St Andrew's Anglican Church

Parent Place or Precinct

01666 St Andrew's Anglican Church & Rectory, Mullewa

Statement of Significance

The St Andrew's Anglican Church has considerable historic significance having served the local Anglican community since 1921; it being the oldest remaining church in Mullewa. The Church is a landmark building in the town and, together with the adjacent Anglican Rectory Fmr, it makes an important contribution to the built environment of Mullewa. The brick buttressing and quoining combined with the Gothic arched windows and doorway give the place visual appeal. The Church is held in high esteem by the local community.

Physical Description

Situated on an elevated site on the corner of Padbury and Keeffe Streets, the St Andrew's Anglican Church is of local stone construction with a steeply pitched corrugated iron roof. The Church addresses Padbury Street and is accessed via a gate in a tall metal pole and wire mesh perimeter fence which extends along the street frontage of the adjacent Rectory Fmr as well. A concrete ramp is covered by a simple entry porch, a later addition, which consists of timber posts supporting a corrugated iron gable roof. This structure affords some protection to the double entry doors. The doors and windows feature Gothic arches and brick quoining. The original glass window panes have been replaced with two panes of patterned amber coloured glass with a central pivot. Brick buttresses to the corners and sides of the Church building are a prominent feature. On each side of the gable roof there are four small triangular vents in between trusses. The rear (south) elevation has a timber framed, fibro clad lean-to with a skillion roof above which the gable end of the Church is clad with timber boarding, with a metal cross to the roof apex. Located immediately adjacent to the south western corner of the Church is a church bell mounted in a metal stand. A parish hall is located to the rear of the site.
(Refer to the Conservation Plan for a detailed description of the building)

History

Since early in the history of the Mullewa district there had been an organised community of members of the Anglican Church. For many years the congregation was dependent on visiting ministers for religious services and other church matters, including Reverend Henry Vine who journeyed from Geraldton to Mullewa on a regular basis. In 1921 Geraldton builder, Mr J.J. Jenner was contracted to construct a Gothic style church at Mullewafor the Anglican community. The tender price was 1,040 pounds, the bulk of the building expenses being provided by the Church of England Central Building Fund, however local fundraising efforts also contributed to the overall cost. Work commenced on 15 June, with a newspaper report of the time describing the proposed building: "Except for one gable end which will be of jarrah to allow for extension, the building will be of stone while the seating accommodation will be in the neighbourhood of one hundred." Blue granite for the foundations was collected and carted by Mr A.W. Beaumont from his property on the Wooderarrung River while local parishioners quarried local stone for the walls. The foundation stone for the Church was laid on 3 August 1921 by the Rev Henry Vine. St Andrew's Anglican Church was officlally opened on 16 November 1921 by Charles Owen Leaver Riley, Archbishop of Perth, assisted by Reverend Vine. The first confirmation service was held that day, while in the evening a grand social was held in the Town Hall, where church services were previously conducted. The first marriage took place in the Church on 4 July 1922 between Kathleen Palmer and Alec Rumble. The adjacent Rectory was built in 1927. In December 1962, the baptismal font from Christ Church in Geraldton was installed at St Andrew's Anglican Church following the demolition of the church. The original font from St Andrew's was relocated to All Soul's Church in Mount Magnet. In 1968 the Parish Hall was built to the rear of the Church, opening on 1 December. On 12 September 1981, the new church ceiling was dedicated by the Most Reverend P. Carnley, Archbishop of Perth in memory of Mr David Warren, whose bequest of land to the parish was sold to finance the construction of the adjacent rectory. In 1993, a new entry porch was designed for the Church by Geraldton architect, Lewis Eves. (Refer to the Conservation Plan for a detailed history of the building)

Condition

Good

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.