St Thomas' Anglican Church, Toowong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Thomas' Anglican Church, Toowong |
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St Thomas' Anglican Church, 2021
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| Location | 69 High Street, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s–1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1877 |
| Architect | Francis Drummond Greville Stanley |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic |
| Official name: St Thomas Church of England | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600336 |
| Significant period | 1877, 1886, 1947 (fabric) |
| Significant components | memorial – gate/s, stained glass window/s, wall/s – retaining, memorial – plaque, furniture/fittings, trees/plantings, steps/stairway, memorial – window |
| Builders | Henry Pears |
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St Thomas' Anglican Church is a historic church located at 69 High Street in Toowong, Brisbane, Australia. It was designed by a famous architect named Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built in 1877. The church is also known as St Thomas' Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992, meaning it is an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of St Thomas' Church
St Thomas' Church of England was built in 1877. It was the second Anglican church constructed in Toowong. The first church, made of timber, was built in 1865 on a different site. The current church was designed by FDG Stanley, who was a member of the church and a well-known architect in Brisbane. The church has been expanded twice: first in 1886 and again in 1947.
Toowong's Early Days
In 1862, a local resident named Richard Langler Drew helped name the area "Toowong." Soon after, many large houses were built, and Toowong became a popular place for wealthy families. People living there wanted to start their own Church of England congregation. This church would be connected to the All Saints Church in Wickham Terrace.
When Queensland became a separate colony in 1859, Brisbane got its own Anglican Diocese. The first Bishop, Edward Wyndham Tufnell, was appointed. Unlike England, where the Church of England received money from the government, churches in Australia had to raise their own funds. This was new for the church leaders.
On May 6, 1865, Toowong residents met and promised to raise about £150 to build a church. Among them was architect William Henry Ellerker, who designed the first St Thomas' Church. Richard Drew also helped by donating land for the church on Curlew Street.
In June 1865, another meeting was held. Reverend Thomas Jones from All Saints' Church led this meeting, showing the diocese supported the Toowong church. It was decided that the church could also be used as a temporary school, as there was no state school in the area yet.
Building the First Church
The first Anglican Church of St Thomas the Apostle opened on Sunday, October 29, 1865. It was a small timber building with a gabled roof and special lancet windows. The building cost about £185. It was designed by William Henry Ellerker. To help pay for the church, people rented pews, which gave the church a regular income. By 1867, the church, which could hold fifty people, was too small for the growing number of worshippers.
In 1870, St Thomas' became its own parish, separate from All Saints'. The church community decided they needed a bigger building and their own minister. Robert Creyke was appointed as the minister. Many special items were donated to the church during the early 1870s, including a stone font, an altar, an organ, and a special seat for the altar. When Robert Creyke left in 1875, Benjamin Glennie, another important minister, took his place.
A New and Bigger Church
In the mid-1870s, Toowong grew quickly, especially after the railway line and station opened in 1875. More people moved to the area. In November 1875, the St Thomas' Parish decided to raise money for a new, permanent church made of stone or brick. They wanted a central location.
The foundation stone for the new brick church was laid on February 17, 1877. The land for the church was bought by trustees for the Church of England on December 15, 1876. The trustees were William Leworthy Goode Drew, Walter Horatio Wilson, and William Henry Miskin.
The new church was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley, who was the Queensland Colonial Architect at the time. Stanley designed many churches across Queensland. For St Thomas', he used ideas from Early English Gothic churches. The church was built to be a landmark on its prominent site. It has a steep gabled roof, gabled porches, two-coloured brickwork, and tall, narrow lancet windows. Many of these windows were later filled with beautiful stained glass.
The contractor for the new church was Henry Pears, and it cost about £850. The church officially opened with a service on October 14, 1877.
Changes Over Time
The church was first extended in 1886. The main part of the church, called the nave, was made longer by one section. This work was also designed by FDG Stanley. You can see a slight difference in the brick colour where the extension was added. At this time, the chancel (the area around the altar) was a temporary timber structure.
