Local Government
Augusta/Margaret River
Region
South West
20 Wallcliffe Rd Margaret River
Cnr Wallcliffe Rd & Farelly St
St Thomas More Church
Augusta/Margaret River
South West
Constructed from 1982
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 08 Aug 2012 |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Assessed - Consultation (Preliminary) | Current | 20 Apr 2007 |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 01 Jul 2012 | Considerable Significance | |
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 17 Jun 1996 | Criterion 4 | |
| Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place | |||
| Survey of 20th Ctry Architecture | Completed | 01 Mar 1988 | ||
St Thomas More Catholic Church is of significance: • As an excellent example of a late 20th century ecclesiastical architecture. • As an excellent example of contemporary rammed earth architecture, an identifiable building material of the area in the late twentieth century. • For its important associations with the local Catholic community, who built the church as a community project using local materials and with many hand crafted features. • For its important role in the spiritual life of many of Margaret River’sresidents since the construction of the church in 1982. • As a prominent landmark.
St Thomas More Catholic Church is a substantial, cruciform plan church constructed of rammed earth with a gabled clerestory roof, clad with Colorbond. At the Walcliffe Road frontage there is a prominent campanile (bell tower) which also provides an arched entry to the building and displays ecclesiastical artwork in the form of a bas relief. A circular entrance drive passes under a covered portico that links the campanile and an open loggia across the front of the church.Internally St Thomas More includes both areas of worship and parish meeting rooms and facilities.The perimeter of the site has been landscaped with mature shrubs and trees, above which the campanile and roof rise as landmark elements.
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church was built by the local Catholic community as a community project. The clay for the rammed earth walls and the granite came from local farms. The altar piece of jarrah (2.4m x 2m) was carved by a local craftsman and the font and cross, also of jarrah, were done by another local craftsman. The floor was laid with Donnybrook stone. The stained glass windows were made locally and the Stations of the Cross, made of beaten copper, were made by local women. The children of the parish were involved in the cleaning up the building site.St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church was officially opened on Monday 24 January 1983, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Peter Quinn (Bunbury).It, like the comparable Lumen Christi Catholic Church at Augusta (Place # AU-13)(which also used rammed wall construction), was innovative and enterprising at its time.As at 2012, the place is a centre for the Catholic community and other groups in the town who use the building’s excellent facilities.
High: The original use has been maintained. High: The original/significant fabric is largely intact.
Good
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hodge and Wilcox, architects | Architect | - | - |
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Heritage Inventory | 1996 | ||
| West Australian pp38-39 | 25/11/1982 | ||
| Busselton Margaret Times p4 | 27/1/1983 |
| Ref Number | Description |
|---|---|
| MR(T)-17 | MI Place No. |
| A3649 | LGA Site No. |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
| Present Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
| Style |
|---|
| Inter-War Gothic |
| Late 20th-Century Ecclesiastical |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
| Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
| Wall | TIMBER | Weatherboard |
| Wall | EARTH | Pise {Rammed Earth} |
| Other | ASBESTOS | Fibrous Cement, flat |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Religion |
| PEOPLE | Innovators |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Immigration, emigration & refugees |
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.