St Augustine's Anglican Church, Leyburn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Augustines Anglican Church, Leyburn |
|
|---|---|
St Augustines Anglican Church, Leyburn, 2015
|
|
| Location | Dove Street, Leyburn, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1871 - 1918 |
| Architect | Richard George Suter |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: St Augustines Anglican Church, Leyburn, St Augustine's Church of England, Leyburn | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 21 August 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600828 |
| Significant period | 1870s (historical) 1870s, 1910s (fabric) |
| Significant components | furniture/fittings, fencing, lamp/s - gas, stained glass window/s, vestry, churchyard, gate/s, views to, church |
| Builders | John Baillie |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
St Augustines Anglican Church is a very old church located on Dove Street in Leyburn, Australia. It's a special building because it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it's an important part of history. The church was designed by a famous architect named Richard George Suter and was built between 1871 and 1918. It's also known as St Augustine's Church of England.
Contents
History of Leyburn and the Church
Leyburn started as a small settlement in the 1840s. It grew to help settlers who were moving their animals along a route created by the Leslie brothers in 1840. By 1853, it was officially called Leyburn.
In the early days, Leyburn was a busy little town. By 1872, it had a school, a church, a police station, and several shops and hotels. Many people worked as carriers, moving goods on the road between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi. Others worked on nearby farms.
Leyburn was also important for government services. From 1852, it was a place where mail was sorted and sent out. In 1872, it got connected to the electric telegraph system, which was like an early internet, sending messages between Sydney and Brisbane. Leyburn also had a court and a school that opened in 1862.
However, Leyburn's importance changed when new railway lines were built. The railways bypassed Leyburn, meaning trains didn't go through the town. This made Leyburn less important for transport and trade, and it became a quieter place.
Building St Augustine's Church
Anglican church services had been held in Leyburn since the 1840s. Early services took place in public buildings, like the Court House. In 1861, Leyburn got its own Anglican parish, and land was given for a church.
The church building itself was mainly built thanks to the Bishop of Brisbane, Edward Wyndham Tufnell. He decided that money sent by students from the College of St Augustine in England should be used to build a church in Queensland, and Leyburn was chosen.
The land for the church was bought in 1870. The architect, Richard George Suter, called for builders in September 1870. The church was built from strong, pit-sawn timber with a roof made of wooden shingles. John Baillie was the builder. The church, named after St Augustine of Canterbury, was officially opened in September 1871.
Richard George Suter was a very important architect in Queensland during this time. He designed many churches, including some made of timber like St Augustine's. He also designed schools and large homes. His timber buildings were special because they were strong, looked good, and were not too expensive to build.
Changes Over Time
After the railways bypassed Leyburn, the church's parish area changed. In 1889, the main church centre moved to Pittsworth. To make it easier for the priest to visit Leyburn, a small room called a vestry was added to the church in 1918.
The church's wooden shingle roof has been replaced several times over the years. In 1986, beautiful stained glass windows were put in behind the altar. More recently, a memorial was placed in the church grounds for a gold miner named Dan Bray, honoring all the early gold miners in Leyburn.
On November 14, 2021, St Augustine's Anglican Church celebrated its 150th anniversary, marking a long history in the community.
What the Church Looks Like
St Augustine's Church is in a quiet, rural village. It's made of timber with its wooden frame showing on the outside, and it has a steep roof covered in wooden shingles. People say it looks like old English village churches, but it uses local building styles.
The church sits in the middle of its land, which gently slopes down. The main part of the church, called the nave, faces east-west. The entrance is through a wooden archway with a small pine tree and a picket fence on each side. The rest of the fence is made of timber rails.
The church has a simple, rectangular shape. There's a small porch on the south side near the entrance, and the vestry (the added room) is in the south-east corner. The wooden frame on the outside of the walls is a decorative feature, painted in a contrasting color. The inside walls are made of wide, flat timber planks.
The roof is very steep with pointed ends, and there's a small bell tower with a spire at the western end. The roof is covered with hand-split hardwood shingles. The main entrance door has a pointed top and still has its original lock.
Inside, the church has a special light. There's a gap between the top of the walls and the roof frame, letting light in. The tall, narrow windows have a painted pattern and look Gothic from the inside. They slide open along tracks. The floor is made of wide, light-colored timber boards. The wooden roof beams are stained and have unique twisted metal rods.
The church furniture, like the altar, lectern, pulpit, and pews, is believed to be from when the church was first built. They are made of stained pine. There's also a movable stone font used for baptisms. Behind the altar, you can see the stained glass windows. Gas lamps are on the side walls of the chancel (the area near the altar).
The vestry, the newer part of the church, has narrow wooden walls. It holds furniture like a dresser and a bed, as well as an old organ. Some original gas lamps and the special cup and plate used for dedication ceremonies are also stored here.
Why St Augustine's Church is Important
St Augustine's Anglican Church in Leyburn was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on August 21, 1992. This means it's recognized for several important reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed: The church was built in 1871 by Richard George Suter, a very important architect. His timber buildings, like St Augustine's, were special because they were strong, affordable, and looked good. The church is also a reminder of Leyburn's more prosperous times in the 1800s and shows how early towns in Queensland were settled.
- It's a rare building: St Augustine's is one of the few old timber buildings left with a shingled roof. This makes it very special and uncommon.
- It's beautiful: Even though it's based on English village churches, the way the timber is used and the simple Gothic designs give St Augustine's a delicate and charming look. The light inside, coming through the roof and windows, is also very unique.
- It's important to the community: The church is a symbol of Leyburn's past and is a key part of the town's appearance. It represents the history of settlement in the Darling Downs area and has a strong connection with the local community.
- It's connected to an important person: The church was designed by RG Suter, one of Queensland's most famous architects.
