Albert Street Uniting Church

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Albert Street Uniting Church
Albert Street Uniting Church, Brisbane, Jan 2020, 01.jpg
Albert Street Uniting Church, 2020
Albert Street Uniting Church
27°28′04″S153°01′26″E / 27.4678°S 153.0238°E / -27.4678; 153.0238
Address319 Albert Street, Brisbane City, Queensland
CountryAustralia
Denomination Uniting (since 1977)
Previous denomination Methodist (1888–1977)
Website albertstreet.church
History
Former name(s)
  • Albert Street Methodist Church
  • Central Methodist Mission
Status Church
Founded18 August 1888 (1888-08-18)
Dedicated8 November 1889
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s) George Henry Male Addison
Architectural typeChurch
Style Gothic Revival
Years built1888–1889
Construction cost £10,000
Specifications
Materials Red brick; limestone; slate
Administration
Synod Queensland
Presbytery Moreton Rivers
Parish Albert Street, Brisbane
Clergy
Minister(s)
  • Rev. Brian Hoole
Official name
  • Albert Street Uniting Church
  • Albert Street Methodist Church
TypeState heritage (built)
Designated21 October 1992
Reference no.600066
Significant period1888–1889 (fabric)
Significant componentsMemorial – window, tower, furniture/fittings, pipe organ, memorial – honour board/ roll of honour, stained glass window/s
BuildersThomas Pearson & Sons

Albert Street Uniting Church is a heritage-listed Uniting church at 319 Albert Street (on the corner of Ann Street), Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Henry Male Addison and built from 1888 to 1889 by Thomas Pearson & Sons. It was originally known as Albert Street Methodist Church and Central Methodist Mission. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. [1]

Contents

History

First Methodist church, 1849-1856 First Albert Street Methodist Church, Brisbane, 1849-1856.jpg
First Methodist church, 1849-1856

First Methodist church

The first Methodist church in Brisbane, a modest brick chapel, was constructed in 1848–49 at a cost of £150, on the corner of Albert Street and Burnett Lane. Many of the bricks and stone used in its construction had come from a demolished building on the corner of Queen and Edward Streets. It was opened on 10 March 1849, with the first service conducted by a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Thomas Mowbray. The building measured 35 feet long and 18 feet wide, and could seat 150 people. A parsonage was also built in 1849 behind the church facing Burnett Lane, and originally consisted of only two rooms, with two additional rooms added later. [2]

Second Methodist church

Second Methodist Church, 1856-1889 Second Albert Street Methodist Church, Brisbane, 1856-1889.jpg
Second Methodist Church, 1856-1889

The first church was replaced in 1856 by a larger building. It was built by Joshua Jeays, who also built Parliament House and the first stage of Old Government House. It cost £2667, was 80 feet long by 40 feet wide, and could seat 500 people. This building had stained glass windows, some of which were transferred to the current church building. Several pews from the first building were kept, whilst additional pews were crafted for the second building. These pews are now located in the gallery of the current church building. The first service in the second building was conducted on 6 December 1856 by Rev. John Eggleston. [2]

Third Methodist church

By the early 1880s the congregation had grown substantially and in 1884 purchased a site on the corner of Albert and Ann Streets. A competition was held for the design of a new church which was won by G H M Addison. [1] The third church was built for a cost of £ 10,000 by contractor Thomas Pearson & Sons. Other tradespeople included Petrie & Son (joinery), and Exton and Gough (stained glass windows). In keeping with the importance placed on music in Methodism, a large pipe organ was installed. It was built by George Benson of Manchester for a cost of £ 1,000. Five foundation stones were laid by prominent congregation members on 18 August 1888 and the church was officially opened on 8 November 1889. [1]

In the 1920s, a marble honour board was erected in the front entrance vestibule commemorating the members of the congregation who served in World War I. Additional stained glass windows were installed as memorials in 1944 and 1947. Restoration work was undertaken in 1974–75 and involved the replacement of the slate roof. Further repair work on the building has been undertaken over the years. [1]

In 1907, the church became known as the Central Methodist Mission in recognition of its wider responsibilities as the main Methodist church in the city. The congregation has been involved in a variety of welfare activities and has developed an extensive network of accommodation and other services for aged people. [1]

On Thursday 1 March 1928, John Gladwell Wheen, the President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia unveiled a memorial tablet for Henry Youngman in the church. [3] [4] [5] [6]

