Childers Bakery facts for kids

The Childers Bakery is a historic building in Childers, Australia. It's a special bakery that has been around for a long time. It was designed by an architect named F H Faircloth and built in 1902. Over the years, it has been known by different names like A.E. Gorrie, Baker and Confectioner, Isis Bakery, and Sutton's Bakery. Today, it's called the Childers Hot Bread and Cake Shop. This building is so important that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

A Look Back: The Bakery's Story

The Childers Bakery is one of several shops built next to each other. It sits between the Palace Hotel and Kerr's Buildings. The bakery and the shop next to it were built in 1902 for Alfred Gorrie. They were designed by FH Faircloth, an architect from Bundaberg. This happened after a big fire destroyed most of the main street in Childers. Faircloth designed many of the new buildings after the fire. This changed how Childers looked.

How Childers Grew

Childers is in an area once called the Isis Scrub. In the 1870s, people started cutting down the thick forests. In the 1880s, people from Maryborough encouraged farming in the area. In 1882, the land around Childers was divided into 50-acre farm blocks. Childers didn't have an official town plan. It grew around the railway station that opened on 31 October 1887. The railway was mainly used to transport timber from the scrub.

The railway also helped the sugar industry grow in the late 1880s. When the railway opened, Robert Cran, who owned the Yengarie mill, decided to build a sugar mill at Doolbi. This mill opened in 1890. It sent sugar juice by train to his main mill. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company also built a large sugar mill in the area in 1893-94. By 1895, Childers became a busy center for sugar farming.

The Great Fire of 1902

The year 1902 was very dry, and Childers did not have a fire department. On March 23, a huge fire swept through the main street. Most buildings were made of wood and built very close together. Many shops were destroyed, including a bootmaker, a fruiterer, a tailor, and the Palace Hotel.

After the fire, the Bundaberg architect F H Faircloth was hired. He designed many of the new buildings. He started asking for bids to build them in June 1902.

About the Architect: F H Faircloth

Frederic Herbert (Herb) Faircloth was born in Maryborough in 1870. He learned from Anton Hettrich, an architect from Bundaberg. Faircloth started his own business in Bundaberg in 1893. He became very successful. He designed almost every major building in Bundaberg. He also had a big impact on the look of Childers.

The Bakery Building's History

Before the fire, there was a wooden building on this spot. It might have been a drapery store. After the fire, Alfred Gorrie bought the land. He built a row of five shops. Gorrie owned two of them. The other three were owned by a chemist named Thomas Gaydon. They were used as one large hardware store.

Unlike the old wooden buildings, these new shops were made of brick. This was probably because of the fire. They were elegant, single-story buildings with large glass shop fronts. They had striped awnings over the footpath. These awnings were held up by fancy posts with cast iron designs. Each shop had its own roof. Some roofs had skylights. The shops also had special designs on their fronts, like classic revival pediments, urns, and balustrades. These designs helped show where one shop ended and the next began.

Gorrie rented one of his shops to William Lloyd, a hairdresser. Lloyd's old shop had been destroyed in the fire. Gorrie used the other shop himself as A.E. Gorrie, baker and confectioner. In 1930, Beatrice Sutton leased the shop. She was also a baker. Later, the business was run by Sutton Brothers, bakers.

Alfred Gorrie passed away in 1941. The property went to Edward Gorrie. He sold it to William and Annie McKay in 1958. In 1976, Earle and June Robinson bought it. They divided the property so each shop had its own title. The shop has changed owners several times since then. But it seems to have always been a bakery. Today, it is known as the Childers Hot Bread and Cake Shop.

What the Bakery Looks Like

The bakery is one of several single-story brick shops. They are built together on the south side of Churchill Street. It is next to the Palace Hotel. The roof is made of corrugated iron. It is hidden by a parapet wall.

Like many shops on this street, the building has classical revival pediments. Some are curved, and some are triangular. They are connected by a balustraded parapet with urns on top. The shop front is covered by an ogee-shaped corrugated iron awning. This awning is held up by posts that go down to the street. The decorative cast iron design under the awning is no longer there.

Why the Bakery is Important

The Childers Bakery was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. This means it is a very important historical place.

It shows how Childers grew in the early 1900s. It especially shows how the main street was rebuilt after the 1902 fire. The bakery, along with other buildings, proves how big fires affected towns in Queensland. Many towns did not have enough water or fire services back then.

The bakery also shows what country town shops looked like in the early 1900s. You can see the typical awnings, shop fronts, and overall design from that time.

It adds to the beautiful look of Churchill Street. This street is special because its buildings are very similar and well-preserved.

Finally, the bakery is connected to the work of architect FH Faircloth. He designed many buildings in Childers. He greatly influenced how the town looks today.