St Pauls Anglican Church and Hall

St Paul's Anglican Church facing Lennox Street was built in 1879 by Maryborough builders Caldwell and Taylor, to a design by prominent Queensland architect, FDG Stanley. The foundation stone was laid by the governor, Sir Arthur Kennedy, in March 1878. Construction was supervised by local architect James Robertson. The church was described as ‘Queensland's cathedral’, in reference to its size, architecture and prominence. It cost more than 6,000 pounds. The Gothic Revival style church has an arcade of pointed arches supported on slender cast-iron columns. The finely worked timber roof trusses and leadlight windows produce a light and delicate atmosphere in the church. An organ gallery was added in 1883 and a large free-standing bell tower was erected in 1887. It was donated by one of Maryborough’s founding fathers, Edgar Aldridge, in memory of his wife Maria. The bells are thought to be the oldest in Queensland, and were recently restored by the Neil Thomas, grandson of their original maker at Whitechapel Foundry in London. Local architect P O E Hawkes designed the adjacent memorial hall facing Adelaide Street in 1921. Its design complements the church. It was constructed by W E Ferguson.