Wharf Street Congregational Church, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
The Wharf Street Congregational Church was a Congregational church
built in 1860 on the corner of Wharf Street and Adelaide Street, Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
. The church was demolished in 1928. It was the first Congregational church in Brisbane.
, whose advice to the immigrants was to combine for Christian fellowship and worship rather than establish separate denominations. In March 1850, the United Evangelical Church was created, combining those of Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregational beliefs, under the ministry of the Rev. Charles Stewart (chaplain of the Fortitude).
At first the congregation worshipped in the courthouse, but later purchased land fronting William and George Streets (in 2010 the Lands Office building occupies the site) and erected a brick church. However, while a united church served their early needs, the Baptists desired to have their own church and the united church was sold for £1500 and the proceeds divided between the three denominations, providing the basis for establishing three separate churches: Wharf Street Congregational, Wharf Street Baptist and Creek Street Presbyterian.
In 1859 the Rev. T. Bell, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church, died, and the building he had occupied was rented for a time for use for Congregational meetings. Meanwhile funds were being raised to add to the £500 received from the sale of the united church property.
of Wharf and Adelaide streets for £260. Charles Tiffin
, the architect, designed a brick church which was built by Joshua Jeays
. The total cost (including the land) was £1498 3s 7d, which was not greatly more than the funds of £1429 12s 2d which had been raised or promised.
Charles Tiffin was the Colonial Architect and designed many of Brisbane's important buildings, many of which were also built by Joshua Jeays, e.g. Old Government House
. So, although the first church was not very large, it was considered to have an imposing structure, based on simple early English lines.
The church was opened on 10 June 1860 and the first morning service in the new church was conducted by Rev. Wight.
In 1872, the church building had become too small for the congregation and it was enlarged to a seating capacity of 400 people, about double its original capacity. John Petrie
was architect and builder of the additions. In 1883 there were further additions: a new schoolroom, better seating accommodation, choir railings, and the replacement of the wooden floor with an asphalt floor (which defeated the white ants and kept the church much cooler in summer).
Rev. Griffith resigned as pastor in February 1889 due to his failing health. Rev. William Scott briefly took up the ministry but then moved to Sydney, forcing Rev. Griffith to return to the ministry.
In 1890 a new large pipe organ was installed.
Rev. Griffith died in 1891 and was buried in Toowong Cemetery
.
, beside the grave of the Rev. Griffith. Forty years later in September 1943, the ashes of his wife Mrs Wolstenholme were sent from England (where she had lived as a widow) to be buried with her husband in Toowong Cemetery
.
Subsequent ministers were:
In December 1924, it was agreed to sell the church property to the neighbouring St John's Cathedral
to facilitate the expansion of the cathedral precinct with the condition that the Congregationalists had two years to establish a new church. In January 1925, they purchased a property Inchcolm in Wickham Terrace with a view to demolishing it to make way for a new church building. However the Rev. Percival Watson persuaded the congregation to seek a more central site and land between Queen and Adelaide Streets (address 409 Adelaide Street) was purchased and Inchcolm was sold.
The final services in the Wharf Street Congregational Church were held on Sunday 25 September 1927 by Rev. Percival Watson.
Given the new street address, it was decided in October 1927 to name the new church City Congregational Church
.
In 1927, the pipe organ was sold to the Cracknell Road Congregational Church.
In 1928, the church was demolished.
In 2010, a modern office tower stands on the site.
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
built in 1860 on the corner of Wharf Street and Adelaide Street, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The church was demolished in 1928. It was the first Congregational church in Brisbane.
Early Congregationalism in Brisbane
It is believed that the first Congregationalists arrived on the Fortitude on the 21st January, 1849, being the first of three ships of free immigrants sent to this district by the Rev. Dr. John Dunmore LangJohn Dunmore Lang
John Dunmore Lang , Australian Presbyterian clergyman, writer, politician and activist, was the first prominent advocate of an independent Australian nation and of Australian republicanism.-Background and Family:...
, whose advice to the immigrants was to combine for Christian fellowship and worship rather than establish separate denominations. In March 1850, the United Evangelical Church was created, combining those of Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregational beliefs, under the ministry of the Rev. Charles Stewart (chaplain of the Fortitude).
At first the congregation worshipped in the courthouse, but later purchased land fronting William and George Streets (in 2010 the Lands Office building occupies the site) and erected a brick church. However, while a united church served their early needs, the Baptists desired to have their own church and the united church was sold for £1500 and the proceeds divided between the three denominations, providing the basis for establishing three separate churches: Wharf Street Congregational, Wharf Street Baptist and Creek Street Presbyterian.
Rev. George Wight
In 1858 the Rev. George Wight arrived at Brisbane from Edinburgh. He had been sent by the London Colonial Missionary Society to establish a Congregational Church in Brisbane. However, his immediate challenge was to find a venue for the congregation to meet for worship. He wrote of this period: "One of the difficulties that met us at the threshold was the impossibility of procuring, on any terms whatever, a proper place for holding meetings. There was only one place in the town (the hall of the School of Arts) where a hundred people could be comfortably accommodated and that was occupied by the Presbyterian congregation under the charge of the Rev.C. Ogg. We were therefore, fain to occupy a rickety loft—Mr. Binney called it facetiously an 'upper room' —reached by a rickety trap ladder, and used on week days as a schoolroom. The dilapidated wood building overhung a dark, sluggish creek, which meandered through the centre of the town, and after tropical showers the approach to it was almost impassable."In 1859 the Rev. T. Bell, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church, died, and the building he had occupied was rented for a time for use for Congregational meetings. Meanwhile funds were being raised to add to the £500 received from the sale of the united church property.
