Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church

Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church (former)
Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church (former)
Potters Gallery; Brisbane Modern Art Gallery
	Former Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church
	27°27′40″S153°02′17″E / 27.4611°S 153.038°E
Address	483 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland
Country	Australia
Previous denomination	Primitive Methodist (1876–1898); Methodist (1898–1977); Uniting (1977–1982);
History
Former name(s)	High Church; Brunswick Street Methodist Church; Brunswick Street Uniting Church;
Status	Church (1876 –1982); Commercial gallery (since 1982);
Founded	1 March 1876
Founder(s)	Corporation of the Primitive Methodist Connexion
Dedicated	24 September 1876
Architecture
Architect(s)	Richard Gailey
Architectural type	Church (former)
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1876 –1900
Construction cost	£1,100
Closed	1982 (as a church)
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name	Potters Gallery, Brunswick Street Methodist Church, Brunswick Street Uniting Church, Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church, High Church
Type	State heritage (built)
Designated	21 October 1992
Reference no.	600206
Significant period	1876, 1900 (fabric); 1876–1982, 1898, 1977 (historical)
Significant components	Wall/s – retaining
Builders	John Smith & Sons

Last updated March 01, 2024

The Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church is a heritage-listed former church and now an art gallery at 483 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from 1876 to 1900 by John Smith & Sons on behalf of the Primitive Methodist Church.

History

This brick building was erected in 1876 for the Primitive Methodist congregation of Brisbane, on a site in Brunswick Street acquired by The Corporation of the Primitive Methodist Connexion in 1875.^[1] It was the third Primitive Methodist Church erected in Brisbane.

First and second church buildings

Primitive Methodist Services conducted by lay preachers commenced in Brisbane in 1859, and the first minister arrived the following year. A small church was built in Windmell (now McLachlan) Street, Fortitude Valley, in 1861, and shortly afterwards, a second church was erected in Adelaide Street. By the mid-1870s, a new church was necessary to serve the expanding Fortitude Valley population.^[1]

Third church building

Plans for the new church were drawn by Brisbane architect Richard Gailey, who designed a substantial number of Protestant churches in Queensland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Baptist City Tabernacle in Wickham Terrace, opened in 1890. Tenders for the Brunswick Street church were called in February 1876, and the contract was let to John Smith & Sons of Adelaide Street. Several foundation stones were laid on 1 March 1876, and the building was completed in about five and a half months at a cost of approximately £ 1,100, including fittings. The opening service was conducted on 24 September 1876. The Brunswick Street church became the centre of Primitive Methodism in Brisbane.^[1]

One of the most successful of the church's activities was the establishment of the Fortitude Valley Penny Savings Bank, which operated from the church premises from 1886 until 1982, and then from a private residence until wound up in 1993. Penny Savings Banks had operated in Brisbane from at least the 1870s, and generally were run by churches, working men's associations or lodges. They were neither registered banking institutions nor building or friendly societies; the aim of these banks appears to have been more to encourage people who could not afford the minimum deposit required by regular savings banks, to save. The Fortitude Valley Penny Savings Bank was established by Mr H Bennett, and maintained primarily by the Bennett family for over a century. Associated initially with the Primitive Methodist Sunday School, the bank later offered first mortgage housing loans. It was autonomous from the working of the church, but profits were donated to church maintenance and special projects.^[1]

Following the 1898 unification of Queensland's various Methodist groups - Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Bible Christians, and United Free Methodists - the Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church became known as the Brunswick Street Methodist Church.^[1]

The building was extended in 1900, when a vestry and classroom were added at the rear of the building. These extensions were planned to commemorate the advent of the 20th century.^[1]

In 1935-36, a timber hall was constructed at the rear of the property. Plans were drawn by Rev Frederick Arthur Malcolm, and the building was erected by voluntary labour, at a cost of £ 375. A stump-capping ceremony was held on 17 August 1935, and the hall was opened on 5 April 1936. This building has been altered substantially, and does not form part of the present entry in the Heritage Register.^[1]

Church closure and subsequent use

In 1977 the congregation joined the Uniting Church and combined with the Fortitude Valley Presbyterian Church. The Brunswick Street church was no longer required and was sold to the Queensland Potters' Association in 1982. The Association refurbished the building and added a steel-framed mezzanine floor, designed by conservation architect Richard Allom.^[2] In 1983 it opened the Potters Gallery on the premises to display and sell members' work.^[1]

In 2005 a major project was undertaken to construct a new gallery building on street level with the church building above it. Cox Rayner Architects designed the project. The new gallery opened in October 2008, after many difficulties; however, it closed in September 2010. The gallery building operated as a French bistro restaurant, Lady Lamington, for a period, before being sold in early 2014. It has since re-opened as a private art gallery, the Brisbane Modern Art Gallery.^[3]^[4]

Description

The Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church, a single-storeyed rendered masonry building with a stone plinth, is located on a raised corner site overlooking Brunswick Street and is accessed via twin stairs built into a carefully articulated and unpainted brick retaining wall.^[1]

The steep pitch gabled roof is clad with corrugated iron, and the building shows a strong Gothic influence in its design.^[1]

