St Mary's Anglican Church, Mount Morgan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Anglican Church, Mount Morgan |
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St Mary's Anglican Church, Church hall and Bell Tower, 2009
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| Location | 11 Gordon Street, Mount Morgan, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Official name: St Mary's Anglican Church, Church hall and Bell Tower | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 25 August 2000 |
| Reference no. | 601690 |
| Significant period | 1880s–1900s (historical) ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | views to, furniture/fittings, church, church hall/sunday school hall, tower – bell / belfry, apse |
| Builders | Thomas Glen Cornes |
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St Mary's Anglican Church is a historic church located at 11 Gordon Street in Mount Morgan, Australia. It was designed and built between 1888 and 1889. The church was created by Thomas Glen Cornes, who was a superintendent of sawmills and carpenters. This important building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on August 25, 2000.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
How the Church Began
The money to build St Mary's Anglican Church was given by James Wesley Hall. He was the first general manager of the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited. He was also Mount Morgan's first mayor from 1890 to 1891.
The first special church service, called a Confirmation Service, happened in late 1889. Forty-seven people were presented to Bishop Webber of Brisbane. This was before the separate Rockhampton Diocese was formed in 1892.
The Generous Gift of Wesley Hall
James Wesley Hall was a very important person for St Mary's Anglican Church. He managed the Mount Morgan gold mining company from 1884 to 1891. He was also the brother of two other influential Hall brothers, Thomas Skarratt Hall and Walter Russell Hall.
Wesley Hall cared about the town of Mount Morgan. He became the first mayor of the Mount Morgan Borough Council in 1890. He also helped start the Wesley Hall Cup in 1894 for soccer in Central Queensland. He bought this fancy silver trophy in London and sent it to Australia.
Wesley Hall left his manager role at the mine in December 1891. He had helped the mine become famous as the richest single gold mine in the world. He was a skilled miner and helped build important parts of the mine. Even after leaving, he stayed on the company's board. He passed away in 1901.
Building the Church and Hall
The St Mary's Anglican Church you see today is made of red bricks. These bricks were made right there in Mount Morgan's own brick works. Other buildings in Mount Morgan, like the Grand Hotel and the Masonic Temple, were also built with these local bricks.
The church has two main parts: the main church building and a later addition called a vestry. It has an unusual octagonal (eight-sided) back part, called an apse. The church walls have strong brick supports called buttresses and tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. Inside, the ceiling of the apse is made of timber.
The very first Church of England building in Mount Morgan was made of wood and iron. It stood where the current church hall is now. Next to the main church is a small timber bell tower. People believe this tower is from the first church building.
The St Mary's Church hall is located behind the main church. This hall was built in 1902 on the site of the original church. It is known as one of the best timber halls in the town. It has verandahs with interesting timber railings and a front entrance with a small gable vent.
Church Re-opening and Consecration
Another Anglican church, St Luke's, opened in Mount Morgan in October 1888. But a strong storm damaged it in December 1888. After repairs, it re-opened as St Mary's Anglican Church on September 8, 1889. Bishop Webber of Brisbane led the re-opening.
St Mary's Anglican Church was officially made sacred, or "consecrated," by Bishop Nathaniel Dawes on October 5, 1899. He was the first Bishop of Rockhampton.
Changes and Additions Over Time
Over the years, St Mary's Church has had some beautiful additions. In the 1910s, a special screen called a rood screen was added. This screen is a memorial to those who served in World War I. Later, after World War II, two stained-glass windows were put in. These windows show scenes like the Annunciation and the Nativity. A side chapel was also added.
Around 1939-1942, the church's corrugated iron roof was replaced with a fibro corrugated roof.
The Oxford Movement's Influence
The Oxford Movement was a group of Anglican theologians in the 1800s. They wanted to focus more on spirituality and church traditions. This movement changed how churches were designed. They started to focus more on the altar inside the church.
The rood screen in St Mary's is an example of this influence. A rood screen is a carved screen that separates the main part of the church from the altar area. Many rood screens in the Rockhampton Anglican Diocese were built as memorials after World War I.
Mount Morgan's Mining History
Mount Morgan is a town famous for its gold and copper mining. For most of its history, one big mine and one company shaped the town. The ups and downs of the mine affected how many people lived and worked in Mount Morgan.
Even with these changes, Mount Morgan still looks much like it did in its early days. It has many old buildings like churches, halls, shops, and hotels. These buildings show how important the mine was to the town.
St Mary's Church was built during the early growth of Mount Morgan, after gold was found in 1885-1886. At its busiest in the 1910s, Mount Morgan had about 14,000 people. By 1976, this number had dropped to 3,246.
The town of Mount Morgan is built on hills. This means that even smaller buildings can look very grand because of where they are placed. St Mary's Church is easy to see because of its hillside spot.
In October 2014, St Mary's Church celebrated its 125th birthday!
What St Mary's Church Looks Like
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St Mary's Church Building
The main St Mary's Anglican Church building runs along Gordon Street. It has two main parts: the original church with its octagonal apse (the eastern end) and a later addition called a vestry (the western end). St Mary's Church stands out in Gordon Street and the wider Mount Morgan area. This church is part of a larger church site that also includes a church hall, a rectory (where the priest lives), and a bell tower.
The church is a strong building made of red bricks. It has solid brick supports on the outside and tall, narrow lancet windows. The apse part of the church has a metal roof. The main roof of the church is a simple gable roof, covered with asbestos roof sheeting. The vestry addition is also made of red brick and has a corrugated metal gabled roof. Its windows and doors match the style of the original church.
The bell tower is made of timber and stands on the Gordon Street side of the church.
Inside, St Mary's Church is still very much like it was originally. The apse has a timber-lined ceiling with visible wooden beams. The inside walls are made of rendered brick. A special feature inside the church is the rood screen. The church roof inside shows exposed wooden trusses and purlins, with no ceiling lining, so you can see the underside of the roof.
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Church Hall
St Mary's Anglican Church Hall is a great example of an old timber hall. It is raised slightly off the ground on small timber stumps. The hall is covered with timber weatherboards and has a rectangular shape. It has a gabled roof covered with corrugated metal sheeting.
The hall has verandahs on its eastern and western sides. There is a portico entrance with a small gable vent at the southern end. The verandahs have a mix of original timber railings and newer metal additions for walkways.
Inside, the hall walls are lined with timber VJ boards. The roof inside has exposed wooden trusses.
Why St Mary's Church is Important
St Mary's Anglican Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on August 25, 2000, for several reasons:
It shows how Queensland's history developed. The church complex helps us understand how the mining town of Mount Morgan grew. It also shows the important role the Church of England played in supporting the Anglican community in this mining town.
It shows rare or special parts of Queensland's history. St Mary's is special because it has a rood screen inside. This is a rare example of church decoration that was influenced by the Oxford Movement.
It is beautiful to look at. The church adds to the beauty of Gordon Street and the historic town of Mount Morgan. It is valued by both the local church community and the wider public.
It has a strong connection to a community. This place is very important to the Anglican community in Mount Morgan and Rockhampton. It is special for social and spiritual reasons. It also recognizes the contributions of James Wesley Hall in building the church.
