St Peter's Anglican Church, Barcaldine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Anglican Church, Barcaldine |
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St Peter's Anglican Church, 2010
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| Location | 85 Elm Street, Barcaldine, Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1899 |
| Architect | Edwin Hockings |
| Official name: St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600022 |
| Significant period | 1899–1913 (fabric) 1899–1913, 1914–1990, 1964–1969 (historical) |
| Significant components | tower – bell / belfry, memorial – window, hall, furniture/fittings, church, stained glass window/s |
| Builders | Messrs. Meacham and Leyland |
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St Peter's Anglican Church and its hall are important historical buildings located at 85 Elm Street in Barcaldine, Queensland, Australia. A famous architect named Edwin Hockings designed the church, which was built in 1899. Because of its special history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992.
The Church's Story
St Peter's Anglican Church is a large wooden church that stands out in Barcaldine. It was officially opened on October 28, 1899.
Barcaldine's Early Days
Barcaldine started as a town in 1886 when the railway arrived. Before that, the area was mostly for farming, with Blackall as a main center. For three years, Barcaldine was the end of the railway line. This brought many workers, transporters, and businesses to the town.
Even though the first town plan showed land for a church, none was built. In 1892, the whole area was looked after by one priest living in Blackall. A new church mission started in 1893 in Longreach. Priests from Longreach or Springsure would visit Barcaldine sometimes. They held services in local halls or on farms. It was hard to find priests for areas far from big towns, so religion was not a big part of daily life for many.
The Bush Brothers
The Brotherhood of St Andrew, also known as the Bush Brothers, was created to help people in the huge, spread-out, and poor Rockhampton diocese. The first Bishop of Rockhampton, Nathaniel Dawes, started this group. He got the idea from a mission in London that helped poor areas.
In 1897, Bishop Dawes decided to adapt this idea for Queensland. The St Andrew's Mission House was set up in Longreach. It was a base for the Brothers, who traveled where they were needed. They stayed unmarried during their time of service. Their first areas to help were Aramac, Ilfracombe, and Barcaldine.
Some well-known Brothers served in the area. One was Reverend Frederick Hulton-Sams, known as the "fighting parson" because of his boxing skills. He died in France in 1915 while helping wounded soldiers. His friends wrote a book about his time as a Bush Brother. There are memorials to Sams and to Guy Roxby in St Peter's church. Guy Roxby died in 1913 from typhoid, being the first Brother to die while serving.
Building the Church
At first, church services in Barcaldine were held in the court house. In 1898, a generous gift of £250 from England, called the Marriott bequest, helped pay for a church. A committee was then formed to start the building work.
Archdeacon George Halford helped with the plans. Edwin Hockings from Rockhampton drew them up. Hockings had also designed the Mission House in Longreach. The cost of building went up because a big fire in Longreach in October 1898 increased the demand for workers and materials.
Work on the church began in mid-1899. The builders were Messrs. Meacham and Leyland from Barcaldine. St Peter's was officially opened on October 28, 1899. This was the feast day of St Simon and St Jude. The building was not quite finished then. To save money, the church was built in two stages. The first stage included the sanctuary, chancel, and a short nave. An unusual feature is the open rood screen, which is rare in Queensland churches. It is believed to be the only one in western Queensland.
Church Furnishings and Growth
Many items for the new church came from England. This included a lectern that was a copy of one in Exeter Cathedral. The font was a gift from children in Archdeacon Halford's old church parish in Jarrow-on-Tyne, England. Halford became the Bishop of Rockhampton in 1901. He was the first bishop to be officially made a bishop in Queensland.
The church was served by the Bush Brothers. They traveled from Longreach and stayed in Barcaldine for a month at a time. They lived in the vestry and ate at the local hotel.
The Parish Hall and Schools
A parish hall was built by 1909, though church records do not say the exact date. Between 1909 and 1911, it was used for the Barcaldine High School. This was a private school and the first secondary school in western Queensland. It taught both boys and girls.
Although that school did not last, the Barcaldine Grammar School followed in 1915. This school was run by the Church and also used the hall for classes. The school closed in 1918 because there was no teacher. However, the idea of a church school for western areas was not forgotten.
In 1922, St Peter's School opened. It had places for both boys and girls to live there. An extra classroom was built next to the hall. The school had its highest number of students in 1923, with 62 children. It faced financial struggles during the difficult 1920s and finally closed in 1932. The buildings built for the school were used during World War II for girls who were moved from St Faith's in Yeppoon. However, these buildings no longer exist.
