All Saints Anglican Church, Brisbane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints Anglican Church
27°27′52″S 153°01′41″E / 27.464486°S 153.028033°E / -27.464486; 153.028033
Country	Australia
Denomination	Anglican Church of Australia
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	8 September 1869 (1869-09-08)
Dedication	All Saints
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Gothic Revival
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Brisbane
Province	Province of Queensland

All Saints Anglican Church is a very old and important church building in Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia. It's located at 32 Wickham Terrace. The church was first started in 1862. The building you see today was finished in 1869. This makes it the oldest Anglican church in Brisbane.

For most of its history, All Saints has followed a special tradition within the Anglican Church. This tradition is called High Church or Anglo-Catholic. It means they have more formal and traditional worship services. The church is so important that it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register since 1992.

History of All Saints Church

This stone church is the oldest Anglican church in Brisbane. It was built in 1861 and then rebuilt in 1869. It served the Anglican community in the Wickham Terrace area. It's one of the few churches in Queensland still owned by private trustees.

The Church of England was the first church group in Queensland. In 1849, land was given for St John's Church. That church was officially opened in 1854. The land for All Saints on Wickham Terrace was given to the Anglican Church in 1856. It was first planned to be the site for a large cathedral.

The Diocese of Brisbane was formed in 1859. Edward Tufnell became the first Bishop of Brisbane in 1860. He named St John's as the main church, or "pro-cathedral."

First All Saints' Church, 1862

In the early 1860s, many people started living in the Windmill Hill and Spring Hill areas. Because of this, Bishop Tufnell wanted a new Anglican church on the cathedral site. The first church building was designed by a famous architect named Benjamin Backhouse in 1861. It opened on February 23, 1862. People called it the Wickham Terrace Episcopalian Church.

At first, it was meant to be a second church within the same area as St John's. But in 1864, the people of Wickham Terrace Church decided to become independent. They formed their own church area, or "parish."

As more people joined the church, the first building became too small. They decided to make it bigger and taller. Architect Richard George Suter designed the changes in 1869. He was a churchwarden and liked the Gothic style. However, the old walls couldn't hold the extra weight. So, the old walls were taken down. This meant almost a whole new church building was created. Only the original floor plan, floor, and roof were kept.

Plaque commemorating the dedication of the church by Governor Blackall in 1869

The new church was officially opened on April 5, 1869. The Governor of Queensland, Samuel Blackall, laid the foundation stone. A time capsule was placed inside. Bishop Tufnell named the church "All Saints."

The church was made longer by about 6 meters (20 feet). The walls were made taller by about 1.8 meters (6 feet). The roof was raised by about 2.4 meters (8 feet). A chancel (the area around the altar) and a vestry (a room for clergy) were added. The walls were built using a local stone called Brisbane tuff.

The present church, which is the oldest Anglican church still standing in Brisbane, opened for worship on September 8, 1869. This date is also known as the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bishop Tufnell led the service. Some small changes continued into the early 1870s.

In 1873, the church's parish was divided. A new parish was created in Milton. A house for the church's priest, called a rectory, was built next door in 1880. A hall for church activities and a school building were added in 1884.

Christ Accepting His Cross by Andor Mészáros

The church has some very special features. The east end has the oldest stained glass windows in Brisbane, put in place in 1870. The altar lights, added in 1884, were the first of their kind in Brisbane. There are also artworks, like plaster sculptures called Stations of the Cross. These were made by Brisbane artist Daphne Mayo in 1935. A bronze and wood sculpture called Christ Accepting The Cross by Andre Meszaros was placed outside in 1962. This was to celebrate the church's 100th birthday.

The church organ was made in London in 1873. It was first in St John's Pro-Cathedral. Later, it was moved to St Luke's Church. In 1957, it was fixed up and moved to All Saints. The organ loft, where the organ is, and its spiral stairs were added later. The original roof, made of wooden shingles, has been replaced several times. Now it has a ribbed metal roof.

In 1933, the church floor was replaced, and the walls were repaired. In 1934, a stone fence replaced an older wooden fence along Wickham Terrace.

In 1988, the church hall and rectory were sold. They were taken down to build a tall building next door. In 1993, a new church hall and office complex were built facing Ann Street. A large part of the stone wall along Wickham Terrace was also removed.

What the Church Looks Like

This stone church has one main floor. It sits on a raised, triangle-shaped piece of land. This land is where Ann Street and Wickham Terrace meet in Brisbane. The church is built in the Gothic Revival style. This style was popular in the 1800s. It has strong walls with supports called buttresses. The walls are made of rough stone, porphyry, and sandstone. The roof is covered with metal.

Inside, the church has a beautiful ceiling called a hammer-beam ceiling. This type of ceiling is quite rare in Australia.

