Mundaring Primary School & Quarters

Physical Description

The old Mundaring Primary School sits on the north-east corner of Nichol St and Great Eastern Highway, adjacent to the War Memorial and diagonally opposite the former Post Office. The Police Station on the opposite southern corner completes an old civic precinct although the original weatherboard Police Station has been replaced by a brick structure in the 1960's. The school is of a simple two classroom design, although the two adjoining rooms were built several years apart. The external walls are of jarrah weatherboard interrupted only by the brick chimneys and fireplaces built across the south-west corner of each room. The south wall, facing the Highway, has three tall, four pane double hung windows with highlights. The east and west walls are plain weatherboard gable ends except for a small window on the west end and a pair of double doors on the east which formerly connected to the rest of the school (built later). The north wall is weatherboard, enclosing a veranda which had cloakroom wash-basin facilities at each end and gave access to the classrooms. A former entry porch in the centre of the wall has been enclosed as a store. Internally the original wall and ceiling lining has been replaced with flat asbestos sheeting with battened joints. One classroom still retains its vertical boarded dado but otherwise the rooms are relatively austere. The dividing wall between the two classrooms has been opened up to create a combined teaching space. The external ground levels appear to have progressively been raised and now nearly cover the 'goanna' boards around the timber stumped base. Rainwater goods are badly rusted and in need of repair.
(The above problems identified with the building fabric were rectified when the place was restored during 1997, for use as a tourism and local history information centre.)

History

Before the Mundaring Primary School was built in 1908, on 5 acres of land on the north side of York Road (Great Eastern Highway), local students were taught in the 1901 Mundaring Agricultural Hall (Site 40). In July 1908, the tender for the standard design weatherboard and iron school and quarters was let to Mr. A. Nelson for £688. The school opened on 10th November 1908, and the first Headmaster and later local MLA was Philip Turvey. By June 1909, there were 44 students, and with increasing enrolments, a new classroom, almost identical in design to the 1908 room, was built on its eastern end. Because of delays in the arrival of desks, the new room was not used until May 1913, four months after the contract had been let to Mr. W.E. Hayes for £347/12/-. By then the school had 70 students, some of whom, until the new room was built, had been taught in the school's shelter shed. Various other buildings were added to the site in the 1920's and 1950's. In 1990, the Mundaring Primary School moved to a new location in Stevens Street, and the site was sold to a private developer for a shopping centre which opened in late 1995. The 1908 and 1913 classrooms remain in their original position in the shopping centre precinct.
The buildings were restored by the Shire of Mundaring in 1997, for use by the Hills Tourism Association and the Mundaring & Hills Historical Society as an information centre.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: high, although all other buildings associated with the school have been removed and a shopping centre built on the site.
Modifications: porch enclosed, wall between classrooms opened up.

Condition

Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.