Addresses
Type of place
Church
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Carpenter Gothic
Addresses
Type of place
Church
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Carpenter Gothic
Built in 1889 on a site close by in Swan Terrace, this former Methodist Church was moved to the site it now occupies in 1903. The oldest of the extant Methodist church buildings in the Windsor area, it brought the spirit and traditions of Methodism to those who came to live in this vicinity at a time of unprecedented and intensive development in the late 1880s. Since 1977, this church has served as the Windsor Uniting Church.
Also known as
Swan Hill Church
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (E) Aesthetic; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
Also known as
Swan Hill Church
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (E) Aesthetic; (G) SocialInteractive mapping
History
Established as part of the Valley circuit, the Swan Hill Church, as it was originally known, marked the culmination of the considerable effort of the enthusiastic band of locals who had worked with a Mission Band to establish the work of the Church on a permanent basis in this area. One of these was Matthew Rigby, a Queen Street seedsman and fruiterer who lived in Somerset Street, O’Connell Town. He was the first Superintendent of the Sunday School and with his family played a prominent part in fund-raising and other church activities. The enthusiasm and commitment of local residents had ensured a swift progression from the first open-air services held several years earlier, to services in a nearby house and the establishment of a Sunday School, to the purchase of a block of land in Swan Terrace and the erection of a place of worship of their own, some years before the unification of the several branches of Methodism then in existence in Brisbane.
The opening of the Church on Sunday, 11 August 1889, during the ministry of the Rev. R. Dyson marked an important milestone in the development of Swan Hill. To cater for the perceived spiritual needs of the children in the district, Sunday School classes were also established in that year. In 1893, the newly established church was to play an extremely important role within the wider community - as a refuge for those rendered homeless by the floods. For more than a decade the Wesleyan Mission Hall, as it was then known, stood in one of the closely settled streets of Swan Hill alongside the homes of skilled artisans and in close proximity to the residences of the middle class from which Methodism drew its strength and support - a pattern repeated throughout Brisbane in the 1890s.
In 1903, during the ministry in the Valley Circuit of the Rev. Dr. Stewart, the building was removed to a nearby, though more prominent site in Newmarket Road. Until circa 1910, the church remained the only building in this section of Newmarket Road between Green Terrace and Swan Terrace. As its congregation expanded in the first decades of the twentieth century, the church sought to cater for the varied needs, spiritual and social, through Christian Endeavour and guilds for young men and women. To provide for the expanding congregation, in particular the needs of the Sunday School, lean-to wings at the rear of the building and a room underneath were added during World War I. These were opened on 9 March 1918. In 1922, the Windsor Circuit was constituted when the Windsor and Wilston churches were separated from the Valley and the Rev. Cyril Morsley was appointed the first minister. The church had literally come of age. By 1925, ‘Kingleigh’ in Montpellier Street, Wilston was purchased for use as a parsonage.
In 1936, the year prior to the fiftieth anniversary of Methodism in the district, two memorials were dedicated: on 30 August - a new platform erected internally in memory of T.F. Chapman a former Trustee and Steward of the church and a memorial porch to perpetuate the names of Matthew Rigby, a pioneer member of the church and his son James, a former Circuit Steward. The windows, doors and other fittings in the porch were supported by voluntary donations. Then, in August 1937, the Church and its congregation celebrated its Golden Jubilee. Brisbane City Council building records for 1955 show an approval for an extension to the “church hall”.
In 1977, when the Uniting Church was formed from the amalgamation of some Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches, the church at Newmarket Road became the Windsor Uniting Church. Today, the Windsor Uniting Church continues to serve the spiritual needs of the local community.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Brisbane City Council Detail Plans
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Dingle, R.S.C., Annals of Achievement, 1847-1947. Brisbane: QBD, 1947
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Lawson, R., Brisbane in the 1890s. Brisbane: Queensland Museum, 1987 reprint
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Queensland Post Office Directories 1889 –1905
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The Queensland Methodist Times, 26 August 1937, Vol XI, No 19
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)