The church has a rectangular shape. It has a raised pulpit (where the preacher stands). It also has a chancel (the area near the altar) and a vestry (a room for the clergy). The design shows influences from Gothic architecture. The roof has a pointed shape, called a gable. It is covered with ribbed metal and has special vents for air. The chancel has a similar roof, but it is lower. The vestry has a sloped roof.

The front of the church, facing west, has two stone entrance porches. There are three tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. A stone cross sits at the top of the gable. Smooth, cut stone is used around the windows and at the top of the gable. There's a Latin saying carved into the stone: "DOMUS MEA DOMUS ORATIONIS." This means "my house shall be called a house of prayer."

The chancel gable has three lancet windows, two quatrefoils (four-leaf clover shapes), and a rose window (a round window). Above these is a vesica (a fish-shaped symbol). The eastern gable of the main part of the church, called the nave, has a carved stone bellcote. A bell hangs from it.

On the north side of the church, there's a wooden entrance porch with a stone base and a gabled roof. There's also a plaque that remembers when the church was officially opened. The south side has brick details at the corners of the stone base. The gables on the sides, which look like small transepts, have two quatrefoils and a rose window with cut stone frames.

Inside, the walls are smooth. All the windows have beautiful stained glass. The main area, the nave, has the hammer-beam trusses (wooden supports) and a wooden ceiling. The chancel has scissor braces (another type of wooden support) and a wooden ceiling. An organ gallery is at the west end of the nave. It is held up by metal posts. You can reach it by a spiral cast-iron stair.

Lights are attached under the hammerbeams. A carved and painted wooden screen surrounds a small side chapel. Plaster designs are around the windows and above the arch leading to the chancel. The floors are made of wood. The sanctuary and chancel areas are raised higher than the nave. Two stone arches, now filled with stone blocks, can be seen on the west side and south side of the chancel.

Outside, there are still some palm trees. There is also a stone fence and stone gate posts along Wickham Terrace. A Gothic-style gas lantern, now electric, is on the gate post. A large jacaranda tree is to the southwest of the church.

The church holds the oldest stained glass in Queensland. It also has other important artworks. This includes the 14 Stations of the Cross sculptures by Brisbane artist Daphne Mayo. This was her first public artwork.

Worship at All Saints

By the early 1900s, the services at All Saints were known for being very Anglo-Catholic. This means they followed older, more traditional practices. In 1923, they started using incense during public worship. Three years later, a crucifix (a cross with Jesus on it) was placed on the pulpit. In Brisbane, All Saints became known as the "High Church" of England. Meanwhile, St John's Cathedral was seen as the "low church," with simpler services.

Because of its Anglo-Catholic history, the services at All Saints mainly focus on the Eucharist (also called Holy Communion).

• There is a quiet service called a Low Mass with hymns at 7:30 am every Sunday.
• A more formal service called a High Mass is held at 9:30 am each Sunday.
• Shorter Masses are held on weekdays at 12:15 pm in the Lady Chapel. This chapel is in the south-eastern part of the church.
• Choral Evensong (a sung evening prayer service) is held on the first Sunday of each month at 6:30 pm. This is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

All Saints has a professional choir. They sing from the gallery at the west end of the church. The church has an organ built by T. C. Lewis in 1873. It was first in St John's Pro-Cathedral. It was moved to All Saints in the 1950s. Between 2002 and 2007, the organ was greatly rebuilt and made larger.

Famous People Connected to All Saints

All Saints' Church has been an important part of Brisbane's growth. Many people still see it as the "Parish Church of the City of Brisbane." Some well-known people who attended All Saints in the 1800s include:

• Sir James Dickson, who was a Premier of Queensland (like a state leader) and a Minister in Australia's first national government.
• The Hon. John Douglas, another Premier of Queensland.
• Sir Robert Ramsey Mackenzie, also a Premier of Queensland.
• Mary Peattie

Why All Saints is a Heritage Site

All Saints Anglican Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it is a very important historical place. Here are the reasons why:

• It shows how the Anglican Church grew in Brisbane.
• It is one of the oldest surviving Anglican churches in Brisbane. It has the oldest stained glass and the organ from St John's Pro-Cathedral.
• It is a great example of a stone church from the 1860s built in the Gothic style.
• People in Brisbane value its beauty. This includes where it is located, its old grounds, and how it looks on Wickham Terrace and Ann Street. The quality of its stonework, interior, stained glass, wood carvings, old furniture, sculptures, and art are also highly valued.
• It is very important to the Anglican community in Brisbane. It is one of the oldest Anglican churches and is strongly linked to the Anglo-Catholic movement in Queensland.
• It is connected to the work of famous architect R.G. Suter and the well-known Brisbane artist and sculptor Daphne Mayo.