[1] In September 1852, James Charles Burnett made the first survey of the Sandgate area and the first sales of land were held in 1853.

In the 1860s, as access to the area improved, Sandgate developed as a seaside town on the English model providing salubrious sea air and a refuge from the oppressive heat of a Brisbane summer.

This dramatically reduced travel time to less than half an hour and boosted Sandgate's popularity as a place of residence and for holidaymakers and day-trippers.

A church member, George Phillips, donated a triangular piece of land consisting of 27 perches near the sea front at the corner of Flinders Parade and Cliff Street.

[1] A local builder, William Street, constructed the new church at a cost of A£1,300, the spire being erected by steeplejack Mr Collins.

Because it was one of the largest buildings in the developing town, the church was also sought after as a meeting place by several organisations, including the Freemasons.

[5][6] The former church stands close to the seafront at the corner of Cliff Street and Flinders Parade and is a prominent and well-known landmark in the area.

This is clad in decorative pressed metal sheeting and has timber louvres set in panels at the base.

The projecting gables to nave and transepts ends are decorated with fretwork panels above arched timber framing and have a rose window set with pink and blue coloured glass.

Pairs of lancet windows set with obscure glass and sheltered by label mouldings also light the church.

[1] There is an entrance vestibule and two pairs of arched timber doors set with leadlight opens into the main body of the church.

The former Sandgate Baptist Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 November 2003 having satisfied the following criteria.

The size and quality of the church reflect not just the growth of the area but the importance given to religious observance in the nineteenth century Queensland.

In its form, scale and detail it makes an important visual contribution to the built character of Sandgate, a fact acknowledged by its popularity over the years as a subject for photographs.