St Brigid's College

Statement of Significance

The following statement is drawn from the Register Entry for the place used for its inclusion on the State Register of Heritage Places in 2005.

Physical Description

The building was designed in the Federation Anglo-Dutch style by architect, George Herbert Parry, as a literal translation of the Cape Dutch Revival style in a Western Australian setting. Typical of the style, the building has rendered and white-painted masonry walls, intricately modelled facades, three parapeted Dutch gables forming the main façade, and a verandah (also known as a stoep) running nearly the full length of the main façade with seats at both ends. The verandah is recessed between the two outer gable walls and supports a first floor balcony that features an intricate filigree balustrade. The original school building is constructed of rendered brick with a face- brick and laterite stone base, and has an enclosed courtyard plan. The (east) section was built in 1921 as an addition to the rear 1913 section and is two-storey with a basement level, has rendered masonry walls on a face-brick base, an original terracotta tile hipped roof, gable parapets on the east and west ends, and first floor balconies on the east and the west elevations (the balcony on the west has been enclosed). Attached directly to the two- storey front section, and stepping down with the topography of the site, is the single-storey rear section (also with a basement). The rear section is the original school building (1913) and has rendered masonry walls on a laterite stone base, a hipped corrugated iron roof, and a verandah along the western end. A weatherboard extension is suspended over the eastern verandah, similarly, the east wall of the westernmost wing facing the courtyard is weatherboard. The central courtyard is fully enclosed by the building fabric and has been considerably modified -. Internally, the plan of the 1913-21 building has a series of classrooms arranged around the central courtyard, with the enclosed verandah (now an internal corridor) forming the primary circulation space.

History

Technology, local heroes, education, religion, community services 1913/21 (orig. rear laterite stone building) 1938 (2 storey addition), 1965 (brick convent at rear), 1967-1990 - school buildings

Integrity/Authenticity

Level of Integrity - High; Level of Authenticity - High

Condition

Good Archibald Sanderson was born at Glen Thompson, Victoria, in 1870, the fourth son of John Sanderson, who had founded (in 1858) the Melbourne firm of John Sanderson and Co, an agency of Sanderson and Murray, wool merchants of Galashiels, Scotland. In 1871, the family returned to England where John Sanderson became a partner in Sanderson and Murray’s London Branch in 1876. Archibald Sanderson was educated at Haileybury College in England, and later attended Oxford University. From 1892 until 1894, he worked as a journalist in New Zealand. In 1894, Sanderson came to Western Australia and cycled through the Coolgardie goldfields in the capacity of special correspondent of the Christchurch Press and the New Zealand Times. In Coolgardie, he had a short involvement with the mining industry but later in 1895, moved to Perth. There, Sanderson found work as assistant master of the Perth High School for a few months until joining the Perth Morning Herald as leader-writer and assistant-editor. While at the Perth High School Sanderson met E.W. ‘Paddy’ Haynes, who, in 1895, brought him to visit the Darling Range. Sanderson liked the country and, in 1897, bought (Lot 227) for £20. Sanderson worked in the city during the week and, on weekends, camped in a tent, spent his time clearing and developing his Hills block. After the completion of his home. Lesmurdie House, Sanderson put into place his vision of creating a village surrounding his estate. In 1913, Archibald Sanderson had a private day and boarding school, ‘St Andrews College’, built near Lesmurdie House & Estate where some of his own children, as well as children of other ‘respectable’ local families, attended. This building was designed by George Herbert Parry as a long two-storey rectangular structure, built of local laterite stone with a corrugated iron roof, which faced the entrance drive to Lesmurdie House & Estate. There were verandahs on both levels of the building with simple timber railing enclosing the upper level. The building was designed in the Cape Dutch style of the residence of Cecil Rhodes, and all subsequent South African presidents, ‘Groote Schur’, on the side of Table Mountain, near Cape Town. The school ran from its establishment around the end of 1913 until late 1919 or early 1920 until sold by Archibald Sanderson to the Red Cross Society. Subsequently, on 12 August 1920, the property was leased to the Commonwealth Repatriation Committee for use as a Soldiers’ Convalescent Home. In 1924, the Repatriation Department advised the Red Cross that the Kalamunda Convalescent Home would not be required after 31 October of that year. Immediately after this decision was known, the Board of the Perth Hospital opened negotiations with the Red Cross for the lease of the Kalamunda property as an auxiliary hospital for convalescents. Despite patient satisfaction with the auxiliary hospital success it was necessary to close the Kalamunda Auxiliary Hospital and In March 1929, the Red Cross accepted an offer for the purchase of ‘St Andrew’s’ Convalescent Home by the Sisters of Mercy who planned to establish a boarding school extension of St Brigid’s High School. The new St Brigid’s College, Lesmurdie commenced officially on 23 April 1929, with 36 boarders and three day girls During the 1930s and 1940s, St Brigid’s College was primarily a boarding school, staffed almost entirely by the Sisters of Mercy, who taught during the day and looked after the physical and emotional needs of the boarders during and after school hours. In 1938, a new building was constructed adjacent to the original building in a similar style. The school facilities have continued to expand since its inception and the ‘Heritage Building’ as the original building is known continues to be used by the school for educational purposes.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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