The rectangular plan consists of five bays with buttressed walls, and a rear storeroom with a corrugated iron skillion roof. Each bay houses a single lancet window, each of which is glazed with a sandblasted glass panel.^[1]

The symmetrical, highly decorative northern elevation has twin pointed arch doorways with entrance porches, a single lancet window and a rose window above. Access is via a twin set of stone stairs, and the elevation is framed by twin spires. The building has decorative timber work to eaves and bargeboards, with decorative mouldings around windows.^[1]

The southern elevation has a rose window above the original pulpit with the storeroom attached below. The rose windows are glazed in red, blue and yellow glass panels.^[1]

Internally, open timber trusses are positioned in line with the buttresses and the ceiling is boarded. Interior walls are rendered and a steel mezzanine has been inserted, supported by twelve columns and attached to the side walls in four places. Access is via a stair from the original raised pulpit platform which has the original pulpit and rail.^[1]

The storeroom has fanlights above windows and doors, and has been partially partitioned. A recent administration building is located to the rear of the building.^[1]

Heritage listing

The Fortitude Valley Primitive Methodist Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

It is important in demonstrating the establishment and evolution of Primitive Methodism in Queensland in the second half of the 19th century.^[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

It is important in exhibiting a range of aesthetic characteristics valued by the community, in particular its contribution, through scale, form and materials, to the Brunswick Street streetscape and Fortitude Valley townscape and its highly decorative northern street elevation.^[1]

The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

It has a special association with Brisbane architect Richard Gailey, as an example of his ecclesiastical work and with the Fortitude Valley Penny Savings Bank for nearly a century.^[1]

Related Research Articles

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Brunswick Street is a main thoroughfare within the suburbs of New Farm and Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Australia. The street is not entirely roadway but is a pedestrian mall for a hundred metres near its centre.

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McWhirters is a heritage-listed former department store at Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as McWhirters Marketplace, McWhirters & Son Ltd, and Myer. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

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Albert Street Uniting Church is a heritage-listed Uniting church at 319 Albert 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.

Holy Trinity Parish Hall is a heritage-listed Anglican church hall at 141 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John Hingeston Buckeridge and built from 1891 to 1892 by John Quinn. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Baptist City Tabernacle is a heritage-listed Baptist church at 163 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from c. 1889 to 1890. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. The church is affiliated with the Australian Baptist Ministries.

Holy Trinity Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at 141 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the second church on that site. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley built from 1876 to 1877 by James Robinson. It was modified in 1920–1921, 1925 and 1929. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Holy Trinity Rectory is a heritage-listed Anglican clergy house at 141 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built in 1889 by James Robinson. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Patrick's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Giovanni Stombuco and built from 1880 to 1882 by John Arthur Manis O'Keefe. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Empire Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 339 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built in 1888 by Smith and Ball. It was renovated in 1925 to a design by Richard Gailey, Junior. It was further renovated in 1937 to incorporate apartments designed by Hall and Phillips. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

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Fortitude Valley State School is a heritage-listed former state school at 95 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Benjamin Backhouse and built from 1867 to 1913. It is also known as State Emergency Services State Headquarters and former Fortitude Valley Boys School and former Fortitude Valley Girls and Infants School. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 26 March 1999.

Bulolo Flats is a heritage-listed apartment block at 9 McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hennessey, Hennessey & Co and built in 1934 by P H Turner & Co. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 13 November 2008.

Fortitude Valley Methodist Church and Hall are a heritage-listed former church and its hall at 116–120 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

The TC Beirne Department Store is a heritage-listed former department store at 28 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Robin Dods and built in 1902. Further extensions were made through to 1938 to the designs of Dods and Hennessey & Hennessey. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 December 2003.

La Scala is a heritage-listed detached house at 517 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Ramsay Hall and built c. 1915. It was originally known as Craig Athol. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

The Bank of New South Wales is a heritage-listed former bank at 242 Mary Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from 1890 to 1891 by T. Kelly. It is also known as Widgee Shire Council Chambers, Coolooa Shire Council Chambers and Gympie Regional Council Chambers. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 15 April 2011.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Potters Gallery (entry 600206)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
↑ "Digital Archive of Queensland Architecture" . Retrieved 1 March 2024.
↑ "About Ceramic Arts Queensland". Ceramic Arts Queensland. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
↑ "Food review: Lady Lamington, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane". The Courier-Mail. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2015.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "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 originally 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).

External links

Brisbane Modern Art Gallery official website
"Former Primitive Methodist Church (Potters Gallery)" (PDF). A Heritage Study of Brisbane Places of Worship (pre-1940). Heritage Unit, Brisbane City Council. November 1996. pp. 176–179. Retrieved 16 September 2023– via University of Queensland Library.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[qhr-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Potters Gallery (entry 600206)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

[2] "Digital Archive of Queensland Architecture" . Retrieved 1 March 2024.

[3] "About Ceramic Arts Queensland". Ceramic Arts Queensland. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2015.

[4] "Food review: Lady Lamington, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane". The Courier-Mail. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2015.

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