West Swan Primary School (fmr)

Child Places

• 23597 West Swan Training Centre - Teacher'sHouse

Values

The place is a fine example of a small group of school buildings comprising a classroom building and associated teacher’s quarters in a rural area.

The place is associated with the provision of public education for school age children in the small rural area of West Swan from 1897 to 1982.

The place has associations with the increased settlement of the Swan Valley as a result of migration to the state during the goldrushes of the 1890s.

Physical Description

The site comprises two buildings; a teacher’s quarters and a schoolroom classroom building.

The teacher’s quarters is a brick building with a corrugated iron hipped roof. The roof has a small gable to the front with two brick chimneys, which have rendered corbel capping. The front wall is garden wall bond brickwork and the sides stretcher bond. There is a wide verandah with a dropped roof to the front elevation and this is supported with simple timber posts.

The classroom is a brick building (Flemish bond) with a corrugated iron gabled roof. Windows are double hung sashes. To the rear of the building is a simple brick skillion.

History

Prior to the construction of the West Swan Primary School (fmr), children were educated either at home or if buildings rented for that purpose. For some time the West Swan Bridge School met at Mr Munchin’s barn on his farm at Spring Park. After the closure of the East Swan School, the school at Spring Park became known simply as West Swan Government School.

In 1897, a block of land was purchased by the Government from Thomas Price for the purposes of constructing a school. Wilkinson and Smith were commissioned to design the single roomed classroom building and the four roomed teacher’s quarters. (The bricks are said to have been on the grounds.) The school opened in January 1898.

By 1954, there were 44 students and two teachers at the school. Due to overcrowding, a new classroom was constructed in 1955.

The school was eventually closed in 1982 due to low student numbers. Since then, the place has been used as a Government Garden Training Centre and Nursery and a Montessori School. In 1996, it was purchased by the Manguri Land Enterprises Inc.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

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.