Buckingham School (fmr)

Statement of Significance

Buckingham Hall, a weatherboard and iron hall, has cultural heritage significance for its social significance as a school for the children of workers at the Buckingham and Bunnings mills and later as a community hall and meeting place.

Physical Description

Buckingham Hall is 60’ x 30’, including the 12’ addition. Set on sawn jarrah stumps, the timber framed building is clad externally with jarrah weatherboards. The roof is medium pitch, hipped with louvred gables, and clad with short sheet corrugated iron. The original hall had two sets of double louvred windows either side and a set of louvres either side of the entrance at the southern end. The former school has a steeper pitched hipped roof, and similar style double set of louvres either side and double exit door at the northern end. There is a face brick chimney in the north west corner, with simple brick corbelling. Windows are covered with cgi sheeting as at 2016. The supper room (old school has a hipped roof and is clad with jarrah weather boards matching the hall, and the extension between the buildings was opened in 1987. Internal description from 2010 Draft MHI: The hall has been connected with electricity and water tanks/stands. Internal walls are lined with fibro material. The floor is tongue and groove jarrah boards.

History

The site comprises the Buckingham Hall and the Muja School (fmr) and is located on the western side of the Collie River at Duderling Pool (approximately 80m away). The Buckingham Hall was constructed in 1954/55. In February 1945, the Buckingham community was devastated by fire. Newspaper reports at the time indicate that up to 11 houses, timber stacked at the mill and a general store were destroyed . It is thought however, that numerous other structures including the church, hall and pumphouse were also destroyed . In 1951, The West Australian reported that a new church had been constructed at Buckingham Siding to replace one destroyed in a bush fire ‘some years ago’ . The Draft Shire of Collie Municipal Heritage Inventory 2010 notes that the original Buckingham Hall was located on Shotts River Road but was destroyed by the 1945 fire. When the State Saw Mills purchased the Buckingham Mill in 1954 they built a new hall which is on the current site and was funded by a levy applied to the local ratepayers. The hall was managed by the Buckingham Progress Association . The hall has been extended at some stage to include the Muja school and an adjoining kitchen area as one building. The Draft Shire of Collie Municipal Heritage Inventory 2010 identifies the northern portion of the place as the former Muja School, describing it as having a steep pitched iron roof, weatherboard clad and on jarrah stumps, with a pair of double hung windows on the eastern and western sides and a brick chimney at the north western corner. It is adjoined to the Buckingham Hall and is used a kitchen. It was relocated from Muja to its current site after the mid 1950s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium-High / High

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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