The church served as the symbolic centre of Methodism in Queensland. The Annual Conference was opened each year in the church and significant occasions for Methodists were celebrated there. With the formation of the Uniting Church in 1977, the church was renamed Albert Street Uniting Church. [1]

Description

View from Ann Street, 2013 Brisbane CBD albert st uniting.jpg
View from Ann Street, 2013

Albert Street Uniting Church is built of red brick with trimmings in white Oamaru limestone, now painted, and has a slate roof. It is an example of a Victorian Gothic Revival church with its cruciform plan shape, steeply pitched roof forms, the imposing spire beside the entry, and the heavy buttressing of the facades. [1]

The entry to the church is from an open porch with three Gothic arches at the end of the nave. Similar arcades exist down the sides of the church. A single large Gothic opening with fine tracery is located above the entry porch. To the right of the entry is a tower rising to the octagonal spire which has tall dormers on four of its faces and four pinnacles at the corners of its base. The top of the spire has a wrought iron finial. [1]

The roof on the nave also has small dormer ventilators. A side entry is to the right of the base of the tower and has a broad Gothic arch with a steeply pitched parapet topped by a Christian cross. The end of each transept has a rose window in the gable end above a pair of Gothic arched windows that in turn are above groups of smaller openings. [1]

Internally, the nave floor slopes down towards the pulpit and the walls are rendered, with a timber boarded dado. The galleries contain tiered seating and are supported on cast iron columns with ornate capitals. The main ceiling and gallery soffits are diagonally boarded and finely carved timberwork is incorporated into the gallery railings, roof structure and furnishings. [1]

The focus of the interior is the pulpit and organ. The pulpit is raised several metres above the floor, and reflects the importance in the Methodist tradition that was given to preaching. Above and behind the pulpit is a large decoratively painted pipe organ which reflects the value placed by Methodists on music and singing. [1]

Heritage listing

Albert Street Uniting Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. [1]

Demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

Demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

Aesthetic significance.

Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

List of ministers

Superintendent ministers

NameImageTenureNotes
William Moore

(24 March 1821, Parramatta, Sydney - 12 September 1893, Stanmore, Sydney) [7]

1847–1849Conducted his first service in Brisbane on 24 October 1847 one week after arriving. Oversaw the construction of the first Albert Street church building from 1848–49. [2]
William Lightbody

(1818, Armagh, Ireland - 13 March 1879, near Portland, Victoria) [8]

1849–1850
John Watsford

(5 December 1820, Parramatta, Sydney - 24 July 1907, Kew, Melbourne) [9]

1850–1851First Australian-born minister appointed to Queensland (Moore was not an ordained minister when he first arrived in Brisbane). [2]
John Gane Millard

(25 September 1827, Frome, England - 17 June 1897, Launceston, Tasmania) [10]

1851–1854
William Jones Killick Piddington

(26 March 1830, London, England - 14 June 1897, Tamworth, New South Wales)

1855–1858Oversaw the construction of the second Albert Street church building in 1856. [2] Later Anglican Archdeacon of Tamworth 1880–1897. [11]

Father of William Henry Piddington and Albert Bathurst Piddington.

Samuel Wilkinson

(31 July 1813, Bishop Auckland, England - 27 December 1899, Petersham, Sydney) [12]

1858–1860
Joseph Horner Fletcher

(1 October 1823, Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - 30 June 1890, Stanmore, Sydney) [13]

JH Fletcher - Jubilee Newingtonian 1913.jpg
1860–1864Father of Joseph James Fletcher and Norman Vyner Fletcher. Nephew of William George Horner. Uncle of Charles Brundson Fletcher.
T. Beazley1864–1868
Isaac Harding

(20 February 1815, Wanstrow, England - 17 July 1897, Bowen Hills, Brisbane) [14]

1868–1871Founded the Methodist book depot in Brisbane. [14]
William George Taylor

(18 January 1845, Knayton, England - 24 September 1934, Lindfield, Sydney) [15]

1871–1874
Frederick Thomas Brentnall

(17 June 1834, Riddings, England - 11 January 1925, Coorparoo, Brisbane) [16]

1874–1877Husband of Elizabeth Brentnall née Watson.
W. Wilson1877–1879
Dr. R. Sellars1879–1882
M. H. Parkinson1882–1885
James Adams Nolan

