brick

A United Methodist Free church opened on Sunday 11 August 1878 on the corner of Gympie Road and Banfield Street, (then Church Street, approx 27.3818°S 153.0230°E).[8][9] In 1926 a more central site was purchased on the southeast corner of Gympie Road and Hamilton Road and the church building was relocated to the new site and renovated.[10][11][12] It was replaced by a brick church that opened on 30 September 1950.[13] It became part of the Uniting Church in 1977. This brick church was demolished in 2004,[14] probably because the current Chermside-Kedron Community Church (a Uniting Church) in Chermside on the north-western corner of Gympie Road and Rode Road had opened on 23 September 2001. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chermside,_Queensland

The oldest rocking horse that still exists today is believed to have belonged to King Charles I of England and dates from around 1610. In 2006, it was bought by Victoria & Albert Museum. Rocking horses became increasingly popular during the 18th and 19th century, mostly among the children of wealthy European families. They were used to help and prepare children for riding real horses in the future. Early toy horses were heavy and unstable and could easily be overturned. By the 18th century, the crude, solid horses evolved into lighter, more elegant products. One of the most distinguished was the English Dapple Grey rocking horse. A beautiful rocking horse was made around 1750, probably for King Gustav III of Sweden. It is a high-quality piece. The white and gray painted horse is placed on a highly-decorated gilded stand. It includes headgear and a saddle made of natural leather. During the 1800s, rocking horses were in high demand and many craftsmen and salesmen profited from selling this popular toy. New designs appeared, more detailed, some with tails made of real horsehair, finely crafted leather saddles and eyes made of glass. Some of the most elegant wooden horses in England were manufactured by F.H. Ayres. Their horses were renowned for their beautifully modeled body shape and carved details. In 1880, an American invention called the ‘safety stand’ was patented in London. This alternative rocking mechanism was designed by Philip Marqua from Cincinnati. This new glider-type base was safer than the classic bow rockers and required less space for the toy’s movement. Classic rocking chairs moved forward when used, while the new horse stayed in one place. During the Industrial Revolution, rocking horses’ popularity and production skyrocketed. The main reasons were the cheaper costs of production and the growing and richer middle class. Manufacturing of rocking horses saw a decline during the World War I because of a shortage of materials and skilled craftsmen. By the middle of the 20th century, production of rocking horses was abandoned almost completely. Source: www.wallswithstories.com/uncategorized/rocking-horses-one...

The heritage listed Post Office in Toowoomba’s city center is one of only four that were built in Queensland in what is called the Classic Revival Style. This architectural style incorporates some of the features of the classical style, such as symmetry and repetition, without being overwhelmingly severe. The Post Office was completed in 1880 using sandstone that was quarried from Spring Bluff, not far from Toowoomba. One of the most striking aspects of the building is the clock tower. The building continued to be the center for mail delivery until 1999 when Australia Post relocated to another site and now it is used for offices and a cafe. Mail delivery was quite a feat in the nineteenth century. While we are quite accustomed to posties on motorbikes, the early European settlers had their mail delivered to Toowoomba first by pack horse and then by horse-drawn coach. The road up the range into Toowoomba is quite steep enough today, but it would have been quite a different story for a horse-drawn coach in the days before sealed roads. Source: livingonthedowns.wordpress.com/2021/06/18/historic-toowoo...