Charles St Methodist Mission Chapel & Methodist Church

Statement of Significance

The history of the Charles Street Methodist Mission Chapel and Methodist Church demonstrates the growth and subsequent decline of the church population in the vicinity. The Chapel is a notable, and comparatively rare, example of the Late Colonial Carpenter style, built in timber. The Chapel is a fine example of the Federation Free Gothic style, built in limestone shortly after the Chapel. The Chapel and the Church are a cultural pair, both fronting Charles Street and being a combined landmark with their distinctive combination of weatherboard, stone and brick. The Chapel and the Church have associations with the Methodist Church, now Uniting Church, YWCA, YMCA, other youth groups, and subsequently the Technical Education Department (TAFE).

Physical Description

The chapel is a timber framed, weatherboard and iron roofed chapel. The chapel has a single entrance under a simple gabled porch, matching the roof pitch. The main façade has narrow lancet windows symmetrically placed either side of the entry porch. It has a timber bellcote on the roof and a diamond shaped vent set into the apex of the gable. The neighbouring church is of limestone with brick buttresses and window quoins. The zincalume roof carries 7 triangular ventilators either side of the ridge. The church has entries in the outer bays of the front façade, either side of a central stained glass window featuring gothic tracery. This tracery is unusual in that it is constructed from turned timber rather than the traditional stone or metal frame. The original open grassed site has developed into a cluttered, hard landscaped area. Various small and large alterations have been made over many years, some sympathetic and others intrusive: the nave of the Church was divided into two thirds Church, one third Church hall (1926); a brick vestry replaced the original timber structure; and

History

Anglican minister John Wesley (1703) - 1791) was an early leader of the Methodist movement which began at Oxford University with the foundation of the Holy Club. The first Methodist or Wesleyan Methodist services in Western Australia were held by Joseph Hardey under a large jarrah tree in what is now central Hay Street, Perth. Hardey was one group of Methodists who had arrived in Western Australia onboard the 'Tranby' in 1930. Their first church building was erected on a block of land donated by J. Inkpen on the corner of William and Murray Streets in Perth. The Charles Street Methodist Mission Chapel and Methodist Church are situated on land which was first reserved in 1873 for a Wesleyan Church and Glebe. The first church on the site was a weatherboard Methodist Mission Chapel, built in 1890. This section of West Perth was a suburban fringe area, but rapidly growing. Following an increase in congregation numbers in 1896, the limestone Methodist Church was built. The foundation stone for the Church was laid on 27 October 1896, by Sir George Shenton, Mr Walter Simpson and Mrs H. Cowell Ashton, wife of the architect-builder. The first service was held on 7 February 1897. The chapel was used for Sunday School and rented for public use. From the 1930's - 1960's it was used as a youth club by the YWCA and YMCA, while services continued to be held in the Church. In the 1970s, when the congregation grew smaller, services moved back to the chapel, and the Church was used by the youth groups. In 1983, all the buildings except the Chapel were leased by the State for the use of the Technical Education Department (TAFE). In 1986, the Uniting Church reluctantly accepted an offer by the State to purchase the site and it is understood that many who used the buildings for religious and social activities remain bitter about its resumption by the government. The last service was held in the Chapel on 15 February 1986. The buildings were used by the TAFE External Studies College Campus for some years, before falling into disuse. The chapel and church are associated with the original Manse, built at No. 482 Newcastle Street which currently operates as a physiotherapy.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to intact

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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