Congregational Church Hall

Statement of Significance

The place is a modest but attractive weatherboard building which dates from the Federation era and retains its original decorative timber joinery. The place was the first church built in Roleystone and is associated with the Roleystone Progress Association, who campaigned for its construction, and with the Congregational Church, on whose land it was built. The place is valued by the community as a long-standing venue for a variety of functions, which include religious congregations, meetings and youth activities.

Physical Description

The place comprises a simple timber-framed building, clad with weatherboards and featuring a distinctive steeply-pitched gable iron roof, laid in short sheets, with decorative timber bargeboards to the gable ends. The front (north) elevation features a pair of timber-framed sash windows with decorative architraves, arranged either side of the central timber-framed double doors. The doors feature a glazed fanlight (infilled with plywood) and are lined with vertical boards. An arched vented window is located in the upper gable wall of the north elevation. The side elevations both feature a pair of timber-framed sashes, while a fibro-clad lean-to extension has been added to the rear elevation. The extension is raised on timber stumps, allowing for the fall of the site south towards Canning River, and has timber-framed louvre windows and a flush-panel door. A brick and tile church building is located to the west of the hall, which has a backdrop of jarrah bushland and is set back slightly from the road.

History

In 1912, the Roleystone Progress Association was formed and, in the same year, through community effort, a church-hall was built on land owned by the Congregational Church. On completion, the hall was consecrated, which meant it could not be used as a venue for entertainment, such as dancing, a use, which some people had thought, was its original purpose. As a result of the Hall’’s controversial consecration, disunity was created in the community and, practically, Roleystone had not a non-ecclesiastical public venue until a new hall was built in 1922, with funds raised by the Roleystone Progress Association. After disaffiliation from the Congregational Union of Western Australia, the Roleystone Church Hall was moved a short distance to another lot. In recent years, the former Roleystone Church Hall has been used for youth activities.

Integrity/Authenticity

High Moderate

Condition

Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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