August 1858 that the school house was constructed on the site with the expectation that it would also be used for "occasional" public worship. The building was of hammer-dressed stone. On 6 September 1858 Miss Clothier opens a school there. In 1859 it is described as an "English Church" at "South Brisbane". By May 1862 the church has a resident minister enabling regular services. The church was adversely impacted by the construction of the 1874 Victoria Bridge as the bridge was higher and the approach roads had to be built up accordingly, resulting in the church being below the new road level, forcing the parishioners to approach the church from the rear. It is unclear when the church was named for St Thomas but that name is in use by October 1877. Commercial buildings and hotels developed around the Russell Street area. By the 1850s there were over 100 residences in the area. Due to its proximity to wharves the area became the place where bullock drovers stayed and relaxed. Thomas Baines visited Brisbane in 1855 and depicted South Brisbane in a painting titled 'South Brisbane from North Brisbane', 13 years later. South Brisbane Recreation Reserve (now known as Musgrave Park) was created in 1856. The first Presbyterian church in the district was built in Grey Street near Melbourne Street (approx ) by John Graham. It was a small weatherboard church and was officially opened on 25 May 1851 by the Reverend Thomas Mowbray. After the congregation relocated to the Park Presbyterian Church in 1885, the Grey Street building was sold and used for storage. The old Grey Street church was sold to a private firm and used for storage. Later the site was resumed and the church building demolished for the construction of the present South Brisbane railway station. A Baptist Sunday school operated in South Brisbane from 1857, but it was not until July 1872 that a congregation was formed, meeting in the South Brisbane Mechanics Institute. On Sunday 17 May 1974 the Vulture Street Baptist Church opened at 218 Vulture Street (corner of Christie Street, ). It was later renamed the South Brisbane Baptist Church. The church was rebuilt in 1966, reopening on 10 December 1966. In 2003 it was renamed the South Bank Baptist Church to reflect its proximity to the South Bank Parklands. It was demolished in early 2013 when the congregation moved to a