An Old Presbyterian Church Hall (L) & The Red Hill Boys Brigade Hall (R) (Enoggera Terrace, Brisbane)
An old Presbyterian Church:
The hall is situated on the corner of Enoggera Terrace and Surrey Street, and stands on what was originally portion 741, a section of over three acres in size, first purchased from the Crown by John Nott in 1869 for seven pounds, ten shillings, and sixpence. Nott was a produce merchant, and according to postal records, resided in Red Hill from at least 1878.
Alexander McLean purchased the entire portion in 1871 and it was subdivided in 1877 and again in 1885. Two of the three subdivisions were sold to trustees for £120. The trustees mortgaged the blocks, now totalling a little more than a quarter of an acre, presumably to provide funds for the construction of a wooden church with a shingled roof for the Ithaca Presbyterian congregation. The Presbyterian community in the area had been expanding for some time, in line with the general population growth then taking place in Brisbane. The congregation had been active since 1880 and had taken root in a branch Sunday school of the Wickham Terrace Presbyterian Church. The school was initially held in a Petrie Terrace shop owned by a Mr R. Menzies. Evening services were soon added, and, as the population expanded further and brought more Presbyterians to the locale, the Sunday school was relocated to the Red Hill School of Arts at Waterworks road. It was here that the idea for construction of a new local church was proposed.
Local builder E. Farris of Wellington Road, Red Hill constructed the church at a cost of £250. It was designed to hold up to 270 people, and the first church assembly, conducted by Rev. C McCulloch, was held on Sunday 6 December 1885. The first regular minister was Rev. G Crawford, who was appointed in 1887.
The Church served until 1929, when, partly in response to the needs of a growing congregation, the current Presbyterian Church was built. After this the former church was used as a church hall and Sunday School. The property was re-subdivided in 1949 and ownership transferred from the trustees directly to the Presbyterian Church itself. The hall roof was damaged by fire in 1956, and this is probably when the present corrugated metal roof was installed. Restroom amenities were expanded in 1972.
The building was sold to the developer Spero Conias in 1980 and it underwent renovations and alterations. These included the replacement of floorboards and wall panels, the addition of leadlight windows, the conversion of the altar area to a stage, and general maintenance work. A fully equipped commercial kitchen was also added. Since then it has been resold and seen a variety of different business and community uses. It was “The Paddington Reception Centre” for a period and was home to the Queensland Fencing Club, a yoga centre, and has even been used as a restaurant.
The Red Hill Boys Brigade Hall:
The property on which the hall stands has been in the continuous ownership of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland since 1890. It is on the same parcel of land first purchased from the Crown in 1869 by John Nott. Nott subdivided his land, retaining some from which to run his business as a produce merchant. The hall stands on Subdivision 1 which was first made in 1877, the ownership eventually passing to trustees, probably on behalf of the Presbyterian Church, in September 1890. The land was held by trustees until 1906 when it was transferred to the Presbyterian Church itself, which maintains ownership to this day.
The Boys’ Brigade 1st Brisbane Company was formed by George Orr at the Presbyterian Church on Enoggera Terrace in 1913. Orr was a Scottish master plumber who had been involved with the Boys’ Brigade in his home country where he had become a staunch advocate of the Brigade’s aims, which had been laid down by the organisation’s founder William Alexander Smith: “the advancement of Christ’s kingdom among Boys, and the promotion of habits of Obediance, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect, and all that tends towards true Christian Manliness.” An organisation much influenced by the military, these objectives were met by the Brigade through parade drill, bible study, and regular meetings and camps. Although the boys drilled with dummy rifles in the United Kingdom, and the Brisbane Company used army rifles blocked to prevent firing, this was only as an accoutrement to drilling and the Brigade did not train members in the actual use of weapons. After 1926, the practice of drilling with dummy or “blocked” weapons ceased.
Orr had migrated to Australia in 1912 to work on the Brisbane sewerage scheme. He became an Elder of the Church in 1914, and under his guidance the 1st Brisbane Company became immensely successful. By 1919 the Company was able to commission the construction of a hall at the cost of £1500. The boys raised £400 of the money themselves and obtained loans for the rest which they were able to repay in total by 1924. By this time 134 boys were enrolled in the Company. The Company grew rapidly through World War I. In the early 1920s, the Company was visited by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Matthew Nathan, and was widely considered at this time as the best run Boys’ Brigade unit in Australia. It was used as a model for other Boys’ Brigade groups being established at the time. In 1926, the Boys’ Brigade amalgamated with the Boys’ Light Brigade, a similar organisation. This did not affect the Boys’ Brigade unit in Enoggera Terrace.
The 1st Brisbane Company of the Boys’ Brigade has been regarded as the first really successful unit of its type in Australia, and is Australia’s longest continually active Boy’s Brigade unit. It is still based in the original hall, eighty years after it was constructed, and eighty-seven years after the unit itself was formed.
There is no doubt that such a successful organisation would have had a significant presence in the local community. All the local boys would have been well aware of the Boys’ Brigade, and possibly attracted by the organisation’s focus of camps, drill, and weapons training. That it was a noteworthy part of the fabric of Red Hill society in the first part of the 20th century seems certain. The formation of a Boys’ Brigade unit in the area also demonstrates the population growth that took place in the region, a growth which was gradually more and more able to support various community organisations, culminating in the establishment of bases like the Boys’ Brigade Hall.
Source: Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.
