Narembeen Museum

Statement of Significance

Social: The place is significant as the first church built and consecrated in Narembeen and the only church in the Narembeen district for a period of twenty five years. The place demonstrates the activities and development of the Anglican congregation in Narembeen. The former church demonstrates the interaction of the interdenominational churches during their developing periods in Narembeen. The place demonstrates a phase of the development of the town and the region of Narembeen.
The former church is significant as a place of religious worship and celebration and displays a range of customs and religious philosophies.
Historical: The place demonstrates an association with many of the pioneers of the Narembeen district. An association is also demonstrated with the hierarchy of the Anglican Church.
Aesthetic: The former church demonstrates a sense of place for the ceremonial events that have taken place, and the community associations.
Rarity and Representativeness : The former St Paul's Anglican Church represents a way of life that is no longer practised and is characteristic of churches in most country towns, of which few still remain in the wheatbelt .

The former St Paul's Anglican Church is indicative of its type of church of which it is the only example in Narembeen.

Physical Description

The church is in a residential area, and respects that location by conforming with the standard street setback . The building is individual in its setting but does not dominate . A bell pole is in evidence as is a water fountain which has been relocated from its original site to this site.

The building is a simple building rectangular in shape with a protruding entry porch on the west side of the front. A steeple on the roof has been removed and is in storage. The weatherboard walls are entirely unpainted and have previously been oiled. The church windows are mauve coloured obscure patterned glass in panels. Each casement window has an angled timber detail forming the top of the frame. The roof is a combination of gable ends and hips. The entire roof is painted corrugated iron sheets The porch has a gable infill.

The Entry doors are ledge and braced doors with the same angled top frame detail as the windows. The doors have been painted on the outside, and the frame of the inside has been painted, retaining the stained jarrah finish of the boards.

The entire perimeter of the inside of the hall has a 1SOOmm high dado wall of vertical tongue and groove stained jarrah boards. Above the dado wall is white painted plaster sheets with stained jarrah battens over the vertical sheet joins. The pulpit walls continue along the same dado line even though the floor is at a higher level. The vestry walls are the same as the remainder of the internal walls.

The church hall ceiling is a plasterboard lined cathedral ceiling. The stained jarrah batten sheet joins form a geometric pattern. Steel structural tie rods are exposed across the span of the ceiling. The vestry and pulpit ceilings are flat and lined in a similar manner.

The entire floor is tongue and groove 80mm jarrah floorboards . The pulpit has a raised floor on two separate levels. The building is raised on jarrah stumps, which have subsided to a level where the church hall floor is at ground level and slopes down towards the entry of the hall.

History

Assessment 1995
Construction 1928
The first Anglican Minister to conduct services in Narembeen was Mr Jodrell who rode a horse from Kondinin. Later the Rector from Bruce Rock, Reverend Griffin Smith visited monthly to hold services in the Narembeen Hall. Sunday School was held at Mrs Pippett's House.
The Anglican church services were held in the Narembeen Hall from when it was first built until the St Paul's Anglican Church was built in 1928. The Methodist congregation conducted their services in the Anglican Church twice a month until they built their own church in 1955.
Plans for a parish and a church building had been developing for some time when the diocese of Perth granted £750 for a church building (despite the fact that Narembeen was in the Kalgoorlie diocese) Connelly and Hale donated the land for the church, as they had previously for the Hall and the recreation ground.
In 1924 a Ladies Guild was formed with the Stationmasters wife, Mrs Wales ,elected the President . Many balls, fetes and cake stalls were organised to raise money for the church. The maypole dance was the main attraction at the fete which was held in the garden of the Stationmaster's House
In November 1928 tenders were called for the church building, and of the five tenders received, Mr Green of Bruce Rock was successful. The building cost £300 for labour plus the cost of materials, a total of about £900 . The building was dedicated on the 6th February 1929 by the Archdeacon Moore (later Dean), from Northam. He was assisted by the visiting priest from Bruce Rock, Rector P Griffin Smith. In 1929 two lay readers conducted the evening services. A full choir from St Peter's were present for the occasion 1.
The Anglican Church was the first church building in Narembeen. No other churches were constructed in the town until Church of Christ church hall in 1953, then the Roman Catholic church in 1954, followed by the Methodist church in 1955, and then the new Anglican Church in 1965.
When an offer of financial support was made to the parish during the depression, it was accepted gratefully. "The Society for the propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts", an English Organisation, donated substantial monies to the Narembeen parish. The Society sent Reverend Thomas Bushby out from England in 1930. Reverend Bushby was the first
resident Minister in Narembeen. An anonymous Englishwoman benefactor of t he society provided monies for maintenance and the Minister's stipend, although there was a shortfall amount that the congregation contributed.

