Local Government
Broome
Region
Kimberley
Beagle Bay Dampier Peninsula
Sacred Heart Church
Broome
Kimberley
Constructed from 1918
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
Heritage List | Adopted | 28 Aug 2014 | |
State Register | Registered | 07 Apr 1998 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Category | ||||
Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 09 Oct 2000 | ||
Aboriginal Heritage Sites Register | Permanent | |||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 28 Aug 2014 | Grading A | |
Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 09 Oct 2000 |
Sacred Heart Mission Church is of considerable significance for the associations with the Aboriginals of Beagle Bay and the Pallotine Brothers. The place is of aesthetic significance for the vernacular style, the use of local made bricks, and mother of pearl detailing on the altar and shell work throughout. The place is a significant place of worship, community events and social gatherings in Beagle Bay, and is a tourism attraction to the region.
Set in an open expansive grassed area, the building is stunning. The impressive church building has a gable roof with a three-storey square bell tower over the central front entry. The entry/tower has a stepped recessed gothic entrance and a high spire central on top. The whitewashed handmade brick construction has stepped buttresses along both sides and the two front corners step into pinnacles each side. The windows and openings are gothic arches. The altar and all other ecclesiastical motifs are made of shells and mother of pearl inlays in traditional European and Aboriginal motifs.
In 1890, the French Trappist Order established a Catholic mission for the local people a few kilometres inland of Beagle Bay. The Trappists built a church, monastery and dormitories of paperbark and attempted to make the Mission self-supporting but with little success. Because the Trappists were a contemplative vocation, the work of running a Mission did not suit their way of life. The Trappists left the Mission in 1900 and the German Pallotine Brothers took over. In 1907, nine Sisters of St John of God arrived to assist with their work. The Aboriginal boys were trained in various crafts and trades and the girls were taught to be housekeepers and seamstresses. During World War One, the Brothers were confined to the Mission and spent their time building a new church with considerable help from the Aboriginal population who collected timber and large amounts of shell, which was burnt down to produce white lime for mortar and plaster, as well as assisting to make the 60,000 double bricks. They were also involved in decorating the interior of the church. The Beagle Bay Mission Church was dedicated on 15 August 1918. The ceiling was installed in 1920 and in 1949, Sister Roswina of the German Schoenstatt Sisters painted the Stations of the Cross, which hang in the Church. Beagle Bay Mission developed into a thriving community with numerous buildings, including dormitories, school, domestic science block, dining room, hall, butcher, bakery and store. Over the years, the Mission adjusted to the changes in Government policy toward Aboriginal people until in 1976, the Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community was issued with a 99-year lease on 600,000 acres of land surrounding the Mission.
High degree High degree
Good although rising damp damage is evident
Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
---|---|---|---|
Conservation Plan 1998 |
Ref Number | Description |
---|---|
No.53 | MI Place No. |
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
7458 | From patrons to partners : a history of the catholic Church in the Kimberley 1884 - 1984. | Book | 1994 |
5371 | Sacred Heart Church Beagle Bay WA : structural report | Report | 2002 |
5751 | Sacred Heart Church Beagle Bay : reconstruction of belltower and rendering (final report). | Conservation works report | 2002 |
4150 | Reroofing of the Sacred Heart Church, Beagle Bay: Final Report 1999 Conservation Works. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1999 |
4772 | Conservation plan for Sacred Heart Church (1918) (Beagle Bay Mission Church) : Beagle Bay : Western Australia. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1998 |
7599 | Havens of refuge : a history of leprosy in Western Australia. | Book | 1978 |
4642 | Conservation plan for Sacred Heart Church (1918) : (Beagle Bay Mission Church), Beagle Bay, Western Australia | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1998 |
9466 | Signposts: a guide for children and young people in care in WA from 1920. | Electronic | 2010 |
8335 | Historic buildings of the Kimberley region of W.A. | Book | 1988 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Present Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
Original Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
Style |
---|
Inter-War Gothic |
Type | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Wall | TIMBER | Other Timber |
Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
Wall | BRICK | Handmade Brick |
General | Specific |
---|---|
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Religion |
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