Window Detail of the Former Saint George's Presbyterian Church Manse - Corner of Latrobe Terrace and Ryrie Street, Geelong

            Built in 1865, the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church Manse sits adjacent to the church it served which stands on the corner of Latrobe Terrace and Ryrie Street on the fringe of the Geelong central business district.  

Approached by either a long driveway, or up a set of bluestone stairs hedged with old established ceders, the manse was designed by architect Nathaniel Billing, who also designed the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church.  The manse's Victorian Gothic style was intended to compliment the church, so the two buildings would always be associated with one another and considered as one complex of buildings.  

Like the church, the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church Manse is constructed of irregularly coursed basalt bricks with Hawkesbury River freestone dressings.  It has a recessed front door surrounded by plain panels of glass.  The other windows around the building, with the exception of one small lancet window at the side of the manse, are all plain glass.  In fact the whole building is quite austere and free of ornamentation save for a small amount of gingerbreading along its gables.  

A small copper plaque, tarnished with age next to the front door reminds visitors of what this building was once, and a rusted boot scraper still stands buried into the earth beside the front porch.

A 1965 sundial in the now sadly neglected garden commemorates the centenary of the building of the Saint George's Presbyterian Church Manse.

Saint George's Presbyterian Church was forced to close its doors in 2015 owing to dwindling congregation numbers, and whilst the Presbyterian Church still owns the church and manse, the manse is now rented out and has been used for both commercial and residential purposes.

Nathaniel Billing was born in Brightwell, Oxfordshire in 1821.  Articled to the prestigious office of Sir Gilbert Scott in London, he later commenced his own architectural practice in Slough under his own name.  Nathaniel married his first wife, Henrietta in 1850.  Three years later the pair and their family immigrated to Australia.  he was appointed to the Colonial Architect's Office in Belfast (now known as Port Fairy), but commenced his own practice there in 1855.  In Port Fairy he designed Saint John's Church of England in 1856 and the Bank of Australasia in 1857.  That same year, Nathaniel left Port Fairy and moved to Melbourne, where he soon had a thriving practice.  In Melbourne, most of his commissions were ecclesiastical.  He designed All Saints Church of England on Chapel Street in 1861 which with a seating capacity of 1,500 is the largest Church of England in the southern hemisphere, Saint Margaret's Church of England in Eltham in 1861, alterations to Melville House in Collins Street in 1881, "Steamshall" a Victorian Italianate villa in Kew in 1882, Saint Paul's Cathedral in Sale in 1884, Saint Matthias' Church of England in Richmond in 1885, the Fitzroy Cricket Ground grandstand in 1888, and extensions to Saint George's Church of England in 1889 in conjunction with the architects firm Dalton and Gibbons. Nathaniel's first wife Henrietta died in 1867 after nineteen years of marriage, four sons and five daughters. Nathaniel remarried in 1869, taking Mary Anne Hooke as his wife. 
 They had no children together. 
 Nathaniel's fourth child, William Urban Billing, joined his firm in 1880 and practiced as Billing and Son.  They worked together until 1895 when Nathaniel retired.  Nathaniel died at his home in Westbury Street East St Kilda in 1910 at the age of 88.

Taken in: Australia / Victoria / Geelong Municipality (show map)

Taken on: January 10, 2020

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/4.9, 1/500 sec, 18.6mm, ISO 320 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/4.9
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	18.6mm
ISO:	320
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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