Local Government
Northam
Region
Avon Arc
Lot 50 Katrine Rd Katrine
Includes: Katrine Causeway & St Saviour's Church
Northam
Avon Arc
Constructed from 1862
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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Heritage List | Adopted | 21 Feb 2020 |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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RHP - To be assessed | Current | 27 Jun 2003 |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
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Category | ||||
Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place | |||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 2. Considerable significance |
St Saviours Church is a visually pleasing example of a nineteenth century church and associated cemetery in a picturesque rural landscape which gives the place a sense of peaceful isolation and timelessness.
St Saviours Church is the earliest extant Anglican church in the Northam district and was constructed with the assistance of ticket-of-leave men. It is associated with a number of early settler families, in particular the Viveash and Wilkerson families.
St Saviours Church is highly valued by the Northam Anglican parish as a place of worship and community activities since the 1860s.
The church, cemetery and grounds occupies 0.5 of a hectare on the north bank of the Avon river. On the western side of the pathway into the Church is a row of olive trees which the referring party believes to be of more than one hundred years old. On the western side of the Church is a Lebanon Cedar believed to be the same age. Two large pines stand in the north west corner of the church yard. The vegetation on the east side is mainly regrowth Juan tree (acacia acuminata). The church is in a rural setting, being surrounded by farmland. In front of the church there is a picnic area - ‘Viveash Reserve’. The referring party believes this adjoining reserve should be included in the curtilage. The cemetery contain approximately 40 graves, not all of which are marked by headstones. The Church is a stone structure with rendered quoining to door and window openings and a cgi roof. It has leadlight gothic arched windows. There is a small brick addition on the north east side (rear) for the vestry, and a cement rendered porch addition with steps ant the main entrance. The interior of the Church has rendered walls and wood floorboards. The wood floor is in poor condition. Generally both internally and externally the church is in a fair condition, and has high authenticity and integrity.
The first Europeans arrived at Katrine in 1831. The community grew on par with Toodyay and Northam , which were well established by the 1850s. By 1850, Katrine had a school, inn, store and post office. The building of the Causeway started in 1853 on the site of Mrs Slade’s crossing (established in 1841) after an official road survey by F. T. Gregory in 1852. Lieut. Ducane of the 63rd Regiment Royal Engineers was then in charge of road works. The Causeway was built by convict labourers under the Pensioners Guard foreman, Francis Kirk. The works were completed in 1867. It was one of a number of stone causeways that were constructed to link settlements on either side of the Avon River in the district. It is located between the Avon River pools of ‘Katrine’ and ‘Glen Avon’. In colonial times, these were deep reaches of water but the Avon River Training Scheme of the 1950s/1960s caused siltation of these major pools. In 1923-1924 a piled wooden bridge 25 yards in length was built. In the 1980s exposed rock was concreted over, pipes were installed to divert floodwater and the road surface was bituminised. The alignment of the original causeway is unaltered. The original construction still forms the basis of the existing crossing. The Causeway provides an alternative route between Northanm and Toodyay and provides access for the properties on the north side of the Avon River. The St Saviours Church site was chosen, on the main route between Toodyay and Northam, probably reflecting the increased use of this road by the locals. The land for the Church was donated by teenage Simeon Viveash, to the Perth Diocese in 1861. From 1851 until the Church was established ,a cottage owned by Mrs Slade was rented for use as a chapel. It was located half a kilometre away from the Katrine Causeway. The cottage is no longer extant. The Church was built by contractor John Sewell of Newleyine, Abraham Morgan of Bardeen and James Wilkerson of Katrine. Morgan had earlier been involved in establishing the first St james Church at Northam (not extant). John Sewell reportedly employed ticket-of-leave men for its construction. The cemetery, which is still open for burials, contains many graves of the pioneers of the district. In 1867, the Katrine Causeway was improved, making access to the Church easier. In the 1890s, the present porch and step was added using the original brick floor of the main building as part of the construction. Also, at this time, the shingled roof was replaced by an iron roof and a wood floor was constructed 50 cms above the original floor. By the late 1930s, only one service a week was held at the Church. In the 1950s, the wooden picket fence with stile built in 1914, was replaced by the present cyclone wire fence. Two wooden window frames were replaced. In 1983-84, extensive work included reinforcing the walls with tie rods, reconstruction of the roof and cornices, painting of the roof, re-cementing the front steps, interior painting and an underground drainage system was installed. In 2002, the Church is used at Easter, and for special occasions such as weddings, It has no regular service. The Church and Cemetery are visited regularly by tourists
High
Fair
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
6813 | Images CD No. 24 : Katrine area. | C D Rom | 2004 |
9552 | Katrine: a monument of settlement. | Book | 2009 |
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