Old Perth Boys School and Perth Technical College

Child Places

• 02116 Perth Technical College

Statement of Significance

The place comprises well designed examples of Victorian Academic Gothic style building, exhibiting a high standard of traditional craftsmanship and an understanding of the Gothic design ethos.
The place is one of the oldest extant government school buildings in the state and a rare example of the practise of designing educational buildings along the lines of a traditional Gothic church.
The place is a rare and striking remnant of Victorian era building along St Georges Terrace that demonstrates the development of this street in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries from colonial outpost to the central administrative and commercial hub of the state.
The place demonstrates the development of the government provision of education, both elementary and technical, which was a reflection of the government’s overall development in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.
The place demonstrates the development of heritage consciousness in the state, both buildings spared from demolition and redeveloped to serve new purposes through the activism of the National Trust (Western Australia).Old Perth Boys School was designed by Superintendent of Public Works Richard Roach Jewell, who is similarly responsible for a number of civic buildings in Perth and Fremantle.

Physical Description

Stone and iron building with Gothic arches and steeply pitched roof. Bell towers over the entrance forms the western wing of the former Perth Technical College (1910).

History

Perth Boys School was completed in 1854 and is the oldest government school in WA. The building was extended in 1860 with the construction of a gallery. In 1865 the southern wing was added and in 1868 the northern wing was constructed. In 1897 the boy’s school was moved to a new site between James and Roe Streets and the building was taken over by the Perth Technical College. The building is currently used by the National Trust of Australia (WA).

Integrity/Authenticity

Low level of integrity.
Medium level of authenticity as it is substantially intact. Restored by the National Trust.

Condition

Very 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.