Graceville Uniting Church

The Graceville Uniting Church Complex site consists of the original church hall, erected in 1917; the church, opened in 1930; and the memorial hall, opened in 1951, all to the design of Walter Taylor. Repairs were made to the buildings from the mid-1950s onwards, with a jubilee restoration project to restore the church and memorial hall completed in 1965.[1]

The Graceville Uniting Church (formerly Graceville Methodist Church) was originally part of the Sherwood circuit. In August 1914, it was deemed advisable to start a Sunday School in Graceville. The Sunday School was given the use of sheds on the Graceville recreation grounds, however, by 1917 the Sunday School had outgrown this accommodation. In January 1917, Messrs Taylor, Draper and Hedges were appointed to a committee to investigate a possible site for additional accommodation. Verney Road, east of Graceville railway station, was selected as the most central and appropriate site. Within a few days, Mr Taylor was approached by Mr Keid regarding eight allotments in Addison, Verney and Oxley Roads which were for sale for £135. Taylor paid a deposit of £10 to secure the property. In February 1917, the church decided to purchase three blocks - Allotments 299, 300 and 301 for £60, purchasing the other five allotments two years later for £75. The land was registered on 22 August 1917 as the property of the Methodist Church, with four nominated trustees. The new trustees agreed to secure a loan of £125 to build a new hall on the site. Taylor was appointed Honorary Architect and supervisor of the project and it was agreed that the hall was to be built by voluntary labour.[1]

The new hall was opened on 3 November 1917 by the President of the Methodist Conference, Rev. W. Brown.[2] Its construction was the result of community effort, built with the donation of various materials and voluntary labour. Taylor was heavily involved in the project - he drew the plans, prepared the specifications and supervised the work. The hall had the seating capacity of 120 people. While built for the Sunday School, the hall was also used for Sunday evening services, and for community events, such as community meetings, debating and concerts. At the end of 1917, the Graceville congregation became a separate entity from the Sherwood congregation. The Sunday School continued to grow, prompting a request for Taylor to prepare plans of an extension to the hall. Taylor volunteered to supervise the construction of the extensions and they were completed by his staff by 4 February 1924.[1]

In 1928, the Church Trustees empowered Walter Taylor to devise plans for a new church on the corner of Verney and Oxley Roads. The foundation stone was laid on Saturday 2 March 1929 at a ceremony presided over by the President of the Queensland Methodist Conference, Rev. C.T. Palethorpe.[3] Like the hall, the construction of the church was a community effort, with the donation of labour, cash and much of the construction material including filling, fencing, concrete foundations, reinforcing steel, bearers, floor joists, timber for roof construction and cathedral glass for windows. The congregation had intended to complete the superstructure of the church without borrowing any money, however the economics of the time were against them. Being the time of the Depression, many of the men of the parish were unemployed, on relief work, and so were unable to give money as generously as they had done in the past. £500 was borrowed from the Methodist Loan Fund.[1]

The church was opened by His Excellency the Governor of Queensland, Sir John Goodwin, on 29 November 1930. Tribute was paid to the architect and builder of the church, Walter Taylor, with the congregation's appreciation expressed in the erection of a marble slab and framed photographs of Walter and Louisa Taylor in the church.[1][4]

According to the Queensland Methodist Times, the use of the Perpendicular Gothic style was an innovation in Methodist architecture. The precast concrete parts were made in Walter Taylor's workshop, moved to the site and "placed in position like masonry. They were laced together with steel and concrete providing a building of extra-ordinary strength, without in any way detracting from the gracefulness of design". After the buttresses were erected, walls, panels and window jambs at the top and filled in with concrete slabs, formed a broken surface, "with a very pleasing effect". A parapet with a counterfoil design was mounted on top of the walls between the buttresses, and was broken by a pointed turret over each buttress. "Rapid hardening cement and reinforced concrete have made it possible to construct on a very modest scale a building containing all the essential features".[1]

Cruciform in plan, the church was symbolic in its representation of part of the Scriptures - a parable in stone. The exterior walls were to be constructed from 33 buttresses which represent the 33 years of Christ's life on earth. The walls between the buttresses were divided into seven - the perfect number in the Bible. There are three windows in each bay - a trinity of light. The building featured 1450 Gothic arches and 8000 panes of tinted Cathedral glass.[1]

In November 1937, two trees were given to the church by Mrs Taylor and planted in the church grounds. Various other additions were made to the church, including a photograph frame containing pictures of past ministers, a baptismal font, a pulpit, and a memorial plaque to commemorate Brother James William Roberts.[1]

At a Trustees Meeting on 15 November 1944, a letter from Taylor was read which stated that the time was opportune to launch a scheme to build a memorial hall and to simultaneously pay off the church debt. Plans proposed by Taylor were presented to the meeting and the committee agreed to go ahead with the construction of the hall which would be a memorial to those who served in World War II and would be used by the Sunday School and church societies.[1]

The foundation stone of the memorial hall was laid on 20 September 1947 by Mr W.H. Green.[5] Taylor recommended that the front and side fence of the church be removed. The good portions were re-erected at the side of the hall and the broken pieces were used in the foundations. After delays caused by shortages of materials and Bureau of Industry concerns, the memorial hall was officially opened on 1 December 1951.[6] Apart from the honour board remembering those who fell in World War II, the memorial also contained many tributes to former church members.[1]

