St Paul's Anglican Church, Proserpine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul's Anglican Church, Proserpine |
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St Paul's Anglican Church, Proserpine, 2013
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| Location | 8 Main Street, Proserpine, Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1940s - 1960s (post-World War II) |
| Built | 1958 - 1959 |
| Architect | Eddie Oribin |
| Architectural style(s) | Modernism |
| Official name: St Paul's Anglican Church, St Paul's Anglican Memorial Church, Proserpine Church of England | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 11 October 2013 |
| Reference no. | 601589 |
| Significant period | 1958- |
| Builders | Les Tinsley & Co |
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St Paul's Anglican Church is a special church in Proserpine, Australia. It was designed by a famous architect named Eddie Oribin and built between 1958 and 1959. This church is known for its unique and modern design, especially its amazing curved roof. It's also called St Paul's Anglican Memorial Church. This building is so important that it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
A Look Back: The Church's Story
St Paul's Anglican Church in Proserpine was finished in 1959. It's one of many new and interesting churches designed by architect Eddie Oribin from Cairns. Local builder Les Tinsley and Co. constructed the church. It uses different materials like brick, wood, and concrete. The church has a very striking roof shaped like a parabola. This roof is made from laminated timber arches, which was a new way to build in Queensland at that time.
Early Days in Proserpine
People first settled in the Proserpine area in the 1860s. Farming, especially sugar cane, became the main activity. By 1900, there were many settlers.
Anglican church services started in Proserpine around 1896. A clergyman from Bowen would visit to hold services. In 1904, a group was formed to build a Church of England in Proserpine. They wanted a place for regular services and a Sunday School. They raised money and bought land on Main Street. The first St Paul's Church, a small wooden building, was finished in 1906.
Proserpine grew in the early 1900s. A train line to Mackay opened in 1923. Proserpine Airport opened in 1951, which helped bring more visitors to the area and the beautiful Whitsunday Islands.
A New Style for Churches
In the 1950s, churches in Australia started to change. They wanted to feel more modern and connected to society. Church designs moved away from old styles and began to use Modernism. However, churches still needed to look like churches. This led to many new designs that mixed old traditions with new building methods.
Bishop Ian Shevill, the Anglican Bishop of North Queensland, really wanted modern churches. He started a big fundraising effort called the Anglican Building Crusade. This helped raise a lot of money for new church buildings. Bishop Shevill believed that new churches should be unique and modern. He said, "God is no museum piece and He should be worshipped by modern people in modern buildings."
Designing the New Church
In 1956, architects Barnes and Oribin were hired to design a new church in Proserpine. Eddie Oribin designed a very unusual church. It had a parabolic (curved) roof, a glass front wall with a concrete cross, and a separate brick tower.
Eddie Oribin was born in Cairns in 1927. He learned a lot about building design during World War II. He became a registered architect in Queensland in 1953. Oribin loved to try new ideas in his designs. He was known for his detailed work, creative structures, and how he used light. He also made many items himself, showing his great skill.
St Paul's Anglican Church was one of three churches Oribin designed between 1956 and 1960. Each church was unique, showing his creativity and how he met the needs of the people.
By 1958, the Proserpine church had raised over £3000 for the new building. Bishop Shevill praised the new design, calling it "revolutionary and progressive." Construction of the new St Paul's began in June 1958. The old wooden church was moved to the back of the property. The Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Abel Smith, laid the foundation stone on July 9, 1958. He even looked at a model of the new church with the architect.
The main curved frames of St Paul's Church were made from laminated timber. This was a new way to build large curved shapes. The church's unusual shape reminded some people of World War II "igloos," which were large curved buildings used for aircraft.
The Parabolic Shape and Laminated Timber
The parabolic shape has been used in church architecture since the 1880s. Architects like Dominikus Bohm and Oscar Niemeyer used this shape in their modern church designs. Niemeyer's Church of St Francis of Assisi in Brazil (1943) was very famous and inspired architects worldwide.
The curved shape of St Paul's was possible because of glued laminated timber. This is made by gluing many small pieces of wood together to create a strong, large beam. This method was cost-effective and could span long distances without many supports. It became popular in Australia in the 1950s, especially for churches. St Paul's was one of the first buildings in Queensland to use this technology.
Oribin designed everything in the church, including the furniture. He even made some items himself, like the baptismal font cover and special copper panels. The church cost £22,000 to build. Bishop Shevill dedicated it on July 4, 1959. The church's design was very popular. A local newspaper, The Proserpine Guardian, even said Proserpine might become known as "the town with THAT CHURCH."
Over the years, the church has had some changes. The original roof was made of aluminium and translucent fibreglass. But it leaked, so the fibreglass was replaced with opaque material. This changed how light came into the church.
The church has also survived cyclones. In 1970, Cyclone Ada caused flooding, but the church's structure was not damaged. It was even used as a shelter. In 1977, St Paul's Church became debt-free.
Later, toilets and a brick wall for ashes were added in 1995. The old rectory (priest's house) was moved, and a new building was put in its place. The original wooden church was also taken down. St Paul's is still an active church today.
Eddie Oribin's work is highly respected. In 2000, an award for "Building of the Year" in Far North Queensland was named after him.
