Sandgate, QLD - St Margaret's Anglican

History and Architecture:

Early maps around 1875 show that land was But, in the name of the 'Church of England' Bounded to the north by Signal Row and on either side by Yundah Street and Friday St. A large portion of the land to the west of Friday St. was shown as low lying and swampy.

It is recorded that the first Anglican Service in Sandgate was in a slab built shed, situated about 50 yards west of Yundah St, in Kate Street. It is surmised that the first sermon may have been preached by the Rev. J Sutton in October 1871. He was in office at this time and his charge included Nundah, Aspley and Bald Hills.

The first movement recorded for a church refers to a meeting in October 1871 with the then Chief Justice. Sir James Cockle in the chair, After separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859, State Police had been established and Police were stationed at Sandgate. A deal was made by the Government of the day to allocate land on an area set aside for a School at Sandgate in the vicinity of Rainbow Street, in exchange for an acre of land Yundah Street, where it was intended to erect a Police Station. Subsequently a church was built in the Yundah St-Signal Row-Friday St area, called St Nicolas, and opened by Bishop Hale on the 7.12.1880. It was 35 ft long by 18ft wide, only a portion of dimensions to which the building was to ultimately grow.