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 in Mount Morgan, Australia. It was built in 1888–1889 by Thomas Glen Cornes. He was a Scottish-born builder who worked for the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company. The church is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it is an important historical site.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
How the Church Started
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 the first mayor of Mount Morgan from 1890 to 1891.
The first church service with a bishop was held in late 1889. Bishop Webber of Brisbane led the service. This was before the separate Rockhampton Diocese was formed in 1892.
James Wesley Hall's Role
James Wesley Hall was a very important person for St Mary's Church. He managed the Mount Morgan gold mine from 1884 to 1891. He was also the brother of other important mining figures, Thomas Skarratt Hall and Walter Russell Hall.
Wesley Hall cared about the town of Mount Morgan. He became its first mayor in 1890. He also helped start the Wesley Hall Cup in 1894. This was a soccer trophy for teams in Central Queensland. He bought the beautiful silver trophy in London and sent it to Rockhampton.
Wesley Hall was a skilled miner. He helped the mine become famous as the richest single gold mine in the world. He made sure that almost all the gold was taken out of the ore. Even after he stopped being manager, he stayed on the company's board. He passed away in 1901.
Building the Church
St Mary's Anglican Church is made of red bricks. These bricks were made right 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 a unique octagonal (eight-sided) back section called an apse. Its walls have strong brick supports called buttresses and small, pointed windows. The inside of the church still looks much like it did when it was built.
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, there is a small wooden bell tower. This tower is thought to be from that first church building.
The current St Mary's Church was first opened as St Luke's Anglican Church in October 1888. A strong storm damaged it in December 1888. After repairs, it reopened as St Mary's Anglican Church in September 1889. Bishop William Webber of Brisbane led the reopening service.
The church was officially made sacred (consecrated) by Bishop Nathaniel Dawes on October 5, 1899. He was the first Bishop of Rockhampton.
Changes and Additions
Over the years, St Mary's Church has had some changes. 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 added. These windows show scenes like the Annunciation and the Nativity. A side chapel was also added.
The church's roof was changed from corrugated iron to a fibro corrugated roof between 1939 and 1942.
The Oxford Movement's Influence
The Oxford Movement was a group of Anglican thinkers in the 1800s. They wanted to make the Church of England more focused on spirituality and traditional rituals. This movement changed how churches were designed inside. They put more focus on the altar, which is the table used for services.
The rood screen in St Mary's Church is an example of this influence. A rood screen is a decorative 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 History and the Church
Mount Morgan was a town built around a single gold and copper mine. The town's success depended on the mine. Even with ups and downs, Mount Morgan still looks much like it did in its early days. It has many old buildings, including churches, halls, shops, and hotels.
St Mary's Church was built during the early growth of Mount Morgan, after gold was discovered in 1885–86. 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 some smaller buildings, like St Mary's Church, can be seen very clearly from far away because of their high location.
In October 2014, St Mary's Church celebrated its 125th anniversary.
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 (eastern end) and a later addition called a vestry (western end). The church stands out in the Mount Morgan town. It is part of a church site that also has 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 windows called lancet windows. The apse has a metal roof. The main part of the church has a simple gable roof covered with asbestos sheets. The vestry, also made of red brick, has a corrugated metal roof. Its windows and doors match the style of the original church.
The bell tower is made of timber and stands near the main church building on the Gordon Street side.
Inside, St Mary's Church is mostly unchanged. The apse has a timber ceiling with visible wooden beams. The inner walls are plastered brick. A key feature inside is the rood screen. The main church roof inside shows its wooden trusses and beams, with no ceiling covering them.
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Church Hall
St Mary's Anglican Church Hall is a great example of a timber hall. It is raised slightly off the ground on small wooden stumps. The hall is covered with timber weatherboards and has a rectangular shape. Its gable roof is covered with corrugated metal.
The hall has verandahs on its eastern and western sides. It has a main entrance called a portico on the southern end, with a small vent in its gable. The verandahs have a mix of original wooden railings and newer metal additions for walkways.
Inside, the hall's walls are lined with timber VJ boards. The roof structure, with its exposed trusses, is also visible.
Why St Mary's Church is Important
St Mary's Anglican Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2000. This means it is recognized for several important reasons:
- Shows Queensland's History: The church shows how the mining town of Mount Morgan grew. It also shows the important role the Church of England played in the lives of the Anglican people in this mining community.
- Rare Features: St Mary's Church has a rare rood screen inside. This is a special part of church design that came from the Oxford Movement. It makes the church unique.
- Beautiful Design: The church looks beautiful and adds a lot to Gordon Street and the wider Mount Morgan town. It is valued by both the local church community and the wider public.
- Strong Community Connection: This church has a very special connection with the Anglican communities in Mount Morgan and Rockhampton. It is important for both social and spiritual reasons. It also reminds people of the contributions of James Wesley Hall, who helped build the church.