What the Church Looks Like
St Paul's Anglican Church is a striking building. It has a parabolic arched roof made of concrete, brick, wood, and glass. The church faces north-south and is at the front of its property on Main Street. Most of the church is still original, including its furniture. The biggest change is that the clear parts of the roof have been replaced with solid material.
The Unique Roof and Walls
The most noticeable part of the church is its parabolic arched roof. It covers the main worship area, called the nave, and the sanctuary (the area around the altar). The roof is covered in metal sheeting. Its curved shape comes from a concrete arch at the front and wooden arches inside. A raised strip along the top of the roof is also covered in solid sheeting.
Single-story brick sections run along both sides of the nave. They have large windows and flat metal roofs. Concrete slabs curve up from the walls, acting as gutters and eaves. These slabs show a consistent height inside the church, forming a flat ceiling over the aisles.
Entrance and Exterior
The church is shaped like a rectangle. It has an entrance area in the north-west corner. A covered walkway connects this to a brick and concrete bell tower. The front of the church is unique. The main concrete arch has a glass wall with a concrete cross in the middle. There's also a raised brick garden bed at the bottom. The side wall of the eastern aisle has small, cross-shaped openings filled with glass. A plaque about the foundation stone is here. The entrance on the western side is mostly glass with wooden frames.
The eastern side of the church is straight. On the western side, the vestry (a room for clergy) and the entry foyer stick out. Both sides have brick pillars with windows above them. The windows are made of four awning sections with frosted glass crosses.
The back wall of the church has a tall, narrow cross-shaped window. It has two layers of glass: colored glass inside and clear glass outside. Doors lead to the vestries. A toilet block was added to the back wall later.
The bell tower is about 11 meters (36 feet) tall and has an aluminium cross on top. It's made of two concrete walls with decorative brickwork. A bell hangs near the top. A rough finish is on the concrete, with a raised cross on each side. A low brick garden bed, which was once a reflection pool, is at the front of the tower.
Inside the Church
You enter the church through the foyer on the north-west side. Aisles run along the eastern and western sides and through the middle of the nave. The sanctuary at the southern end is one step higher than the nave, with vestries on each side. The wooden pews, like most of the church furniture, have painted corners. The collection plates are made from seven interlocking wooden triangles.
In the middle of the northern glass wall is the baptismal font. It has a copper bowl on a concrete column. The wooden cover is shaped like a seven-sided pyramid. Each side has an etched copper symbol of one of the seven sacraments.
In the north-east corner, there's an ANZAC shrine. It has a bronze plaque with names of fallen servicemen from Proserpine. Above it is a sign that says "Lest We Forget" and a small crucifix.
The back sanctuary wall has the cross-shaped window. Below it, the altar is in the center of a raised platform. The altar has a thick base covered in dark grey stones. A concrete cantilever supports the altar top, which is made from a material like terrazzo with pearl shell. Other furniture in the sanctuary includes candlesticks, a pulpit, a lectern, and small stools. The candlesticks are tall posts with copper rings. The wooden pulpit has a wooden cross on a white background. The lectern is a simpler version of the pulpit. A cupboard in the western wall of the sanctuary, called the aumbry, has images of two saints on its doors when opened.
Walls made of vertical wooden fins separate the sanctuary from the vestries. The eastern vestry has a small kitchen area. The western vestry has built-in wooden cupboards and a sink.
The lower ceilings on the sides of the nave look like they are floating. They are lined with wood and have openings that get wider towards the sanctuary. The concrete slab from the outside also extends into the church here.
The church's length is divided by the exposed parabolic arches. A smaller arch inside the one closest to the sanctuary creates a lower arched ceiling. The space between the inner and outer arches has frosted glass. The underside of the main parabolic roof is lined with wood.
Outside, the church has a lawn with garden beds. A gravel driveway runs along the eastern side. Behind the church is a newer steel building and open lawn.
Why This Church is Special
St Paul's Anglican Church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 11, 2013, because it meets several important criteria.
A Piece of History
St Paul's Anglican Church (1959) shows how church architecture changed in Queensland after World War II. Its design reflects the goals of the Anglican community during a time when many modern churches were being built.
The church is an amazing example of architect Eddie Oribin's work. He created many new and unique buildings in North Queensland between 1953 and 1973. His contribution to Queensland architecture is so important that an award is named after him.
Unique Design and Features
St Paul's Anglican Church shows the main features of post-World War II church architecture. During this time, architects tried many new designs. They mixed traditional church elements with new building methods and materials. St Paul's has a traditional church layout but in a very creative and non-traditional way.
The church's design shows Eddie Oribin's creativity and skill. His buildings are known for their complex shapes, unusual roofs, new ways of using materials, and how they use natural light. He also designed and made custom furniture for his buildings.
Beautiful and Inspiring
St Paul's Anglican Church is beautiful and has amazing architectural quality. Its strong, dynamic shapes, like the curved nave, the horizontal entrance, and the tall bell tower, make it stand out.
The inside of the church is mostly original and feels peaceful and inspiring. It uses modern shapes, natural light, and different materials and textures to create a special atmosphere. The furniture and items inside the church are also custom-designed and very well made.
Creative and Technical Achievement
St Paul's Anglican Church shows a high level of creative and technical achievement for its time. It uses the unusual parabolic arch shape in a very skilled way. It was also the first of Oribin's buildings to use arched glued laminated timber beams, which was an early use of this technology in Queensland.
