St Andrews Presbyterian Church, Esk, Presbyterian church building in Esk, Australia
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church is a rectangular timber building on low stumps facing Middle Street at the corner of Ipswich Street in Esk, opposite the Sandy Creek crossing. The site also holds a timber hall facing Middle Street, a garage and outhouse behind it, and a manse to the west facing the Brisbane Valley Highway. The church was extended at the eastern end, and the joints in the walls and floorboards mark the addition.
David and Mary McConnel of Cressbrook donated 8.1 hectares for a Presbyterian church to mark their silver wedding anniversary, and Alexander Raff and local graziers gave money for the building. The church was built in 1875 and the Reverend David Watt, who came from Scotland, held the first recorded service on 12 February 1876. As the district's first church it served all denominations, and in 1900 the church and manse were renovated.
The church was the first built in the district, so it opened as a Union Church serving all denominations. A Sunday school had 91 pupils by 1908, and a Women's Guild was formed around the same time. The timber hall, locally believed to have been the billiard room of the Commercial Hotel, hosted socials and Sunday school.
The former church stands on the main Brisbane Valley Highway facing Middle Street, directly opposite the Sandy Creek crossing, so it is easy to spot when driving south out of Esk. The site is grassed and enclosed by a plain timber and wire fence, with a gate linking the manse garden to the church grounds. The building is privately owned and the altar has been removed, so it is seen from the street rather than entered as a public venue.
The timber hall on the site is locally believed to have been the billiard room of the Commercial Hotel in Esk before it was moved and extended at the eastern end. The church itself was enlarged at the eastern end, almost doubling its capacity; the joints in the walls and floorboards still mark the change.
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