St John's Anglican Church, Dalby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Anglican Church, Dalby |
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St John's Anglican Church, Dalby, 2010
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| Location | 153 Cunningham Street, Dalby, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919–1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1920s |
| Architect | Henry James (Harry) Marks |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: St John's Anglican Church, St John's Church of England | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 14 August 2008 |
| Reference no. | 602399 |
| Significant period | 1920s |
| Significant components | font – baptismal, baptistry, memorial – window, vestry, stained glass window/s, church |
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St John's Anglican Church is a beautiful old church located at 153 Cunningham Street in Dalby, Australia. It's a special building because it's the third church with this name built on the same spot! A famous architect named Henry James (Harry) Marks designed it, and it was built in the 1920s. This church is also known as St John's Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on August 14, 2008, which means it's an important historical place.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's Story
St John's Church in Dalby is a brick building that was finished in 1923. It was designed by Harry Marks. This church is actually the third one built on this site. The church before it, made of timber in 1876, was moved and used as a hall until 2003.
Early Days of Worship
The land where St John's Church stands has been used for Anglican worship for a very long time. This started when Europeans first settled the Darling Downs area in 1840. Back then, the Darling Downs was part of New South Wales.
Reverend John Gregor held services in homes from 1840 to 1848. After him, Reverend Benjamin Glennie took over. He held his first service in 1848 in a hotel. In 1851, Glennie held the first service in the Dalby area. From then on, services happened in many different places, like private homes and even a woolshed (a building where sheep are shorn).
Glennie was in charge of Anglican churches on the Darling Downs from 1850 to 1860. He helped set up churches and buy land for them. He wanted to build four churches, each named after one of the Bible's evangelists, in the four main towns of the Downs. These churches were St Luke's in Toowoomba (1856), St Mark's in Warwick (1857), St Matthew's in Drayton (1859), and finally, St John's in Dalby (1866).
Dalby's Growth and the First Churches
The town of Dalby grew up around a crossing point on Myall Creek. This creek flows into the Condamine River. Dalby became an official town in 1854. By 1863, it was a municipality (a self-governing town), and it grew into the main center for the northern Downs. When the Western railway line reached Dalby in 1868, it became even more important for farming and livestock.
In 1858, Reverend Glennie asked his Bishop to get land for a church in Dalby. In 1859, the government gave a two-acre block of land at the corner of Cunningham and Drayton streets for a church, school, and parsonage (a house for the priest).
The first priest, Reverend Edmund Moberley, arrived in 1860. In 1866, a small brick church with an iron roof was built on the corner of Cunningham and Drayton Streets. It was designed by WC Wakeling. However, it was built too small and soon developed cracks, becoming unsafe. So, they decided to replace it with a timber (wooden) church.
The next church, made of timber, was designed by architect Willoughby Powell. It opened in 1876 and was consecrated (made sacred) in 1878. This timber church faced Cunningham Street.
Building the Current Church
In the early 1920s, people decided to build a new brick church. The first stone for this third church was laid in August 1922. The old 1876 timber church was moved and changed to become a parish hall and Sunday school. Many items from the old church, like furniture, stained glass windows, and decorations, were moved into the new one.
Some of the beautiful stained glass windows from the 1876 church are now in the 1922 church. One shows St Cecilia and was given in 1901. Another, the Mulholland Memorial window, shows the Transfiguration (a special moment in the Bible). Both were designed by EA Milford.
The new church was designed by architect HJ (Harry) Marks. He came from a famous family of architects who designed many buildings in Toowoomba. Harry Marks was known for making buildings with good airflow and natural light.
To avoid the problems with the first church's foundations, the ground was dug down 8 feet until solid yellow clay was found. The foundations were built with reinforced concrete on arches. The building cost about £4123.
Many items were moved from the old church to the new one, including the memorial windows, the pulpit (where sermons are given), the altar, and the lectern (a stand for reading). The church was paid for by donations, including gifts of money and land. A stained glass window in the sanctuary (the holiest part of the church) remembers Mr Osborne, who gave money. Other gifts included a silver communion plate, candlesticks, and a sanctuary lamp.
The foundation stone was laid in August 1922 by the Australian Governor-General, Baron Forster. Archbishop Gerald Sharp officially opened the new church on August 19, 1923. Beautiful red cedar wood panels were added to the sanctuary and chancel (the area around the altar) by 1931. The church was consecrated on August 11, 1935.
Later Additions
The Frank Knight Memorial Hall is a brick extension built in the 1960s. It provides more seating for church services and acts as a parish hall. Part of the church's south wall was removed to connect this hall directly to the church. This hall is not considered part of the church's original historical significance.
More recently, in 2005, air conditioning was installed. In 2008, four new stained glass windows were added.
What the Church Looks Like
St John's Church stands out at the corner of Cunningham and Drayton Streets in Dalby. It's built in a style called Gothic revival, which means it looks like older Gothic churches. It has a very steep roof covered with fibrous cement shingles. The outside walls are made of brown bricks with white cement decorations.
The church has a cross shape when viewed from above. The side parts of the cross are called transepts. One side holds a vestry for the clergy (priests), and the other is for the choir. At the front (west end), there's a baptistery (where baptisms happen) with entrance porches on either side.
The main part of the church, called the nave, has tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. Some are made of stained glass and others of colored glass. The vestries also have colored glass lancet windows. Over the outside doors, there are round lights, and inside, there are oval lights.
At the back of the church (east end), you'll find the Mulholland memorial window. This is a beautiful stained glass window showing the Transfiguration. The Geizel memorial window, showing St Cecilia, lights up the baptistery.
Inside, the lower part of the nave walls is made of red brick, and the upper part is plastered. The ceiling is lined with panels and has decorative timber (wooden) supports.
The altar has decorative wooden panels and stands on a raised platform in the chancel. The chancel is lined with decorative cedar wood. The church has lovely furniture, including cedar pews and a pulpit from the 1876 church. Other important items include a silver communion plate, candlesticks, a sanctuary lamp, and a processional cross.
A newer section, the Frank Knight Memorial Hall, opens from the south side of the church. This part is not considered historically significant.
The plants, trees, rectory (priest's house), office, and bell tower in the church grounds are not part of its historical significance. The low brick fence and metal gates around the property are also not considered historically significant.
Why It's a Heritage Site
St John's Anglican Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2008 because it meets important criteria.
A Piece of Queensland's Past
The church site is important because it shows how Dalby and the Anglican Church grew in Queensland. It's part of a group of four early Anglican churches on the Darling Downs, all named after evangelists: St Matthew's, St Mark's, St Luke's, and St John's. St John's Church (built 1922-1923) is the third church on this site, showing a long history of Anglican worship in the area.
A Great Example of Its Style
St John's Church is a wonderful example of the Gothic revival style. It has many features typical of this design, like a steep roof, pointed arches, outside supports called buttresses, decorative details, lancet windows, and beautiful stained glass.
Many items inside the church, like the memorial stained glass windows, furniture, and other religious objects, were gifts from church members. This shows how important the church was to the community.
The church was designed by Harry Marks, a leading architect from Toowoomba and part of a famous family of Queensland architects. St John's Church is a great example of his church designs.
Beautiful to Look At
St John's Church stands out in Dalby. It's in an open, grassy area on a corner in the middle of town. Its elegant design, steep roof, lovely brickwork, and decorations make it a striking building in the street. Inside, the beautiful stained glass windows, well-made furniture, decorative wooden panels, and handsome wooden roof supports create a peaceful space for religious services.
See also
