Tin tabernacle

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One of the UK's largest surviving tin churches continues in regular use by the garrison and community at Deepcut

Recently renovated, Wesleyan church built in Adelade SA and shipped to Darwin 1897. Note the external cladding is a purpose-made galv. iron pattern.

Interior of old Wesleyan church Darwin NT Australia

"Tin tabernacle" is the common name for church and related buildings made of corrugated iron, formerly built in Great Britain and elsewhere. Sometimes known also as "iron churches", many designs were available in kit form, and could be highly decorated.

These buildings were often established as mission halls or temporary shelter for new congregations. Very often, if a congregation prospered and was able to build an edifice of brick, stone, or some other material, the tin tabernacle would be destroyed, removed, or converted to some other purpose. Rusting makes the maintenance of tin tabernacles difficult.

Relatively few tin tabernacles survive as places of worship today, and some that do have been made listed buildings. One of the biggest surviving iron churches is the Bulgarian St Stephen Church in Istanbul, Turkey.