Completing the Church Building
In 1913, the church was finished. The nave was made longer, and a baptistery, porch, and turret were added. At this time, the church was also painted. Improvements were made to the pulpit, and a stained glass window was put in the baptistery. This extension cost £400, and Meacham and Dryer were the builders.
The care provided by the Bush Brothers helped prepare for Barcaldine to become its own church parish. In 1914, Barcaldine officially became a parish.
Community Involvement
St Peter's church has strong connections with many local families. These families helped raise money, taught Sunday School, organized events, and took part in them. Especially before modern transport and communication made social contact easier, the church was a social and spiritual center for its members. It had several clubs for different ages and interests. Events like balls, picnics, bazaars, and an annual flower show were very popular.
To help the church financially, they even bought cattle. These cattle were given the church's special brand and raised on different farms in the area before being sold. An Anglican Far Western Mission was run from St Peter's from 1964 to 1969. Reverend Frank Neubecker visited faraway places once a month by flying a light plane called the Saint Michael.
The number of people attending church began to drop in the 1980s. This was made worse by a difficult time for the rural economy. By 1990, the church could no longer afford a parish priest. The Archdeacon from Longreach started coming once a month to hold services. Today, worship is led by lay preachers, who are not ordained priests.
Only small changes have been made to the church building. A new porch and entrance were built in 1961. A new house for the priest was built in 1977.
What the Church Looks Like
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St Peter's Anglican Church is on the south side of Elm Street. It runs parallel to the road, from east to west. It is a wooden building with a rectangular shape. It has a rounded apsidal sanctuary at the eastern end. At the western end, there is a baptistery with small porches on either side.
The church has a steeply sloped gable roof covered with corrugated iron. This roof also covers the vestry on the southern side. An octagonal (eight-sided) turret with louvres and a spire sits on top of the roof. The roof's eaves are held up by curved wooden brackets. The outside walls are covered with narrow weatherboards. There is a bell tower at the southeast corner, between the vestry and the sanctuary.
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Inside the church, the walls are lined with painted tongue and groove wooden boards. The roof is covered with "caneite" material. The floor is made of wide hardwood boards.
A special open wooden rood screen separates the chancel from the nave. It has six wooden posts that support a rail and the rood (a cross). These posts are connected by Gothic-style tracery (decorative patterns). The posts are decorated with shields that have heraldic devices (symbols) on them.
The windows on the side walls are narrow and rectangular. There are several stained glass memorial windows. Five of these are above the altar. They show the Ascension and scenes from the life of St Peter. These were put in in 1918. Another window from 1918 shows the Resurrection. The window in the baptistery was given in 1913.
The church's furniture and fittings are original. This includes a stone font that says, "An offering to the Glory of God from the children of the church of St Peter, Jarrow to the church of St Peter, Barcaldine." The lectern is a copy of one in Exeter Cathedral. It was carved and given by Mr G. Lloyd-Jones from Ilfracombe in England. The beautifully embroidered altar frontal from the 1900s was also a gift from England.
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The hall is a short distance from the eastern end of the church. It is at a right angle to the church. It is a rectangular wooden building covered with fiber-cement sheets that look like weatherboards. It has a corrugated iron roof. The western side has been extended with a lean-to (a smaller addition). The original double-hung windows have been replaced with louvres. The double wooden doors at the entrance facing Elm Street are protected by a gabled porch. This building has narrow wooden floorboards and a caneite ceiling, similar to the church. The wall between the main hall and the extension has exposed wooden studs.
Why It's Important
St Peter's Anglican Church and Hall were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means they are considered very important historical places.
Showing Queensland's History
St Peter's church and hall show how Barcaldine grew. The hall was even used for the first secondary school in western Queensland. These buildings show how communities in the west worked hard to build and keep their places of worship.
Unique Features
The rood screen inside St Peter's church, which separates the nave from the chancel, is thought to be the only one of its kind in western Queensland. This makes it a very special and rare feature.
Good Examples of Design
St Peter's Church is a great example of a regional timber Gothic Revival church. It still has its original furniture and fittings. The hall is also a typical example of a wooden church hall from that time.
Beautiful to Look At
St Peter's Church is considered beautiful. It is a picturesque Gothic church located in a noticeable spot in the town.
Important to the Community
St Peter's Church and hall are very important to the people of Barcaldine and the surrounding area. For over a hundred years, they have provided spiritual care and helped people connect socially in the region.
Connected to Important Groups
St Peter's church was one of the first places served by the Bush Brotherhood. Because of this, it has a special connection to the lives and work of many members of that important group in Queensland's history.
