Newcastle Street Government School

Statement of Significance

Newcastle Street Government School is an unusual example of a large Government school that was originally built as a Church school. It is a fine example of the Federation Stripped Classical style and is a landmark on Newcastle Street. It informs of the history of development in the educational programs and facilities of the area and has associations with the school’s teaching staff and the generations of students.

Physical Description

A three storey red-brick building with a tiled hip roof and a central gable projecting forward on the symmetrical Newcastle St frontage. The gable features a triple arched ventilation detail. The ground level is of stone with arches over the now enclosed entranceways. The closely spaced double hung narrow windows at the second level have stone lintels. The top floor windows are double hung with four panes. The central pair of windows on the upper floor features multi-paned fanlights, making them taller than the other windows. Horizontal stucco bands feature above the first floor windows and below the windows on both the upper floors. Chimneys are brick with corbelled stucco decoration. Set back from Newcastle Street with hard surface in between. Several to facilitate the ongoing function of the place

History

Settlement took place in the area on the western end of Lake Henderson in the area of Cowle Street and along Newcastle Street from at least 1884. There was also considerable settlement to the south, between Newcastle Street and West Perth railway station. In 1878 Perth Town Lot Y262 was transferred to the Wesley and Methodist Church. Lot Y261 had been transferred to Geroge Dent. The Perth North Church of England Day School, also known as St John's Day School, was opened on the north side of the Newcastle Street site on 21 January 1889 to cater for the growth in the area. However, the buildig that it operated in was soon described as 'unsuitable'. It became a Government Assisted School in 1890 and in 1891 the Inspector reported: 'The building, which is only a temporary one, is very unsuitable for school purposes. At the time of visit there was very little apparatus of any kind in the school. The new school room, now in course of erection, will be of great help to the successful working of this school'. The new school building was constructed of brick with a verandah on the western side and brick toilets were constructed to the north-eastern part of the site. The footprint of this is shown on the 1897 PWD sewerage plants and the school was listed in the Wise's Post Office Directories from 1895/6. By 1893, enrolments had reached 114. The school could not exist without further help and the Government purchased the property and 'accepted some responsibility for the educational needs of a fast developing shanty town which had sprung up north of the railway line' (J. Rikkers). The Government school opened on 7 February 1895 as the Perth West Public School. The headmistress was Miss Laurina Reid and she was assisted by three part-time teachers. Enrolments in 1895 numbered 156. Miss Reid remained head teacher until 1900 when P.H Gladman took over. A new school was designed by Charles Rosenthal in 1895. He had been trained in Victoria and moved to WA in 1895 to a position with the Department of Railways and Public Works. During his time in WA he designed such buildings as the Free Public Library, Royal Mint and the Perth Law Courts. Tenders were called for new school's construction in 1895 and the contract (₤2,400) was awarded to Robert and Arthur Bunning. It was built in stone and brick and located on the north side of the existing school but it was not finished until July 1897. In March 1897 the name was changed to Newcastle Street School. That years plans were also drawn by Hillson Beasley for an Infant's School because of the pressure on the existing accommodation. The builders were Lake & Gurr and the cost was just over ₤1,292. The new Infants' School was opened on 5 September 1898. A galvanised iron building was also relocated from Subiaco State School and, although it was intended as temporary accommodation, it remained there for 30 years. A portion of Perth Town Lot Y262 was resumed by the Government from the Wesley Church in January 1898 at a cost of ₤375 to increase the size of the school's reserve and in 1900 further changes were made to the site when Reserve No. 3594 was cancelled and reserve 3765 was gazetted. This added about one acre of land to the school area but the grounds were still small. Eventually the Government was able to purchase some extra land in 1909 from the Wesley Trustees and this was added to the area. Hillson Beasley designed a new brick classroom in 1900 which was created by W.C Rose of Loftus Street, Leederville at a cost of ₤469. Enrolments continued to expand and extensions were carried out again in 1902 and 1907. Separate schools for boys and girls were formed in 1903, but they amalgamated as Newcastle Street State School in 1908. In 1910 Patrick M. Coughlan was the head teacher. Various additions were been made to the Newcastle Street School over the years, but enrolments decreased in the 1920's and some areas were not used. Others were in poor condition. The head teacher reported: 'It is in a very bad state indeed... The roof also is nearly rusted through. The appearance of the school is sordid and unpleasant.' it was estimated that it would cost ₤320 for renovations and a badly needed coat of paint. Nevertheless budget constraints meant that nothing was done until 1926 when, due to a lack of numbers (only 384 students) and the fact that there were five other schools close by, an annoucement was made that the school would be closed. Plans were drawn in 1927 for a July for a Junior Technical School by the Principal Architect, J.M. Tait. Alterations were made to the Senior and Infant's schools and a blacksmith's shop was added. Facilities were also included for woodwork and drawing classes. Tenders were called for the conversion in 1927 and it was carried out in 1928 by A. Woolhouse at a cost of ₤1,469. In 1929-30, the school became an annexe of the Technical Education Department (TAFE), and housed the Junior Technical School. The Junior Tech had been formed in 1917, and was previously accommodated in the Technical School Buildings on the Perth Boys' School site in St George's Terrace. By 1928, there was a shortage of accommodation at the St George's Terrace site and so the Newcastle Street annexe was opened. The Methodist Mission buildings on the nearby site on Charles Street was also later used by the Technical School. The Infant's School amalgamated with the State School on 1 May 1922 but was reinstated as a separate school, known as Newcastle Street Infants, in 1928. In 1927 plans had been drawn for a new Infant's School on the alnd acquired from the Wesley Church in 1909. It was constructed in 1928 by J.Lake at a cost of circa ₤3,771 and consisted of three classrooms, a verandah which could be used for teaching, a teacher's room, hat room and lavatories. A pavilion classroom was also added later. The new School was known as the first Infant's School and later as the Newcastle Street Junior Primary School. When Chrissie Samiotis was a student there in the 1930's, the school only went to Year 3 and she moved on to Highgate State School afterwards. It was the same for her own children Tony and Cath, although they moved on to Leederville State School. The School remained open until 1977 and so, by the time her third child, Evan, was ready to attend school it had been taken over by the Technical School and he went straight into Year 1 at Leederville. According to Chrissie, the school had changed little in the time between the 1930's and when her children went there. One of the few changes was that the original domestic science rooms had become the canteen and later it became the school's library. The building was later demolished to make way for new premises for the Department of Education and Training. Additions comprising a new classroom were carried out to the Perth Junior Technical College in 1934 by J. Shuttleworth, at a cost of ₤230 and a further addition was done the same year., again by A. Woolhouse, which cost ₤497. In 1953 two further classrooms were added to the site. More land was needed for the Technical School and in 1976 the Education Department purchased properties on the southern side of Prospect Place (Lots 2 and 3 of Perth Town Lot Y263), part of which later became a carpark. Further properties on the south side were added in 1978. The Newcastle Street Junior Technical School remained opened until around 2000, but once again there were few major changes in that period apart from the abovementioned changes in the Title, the change of the purpose of the land to the 'Technical School Site' in 1992 and in 1997, when most of the area was vested in the Minister for Training. The place was subsequently leased to Edith Cowan University and used by the Academy of Performing Arts (c.2001). More recently it has been used by the Central TAFE. It was listed on the Register of Heritage Places as a Permanent Entry in 2001.

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