A branch of the Girls Friendly Society was established by Mrs A Hewitt in 1930. Fifteen girls enrolled and made a significant contribution to the church and its members. One of the first Friendly Society members, Violet Moore had the distinction of being the bride in the first marriage to take place in the church in June 1929 when she married Gordon Martin.
The church was the place where all the weddings were celebrated, the babies christened and the memorials read for the bereaved. For over 25 years in the town of Narembeen St Paul's Church was the only consecrated place of religious worship .
A rectory was built next to the Church some years before Mr Bushby returned to England in 1937. He presented the brass cross for the Alter. Reverend Alle n Cutts succeeded Bushby, and the parish was known as the Narembeen-Corrigin Parish in the Bunbury Diocese. The next minister, Mr Harfield chose to reside in the more comfortable rectory in the larger town of Corrigin, and only visited Narembeen for two seNices a month. The subsequent minister, the Reverend Eric Currie, also chose to live in Corrigin, but with the rationing during World War Two, he encountered difficulties in getting around the parish.
For some time Narembeen was without a permanent Rector. During that time Archb ishop Moline visited for Christmas, Easter and feast days. Mr Bazley f rom Merredin visited occasionally. An English Missionary, David Hoey had settled in Bruce Rock for a furlough, and visited Narembeen regularly. A number of other temporary and visiting arrangements were made during the war years.
It was not until after the war that Reverend Norman Apthorpe was invited by the Perth Diocese to come to Western Australia, he accepted the Narembeen Parish, and settled with his family. He established the pattern of resident ministers again. The inadequacies of the rectory accommodation became obvious with Mr Apthorp's family of three children. Apthorp was ·succeeded by Mr Cecil Hodgson who made a move to build a new rectory and church. The rectory had been sold during the war years (for £1500 to WJ Nichols) The new rectory was completed in 1958 and occupied by Rev Norman Apthorpe. The new Rectory was on one of four blocks which had been purchased some years previously by the Vestry for the purpose of a church and vestry. After 3 years Hodgson went to Boulder.
During Apthorps time the church prospered, and Hodgson and the church secretary Ralph Fardon encouraged the vestry raised funds for a new church. There was some dissent among the parishioners.The Ladies Guild had paid off the first church at £25 a year. Archbishop le Fanu had made a special dispensation to for go interest payments on the capital loan. All the alter clothes and hangings were made by members of the Ladies Guild. In 1978 the Guild bought a new organ, and the old organ is a memorial to the church organist Mrs Hall, and others.
On the 7th June 1964 the Foundation stone for the new St Paul's was !aid by Sam Yeomans and Bill Hall and was dedicated by Archbishop Appleton when it opened on 25 November 1965
Sunday School was regularly held in the church, but in 1995, there are not enough children to run a Sunday School at the new St Paul's Church.
The Shire of Narembeen purchased the property and in 1969 the church became the Narembeen Historical Museum. Tom Savage officially opened the Museum.2
The Narembeen Historical Society were granted the use of the place, and established The Church Museum. In 1994, the historical items which were housed in the church were relocated to the old RSL Hall in Savage Street. The Church Museum still has some items in store. It is not used for any other purpose at this time

Uses

Historic Themes

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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.