’ church was the first church built after the Union of the Presbyterian Churches in NSWin 1865 and according to the Bega Gazzette, was the only ‘substantial place of worship in the whole district’. St Georges’ remains unique when compared to the other places of worship in Eden. This is in two ways – firstly in the construction materials and secondly the acquisition of the site. St John’s Anglican Church and Our Lady Star of the Sea (Roman Catholic) are both weatherboard and iron roof constructions whereas St George’s was built of brick supported by buttresses on a stone foundation.

The building was first cement rendered in 1931 due to crumbling of the original brickwork and the original roof replaced in 1961. In 2007, the original bell tower was restored and erected on the roof with the assistance of the local council Heritage Grant. The second aspect is that St George’s land was not dedicated by the government, but donated to the church by local resident, George Barclay.

According to early Parish Maps of the town of Eden, the original site dedicated for the Presbyterian Church in 1863 was the corner of Bass & Imlay Streets, several blocks from where the church stands today. The change of site was due to the goodwill of the local postmaster, George Barclay who was also Secretary and Treasurer of a committee working towards a dedicated place of worship in Eden rather than the town’s Court House where services had commenced in 1859. According to his wishes, upon his death in 1864, his grieving widow donated the Chandos Street land.