Uniting Church (former)

The Primitive Methodists and the Wesleyans were early in commencing activities in the Paddington district. Services were held in makeshift tents until sufficient funds were raised to purchase land and erect permanent structures. The Wesleyans built one of the area's first permanent churches in 1875 and the Primitives followed soon after, erecting a church on Given Terrace around 1878.

This church also had its beginnings in a tent. A group of local residents saw the need for a Primitive Methodist church in the vicinity as the Paddington Church at Given Terrace was considered too far for those travelling by foot. The group eventually organised services on the verandah of a local home. The success of the informal verandah services prompted the group to erect a tent church, located almost opposite the present Government House. The tent church was not a success though, as the preacher failed to appear at the first Sunday service and soon after the tent was destroyed by extreme winds. Eventually enough funds were raised to purchase land on Fernberg Road and to build a timber church. For reasons that are not clear, the church was moved in 1891 to its present site at Latrobe Terrace.

The church celebrated its golden jubilee in 1936, and was featured on the front page of the Queensland Methodist Times in May of that year. At the time of its golden jubilee, three memorial windows were presented to the church by the families of former church members. A picket fence which was built to celebrate the occasion remains today.

It has undergone a series of changes in ownership since its construction. Originally built for the Primitive Methodist Congregation, the church was purchased by the Unity Order of Oddfellows Friendly Society in the 1920s but was again owned by the Primitive Methodist Congregation from 1965- 1978. The building became a Uniting Church in 1978 and was sold in the 1980s to a private owner who has converted the building to a residence.

This timber framed chamferboard clad building is rectangular and contains an attached small entry porch on the southern (street frontage) end. This porch is accessed from both sides by small flights of L-shaped timber steps. The underneath area created by the terrain of the site has been utilised and enclosed.

The structure is supported on concrete piers with the area under the lower floor accommodation enclosed by vertical timber battens fixed between concrete piers. The building is clad externally with timber chamferboards.

The pitched roofs to the main building and the entry porch are sheeted with corrugated iron. The eaves overhang along both sides has been lined with fibro cement sheeting whilst the eaves overhang to the gabled ends has been left unlined. The slight overhang to the entry porch is also unlined.

An extension to the building has been the addition of a timber framed open deck supported on metal columns and roofed with corrugated iron. The ceiling is unlined.

The windows to the upper floor area are lancet type stained glass pivoted windows. The windows to the lower level are clear glass double hung windows. These windows do not line up with the lancet windows overhead.

The window to the entry porch has a flat head in lieu of the pointed arch incorporated elsewhere on the upper floor level.

The gable ends to both the main building and the entry porch have been modestly decorated by the utilisation of vertical timber boarding spaced apart and supported on a timber rail. The slightly wider centre board incorporates fretwork decoration.

A fixed timber louvre ventilating panel in the southern gable provides ventilation to the roof space.

External access to the lower floor area and rear of the site is by way of a flight of timber framed steps. The L-shaped steps to the entry porch appear to be replacements of earlier steps.

The timber fascia and barge boards have been dressed to contain a beaded bottom edge. A cornice mould packing has been fixed to the top of the large board directly under the beaded roof flashing to provide decoration to the barge board.