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Brookhampton Hall

Author

Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup

Place Number

00713
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

460 Brookhampton Rd Brookhampton

Location Details

Lot 399, Reserve 7736 & 8563

Local Government

Donnybrook-Balingup

Region

South West

Construction Date

Constructed from 1922, Constructed from 1899

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
State Register Registered 20 Sep 2002 Register Entry
Assessment Documentation
Heritage Council

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Municipal Inventory Adopted 27 Nov 2013 Category 1

Category 1

Highest level of protection appropriate: recommend for entry in the State Register; Council will provide maximum encouragement to the owner to conserve the significance of the place.

Register of the National Estate Indicative Place

Heritage Council
Classified by the National Trust Classified 04 Feb 1980

Heritage Council
Aboriginal Heritage Sites Register Interim

Heritage Council

Statement of Significance

Brookhampton Hall is a picturesque timber weatherboard hall set in a group which includes the war memorial and oak tree. It is an important facility that has served the area for over a hundred years. It has been the venue for many social and sporting activities for the district, and also served as a church and school. Several generations of almost all the local families have used or attended functions in the hall since its construction. It is also significant as the home of the Brookhampton Bell Ringers since their formation in 1904.

Physical Description

Brookhampton Hall is an oiled weatherboard hall with a moderately pitched hipped corrugated iron roof and deep front verandah. A gabled addition has been abutted on the east side. There are three double hung timber sash windows on the verandah and an entrance door at each end of the verandah. There are two hooded double hung windows on the west side facade.
An enclosed skillion section at the rear is also constructed of oiled weatherboards and contains the toilets.
Two very large English oak trees stood in front, of which only one remains.
The War Memorial is also located in front of the Hall.

History

Pioneer settler Henry Cain donated part of Wellington Location 582, for a hall site at Brookhampton in 1898. He served on the building committee with Frank Miller, John Thomson, Charlie Fowler, and Thomas (Tom) Miller, who was Chairman for 21 years. In 1899, on this triangular piece of land, Tom Miller, assisted by Frank Miller, an able ‘bush carpenter’, who had taken up land at Thomson Brook, built the timber construction Brookhampton Hall. On 6 December, with an enrollment of 18 children, a so-called provisional school opened at the Hall, where it operated until 1903. In this period the Hall was used also for Methodist Church services, dances and social gatherings. The hall was surrounded by a traditional picket fence which is no longer extant. Early plantings at the Hall included at least two oak trees, of which one large specimen survives in 2012. A sports ground was established on level ground in proximity. The Hall was the focal point of social life in the district, and as such the logical site for erection of a War Memorial post-World War I.
In 1922, Brookhampton Hall was altered to incorporate a stage and dressing rooms, and an enclosed verandah was erected along the western side to serve as a supper room, in which a chimney and fireplace were built in 1923. In 1924, H. E. Lloyd extended the Hall by 16 ft. and replaced the original floor that had been ruined by roller-skating.
In 1994-5 conservation works included removing asbestos at the rear and replacing it with timber weatherboards, refurbishing washroom facilities, and repairs to the verandah, walls and roof. In 1999, the centenary of Brookhampton Hall was celebrated, and the place continues in use in the early 2000s.
Since the early 1900s, the Brookhampton Bell Ringers have been associated with the Hall. In 1903, when Frank Young came to live at Brookhampton with his family, he brought the bells from the disbanded St Andrew’s Bell Ringers, of Coolgardie, and taught some members of the Thomson’s Brook Musical Club to play in 1904. Soon the Brookhampton Bell Ringers were entertaining in the district and beyond, gaining wide recognition. They practised at Brookhampton Hall, where the bells were kept until the 1970s. Descendants of many of the original bell ringers learnt their skills and the Brookhampton Bell Ringers have continued to entertain communities in the South-West, where they are unique.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
National Trust of Australia (W.A.) Assessment 1980
RHP 00713 Heritage Council of Western Australia, Assessment Documentation 2002
Scott, June (ed.) The Brookhampton Hall 1899-1999 Brookhampton Progress Association 1999

Other Reference Numbers

Ref Number Description
17 Municipal Inventory

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
12060 Donnybrook Halls - conservation management plan Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 2018

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Other Community Hall\Centre
Present Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Other Community Hall\Centre
Other Use EDUCATIONAL Primary School

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Bungalow

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Other STONE Granite
Wall TIMBER Weatherboard
Roof METAL Zincalume

Historic Themes

General Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Cultural activities
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES World Wars & other wars
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Immigration, emigration & refugees
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Education & science

Creation Date

30 May 1989

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

20 Nov 2020

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.