St John the Baptist Church, Toodyay, Roman Catholic church building in Toodyay, Australia.
St John the Baptist Church is a brick structure built in Toodyay with Gothic Revival features including tall pointed arch windows and a corrugated iron roof on Stirling Terrace. The building displays typical 19th-century religious architecture with clear vertical lines and functional design elements.
Father Martin Griver laid the foundation stone in 1863, and the church was completed by late 1864 with support from the New Norcia mission. The building served the community until 1963, when a new church was constructed beside St Aloysius.
The building served a dual purpose when it first opened: the transept functioned as a classroom for Catholic children before dedicated teachers arrived in 1884. This flexibility shows how the community adapted the space to meet multiple needs.
The building sits on Stirling Terrace in an easy-to-find location and remains visible from the street, though it is now private property. Visitors should be respectful and can appreciate the architecture from outside.
A round window integrated into a rendered cross on the gable end sets it apart from typical church windows of that era. This unusual design reflects local creativity in how the building was planned.
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