Wesley Church (fmr)

Statement of Significance

Claremont Town Hall, a brick building designed in the Inter-War Gothic style, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• the place is significant for its landmark quality amongst the fast-food outlets, carparks and retail stores surrounding the site.
• the place is a representative example of the Inter-War Gothic style. It has aesthetic value for its symmetrical façade and decorative elements, such as the parapeted gable and stained glass windows;
• the place makes an important statement about the lifestyles of the occupants of Claremont during the early 1900s when a high percentage of the population attended church service. It was one of three separate churches within the area close to the centre of town. The change of occupancy shows changes in community values, with a drop in church attendances.
• the place is valued by the community of Claremont.

AESTHETIC VALUE
Claremont Town Hall is considered a valuable place for the aesthetic qualities of the built form. Taking its inspiration from the design of nineteenth-century ecclesiastical buildings, the place exhibits a symmetrical front façade and well-proportioned side façades. The use of traditional red face brick and white render further enhance the aesthetic value of the building.
The building sits within a retail and commercial context, surrounded by fast-food outlets, carparks and retail stores. The definition between these buildings and that of Claremont Town Hall gives it a landmark quality. It gives visitors and residents a sense of what Claremont may have looked like before the onset of development. It creates an important streetscape on Stirling Highway, standing in near isolation amidst the surrounding low-scale buildings.
HISTORIC VALUE
Claremont Town Hall comments on the values of the community of Claremont during the early 1900s. As the town centre developed, the need for churches became evident, and this resulted in various separate churches being built within the area for the different denominations of residents. The proportion of people going to church was high, as people valued religion and saw the activity of going to church as a social event. The combination of the Presbyterian, Congregational and Methodist Churches as the Uniting Church, came at a time when the number of church-goers was steadily diminishing, so the Methodist Church was ‘found to be surplus to requirements’.
In 1983, the use of Claremont Town Hall changed as community attitudes changed. The number of people going to church began to decline, but the people still wanted an area to maintain the social aspect of meeting and being involved with the development of the town. This pattern of usage demonstrates the evolution of the people of Claremont, with religion valued as less important than it had been in previous years.

SOCIAL VALUE
The Church’s importance in the social fabric of the community in the early 1900s can be demonstrated by the siting of the building and the massing of the construction.
The Methodist Church is also considered valuable to the Claremont community Many residents have fond memories of going to the church, and being involved in its community events, such as social dances and fetes. The Church was seen as an important part of daily life, and people were a lot more willing to support it than they are now.
Claremont Town Hall’s current use as a community hall renders it significant to the community. It has changed from being used by an exclusive group of people to being available to any members of the public. Various members of the community have shown they value the building by its listing on the Town of Claremont Municipal Inventory.

REPRESENTATIVENESS
Claremont Town Hall is representative of the importance placed on the Church around the time of construction. The architectural design and proximity to the centre of town demonstrate the way the community thought of religion. The Church was the principal building for the congregation to meet, and so represented the activities of the Methodist public.

CONDITION
Claremont Town Hall is in a fair condition, requiring some work to be done to repair and prevent further damage from occurring.

INTEGRITY
The conservation of the existing place to ensure unsympathetic development does not occur will retain the building’s cultural heritage value. There are no current reasons for the integrity of Claremont Town Hall to be compromised.
AUTHENTICITY
The material fabric of Claremont Town Hall is generally original and intact. Some repair work was carried out in the Main Hall in 1983, specifically to the walls and floor. The stage was removed at this time and replaced due to large holes caused by the removal of the pipe organ. Some work has been carried out on the external walls, with some areas being re-pointed, and the white rendered areas re-rendered and repainted.

Physical Description

Claremont Town Hall is a substantial brick building, with rendered details, designed in the Inter-War Gothic style, with an imposing front façade. The building faces onto Stirling Highway, which existed as the first road link between Fremantle and Perth when the original building was constructed. On the western side of the building is a large carpark for users of the building and the surrounding retail outlets. On the eastern side is a smaller carpark and a garden area, and behind the hall is a two-storey development consisting of retail stores.
The Church consisted of a main hall with a stage, pulpit and storeroom, with 12 metre-high ceilings and a magnificent pipe organ. The design of the original building was symmetrical around a central axis from the main entry to the rear of the hall. Entry to the foyer was through a large arch in the front façade and from here two doors led into the main seating area.
The front façade is divided into three bays. The building sits on a rendered plinth. The central bay features a double-storey rendered arch, which contains the front entry, with brick bays on either side. Rendered piers surmount these two bays. Set into each bay is a long pointed window with stained glass. Above each of these windows is a circular rendered element.. All render has been painted white. A central stairway from the footpath level leads to the central double doors where church-goers would have entered, and this would have been a meeting place both before and after services. Above the door is a rendered stepped motif with a central cross. This is surmounted by three stained glass windows.
The side elevations are divided into six bays, each bounded by brick buttresses. The main building material is red face brick, with softer, white coloured mortar. Each bay, except for the one closest to the front, contains an arch-shaped stained glass window, on either side of which are three ventilation outlets. The decoration around the window is the same detail as the windows in the front façade. Above the window-arches the brickwork has been decoratively corbelled to the underside of the guttering.
The gable roof is clad with red tiles, which generally appear to be in good condition. Both the front and rear walls are parapet walls, rising above the level of the roof. A decorative, terracotta ridge runs along the length of the roof. The downpipes are in poor repair and water is damaging the brickwork.
Additions to the building in 1983 altered the entry point into the building. The hall is now entered through the new foyer located on the eastern side of the building. The addition to the rear of the hall was carried out in similar coloured and sized materials to the original building. A large, steep red-tiled roof has been placed over the addition, at a similar level to the original roof. Simple rectangular windows, lead flashing and skylights in the addition are clear evidence of the definition between the new and the old construction.

