Brookhampton Hall

Child Places

• 03702 Brookhampton War Memorial

Statement of Significance

Brookhampton Hall is a picturesque timber weatherboard hall set in a group which includes the war memorial and oak tree. It is an important facility that has served the area for over a hundred years. It has been the venue for many social and sporting activities for the district, and also served as a church and school. Several generations of almost all the local families have used or attended functions in the hall since its construction. It is also significant as the home of the Brookhampton Bell Ringers since their formation in 1904.

Physical Description

Brookhampton Hall is an oiled weatherboard hall with a moderately pitched hipped corrugated iron roof and deep front verandah. A gabled addition has been abutted on the east side. There are three double hung timber sash windows on the verandah and an entrance door at each end of the verandah. There are two hooded double hung windows on the west side facade. An enclosed skillion section at the rear is also constructed of oiled weatherboards and contains the toilets. Two very large English oak trees stood in front, of which only one remains. The War Memorial is also located in front of the Hall.

History

Pioneer settler Henry Cain donated part of Wellington Location 582, for a hall site at Brookhampton in 1898. He served on the building committee with Frank Miller, John Thomson, Charlie Fowler, and Thomas (Tom) Miller, who was Chairman for 21 years. In 1899, on this triangular piece of land, Tom Miller, assisted by Frank Miller, an able ‘bush carpenter’, who had taken up land at Thomson Brook, built the timber construction Brookhampton Hall. On 6 December, with an enrollment of 18 children, a so-called provisional school opened at the Hall, where it operated until 1903. In this period the Hall was used also for Methodist Church services, dances and social gatherings. The hall was surrounded by a traditional picket fence which is no longer extant. Early plantings at the Hall included at least two oak trees, of which one large specimen survives in 2012. A sports ground was established on level ground in proximity. The Hall was the focal point of social life in the district, and as such the logical site for erection of a War Memorial post-World War I. In 1922, Brookhampton Hall was altered to incorporate a stage and dressing rooms, and an enclosed verandah was erected along the western side to serve as a supper room, in which a chimney and fireplace were built in 1923. In 1924, H. E. Lloyd extended the Hall by 16 ft. and replaced the original floor that had been ruined by roller-skating. In 1994-5 conservation works included removing asbestos at the rear and replacing it with timber weatherboards, refurbishing washroom facilities, and repairs to the verandah, walls and roof. In 1999, the centenary of Brookhampton Hall was celebrated, and the place continues in use in the early 2000s. Since the early 1900s, the Brookhampton Bell Ringers have been associated with the Hall. In 1903, when Frank Young came to live at Brookhampton with his family, he brought the bells from the disbanded St Andrew’s Bell Ringers, of Coolgardie, and taught some members of the Thomson’s Brook Musical Club to play in 1904. Soon the Brookhampton Bell Ringers were entertaining in the district and beyond, gaining wide recognition. They practised at Brookhampton Hall, where the bells were kept until the 1970s. Descendants of many of the original bell ringers learnt their skills and the Brookhampton Bell Ringers have continued to entertain communities in the South-West, where they are unique.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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