Parish Centre

Values

· The place is a good example of a Victorian Georgian architectural style Parish Centre in the Mundaring region.
· The place is significant for the local Anglican community.
· The place is significant as it contributes to the street scape and townscape of Mundaring.
· The place is a substantial feature of the surrounding landscape.

Physical Description

Ÿ Made from brick and weatherboards. Ÿ

Brick Chimney. Ÿ

CGI roofing (appears original).
Ÿ
Verandah on 3 sides, appears to have been filled in on one side.
Ÿ
Simple rectangular floor plan.

History

The first European into the Mundaring area was Ensign Robert Dale who, in 1829, traced the Helena River upstream to a point near the present site of the Mundaring Weir. It is thought that Dale named the river after his sister, Helen. Two years later Dale returned to the area while charting a road from Guildford across to York. It was on this road that the settlement of Mundaring slowly evolved. The name 'Mundaring' is an apparent Anglicisation of the Aboriginal word 'Mindah-lung' which was used by the local Aborigines to describe the area. The first European to use the term was William Burges who mapped the Helena River in March, 1834. There was a land grab in the area from the 1840s but, while the land was claimed, few of the 'owners' actually decided to move to their properties. In fact many of the large holdings were quite useless. By the 1880s there was a sprinkling of settlers in the area and a small settlement had been established on the Great Eastern Highway. The first freehold land in the area wasn't granted until 1882 and it wasn't until 1889 that a sawmill opened in the area and timber cutters moved in to exploit the extensive stands of jarrah and karri. The turning point in the history of the area came in 1896 when the Western Australian government committed itself to the construction of the Mundaring Weir and the pipeline which would connect the waters of the Helena River to the thirsty mining towns of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. In 1898 a railway line was completed connecting the main Eastern Railway line to the Mundaring Weir site. The township grew rapidly to meet the sudden increase in population. Local entrepreneurs were quickly on the spot to provide services for the workers on the dam. In his book The Helena Story Edward Quicke describes the establishment of the dam community: 'By June 1898 there were 295 men working at the weir. The area became a vast camp with men living in tents and families in hessian and barrel staves shanties. Conditions were fairly primitive and a letter from the local schoolmaster to the Education Department complained that people from 'the camp' were using the school toilets on weekends and holidays. A police station was established about half-way between the school and the traffic bridge over the river. It consisted of the inevitable hessian and barrel staves and as there was no structure capable of holding prisoners, the latter were chained to a log! There was a store and a post office and one of the shanties dispensed home made hop beer. The latter was so popular that many of the workmen had difficulty negotiating the hill to their tents. As a result of their efforts the road up the hill between the dwellings was called 'Struggle Street'. The dam was completed in 1900 and the laying of the pipes began in 1902. The construction of the both the dam and the pipeline are two of the engineering wonders of Western Australia. They are great achievements in an age when earth moving equipment and tractors were not available. The genius behind the whole project was Charles Yelverton O'Connor. The area now known as Mundaring subsequently continued to grow as a result of the pipeline and it was 20 years after the completion of the pipeline that this place was built (as a home). It was soon after converted for use as a parish Centre for the Anglican Church Community. Below is a short history of the Anlgican Church in Western Australia. ‘Prior to the arrival of the reverend JB Wittenoom in January 1830, religious services in the Swan River Colony were held by lay preachers. However, the Colony was fortunate to obtain, for a limited time, the services of retired Archdeacon Thomas H Scott while he waited for his ship to be repaired (from November 1829 to July 1830). The first Colonial Chaplain, appointed to the Swan River Colony for the Anglican Church by the British Government, was the Reverend John B Wittenoom. At the time of Wittenoom’s appointment, Western Australia was part of the Diocese of Adelaide under the guidance of Bishop Short. Other clergymen soon joined Wittenoom in Perth, however it was not until 1848 that short was able to visit Western Australia. During his visit he consecrated several church and carried out numerous confirmations. It was not until 1857 that the Diocese of Perth was endowed, with Archdeacon Matthew B hale appointed as the first bishop for the Anglican Church.’ ‘In 1872 a change was made to the Constitution of the Church of England when it was removed from the Fixed Establishment’s List and placed in the same category as other religious denominations. Prior tot his, the Anglican Church has been regarded as the official Church of the Colony and received assistance from the Government. As a result of this disestablishment, Bishop Hale called a Synod to discuss the transfer of church property and the re organisation of the Church. The synod was composed of clergy and lay persons, two lay persons for each clergyman. One of the outcomes of this reorganization saw the Diocese divided into two archdeaconries which were then further subdivided into rural deaneries.’

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity- Low
Authenticity- High

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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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.