In 1947, another extension was planned by Brisbane architect Arnold Henry Conrad. His design fit well with the original church. A new chancel was built for £3365. This addition was also made of brick, matching the original building.
In the early 1960s, a new rectory (the minister's house) was built next to the church. Later, a commercial building was constructed on the church's land in 1998. The church now uses part of this building as a parish centre.
What the Church Looks Like
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St Thomas' Church is on a noticeable triangular piece of land where High and Jephson Streets meet in Toowong. The site has the brick church, surrounded by old plants and trees. There are also old retaining walls, fences, gates, and stairs.
The main entrance of the church faces the corner of the two streets. There are three large gate pillars with an iron gate. Two sets of concrete stairs with memorial plaques lead from the church grounds to the streets.
The church is made of two colours of brick: dark brown with cream brick details. It has a very steep gabled roof covered with diamond-patterned shingles. A small, decorative timber spire, called a fleche, sits on top of the roof at the entrance end. It has a pointed roof with an iron cross. The church sits on a sandstone base. The base at the newer, northern end is made of smooth concrete.
The front of the church has an almost triangular shape because of the steeply pitched roof. This side has a large window in the middle, made of three tall, narrow lancets filled with stained glass. Smaller lancet windows are on either side.
The sides of the church have angled buttresses (supports) that also line the front. These supports have tapered tops made of concrete. Each section of the church's sides has an opening lancet window. These windows have either detailed pictures or simple grey patterns in their stained glass. At the southern end of both sides are steeply gabled porches, which are the main entrances. These porches have double timber doors with fancy iron hinges.
The northern end of the church has a chancel and two transepts. The chancel is a square-shaped structure with a gabled roof, attached to the main church building. It is a bit shorter than the main roof. Next to the chancel are smaller, square rooms with hipped roofs. These look like transepts but are actually a vestry (a room for changing into robes) and a storage room.
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Inside, the church has a central rectangular main area called the nave. It has a dark wooden ceiling under a steeply pitched roof. Large timber beams support the roof and divide the nave into sections. At the northern end of the nave is the chancel, separated by a pointed arch. The inside walls of the church look like stone blocks. The parts that look like transepts from the outside are actually small rooms inside.
The chancel has wooden panels up to about 2.1 metres high. These panels have carvings of pointed arches. On the back wall, above the panels, there is a group of three stained glass windows. They show a scene of the Adoration of the Magi.
Many stone, marble, or brass plaques are on the internal walls of the church. They remember different people important to the history of St Thomas' parish. Most of the stained glass windows were made by William Bustard and are also memorials to church members.
Why St Thomas' Church is Special
St Thomas' Anglican Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, for several reasons:
History of Queensland
St Thomas' Church shows how Toowong grew from a small, wealthy settlement in the 1860s to a more populated area after the railway arrived in the mid-1870s. As one of the earliest Church of England parishes in Queensland, it also shows how the church developed in the state.
Church Design
The building is a great example of 19th-century church architecture. It strongly shows the Early English Gothic style, which was popular for churches back then. You can see this Gothic influence in its steep roof, beautiful setting, two-coloured brickwork, pointed windows and arches, gabled porches, cross-shaped layout, heavy internal roof beams, and stained glass.
Beautiful Design
St Thomas' Church is very beautiful and stands out in its location. It is a well-designed building placed in a picturesque setting. The church has many well-made items that are lovely to look at. These include the wooden altar, pulpit, lectern, and internal panels. The stained glass windows by William Bustard, the font, and various memorials inside and outside the church are also very artistic. The old plants and trees around the church add to its beauty and show how gardens were designed in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Community Connection
The church has a strong connection with the St Thomas' parish. It has been their main place of worship for about 120 years.
Important People
The building is linked to the famous Brisbane architect FDG Stanley. It also has connections to other early church members who were important in the early history of the Church of England in Queensland.
