In 1877, the first St Brigid's Church was built at Red Hill. A few years later, the Sisters of Mercy established a school there, and they made the daily trek from All Hallows' in the Valley to the church to teach the students. In 1902 the Sisters of Mercy purchased, in Upper Clifton Terrace near the church, land that included a residence known as "Kenilworth". The purchase price was £1610, and the Sisters intended to construct a convent there.
Architects Eaton and Bates were commissioned to construct the convent, and work commenced in mid-1902 and was completed the following year. Records show that the construction cost was £3100, and a further £500 was needed for furnishing the building. This is the result, as photographed in 2000.
(Photo: DERM)
Eaton and Bates had quite a successful practice, including many works for the Catholic church. As evidenced by this building, they favoured wide verandahs, important for fighting the hot Queensland sun.
The convent evidently housed up to eight or nine Sisters of Mercy at any one time. The school closed in the mid-1980s, and nuns remained in residence at the convent until the building was sold in 1999.
(Photo: © 2011 the foto fanatic)
I'm not sure how the building is being used today - in fact, it looked as though it may have been vacant when I took the current photo above. The well-positioned block and nearness to the city are apparent. The web pages of conservation architect Robert Riddel (who has also worked on St Brigid's Church) indicate that conservation work and improvements were performed for the new owners after the sale by the church.
It would be a superb family home.
Click here for a Google Map.
tff
Mother Mary Vincent Whitty of the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Brisbane with Bishop James Quinn on 10th May 1861, marking the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the sisters and Queensland's Catholics. Mother Mary Vincent died in 1892, and so she didn't survive to see the construction of the building below, the Mount Carmel Convent at Wynnum.
(Photo: © 2010 the foto fanatic)This nunnery for the Sisters of Mercy was designed by Brisbane architects Hall and Dods and built in 1915 for a cost of £8,000 by a Mr R Juster. Robin Dods from Hall and Dods was in a very ecclesiastical phase, because he was also working on St Brigid's Catholic Church at Red Hill and the Anglican St John's Cathedral around this time. The convent is situated directly across the road from Guardian Angels Church, the local Catholic parish church, built in 1905 to a design by Richard Gailey. Here we have two of Brisbane's iconic architects in a face-off on Bay Terrace at Wynnum! I'll show you Gailey's church tomorrow.
(Photo: © 2010 the foto fanatic)For a while there was a secondary school operating here too, but it was closed when the number of students started to decline. The original building is still in use as a convent, although fewer nuns live here these days. It also doubles as a holiday home for religious personnel - its proximity to the fresh sea air of Moreton Bay should make it perfect for that.Click here for a Google Map.EDIT: This building has been listed for sale. You can see the details, plus some great exterior and interior images, here.
tffNext: Across the road
(Photo: DERM)
(Photo: © 2011 the foto fanatic)