(11 November 1837, Greencastle, Ireland - 17 April 1904, Australia) [17]

1885–1888Husband of Sara Susan Nolan. Father of Howard Henry Nolan and Percy Leonard Nolan.
Henry Youngman

(29 December 1848, Kidderminster, England - 11 March 1927, Toowong, Brisbane) [18]

Reverend Henry Youngman.jpg
1888–1891Considered "the Father of Methodism in Queensland". Oversaw the construction of the third and current Albert Street church building from 1888–89. President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia from 1910-13.
Arthur John Webb

(1847, Sevenoaks, England - 30 July 1899, Burwood, Sydney)

1892–1895
Joseph Bowes

(1852, Camden, Sydney - 27 March 1928, Greenslopes, Brisbane)

1895–1898
C. E. James1899–1902
Joseph Snell

(1 November 1864, Boconnoc, England - August 1939, Geelong, Victoria)

1902–1906
George Edwards Rowe

(26 August 1858, Scorrier, England - 27 October 1926, Nundah, Brisbane)

1906–1926Died of a heart attack whilst minister at Albert Street Methodist Church.
Harold Manuel Wheller OBE

(26 January 1882, Tarlee, South Australia - 17 November 1979, Auchenflower, Brisbane) [19]

1927–1952President-General of the Methodist Church of Australasia from 1941-45. Wheller on the Park Retirement Village in Chermside is named after him.
George Nash OBE

(10 April 1905, Berkley, England - 4 February 2003, Jindalee, Brisbane)

1952–1976
Raymond Fletcher Hunt OBE

(Sydney, New South Wales - 2017, Queensland)

1976–1994Minister when Albert Street Methodist Church joined the new Uniting Church in Australia in 1977. Also Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland from 1985–1986.
Dr. William Duncan Adams

(10 June 1930 - 30 June 2024)

1994–2000
Dr. David Pitman AM 2000–2005Also Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland from 1996–1999 and 2005–2008.
Lynette Burden OAM

(b. September 1950)

2006–2018First female superintendent minister of Albert Street Uniting Church.
Dr. Peter Hobson2018–2024

Congregational ministers

NameImageTenureNotes
Anne Hulbert?-2011
Daniel Skippen2011–2020
Melanie Wheeley?-2024
Brian Hoole2024-current
Amy Yang2025-current

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Albert Street Uniting Church (entry 600066)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, F. R. The Church on the Square: A History of the Albert Street Church. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ISBN   0-7316-7252-6.
  3. "Henry Youngman". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  4. "METHODIST". The Brisbane Courier . No. 21, 867. Queensland, Australia. 25 February 1928. p. 11. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "THE PRESIDENT-GENERAL". The Methodist . Vol. 37, no. 11. New South Wales, Australia. 17 March 1928. p. 5. Retrieved 22 April 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "THE LATE REV. DR. HENRY YOUNGMAN". The Methodist . Vol. 37, no. 11. New South Wales, Australia. 17 March 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  7. Grimmett, I. H., "William Moore (1821–1893)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 4 November 2024, retrieved 13 March 2025
  8. "Rev. William Lightbody". companyofangels.net. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  9. Howe, Renate, "John Watsford (1820–1907)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 13 March 2025
  10. "DEATH OF THE REV. J. G. MILLARD". Age. 17 June 1897. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  11. "Australian Christian Church Histories - Tamworth, NSW - St John's Anglican". www.churchhistories.net.au. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  12. "DEATH OF THE REV. SAMUEL WILKINSON". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 December 1899. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  13. Smart, D. B., "Joseph Horner Fletcher (1823–1890)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 29 April 2025, retrieved 13 March 2025
  14. 1 2 "Dictionary of NZ Biography". dict-bio.howison.co.nz. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  15. Wright, Don, "William George Taylor (1845–1934)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 14 March 2025
  16. Lawson, Ronald, "Frederick Thomas Brentnall (1834–1925)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 18 March 2025, retrieved 14 March 2025
  17. "Obituary Notice of the Late Rev. James A. Nolan". Methodist. 25 June 1904. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  18. "LATE REV. H. YOUNGMAN, D.D." Methodist. 19 March 1927. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
  19. Noble, Jennifer, "Harold Manuel Wheller (1882–1979)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 14 March 2025

Attribution

CC-BY-icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article incorporates text from "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).