page_title: Wilston State School
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Wilston State School / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Primrose Street entrance (2015)
context_page_description: Wilston State School is a heritage-listed state school at Primrose Street, Grange, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1920. Architects who designed the school's buildings include Arthur Gordon Femister Greenway and Blackburne and Gzell. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 June 2015.
context_section_description: Wilston State School opened in 1920 in the Brisbane suburb of Wilston (but now within the suburb boundaries of Grange), to serve the growing suburban population in the Wilston-Grange area. Due to suburban development during the interwar period and after World War II, additional buildings were added to serve the school's needs. Wilston State School has a range of standard and purpose-built timber and brick buildings dating from 1920 to the 1950s, set in landscaped grounds. The school has been in continuous operation since establishment and has been a focus for the local community as a place for important social and cultural activities.
  The provision of state-administered education was important to the colonial governments of Australia. Following the introduction of Queensland's Education Act 1860, which established the Board of General Education and began standardising curriculum, training and facilities, Queensland's public schools grew rapidly. Queensland's State Education Act 1875 provided for free, compulsory and secular primary education and established the Department of Public Instruction. This further standardised the provision of education, and despite difficulties, achieved the remarkable feat of bringing basic literacy to most Queensland children by 1900.
  The establishment of schools was considered an essential step in the development of early communities and integral to their success. Locals often donated land and labour for a school's construction and the school community contributed to maintenance and development. Schools became a community focus, a symbol of progress, and a source of pride, with enduring connections formed with past pupils, parents, and teachers. The inclusion of war memorials and community halls reinforced these connections and provided a venue for a wide range of community events in schools across Queensland.
  To help ensure consistency and economy, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings. From the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber-framed, an easy and cost-effective approach that also enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Standard designs were continually refined in response to changing needs and educational philosophy and Queensland school buildings were particularly innovative in climate control, lighting, and ventilation. Standardisation produced distinctly similar schools across Queensland with complexes of typical components.
  European settlement of the area around Wilston State School began when William Wilson, a city merchant, took up 300 acres of land and built a stone house c. 1876, which he called "Wilston" after his birthplace in Ireland. The later suburb, located between Newmarket and Windsor, took the name of Wilson's house. During the 19th century, Wilston remained a predominantly rural area.
  Suburban growth intensified with the arrival of the railway at nearby Newmarket in 1897. In 1899 the Ferny Grove railway line was extended to Enoggera and the Town of Windsor, incorporating Wilston, was proclaimed in 1904. The suburb, near the Newmarket saleyards (1877-1931), was at first regarded as an outlying district of Newmarket, and was used for agistment, tanneries, fellmongering, dairying and extractive industries. The train line to Newmarket station had a stop at Wilston, and settlement spread northwards from there to the desirable elevated slopes of Eildon Hill. The population of Wilston increased further following establishment of the Grange electric tramway along Days Road in 1928.
  Lobbying for a new school at Wilston began in 1912. The neighbouring schools of Bowen Bridge (Windsor State School) and Newmarket State School had resisted the establishment of another school, fearing it would decrease resources for existing schools in the area. In 1914, a further effort was made to have a school erected in the district, pointing out that the steep nature of the area was difficult for small children; and crossing the railway and passing cattle saleyards were added dangers. By 1917 t
caption: Primrose Street entrance with pergola, 2015
exif: {}