United Welsh Church, Blackstone facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids United Welsh Church, Blackstone
Front of the building, 2015
Location	6 Thomas Street, Blackstone, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1870s - 1890s (late 19th century)
Built	1886
Architect	Samuel Shenton

Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: United Welsh Church, Blackstone, Welsh Chapel, Welsh Union Church
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	21 October 1992
Reference no.	600548
Significant period	1886 (fabric)
Significant components	trees/plantings, memorial - honour board/ roll of honour, furniture/fittings, memorial - rock/stone/boulder, memorial - plaque
Builders	Worley & Whitehead

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The United Welsh Church is a special historic building located at 6 Thomas Street in Blackstone, Queensland, Australia. It is a type of church called a union church, which means it was used by different groups of Protestants. The church was designed by Samuel Shenton and built in 1886 by Worley & Whitehead. It is also known as the Welsh Chapel or Welsh Union Church. Because of its importance, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

The Church's Story
What the Church Looks Like
Why This Place Is Important
Notable People
Images for kids

The Church's Story

The Honourable Lewis Thomas M.L.C., who donated the land for the church

The United Welsh Church was built in 1886. It was designed by Samuel Shenton, an architect and builder from Ipswich. The construction work was done by Worley and Whitehead, who were also contractors from Ipswich. The land for the church was given by Lewis Thomas, who owned coal mines in the area. He also helped pay for the church to be built.

How the Welsh Community Started

Lewis Thomas began mining coal in Blackstone in the 1860s. In 1883, a group of Welsh people came to Blackstone to work for him. They were mostly slate miners from a place called Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales. Soon after they arrived, they held their first Protestant church service. They met under a mulberry tree near Bundamba Creek.

These Welsh immigrants decided that their shared Welsh background was more important than any small differences in their church beliefs. So, they formed a Welsh union church. This meant people from different Protestant groups could worship together. Their first combined service was held on 19 July 1883, in a church hall in the nearby suburb of Newtown.

Building the Church

As more Welsh immigrants arrived, the small cottage Lewis Thomas had allowed them to use became too small for their services. So, Lewis Thomas generously donated land for a new church building. The new church officially opened on 16 October 1886. The opening was celebrated with a tea-meeting and a concert.

Changes Over Time

Early photos of the church show that its outside walls had exposed timber frames. Today, the walls are covered with chamferboard, which are overlapping timber boards. We don't know exactly when this change happened, but it was at least by the 1930s.

In 1892, the church was painted, and new seats were made. This work was overseen by architect George Brockwell Gill. He had taken over Samuel Shenton's architecture business. Toilets were added on the northern side of the church around 1975. The front windows, which were originally louvred (slatted), have since been replaced with glass.

The church has faced challenges from floods. In 1893, a flood reached the top windows, destroying the organ and early church records. In 1974, another flood reached a few centimetres above the floor.

Special Items and Memories

Inside the church, you can find many historic photos, memorials, and other special items. These are displayed in the main part of the church and in the back meeting room.

A war memorial honour board was put up in 1917 to remember those who served.
A plaque was installed in 1986 to celebrate 100 years of the Cambrian Choir.
A pair of glass and cedar doors, with the name "Brynhyfryd" etched into the glass, were placed inside the entry. These doors came from Lewis Thomas's large home, Brynhyfryd, after it was taken down in the 1930s.
A cedar fireplace surround from the mansion was turned into a memorial. It honors both Welsh pioneers and those who served in World War II.
Beautiful leadlight windows showing Welsh dragons were given to the church by the St David Society around 1985.

Community Life and Traditions

In its early years, the church was known as the Welsh Union Church. By the early 1900s, it was called the United Welsh Church. It has always been managed by trustees.

The church has been a very important place for community social life. Many activities have been held there, including church teas, clubs, eisteddfodau (music and poetry festivals), and hymn festivals. In the early days, church services were held in Welsh. Even today, some hymns are sung in a mix of Welsh and English. Children in Sunday School are also taught a few Welsh words.

The first Gymanfa Ganu (a special hymn festival) was held in 1902. This event is still held every two years.

The Eisteddfod Tradition

An eisteddfod is a traditional Welsh competition for music, literature, and speaking. The first eisteddfod at the church was held on New Year's Day in 1887, just a few months after the church opened. A local choir was formed to compete in this event. This choir is still active today and is known as the Blackstone-Ipswich Cambrian Choir.

As more people became interested in eisteddfodau, later competitions were held either at the church or at the Ipswich School of Arts. In 1888, a choir from Brisbane joined the competition. This led to a Brisbane eisteddfod in 1889. These competitions between cities eventually grew into the Queensland Eisteddfod, which is still held every Easter. Smaller eisteddfodau, like a junior eisteddfod and a Silkstone Eisteddfod, are still held every year in Ipswich.

This church is the only Welsh Church in Queensland. It is believed there are only three other Welsh churches in Australia: one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and one in Western Australia.

What the Church Looks Like

Back of the building, 2015

This church is a simple timber building. It has a rectangular nave (the main part where people sit) and a sanctuary (the area around the altar) at the back. A small room called a vestry is also at the back, making the building look like a "T" shape from above. A modern toilet block with a skillion roof (a single-sloping roof) is on the northern side.

Outside Features

The walls are made of timber frames, now covered with chamferboard. The timber floor is supported by concrete stumps. The roof has a gentle gable shape (like an upside-down "V") and is covered with corrugated galvanised iron.

At the front, there is an entrance porch with its own gable roof. This porch has a decorative fretwork pediment (a triangular part above the entrance). Above the porch, there is a timber window that doesn't open, with a pointed top, used for ventilation. The railing on the front steps is made of wrought iron.

The side windows of the church are timber casement windows that pivot open. The front windows have unusual decorative timber hoods that stick out from the building.

Inside Features

The inside of the church has some beautiful cedar wood details in the sanctuary area. There are also special church furnishings, like a silky oak chair for the minister. The timber pews (church benches) have decorative ends with numbers on them.

Above the doors in the back wall, which lead into the vestry/meeting room, are two leadlight windows showing the Welsh dragon. The walls display several timber plaques and memorials.

A continuous open-fretwork ventilator runs along the full length of the nave walls, just below where the roof begins. The ceiling is made of timber boards and has iron tie-rod roof trusses (support beams).

The back vestry/meeting room is a large rectangular space. Its walls are decorated with framed photographs and other items that remind people of the church's history.

Church Grounds

Outside the church, on the northern side, there is a very large camphor laurel tree. There are also two rock monuments. One has a plaque celebrating the church's 100th anniversary. The other has a piece of rock from the site of the old "Brynhyfryd" mansion.

Why This Place Is Important

Site plaque, 2015

The United Welsh Church in Blackstone was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it is recognized as a very important historical site for several reasons:

It shows how Queensland's history developed.

The church, built in 1886, helps us understand how Welsh families came to coal mining areas in Queensland in the 1880s. It also shows how Welsh traditions, like the Eisteddfod, became part of Queensland's culture.

It is a rare and special part of Queensland's culture.

This church is the only Welsh Church in Queensland. It is thought to be one of only four in all of Australia, making it very unique.

It can teach us about Queensland's past.

The inside of the church has old photographs, memorials, plaques, and other items. These things help us learn about Welsh customs and culture that have been kept alive in Australia.

It shows what a typical cultural place looks like.

The church's simple, traditional design and the large camphor laurel tree next to it make it a recognizable landmark near Bundamba Creek as you approach Blackstone.

It is beautiful and important for its looks.