The Holy Triad Temple is a heritage-listed

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

at 32 Higgs Street,

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of Greater Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. The LGAs in the other mainland state capitals ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. It was built from 1885 to 1886. It is also known as Breakfast Creek Joss House and Sarm Sung Goon. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...

on 21 October 1992.

History

The Temple of the Holy Triad was constructed in 1885–1886 for the Cantonese Chinese community of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. In the 1880s sizeable numbers of Cantonese settled in Brisbane. They were most conspicuous in small businesses (particularly in

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...

and along Albert Street), and in market gardening (especially on the flats around

Breakfast Creek The Breakfast Creek ( Aboriginal: ''Yawagara '') is a small urban stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Rising as the Enoggera Cre ...

and

Eagle Farm Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 11 people. The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm (). Geography Eagle Farm is situated no ...

). By 1888 Brisbane depended almost entirely on the Chinese for its supply of fresh vegetables. Construction of the temple was an attempt by the leaders of Brisbane's five Cantonese clans to provide their people with a community focus. The elaborate triple roof was imported from China by Quong Nam Tai & Co, Brisbane's most prominent Chinese trading firm, and the building was erected by Chinese artisans. The temple was opened on 21 January 1886, and remained the focus of Chinese community activity in Brisbane for nearly sixty years. The first procession was led by Sum Chick Tong and George Shue, two of the trustees of the temple. This was followed by a period of declining interest and neglect until the Queensland Parliament passed the Chinese Temple Society Act of 1964 and the formation of the Chinese Temple Society in 1965. The society undertook work on the temple and it was re-opened in June 1966. As part of the restoration, a caretaker was appointed. A premises for the caretaker was built next to the temple to accommodate for the caretaker. The temple today offers a focus for various Chinese communities. From 1968 to 1988 the temple was maintained by an English woman, Dorothy Chick Tong. Dorothy Chick Tong was the wife of George Chick Tong, the song of the original trustee, Sum Chick Tong. In the second half of the nineteenth century Chinese immigrants erected temples on most of the principal Queensland goldfields and ports. Only three temples survive in Queensland from this period: the Breakfast Creek temple, the small Chun Lo Goon temple at

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

, and the

Hou Wang Temple The Hou Wang Temple is a heritage-listed former Chinese temple architecture, temple and now museum at Herberton Road, Atherton, Queensland, Atherton, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1903, it is one of the oldest original Chi ...

at Atherton. The latter is smaller than the Breakfast Creek temple and is constructed of local materials.

Description

The temple is a rectangular, rendered brick structure with a complex triple roof of Chinese

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

tiles. A feature of this roof is the elaborate

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

ornamentation, incorporating Chinese historical and mythological characters, on the

ridges A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

and

bargeboards A bargeboard or rake fascia is a board fastened to each projecting gable of a roof to give it strength and protection, and to conceal the otherwise exposed end grain of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof. The word ''bargeboard'' is pro ...

. The interior comprises three sections: an entrance, a sky-lit middle section, and the

proper with its carved altar and figures of the gods of wealth, medicine and knowledge. Internal decoration is elaborate, and includes exposed carved and

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

timber supports, and furnishings such as silks, embroideries, lanterns and lamps. In the 1965–1966 restoration, the middle roof section, which had been removed, was repositioned. Much of the original interior decoration, which had been either salvaged or

vandalised Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and #Defacement, defacement directed towards any property without permission of the o ...

, was replaced. The temple survives in a back street sandwiched between the Breakfast Creek Hotel,

Albion Park Racecourse Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

and light industrial development, with the former vista across

lost. A plain concrete block building has been constructed adjacent to the temple, and the grounds have been concreted and enclosed with a brick fence and gateway.

Heritage listing

The Holy Triad Temple was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The Temple of the Holy Triad is significant as evidence of the development of Chinese settlement in nineteenth century Brisbane. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. The Temple of the Holy Triad is significant as a rare example of a nineteenth century Chinese temple in Queensland. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The Temple of the Holy Triad is significant as a rare example of a nineteenth century Chinese temple in Queensland.

References

Attribution

External links

* {{cite news, url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4486994, title=OPENING OF THE JOSS HOUSE., date=22 January 1886, newspaper=

The Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

, issue=8,743, location=Queensland, Australia, volume=XLI, page=6, via=National Library of Australia, accessdate=3 January 2017 Queensland Heritage Register Albion, Queensland Religious buildings and structures in Brisbane Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Buildings and structures completed in 1886 1886 establishments in Australia Temples in Queensland Chinese-Australian culture Chinese-Australian history