St Andrew's Church

General

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Also known as

St Andrews Church; St Andrews Church Toogoolawah; St Andrew's Church Toogoolawah

Classification

State Heritage

Register status

Entered

Date entered

21 October 1992

Types

Religion/worship: Church

Religion/worship: Religious precinct

Theme

8.1 Creating social and cultural institutions: Worshipping and religious institutions

Architect

Dods, Robert Smith (Robin)

Builder

Menzies, AD

Construction period

1911–1930, St Andrew's Church (1911 - 1930)

Historical period

1900–1914 Early 20th century

Location

Address

Mangerton Street, Toogoolawah

LGA

Somerset Regional Council

Coordinates

-27.08992115, 152.37599622

Significance

Criterion AThe place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland’s history.

St Andrews' Church at Toogoolawah, erected in 1911-12, is significant historically in illustrating the establishment of the Anglican Church in Toogoolawah.

Criterion DThe place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

It is a very fine example of a timber church distinguished by its scale, form and materials, and an excellent example of the ecclesiastical work of Brisbane architect Robin Smith Dods.

Criterion EThe place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

St Andrew's Church has a strong association with the Toogoolawah community, being an integral part of an historic, visually cohesive and picturesque precinct comprising St Andrew's church [600502], church hall [600500], and rectory [600501] and adjacent McConnel Park [600499].

Criterion GThe place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

St Andrew's Church has a strong association with the Toogoolawah community, being an integral part of an historic, visually cohesive and picturesque precinct comprising St Andrew's church [600502], church hall [600500], and rectory [600501] and adjacent McConnel Park [600499].

Criterion HThe place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland’s history.

The place has a special association with the McConnel family and their contribution to the establishment of the Anglican church in Toogoolawah.

History

St Andrew's Church was constructed in 1911-12 for the Anglican congregation in Toogoolawah, on land donated in 1911 by Mary Elizabeth McConnel of Cressbrook.

The town of Cressbrook Creek (later Toogoolawah) was founded when her husband, JH McConnel, subdivided a large section of the Cressbrook estate in the late 1890s, and established a condensed milk factory on Cressbrook Creek in 1898. The town expanded when the rail connection to Ipswich was completed in 1904, and again after purchase of the factory by the Nestlé & Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company Ltd in 1907.

Prior to construction of the church, services at Cressbrook Creek had been conducted at the Union Church, and then in the Anglican hall built by the McConnels in 1906.

Brisbane diocesan architect Robin Smith Dods prepared the designs for the church in 1908. He was well known to the McConnels, having designed in 1901 the Victoria Chapel at Cressbrook station.

St Andrews was erected in 1911-12 by local contractor AD Menzies, who constructed most of the buildings in Toogoolawah until the mid-1920s. The contract price was £839. It was completed in January 1912, and dedicated in the following May.

At some time after 1930 the walls were buttressed, following storm damage. The original split cedar shingles were replaced in 1966 with sawn shingles of local iron bark and crow's ash.

Description

This timber church is set amongst mature trees on a corner site forming the north western boundary to McConnel Park. The church hall is located on the southern side of the building with the rectory further to the south. The building shows influences of stylistic trends popular around federation.

The steep-pitch gable roof is clad with timber shingles and features projecting gables suggestive of a transept. The eaves slope at a lesser pitch to the main roof and carry across the gable fronts. The gables feature a dark timber grid pattern on a white background and have a cross above at the east and west end. The rear vestry has a hipped shingle roof.

The building is clad in dark painted weatherboards and sits on timber stumps. The building features timber buttresses which were added at a later date. Internally, the buttress members are bolted to the tie-beam and truss posts.

The rectangular plan has a projecting transept to the south. The floor is raised in the sanctuary, pulpit and altar with a post and beam timber screen which forms two side aisles leading to the vestry. Queen-post trusses form the roof with a horizontal boarded ceiling under the collar beam which rakes away to the cornice. The ceiling features square latticed vents, and the projecting transept houses the organ and has a flat ceiling with two curved timber brackets.

Internal timber is unpainted. A carved timber cross and the organ pipes are positioned above the tie-beam in front of the transept. Internal walls are of vertically jointed boards and window units consist of three timber framed lancets with pale green leadlight glazing, some of which have stained glass inserts.

Pointed arches form the western door and vestry doors, and the highly intact interior contains original pews, some altar furniture and storage cupboards.

A round stone baptismal font is positioned at the western end of the nave and fluorescent lighting has been attached to the underside of the tie-beams. The internal walls and ceiling of the vestry are lined with fibro panels with timber cover strips.

The grounds include a number of mature trees, mainly to the south and south east of the church, screening the view from McConnel Park.

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