Windsor Road Baptist Church & Thomas Leitch Memorial Hall

The Baptist faith in Queensland, while coming with the early immigrants, was one of the last churches to formally establish themselves. After initially worshipping with Congregationalists and Presbyterians as the 'United Evangelical Church', the Baptists constituted a church in Wharf Street in the late 1850s. The ferment of the debates surrounding the separation of the colony from New South Wales was reflected in separations within this principled, individualistic faith. In 1861 a group split from the Wharf Street church and began a Jireh Baptist Church in Fortitude Valley. Jireh had vigorous growth, establishing an outreach to Windsor Road, forming a large fellowship, and contributing to the establishment of churches at Ashgrove and The Gap.

Initially, Red Hill followers of Baptist principles attended cottage prayer meetings in the home of J. Storie, with open air services held on Sunday afternoons by Revs J. Kingsford, J. Straughen and others. A chapel was erected and opened for worship on 24 May 1874, constituting a mission station of the Jireh church. In June 1877, the year of the formation of The Queensland Baptist Association, a separate church was formed and the Windsor Road church constituted.

In 1878 the building was enlarged and Rev T. Leitch ordained as the pastor. Pastor Leitch was held in high esteem by his parishioners who gave him useful gifts for his household and in May 1883 instituted an annual monetary gift - the first of which totalled 15 sovereigns which was used for a restful holiday and recruiting.

By 1884 the congregation was looking to the future and early in the year purchased three more allotments with a view to increasing the size of their church. The Baptist community, reflecting the growth of the suburb, had increased to the extent that the old building no longer provided sufficient accommodation and the congregation decided to erect a new and more suitable place of worship.

The present prominent site in the neighbourhood was secured and plans were prepared by architect, John Nicholson. Steps were made to procure the funds and in 1888 the "fine, commanding looking building", built by George Cooper was opened for public worship by Rev J. Kingsford at a cost of   £1200, including the site. At the time of opening a debt of £200 remained. The debt was cleared by the end of 1901 by various small gifts and thanks offerings, and the building was repainted.

The Hall

At some time between 1938 and 1945, a large hall of a complementary style was constructed on the southern side of the church. This hall was named the Thomas Leitch Memorial Hall after the first pastor of the church who had been so prominent in its early history. The lower level of the hall continues to be used for church functions while the upper storey serves as one of the Lady Gowrie Family Day Care Offices. The Day Care Office has been using the hall for some three years. Together, the church and hall provide a reminder of the presence of the Baptist community in Red Hill for several decades and make an attractive contribution to the streetscape of Windsor Road.

The Windsor Road Baptist Church continued for many years to be the base of mission work within and outside Australia and remains valued by its congregation.

Capitalising on the terrain of the site, which falls away steeply to the northwest, part of the underneath area has been enclosed and utilised.

The building is rectangular in plan form with an attached entry porch on the eastern front and vestries projecting from the western end. The structure is timber framed and clad with timber chamferboards. 

The steeply pitched roof is sheeted with corrugated iron extending beyond the walls to provide eaves overhangs lined with wire mesh to provide birdproofing. The eaves overhangs are supported on pairs of shaped timber brackets incorporating the trefoil motif. The roof is penetrated along each side by seven dormer type roof vents sheeted with corrugated iron and containing a trefoil shaped fascia and fixed timber louvres.

The bargeboards to the gable ends are decorated at the lower sections with scalloping and quatrefoil fretwork. The main feature of both the east and west gables are delicate multifoil rose windows with stained glass.

Lancet trefoil windows provide lighting and natural ventilation to the nave. These timber framed lead lighted windows consist of a lower casement and upper hopper window with a fixed panel fanlight above. The last window on each side at the western end is shorter and comprises two hopper windows in lieu of casement and hopper.

The entrance porch contains two pointed arch, framed tongue and groove (on the diagonal) double doors with a moulded timber hood mould. Lead lighted windows at the sides of the porch are also lancet trefoil windows and incorporate a hood mould similar to those over the entrance doorways.

Access for the disabled is provided from the adjacent car park area on the southern side by means of a small bridge to a pointed arch double door.

The skillion roof to the entrance porch contains two gables projecting over the entrance doorways. The bargeboards to these gables are finely decorated with scalloping and quatrefoil fretwork.

The rear projection containing two vestries is accessed by a flight of steps leading to a timber door. An outward opening mild steel-framed security screen provides additional protection to this access way.

Lancet windows to the vestries consist of timber framed lead light casements with pointed arch fanlights glazed with green coloured glass. 

The eaves overhang is supported on shaped timber brackets similar to those incorporated on the nave walls. Two dormer type roof vents project above the fascia board and gutter. These dormers are identical in detail with those on the main roof but slightly larger in size.

The area underneath the nave is enclosed to the underside of the floor framing with brickwork, which has been painted. Adjustable glass louvres with one set of double hung windows located at the base of the north side external access steps provide ventilation to the north.

Hall (Thomas Leitch Memorial Hall)

The Hall is located in close proximity to the Windsor Road street alignment. The building is rectangular in plan form with a double gable to the street. The structure is timber framed and clad with timber boards. The two visually prominent roofs are sheeted with corrugated iron and extend beyond the wall to provide eaves overhang.

The undercroft area has been enclosed and partly utilised.

1. White, Rev. J. E 1992, A Fellowship of Service: A History of the Baptist Union of Queensland 1877-1977

2. Parker, D. (ed). The Gregory History of Queensland Baptists: Documents in Queensland Baptist History No. 1. Brisbane: Baptist Historical Society of Queensland, 1995

3. 'Latrobe and Given Terraces', BCC Heritage Trail, Series No. 10, second edition

4. Information kindly provided by the Lady Gowrie Family Day Care Office, Windsor Road. Telephone conversation, 22 May 2001