History

Assessment 2001
Architect/Designer: James Hine 1923; Parry & Rosenthal 1983
Builder: Singleton and Pitman 1923
Constructed 1923, additions and alterations 1983
Original use: Methodist Church

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Methodist Church in Claremont started meeting to arrange services for the community. Their first meeting was held in the residence of Mr H. William in 1895. Later that same year the first service was held in the Claremont School building, by Reverend A.J. Barclay. On November 14th 1896 the foundation stone for Claremont's first Methodist Church was laid by Reverend G.E. Rowe. This first building was a weatherboard structure. The front façade featured three bays, the tall central bay contained three arched windows below which was a pair of round headed arches. By the early 1920s it was decided that the parish needed a larger building and James Hine, who had designed the Methodist Ladies College Original School Building 15 years earlier, was chosen as the architect. The foundation stone for the New Methodist Church was laid on September 16th 1922, by the Lieutenant Governor of Western Australia, Sir Robert F. McMillan. The opening services were held in February of the next year. In 1926 Perth’s oldest church organ was moved from Victoria Hall and installed in the Methodist Church.
The original weatherboard church was moved back 50 feet to allow the construction of the new church on the same site. This original building remained in use as a church hall after the completion of the new building. In 1946 it was extensively damaged by fire. However, this section of the church was repaired and enlarged and was the venue for some of the church's jubilee celebrations in 1946.
Some time before 1980, the Presbyterian, Congregational and Methodist Churches combined to form the Uniting Church. This, coupled with the steady decline in the number of regular church-goers, meant the Methodist Church (also known as Wesley Church), the Highway Church on the corner of John Street, and St Aidan’s in Princess Road each conducted only one Sunday service a week. The decision was made by the Uniting Church in 1980 to sell the Methodist Church and the Highway Church, which were located on land zoned for commercial/retail use and wholesale/warehouse use respectively. Consequently, developers were eager to invest in the properties to take advantage of their well-placed location. Although offers were received for the sale of the Methodist Church for up to $500 000, in September 1981 the Church was sold to the Claremont Town Council for $170 000.
The Council began to make plans to convert the existing building into ‘the Town Hall that the municipality had never previously boasted.’ The first meeting between the architects and the Council was held on the 2nd of November to discuss the renovations. Different proposals were brought forward - at one stage it was thought the hall needed a movable stage and full dressing rooms for performers, in another proposal it was recommended to only add on a lesser hall and kitchen. Finally the current plan was decided on, with the addition of a foyer, lesser hall, kitchen and bathrooms. These additions entailed the demolition of the hall (the remains of the original 1896 church) at the rear of the church. A major change was the move of the entrance from the front façade to the western side of the building, with the removal of the doors from the foyer to the hall. These were later placed in position in the front façade.
At the time of renovation, damaged parts of the existing fabric of the hall were repaired or renovated. The internal walls were repaired and repainted, and parts of the external walls were re-rendered and repainted. The existing floor was raised and levelled, with termite protection added, and defective lead lighting was repaired. A new stage was added after the removal of the pipe organ to Hale School in Wembley Downs destroyed the existing stage, making it dangerous to the public. Finally Claremont Town Hall was officially opened on the 6th of May 1983, by his Excellency Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge. This day was chosen for the grand opening as it coincided with the centenary of the first recorded use of the name ‘Claremont’.

Since the adaptation of the building from the Methodist Church to the Claremont Town Hall, a variety of groups and individuals have used the building. In 1988 the New Life Community Church established
themselves in the Hall and in 1992 the Unity Church started using the Hall for non-denominational services. In 1994, eight community groups were reported as using the Hall five nights a week, during the day and on weekends. Since the late 1980s, the Claremont Town Hall has had some management difficulties. In 1988 the New Life Community Church proposed to increase their use of the Hall, enabling the council to only hold three functions in the Hall each year, with limited community use, on a ten-year contract. The offer was an attempt for the Council to recoup some of its financial losses from running and maintaining the building. The council declined and in 1994 the Chinese Presbyterian Church offered to buy the Hall, but this offer was also knocked back by the Council, as it was felt the Hall was attained for the people, and it should be retained for their use. The lack of revenue generated by the Hall means the council can often not afford to maintain or manage the building. The Council had called for companies to take over the management of the Hall, but this was not successful, so maintenance was suspended at the start of 2000 until a management plan has been arranged. The Hall is currently available for hire for classes, seminars and meetings.

The foundation stone for the Methodist Church was laid in 1922 and the opening church services were conducted on February 25th 1923. The Church was considered an important building for the use of the mostly church-going public at the time. The combination of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in Claremont as the Uniting Church eventually saw the advent of these buildings being considered surplus to requirements.
In 1980, the Methodist organisation decided to sell the building and the land on which it sat, which was zoned for commercial/retail use. In September 1981, the Claremont Town Council bought the Church and started negotiations to convert the space into a community hall.
A number of different options were raised for the renovation, and the alterations took place during 1982 and 1983. Claremont Town Hall was officially opened by his Excellency Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge on the 6th of May 1983, commemorating the centenary of the use of the name ‘Claremont’.
Since its dedication as the Claremont Town Hall, the building has been used by a variety of groups and individuals. It is available for hire for classes, seminars and meetings, as well as special events such as birthdays and parties.
The former Methodist Church was placed on the National Trust of Australia's (WA) Recorded list on 2 November 1981.

Integrity/Authenticity

Although an extension was added to the original building, (foyer, lesser hall, kitchen and bathrooms), the original form of the building has not been altered. As the building is no longer used as a place of worship, it has a moderate degree of integrity.

Uses

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.