Christ Church Anglican Church, St Lawrence facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church Anglican Church |
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Christ Church Anglican Church, 2009
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| Location | Cannon Street, St Lawrence, Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1898 |
| Architect | Alfred Mowbray Hutton |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: Christ Church Anglican Church | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 27 October 2000 |
| Reference no. | 601661 |
| Significant period | 1890s (historical) ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | school/school room, furniture/fittings, church, garden/grounds, residential accommodation – chaplain's house/quarters, trees/plantings, views to |
| Builders | Newman Brothers |
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The Christ Church Anglican Church is a special old building in St Lawrence, Australia. It's a church that was designed by an architect named Alfred Mowbray Hutton. It was built in 1898 by a company called Newman Brothers. This church is so important that it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's protected because of its history and unique features.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's Story
Early Days in St Lawrence
European people started settling in the St Lawrence area around 1860. A man named John Arthur Macartney set up a large farm called Waverley Station. The area was important for raising animals and producing meat in the 1800s.
Macartney used the St Lawrence Creek to bring in his supplies. Later, a factory was built there to make tallow, which is animal fat. In 1861, the government decided the spot was good for a port. Soon, official buildings like a Telegraph Office and a Police Station were built.
Why a Church Was Needed
Before the Christ Church was built, people held church services in the Courthouse. Both Catholic and Anglican services happened there a few times a year.
In 1893, a meatworks factory opened in St Lawrence. This made the town's population grow steadily. By the late 1890s, it became clear that the community needed its own permanent church building.
Building the Church
In March 1898, a church leader named Vicar AH Julius visited St Lawrence. He came to arrange for the church to be built right away. Five acres of land were bought in a good spot. People said the new church would be easy to see from the main street.
Alfred Mowbray Hutton, an architect from Rockhampton, designed the church. He planned a simple building that could seat about 100 people. It also had a side section with a large classroom. There was even a small bedroom and verandah for visiting church leaders to stay in.
Newman Brothers of Rockhampton won the contract to build the church. On Saturday, May 21, 1898, a special event happened. The Premier of Queensland, Thomas Byrnes, laid the first stone of the church.
The Church's Role in the Community
The church was very important to the local community. It had a classroom for Sunday School, where children could learn. The bedroom was useful for visiting clergy, as there was rarely a full-time priest living there.
At one point, a local school teacher even lived in the church's vestry. Today, the Christ Church Anglican Church is part of the North Rockhampton Parish.
Keeping the Church Strong
Over the years, the church needed some repairs. In 1985, local people formed a committee to raise money. They wanted to replace the roof and paint parts of the church. They also wanted to fix the beautiful stained glass windows.
In 1988, a special grant helped pay for more work. The church's north and south walls were lined. The vestry, which is a room used by the clergy, was also refloored, relined, and painted. Even today, church services are still held there occasionally.
What the Church Looks Like
The Christ Church Anglican Church is a single-story building made of timber. Its outside walls are covered with weatherboards. The roof is shaped like a gable (a triangular shape) and is covered with corrugated iron. You can easily spot the church at the eastern end of Macartney Street.
Outside Features
At the front of the church, on the western side, there's a small porch with its own gable roof. Both the main roof and the porch roof have timber crucifixes on top. The rooms on the southern side of the church have a slightly slanted, "skillion" roof.
Timber stairs lead up to the front porch and the main door. The front doors are made of cedar wood and have a pointed arch design. Inside, they open into the main part of the church.
High up on the eastern side of the church, there are three pointed arch, stained glass windows. A similar single window is above the main front door. On the western side, there's a round ventilator high up. Along the northern side, you'll see five pointed arch cedar windows. The southern side has three similar windows. The side rooms have windows that open outwards, with metal sunshades above them.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has wooden pews (benches) on both sides of a central aisle. This aisle leads to the raised sanctuary at the eastern end. The sanctuary is the special area where the altar is. The eastern wall and the southern wall of the sanctuary are covered with painted horizontal timber. The rest of the church's inside walls are covered with chamferboards, which are timber boards with a sloped edge.
The sanctuary is about a metre higher than the rest of the church floor. It has a cedar altar and communion rails. The timber ceiling has arched metal rods that help support it.
At the back of the church, there's a sandstone font. A font is a basin used for baptisms. This one has pretty carvings and designs. Near the porch, there's a wooden plaque that tells about the church's dedication. It also has a brass plaque added later for the church's 100th anniversary. The original wooden plaque says: "Laid by Hon T.J. Byrnes; May 21, 1898; A.H. Julius Vicar; W Armstrong Warden".
The side rooms with the skillion roof are accessed through double cedar doors on the southern wall. This area has timber floors and chamferboard walls. A partition divides the room at one end. You might find an old timber trunk and a metal bed with a mosquito net in this room. A wooden organ, made by WH Paling & Co, is also located in a room on the southern side of the church.
Outside, the church is surrounded by mature trees and garden beds, making it a peaceful place.
Why This Church is Special
The Christ Church Anglican Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 27, 2000. This means it's recognized as a very important historical site for several reasons:
- Showing Queensland's History: The church was built in 1898 and is part of the old town of St Lawrence. It helps us understand how the Anglican Church and the town of St Lawrence grew and changed over time.
- A Great Example of Church Design: With its steep gable roof and pointed arch windows and doors, the Christ Church is a wonderful example of a Gothic-style timber church. It's well-designed and looks very picturesque.
- Beautiful and Easy to Spot: The church is important because it looks beautiful and stands out in the town of St Lawrence. You can see it clearly from Macartney Street, making it a local landmark.
- Important to the Community: For over 100 years, this church has been a place of worship. It holds special social, cultural, and spiritual meaning for the Anglican community in St Lawrence and the surrounding area.
- Connected to a Famous Architect: The church is also important because it was designed by Alfred Mowbray Hutton. He was a well-known architect in the Rockhampton area, and this church is a part of his important work in Queensland's history.