An Old Presbyterian Church Hall (L) & The Red Hill Boys Brigade Hall (R) (Enoggera Terrace, Brisbane)
An old Presbyterian Church:
The hall is situated on the corner of Enoggera Terrace and Surrey Street, and stands on what was originally portion 741, a section of over three acres in size, first purchased from the Crown by John Nott in 1869 for seven pounds, ten shillings, and sixpence. Nott was a produce merchant, and according to postal records, resided in Red Hill from at least 1878.
Alexander McLean purchased the entire portion in 1871 and it was subdivided in 1877 and again in 1885. Two of the three subdivisions were sold to trustees for £120. The trustees mortgaged the blocks, now totalling a little more than a quarter of an acre, presumably to provide funds for the construction of a wooden church with a shingled roof for the Ithaca Presbyterian congregation. The Presbyterian community in the area had been expanding for some time, in line with the general population growth then taking place in Brisbane. The congregation had been active since 1880 and had taken root in a branch Sunday school of the Wickham Terrace Presbyterian Church. The school was initially held in a Petrie Terrace shop owned by a Mr R. Menzies. Evening services were soon added, and, as the population expanded further and brought more Presbyterians to the locale, the Sunday school was relocated to the Red Hill School of Arts at Waterworks road. It was here that the idea for construction of a new local church was proposed.
Local builder E. Farris of Wellington Road, Red Hill constructed the church at a cost of £250. It was designed to hold up to 270 people, and the first church assembly, conducted by Rev. C McCulloch, was held on Sunday 6 December 1885. The first regular minister was Rev. G Crawford, who was appointed in 1887.
The Church served until 1929, when, partly in response to the needs of a growing congregation, the current Presbyterian Church was built. After this the former church was used as a church hall and Sunday School. The property was re-subdivided in 1949 and ownership transferred from the trustees directly to the Presbyterian Church itself. The hall roof was damaged by fire in 1956, and this is probably when the present corrugated metal roof was installed. Restroom amenities were expanded in 1972.
The building was sold to the developer Spero Conias in 1980 and it underwent renovations and alterations. These included the replacement of floorboards and wall panels, the addition of leadlight windows, the conversion of the altar area to a stage, and general maintenance work. A fully equipped commercial kitchen was also added. Since then it has been resold and seen a variety of different business and community uses. It was “The Paddington Reception Centre” for a period and was home to the Queensland Fencing Club, a yoga centre, and has even been used as a restaurant.
The Red Hill Boys Brigade Hall:
The property on which the hall stands has been in the continuous ownership of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland since 1890. It is on the same parcel of land first purchased from the Crown in 1869 by John Nott. Nott subdivided his land, retaining some from which to run his business as a produce merchant. The hall stands on Subdivision 1 which was first made in 1877, the ownership eventually passing to trustees, probably on behalf of the Presbyterian Church, in September 1890. The land was held by trustees until 1906 when it was transferred to the Presbyterian Church itself, which maintains ownership to this day.
The Boys’ Brigade 1st Brisbane Company was formed by George Orr at the Presbyterian Church on Enoggera Terrace in 1913. Orr was a Scottish master plumber who had been involved with the Boys’ Brigade in his home country where he had become a staunch advocate of the Brigade’s aims, which had been laid down by the organisation’s founder William Alexander Smith: “the advancement of Christ’s kingdom among Boys, and the promotion of habits of Obediance, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect, and all that tends towards true Christian Manliness.” An organisation much influenced by the military, these objectives were met by the Brigade through parade drill, bible study, and regular meetings and camps. Although the boys drilled with dummy rifles in the United Kingdom, and the Brisbane Company used army rifles blocked to prevent firing, this was only as an accoutrement to drilling and the Brigade did not train members in the actual use of weapons. After 1926, the practice of drilling with dummy or “blocked” weapons ceased.
Orr had migrated to Australia in 1912 to work on the Brisbane sewerage scheme. He became an Elder of the Church in 1914, and under his guidance the 1st Brisbane Company became immensely successful. By 1919 the Company was able to commission the construction of a hall at the cost of £1500. The boys raised £400 of the money themselves and obtained loans for the rest which they were able to repay in total by 1924. By this time 134 boys were enrolled in the Company. The Company grew rapidly through World War I. In the early 1920s, the Company was visited by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Matthew Nathan, and was widely considered at this time as the best run Boys’ Brigade unit in Australia. It was used as a model for other Boys’ Brigade groups being established at the time. In 1926, the Boys’ Brigade amalgamated with the Boys’ Light Brigade, a similar organisation. This did not affect the Boys’ Brigade unit in Enoggera Terrace.
The 1st Brisbane Company of the Boys’ Brigade has been regarded as the first really successful unit of its type in Australia, and is Australia’s longest continually active Boy’s Brigade unit. It is still based in the original hall, eighty years after it was constructed, and eighty-seven years after the unit itself was formed.
There is no doubt that such a successful organisation would have had a significant presence in the local community. All the local boys would have been well aware of the Boys’ Brigade, and possibly attracted by the organisation’s focus of camps, drill, and weapons training. That it was a noteworthy part of the fabric of Red Hill society in the first part of the 20th century seems certain. The formation of a Boys’ Brigade unit in the area also demonstrates the population growth that took place in the region, a growth which was gradually more and more able to support various community organisations, culminating in the establishment of bases like the Boys’ Brigade Hall.
Source: Brisbane City Council Heritage Register.