St Agnes Anglican Church, Esk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Agnes Anglican Church, Esk |
|
|---|---|
Esk Anglican Rectory and Church, 2010
|
|
| Location | Ipswich Street, Esk, Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1889 - 1953 |
| Architect | John Hingeston Buckeridge |
| Official name: St Agnes Rectory and Church | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600493 |
| Significant period | 1889, 1901-1902, 1908-1910, 1920, 1953 (fabric) |
| Significant components | stained glass window/s, memorial - gate/s, furniture/fittings, tower - bell / belfry, memorial - plaque, church, residential accommodation - rectory, trees/plantings |
| Builders | Lars Andersen |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
St Agnes Anglican Church is a special old church in Esk, Queensland, Australia. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its history and unique design. The church, its rectory (a house for the church leader), and a church hall were built between 1889 and 1910. The famous architect John Hingeston Buckeridge designed the church.
Contents
A Look Back: History of St Agnes Church
The St Agnes Anglican Church, its rectory, and the church hall are all made of timber. They were built in Esk, Queensland, a long time ago.
How the Church Started
The Anglican Church group in Esk began in 1886. At first, church services were held in a shared building called the Union Church. A kind person named Ellen Webb gave the land for the new church, hall, and rectory in 1889.
The plans for the church were drawn up in 1888 by John Hingeston Buckeridge, who was the main architect for the church in Brisbane. Because there wasn't a lot of money, some changes were made to his original design. A local builder named Lars Andersen built the church in the middle of 1889. The church was officially opened on October 28, 1889, by Bishop William Webber.
Changes and Additions Over Time
Over the years, the church building was made bigger. In 1907, the western end of the church was extended by 3 meters. The communion rails (a fence-like structure near the altar) were made longer, and a vestry (a room where the priest prepares) was added.
The rectory, which is the house for the church's priest, was built between 1901 and 1902. It was also designed by Buckeridge and included a meeting room for the church community. Since 1928, the priest has lived in a different town, so the St Agnes rectory has been rented out. Today, an art and craft group uses it.
Both the church and the rectory were part of about 90 buildings built during the time Bishop William Webber was in charge (from 1885 to 1903). He was very interested in church design and brought Buckeridge to Brisbane from London to be the church's architect.
The church hall started as a smaller building for Sunday School around 1902. It was made bigger to be a hall between 1908 and 1910. This hall is not part of the heritage listing.
In 1903, shade trees were planted around the church, and some of them are still there today. The main entrance pillars at the street were built in 1920 to honor Francis Edward Bigge, an important person in the area's history. A stonemason named Andrew Petrie designed and built them. The church bell and its tower were added in 1953.
What St Agnes Church Looks Like
The St Agnes rectory and church, along with a hall, belltower, and old trees, form a group of Anglican Church buildings. They are located on Ipswich Street, which is the main road into Esk. Other churches are also on this street.
The Church Building
St Agnes church is made of weatherboard (wooden planks) and has a very steep, ribbed metal roof. It has a rectangular shape and sits on a brick base. A vestry is on the east side, and a porch is on the north-west side.
The entry porch has a gabled roof and a wooden balustrade (a row of small posts). The doors to the entry and vestry have rounded top corners.
The church has tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. Most of these have leadlight glass (small pieces of glass held together by lead). However, the windows in the sanctuary (the area around the altar) have beautiful stained glass windows. Inside, the roof has a special design called a scissor truss and a boarded ceiling. The walls of the nave (the main part of the church where people sit) are made of vertical wooden boards. The sanctuary walls have horizontal boards, and everything inside is painted.
A wooden screen separates the sanctuary from the nave. This screen has a wooden balustrade and decorative wooden shapes that form a pointed arch. A wooden cross is above the center of the screen. A pulpit (where the preacher stands) is built into the western end of the nave.
The inside of the doors have decorative diagonal wooden boards. The floor of the sanctuary and the altar (the table used for communion) are higher than the nave and vestry. Near the ceiling, there are spaced boards for ventilation. The altar and altar rail are made of dark, carved wood. The church still has its original pews (church benches), a stone baptismal font (a basin for baptisms), and memorial plaques.
A wooden belltower with a corrugated iron roof was built in 1953. It is located to the north-east of the church. You enter the church grounds through special memorial gates. These gates have three sandstone posts with decorative metal gates. The posts are square with pyramid-shaped tops and have marble plaques. Many old trees are also in the church grounds.
The Rectory Building
The St Agnes rectory is a single-story house made of weatherboard. It has a corrugated iron hipped gable roof. It stands on wooden stumps and has verandahs (porches) on the north and east sides. The front entrance porch has a projecting gable with decorative wooden parts. The verandah roof is not as steep as the main roof.
The verandah has decorative wooden brackets and posts. The walls are single-skin, meaning you can see the wooden frame inside. The front door has wooden panels with glass sidelights (windows next to the door) and a fanlight (a window above the door). French doors with fanlights open onto the verandah.
The sash windows (windows that slide up and down) have sunhoods (small roofs) with curved wooden brackets. A carport (a covered area for cars) has been added to the south side, which covers part of a side window. The house has a brick chimney. The back verandah has been closed in with chamferboards (wooden planks) and casement windows (windows that open outwards).
Inside, the original wooden parts are still there. The walls and ceiling are made of boards. A separate laundry building is located at the back of the house.
Why St Agnes Church is a Heritage Site
St Agnes Church and its rectory were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means they are important and protected because of several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed: The church and rectory show how the Anglican church grew and became strong in Esk.
- It's a rare and special place: This is the only known group of buildings in Queensland that includes both a church and a rectory designed by the architect J.H. Buckeridge. They are great examples of their type of buildings.
- It's beautiful to look at: The church and rectory are valued by the local community for their beauty. The rectory from the Federation era (early 1900s) is still in great condition. Both buildings and their grounds add a lot to the look of Ipswich Street and the town of Esk.
- It's important to the community: For over a hundred years, this place has been a special center for worship and community life for the Anglican people in Esk.
- It's connected to important people: The church and rectory are good examples of the church buildings designed by the architect J.H. Buckeridge in Queensland.
