St Barnabas Anglican Church

On 24 March 1888 the foundation stone of the new church was laid by Mr Justice Harding. The church, designed to seat 200, was formally opened by a special choral service on Tuesday evening 26 June 1888 and was dedicated to St Barnabas by Archdeacon Dawes. The service was attended by a very large keen congregation and almost £500 had been contributed towards the total construction cost, including fittings, of nearly £600. A number of fittings were presented to the church, including the bell cast at Sutton's foundry, the organ, timber pews and the cedar altar table.

A general meeting of parishioners soon afterwards decided that the area should become a separate parish, however this did not eventuate until 1903 when the districts of St Barnabas, Ithaca and St James, Enoggera (which were within the Parish of Milton) were declared parochial districts. This Diocesan decision reflected developments in the district which experienced rapid growth and significant increases in population from the late 1880s. In 1903, the year Ithaca became a parochial district, Ithaca was declared as a town.

In 1892 plans were announced to complete the interior of the church. The vestry was possibly added at this time. A small pipe organ was installed in 1913 and gable crosses were added sometime before 1930. In the 1930s an aisle was added on the north side of the church. A memorial chapel was furnished within the north aisle in 1948.

In 13 February 1909 the Archbishop of Brisbane capped the first stump of the timber parish hall. Local dignitaries at the ceremony remarked that the need for the hall was a reflection of the growth of the town of Ithaca. Increasing residential development had brought large numbers of children to the area, and the facilities for the Sunday School were overwhelmed. The hall was built at an estimated cost of £235 by contractor W.G. Watts and was completed by the middle of the year. In addition to the 250 children in the Sunday

School, the hall housed a billiards room for the local Gordon Club. The Ithaca Progress Association also held its meetings there in the 1910s.

In 1914, the property 'Glenforbes' on Waterworks Road was purchased for use as a rectory. As Brisbane suburban development continued to expand during the 1920s and 1930s a church hall was constructed in the Ashgrove area to serve the increased population there. St Paul's Church was constructed alongside this hall in 1952 becoming the main church for the parish.

The congregation of St Barnabas has declined in comparison to St Paul's but retains a loyal band of worshippers who have a great attachment to their church.

The small box-like church, typical of this style, has been enlarged over its 100 year lifespan by extension to the eastern side and to the rear.

The wide chamferboard clad timber framed building is supported on concrete piers (most likely a replacement of earlier timber stumps). Four steel beams supported on concrete piers and spanning across the width of the nave have been installed to provide additional support to the nave's timber floor framing. The spaces between the concrete piers have generally been sheeted up with vertical timber battens. The area under the entrance porch and a small store room under the rear extension have been sheeted with fibro cement cladding.

The steeply pitched gabled roof is sheeted with corrugated iron and the eaves overhang is lined with tongue and groove boarding. Shaped timber eaves overhang brackets are provided at the springing points for the roof framing. The timber fascia is finished on the bottom with a grooved chamfer edge.

Natural light and ventilation to the nave is provided by pairs of timber framed hopper windows with a pointed arch fixed glass fanlight. The clear glass panes to those windows have been painted out.

Ventilation to the roof space is by means of a circular fixed timber louvred window located in the northern gable above the entrance porch.

The skillioned roof extension on the eastern side provides additional space to the nave. The eaves overhang to this extension is unlined. The corrugated iron roof sheeting and roof framing is cantilevered out over the side door to provide protection to a small open porch. This porch is slightly above ground level. The windows to this extension are a mixture of timber framed casements sheeted with stained glass and a plain glass double hung window (glass panes have been painted to obscure visibility).

The rear extension contains a combination of a steep gable roof with skillion roofs on either side. This extension does not have any overhang but corrugated iron sheeted awnings are installed over both doorways. Doors are simple ledged and braced vertical joint doors. Due to the tension of the site access to the door on the western side is by way of a set of timber framed steps.

A circular window flanked by a pair of stained glass lancet windows provide filtered lighting to the altar and chancel area.

The fully enclosed entrance porch on the northern end is lined with chamfer boards and roofed with corrugated iron. The narrow eaves overhang is lined with tongue and groove boarding. The timber framed tongue and groove sheeted double entrance doors are accessed by timber framed open steps. No barrier free access to the building is provided for the disabled.

A small hopper window and fixed glass pointed arch fanlight provides filtered natural light to the porch.

A small timber framed belfry is mounted on the apex of the entry porch roof. The belfry contains fixed timber louvres above a timber skirting on all four sides. The belfry roof is sheeted with corrugated iron and finished all round with a gutter roll.

1. Andreson, B. Anglican Churches in Brisbane, B.A. Thesis, University of Queensland, Dept of Architecture

2. 'Reasons for Judgement', Supreme Court Judgment in the Matter of a Trust ... being the site of St Barnabas Church, delivered 14/12/1995

3. The Sun, 19 July 1989

4. Sunday Mail, 17 December 1995