St Paul's Anglican Church

The first church of St. Paul's at Ashgrove was a timber hall built on land purchased by the rector of Ithaca, later Canon Garland, in the early 1920s. This building served as a church for some 30 years before the new brick church was built. It is now located at the rear of the present church and is utilised as a hall. The hall was built as a temporary measure, until a more permanent church could be constructed. A building fund was commenced and £1 000 contributed by Canon Garland. 

Ashgrove's population increased dramatically during the 1920s and 1930s as residential development in the area intensified. The extension of the tramline to Oleander Drive in 1924 and the sale of T.M. Burke's Glenlyon Gardens Estate precipitated this growth in development at Ashgrove. With the increase in population, the need for a new church became pressing. However, World War II and the difficulties caused by building restrictions in the post-war years saw plans to build a new church postponed. 

The first sketch plans for the new church were prepared by a local resident, Mr. R. Moreton Taylor, who was at that time the Principal Architect of the Commonwealth Department of Works and Housing. In 1950, Mr Bain of the architectural firm of Cross and Bain, was secured to complete the final plans. The builder for the church was another local resident, Mr H.J. Hodge, whose cooperation enabled a saving of £13 000 to be made on the cost of the church. 

In addition to £1 200 donated by parishioners over the two years prior to the church's opening, a substantial amount was raised by activities such as a garden party held in 1950.  A bank overdraft of £5 000 was procured in 1951 towards the building fund.

The church, while in a traditional style, was built with several unusual features, including heavily arched roof timbering, a crypt underneath the nave and a columbarium outside the wall of the sanctuary. A lych gate with a small belfry was built as a memorial to the late King George VI. The bell was donated by Herbert and Patricia Booty and family. The chapel and an extension to the name have since been added to the church.

Today, St. Paul's continues to provide a focus for Anglican worship in the Ashgrove community. It is significant as a site of Anglican worship in this area since the early 1920s.

1. Church Chronicle, June, July 1952

2. Anglican Church Archives, Brisbane, Minutes of Parochial Council, Parish of Ithaca, 11 July 1950