State Government Infants' School (fmr), Bunbury

Parent Place or Precinct

05698 Stirling Street Heritage Precinct

Statement of Significance

State Government Infants’ School (fmr), Bunbury, comprising an Inter-War Georgian Revival brick and corrugated iron former Bunbury Infants’ School (1917), brick and corrugated iron Toilet Block (1948), and mature trees has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
the place demonstrates the development of education in the State in the early twentieth century, particularly in relation to the expansion of regional areas;
the place is an example of the implementation of innovative teaching methods in Western Australia associated with Maria Montessori between 1914 and the 1920s;
the place is associated with PWD Chief Architect Hillson Beasley, and his successor, William Burden Hardwick having been based on a standard plan for Infant Schools incorporating ‘open-air’ teaching methods, which was used at a number of other schools in the State;
The Bunbury Band Hall (1974), Creche (1975), Pottery Studio (1976), Undercover Area (2009), and Storage Area (2010) associated with the site’s use as Stirling Street Arts Centre are considered to have little cultural heritage significance.

Physical Description

The Bunbury Infants’ School is a single storey stretcher-bond red brick Inter-War Georgian Revival style building with long-sheet corrugated iron roofing. The building lacks some symmetrical characteristics of this style owing to the protruding bays on the southern elevation being reflective of the interior layout. The Toilet Block is located north of the original Bunbury Infants’ School building and is constructed of face brick and has a simple hipped form roof clad in corrugated iron.

History

Between 1895 and 1898, with the allocation of land for the railway station complete, the original girls’ and infants’ school on Lot 284 was demolished and a new infants’ school constructed,13 which relieved the pressure on the Bunbury Mixed School. However, in 1917, there were 150 students at the infants’ school, making the facility overcrowded and the local community voiced their concerns. The Minister for Education subsequently approved the construction of a new infants’ school when suitable land became available. After 1912, Chief Architect Hillson Beasley had created a standard plan for school buildings that aimed to meet the criteria of a popular phase in early twentieth century teaching methods known as Montessori. In August 1917, the plans for the extant Bunbury Infants’ School building were adapted from the standard Beasley design by Beasley’s successor as Chief Architect, W. B. Hardwick. The allocation of land for the new school comprised Lots P7 and P8, which had been reclaimed from the lagoon for the construction of the railway. On 3 August 1917, tenders for the school’s construction were called and the contract was awarded to J. G. Hough on 28 August 1917. In November 1947, tenders were called for the toilet and sewerage construction and the contract was awarded to C. R. Gibson for £740. The brick and iron infants’ toilet block was completed in July 1948. During the 1960s, Western Australia’s education system phased out the concept of infants’ schools in place of the primary school system. In 1967, State Government Infants’ School (fmr), Bunbury closed and the students were dispersed between Bunbury Central Primary, Eaton Primary, and Cooinda Primary schools.

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.