From the 1950s, various renovations and modifications were carried out on the Graceville Methodist Church. In 1955 repairs were needed to the church floor and to the roof, and in November 1956 the vestry roof and floor of the tower were resurfaced. A new concrete sump was placed under the church and an automatic electric pump to remove water from the sump was installed. A 1957 report by architects Cook and Kerrison, found the church in serious need of repair. It was agreed to allow Cook and Kerrison to proceed with preparing specifications for renewing the floor and box guttering. The trustees approved that the new church floor should be concrete with a suitable covering. The £1972 tender of A. L. Paice was accepted. To complete the work, the existing pulpit and communion rail were removed and later re-installed to one side. In 1958 a new septic toilet block was constructed and a new memorial window was unveiled in the church. A new organ was donated in 1959. The interior of the church was also repainted by Ash and Nephew, and Brisbane Lead Light Service repaired and installed various windows. In 1960 new stairs from the Minister's Vestry to the choir stalls were constructed, and in 1962 a new pulpit chair was installed.[1]

In about March 1962 Louisa Taylor died and in accordance with the will of Walter Taylor the overdraft and the balance owed to the Methodist Loan Fund were liquidated. The two large windows at the Verney Road end of the church were dedicated as memorial windows to Mr and Mrs Taylor.[1]

In 1963 the original Trustee committee was replaced by the Property Board of Graceville Methodist Church who selected the restoration of the church and memorial hall as its jubilee project. The most important issues were the spalling of the concrete in the hall and church owing to the penetration of moisture which caused the steel reinforcing to rust, and damage and disfigurement caused by pigeon droppings. The restoration work was completed in 1965 by Building Plastics. The project involved cutting out loose concrete where spalling was evident, cleaning, treating the steel reinforcement and repairing the concrete. All loose paint and moss was removed, anti-mould solution was applied, a sealer coat was added as well as a coat of bitumen and woven fibreglass cloth was used to cover all the cracks and repairs. Finally two more coats of bitumen, two colour coats and two coats of clear plastic were applied. The new colour chosen was beige. In 1965 the tennis courts were also improved and the retired men of the parish gave up their Friday afternoons to improve the church grounds.[1]

Throughout the late 1960s, several other additions and improvements were made. New carpet and linoleum was laid, three of the church windows were replaced, the church was rewired, lighting in the choir lofts was added and a beam under the Vestry floor was strengthened. A new organ was purchased, a memorial side pulpit was built, and three memorial chairs and a carved timber flower stand was installed. In the 1970s the hall was renovated as were the two tennis courts. In 1980 the choir vestry floor was repaired and tiled, and the tiles in the church were also cleaned. A concrete ramp to facilitate wheelchair access was installed, new stainless steel guttering was added to the church roof, and the old hall was renovated.[1]

After the formation of the Uniting Church in 1977, the Graceville Parish remained a part of the Sherwood Parish until 1988. Since then Graceville has been a separate Uniting Church parish.[1]

The Graceville Uniting Church and Memorial Hall are sited on a block bounded by Oxley Road, Verney Road East and Addison Road. In addition to the church and hall, the site also contains the original timber church hall and tennis courts. Plantings exist along the Oxley Road elevation of the church.[1]

Graceville Uniting Church Complex was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 September 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.[1]

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

The church and hall are significant as good representative examples of the Inter-War Gothic Style of architecture. The church and hall are important for their aesthetic and architectural significance as well composed, unusual buildings and as important landmark elements of the streetscape. In particular, the church tower and spire is dominant in the streetscape and provides a local landmark.[1]

The method of construction used on both the church and the hall was radically different to conventional construction techniques of the time, and as such demonstrate a high degree of technical achievement in the early use of pre-cast concrete in Queensland.[1]

Since opening, the church and the hall have been in continuous use providing for the spiritual, recreational and social needs of the Graceville Community, creating a strong and special association with the site. The church and hall are significant for their strong association with prominent builder, Walter Taylor, who designed the buildings, devised their unusual construction method and supervised their construction. Taylor was also a major financial contributor to the construction of the complex, and included expressions of his faith in the design and layout of the church in which he worshipped for many years. Taylor was a major building contractor in Brisbane, known particularly for his reinforced concrete buildings and structures. His most famous work was the Walter Taylor bridge, constructed in 1935 as a toll bridge over the Brisbane River at Indooroopilly.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

The church and hall are significant as good representative examples of the Inter-War Gothic Style of architecture.[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

The church and hall are important for their aesthetic and architectural significance as well composed, unusual buildings and as important landmark elements of the streetscape. In particular, the church tower and spire is dominant in the streetscape and provides a local landmark.[1]

The place is important in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

The method of construction used on both the church and the hall was radically different to conventional construction techniques of the time, and as such demonstrate a high degree of technical achievement in the early use of pre-cast concrete in Queensland.[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Since opening, the church and the hall have been in continuous use providing for the spiritual, recreational and social needs of the Graceville Community, creating a strong and special association with the site.[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.

The church and hall are significant for their strong association with prominent builder, Walter Taylor, who designed the buildings, devised their unusual construction method and supervised their construction. Taylor was also a major financial contributor to the construction of the complex, and included expressions of his faith in the design and layout of the church in which he worshipped for many years. Taylor was a major building contractor in Brisbane, known particularly for his reinforced concrete buildings and structures. His most famous work was the Walter Taylor Bridge, constructed in 1935 as a toll bridge over the Brisbane River at Indooroopilly.[1]

• Pullar, Margaret; Graceville Uniting Church (Qld.) (1900), Graceville Uniting Church, s.n, retrieved 30 July 2019

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Graceville Uniting Church.

• Official website