page_title: St Brigid's Convent, Red Hill
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: St Brigid's Convent, Red Hill / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: St Brigid's Convent, from N (2009)
context_page_description: St Brigid's Convent is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic convent at 9-17 Upper Clifton Terrace, Red Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Eaton & Bates and built from 1902 to 1923. It is also known as Convent of the Annuciation and Red Hill Convent. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 March 2003.
context_section_description: St Brigid's Convent, located on the crest of Red Hill overlooking Brisbane city, is built into a sloping site which falls steeply between upper and lower Clifton Terrace. The building possesses strong landmark value, being a prominent element on the Red Hill skyline, and visible from Musgrave Road, which is a major arterial road. It fronts Upper Clifton Terrace to the west, and from the rear verandahs on the east; there is a magnificent vista over the city.
  The building is two-storeyed with a substantial sub-storey or basement at the rear, and is of brick construction, rendered externally and plastered internally. It has a galvanised iron roof with small ventilation gablets, but early cast-iron cresting and finials have been removed.
  Front and rear elevations each have a gabled projection on the southern end, which punctuate surrounding verandahs on two levels. The front gabled projection has three lancet windows on the upper level and on the lower level a further projection housing the chapel sanctuary; in this wall is a niche and statue, understood to be of Mary (Our Lady of the Annunciation). The rear gabled projection has a bank of three lancet windows on both ground and first levels.
  The galvanised iron verandah roofs are separate to the main roof. The west (front) and south (side)verandahs have decorative cast iron columns, balustrade and valances on both levels, incorporating ecclesiastical motifs of lancet and rose windows in the designs. The east (rear) verandahs originally had a similar decoration to both levels, but the balustrade has been removed from the upper verandah, which has been enclosed with aluminium-framed windows. The north (side) verandah, which originally was single-storeyed, has the same decorative cast-iron work on the lower verandah, but the upper verandah is enclosed with c. 1920s weatherboards and timber casement windows. The basement level at the rear has a colonnade of lancet-shaped masonry arches.
  The front entrance, set to one side, has surrounding leadlights and cedar panelling. It opens into a wide vestibule, separated from the hallway by a rounded arch infilled with a glass and timber screen and door. A door to the right opens from the vestibule into a small front parlour. Beyond the screen is the staircase leading to the upper floor, and a central hallway running off to the right in a north-south direction, which leads to the chapel and original dining room at the southern end of the ground floor. This hallway is broad and also gives access to another front parlour and to a former rear parlour with a fireplace. The latter room has been converted into a dining room, and the rear (south) wall of this has been opened to allow access to the enclosed rear verandah, which is now a kitchen.
  The chapel has leadlight lancet windows along the south wall, and a lancet-shaped timber-panelled door which opens into a small vestry at the southwest end. The chapel is separated from the original dining room by folding timber (cedar) doors, which can be opened to extend the area of the chapel. There is a fine marble fireplace-surround with early tiles in the former dining room, and an early hearth and grate.
  The ground floor partitions are of load-bearing brick, plastered and painted. This plan form, materials and finishing is mirrored on the first floor, but here, in addition, some rooms have been partitioned with vertically-jointed timber to create small bedrooms or "cells", and bathrooms, especially above the chapel wing. A tall arched opening in the north side wall leads from the upstairs central hallway onto the enclosed north verandah, which is a c. 1920s addition. This opening was originally a window, and evidence of this can be seen in the fabric.
  A narrow timber service staircase in the northeast corner of the verandah links both the ground and first floors to the basement, which contains the original kitchen and pantries. An opening in the southern wall of the kitchen appears to be associated with the operation of an early "dumb waiter", from outside the kitchen to the verandah adjacent to t
caption: Convent, 2009
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