Bendigo Chapel has been lovingly restored with the guidance of specialist Heritage Consultants and with funding from Living Heritage Victoria. We look forward to celebrating the return of this lovely building to the community at the official grand opening event on 21 November 2024.

Originally built in the gothic revival style in the 1870’s, the Chapel stands in the Bendigo Cemetery which is included in the Victorian Heritage Register as a ‘a place of architectural, historical, aesthetic and scientific (botanical) significance to the State of Victoria’. The Chapel was originally built as a mortuary chapel and was constructed using rock-faced granite from Harcourt. In the past, Mortuary Chapels were often located in a cemetery where coffined bodies briefly lay before burial.

Restoration of the chapel, in consultation with Dr Gary Hill from Minerva Heritage, included re-pointing, step repairs, reinstatement of decorative render, roof repairs, removal of salt deposits, restoration of interior render, entrance doors and ceiling restoration. This will allow the building to be opened to the public on a regular basis.

Prior to the completion of this work, the Chapel was unusable due to the internal condition of the building, which included considerable damage to the interior render and very high salt levels within the render. Large areas of render were delaminated from the wall structure and in danger of falling from the wall. The quantity of bird droppings on the roof timbers were a risk to public health. The lack of use and activity around and in the building also significantly increased the risk of damage and vandalism at the site.

All works were managed by the Heritage Consultant, used traditional materials and techniques and followed the principles of the Burra Charter.

We are pleased to see this lovely building restored to its former condition.

RPCV acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Victorian State Government, Living Heritage Community Grants program