The Church Building
In May 1859 the congregation was ready to establish their own church building and proceeded to buy land on the cornerof Wharf and Adelaide streets for £260. Charles Tiffin
Charles Tiffin
Charles Tiffin was an Australian architect.- Early life :He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England where he studied under local architects M...
, the architect, designed a brick church which was built by Joshua Jeays
Joshua Jeays
-Personal life:Joshua Jeays was born in 1812 in Leicestershire, England.He married Sarah Edwyn in 1838 in Marylebone, Middlesex, England with whom he had a number of children including:* Sarah Jane* Joseph Joshua * Charles Edwyn...
. The total cost (including the land) was £1498 3s 7d, which was not greatly more than the funds of £1429 12s 2d which had been raised or promised.
Charles Tiffin was the Colonial Architect and designed many of Brisbane's important buildings, many of which were also built by Joshua Jeays, e.g. Old Government House
Old Government House
Old Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, as well as that in Fredericton of the Canadian monarch...
. So, although the first church was not very large, it was considered to have an imposing structure, based on simple early English lines.
The church was opened on 10 June 1860 and the first morning service in the new church was conducted by Rev. Wight.
Rev. Edward Griffith
Family reasons forced Rev. Wight's return to Scotland and in September 1860, Rev. Edward Griffith became the pastor of the church. During his 30 years ministry, the congregation grew from 48 to over 700 people. He oversaw the establishment of a number of branch churches in the suburbs.In 1872, the church building had become too small for the congregation and it was enlarged to a seating capacity of 400 people, about double its original capacity. John Petrie
John Petrie
John "Jocky" Petrie was a Scottish football player who played for Arbroath F.C..He holds the record for the most goals ever scored in a senior British football game with 13 goals. This occurred during Arbroath's famous 36–0 victory over Bon Accord F.C...
was architect and builder of the additions. In 1883 there were further additions: a new schoolroom, better seating accommodation, choir railings, and the replacement of the wooden floor with an asphalt floor (which defeated the white ants and kept the church much cooler in summer).
Rev. Griffith resigned as pastor in February 1889 due to his failing health. Rev. William Scott briefly took up the ministry but then moved to Sydney, forcing Rev. Griffith to return to the ministry.
In 1890 a new large pipe organ was installed.
Rev. Griffith died in 1891 and was buried in Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
.
Later years
The church was without a minister until 19 March 1893, when the Rev. John Routledge Wolstenholme commenced. However, he died soon after on 25th May, and was buried at Toowong CemeteryToowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
, beside the grave of the Rev. Griffith. Forty years later in September 1943, the ashes of his wife Mrs Wolstenholme were sent from England (where she had lived as a widow) to be buried with her husband in Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery
The Brisbane General Cemetery also known as Toowong Cemetery at Toowong, Brisbane was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemetery and is located on forty-four hectares of land at the corner of Frederick Street and Mount Coot-tha Road approximately four and a...
.
Subsequent ministers were:
- Rev. Hugh Jones (May 1895 - April 1903)
- Rev. Loyal Lincoln Wirt (May 1904 - Oct 1907)
- Rev. W.H. Lewis (June 1908 - Aug 1915) who proposed (apparently unsuccessfully) that the church be named after St BarnabasBarnabasBarnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
- Rev. Stanley Morrison (Oct 1916 - February 1923)
- Rev. George Rayner (initially March 1923 - July 1923 and then March 1924 - February 1925)
- Rev. Percival Watson (commencing July 1925 and then transferring to the City Congregational Church, BrisbaneCity Congregational Church, BrisbaneCity Congregational Church was a church building of the Congregational Church in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, which replaced the Wharf Street Congregational Church, Brisbane.-Construction:...
on closure of the Wharf Street church)
The sale and demolition
By 1923, the church again became too small for the congregation's needs and, in addition, traffic noise (including the noise of the trams) was becoming a problem during church services.In December 1924, it was agreed to sell the church property to the neighbouring St John's Cathedral
St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
to facilitate the expansion of the cathedral precinct with the condition that the Congregationalists had two years to establish a new church. In January 1925, they purchased a property Inchcolm in Wickham Terrace with a view to demolishing it to make way for a new church building. However the Rev. Percival Watson persuaded the congregation to seek a more central site and land between Queen and Adelaide Streets (address 409 Adelaide Street) was purchased and Inchcolm was sold.
The final services in the Wharf Street Congregational Church were held on Sunday 25 September 1927 by Rev. Percival Watson.
Given the new street address, it was decided in October 1927 to name the new church City Congregational Church
City Congregational Church, Brisbane
City Congregational Church was a church building of the Congregational Church in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, which replaced the Wharf Street Congregational Church, Brisbane.-Construction:...
.
In 1927, the pipe organ was sold to the Cracknell Road Congregational Church.
In 1928, the church was demolished.
In 2010, a modern office tower stands on the site.
People associated with the church
- Samuel GriffithSamuel GriffithSir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
, the Premier of Queensland from 1883 to 1885 and again from 1890 to 1893 and the first Chief Justice of AustraliaChief Justice of AustraliaThe Chief Justice of Australia is the informal title for the presiding justice of the High Court of Australia and the highest-ranking judicial officer in the Commonwealth of Australia...
from 1903 to 1917, was the son of Rev. Edward Griffith.
- Alfred John RaymondAlfred John RaymondAlfred John Raymond was mayor of Brisbane in 1912.- Early life :Alfred was born in Clifton, Bristol, England to parents Henry George Raymond and Mary Ann , the fifth of eight children. The family lived at 16 Camden Terrace, Clifton.Alfred like his father was a carpenter and builder by trade and...
, alderman and mayor of BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
was a member of congregation and was part of the team who conducted the negotiations of sale to St John's Cathedral.