ST LUKE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH

Location

South Melbourne, Victoria

Client

St Luke’s Anglican Church

The grounds of an 1857 bluestone church were transformed to give the community improved access and to provide a more appropriate setting for the impressive heritage-listed façade. An existing Prunus sp. (Flowering Cherry) and the bluestone front fence are the only existing landscape elements to have be retained. A new formal staircase and modern ramp were designed to take up the significant level changes and to allow for wheelchair access into the church. Bluestone was salvaged from an adjacent development site and used to construct a series of retaining walls.

Up-lights highlight the historic features of the building’s façade and water tanks collect roof run off to irrigate the garden beds. A mix of native and ‘heritage style’ plants were carefully considered - all low maintenance and drought tolerant and include Lomandra ‘Tanika’ (Lomandra), Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Blue Lagoon’ (Prostrate Rosemary), Raphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorn) and Strelizia reginae (Bird of Paradise).