West Leederville Primary School

Statement of Significance

The following statement is taken from the State Register Entry for Place 2208 prepared in 2004 by the State Heritage Office.

West Leederville Primary School, a brick and iron primary school in the Federation Arts and Crafts style, together with a collection of buildings comprising shelter sheds, pavilion classroom, pre-primary, toilet block, covered area, transportable classroom, kindergarten, covered sand pit, and gardener's store, in an open bitumen paved and grassed setting, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the place is a fine example of a Federation Arts and Crafts style school building, with a very fine school hall and well-crafted construction, in a pleasant and leafy landscaped setting;

the place illustrates the use and flexibility of standard Public Works Department designs for schools as practised in Western Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, along with the subsequent adaptations to those designs through the twentieth century as educational practices evolved;

the place makes a positive contribution to its suburban context of mostly Federation period houses and commercial buildings, which extends through a large area of West Leederville;

the place reflects rapid growth in the gold boom period and early twentieth century, and, in the post World War Two period, the influx of migrants from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds;

the main building derives from a standard design, introduced under George Temple Poole as Assistant-Engineer-in Chief (1892-1896) of the Public Works Department when standard planning was developed as a means of managing rapid expansion and producing efficiency;

the pavilion classroom (1915) is rare as an example of its type and for the fact that it is retained on its original site, with few later changes; and,

the timber construction shelter sheds (1908) are the only surviving buildings on site that were constructed in the early 1900s.

The brick construction toilet block, bricks tore, and kindergarten, covered sandpit and gardener's store have little cultural heritage significance.

Physical Description

Although the school has increased, the original sections of the building which faces both Northwood Street and Woolwich Street remains in a largely authentic manner and has been little altered externally.

The place is of brick construction with a rendered band detail extending around the buildings at sill level and at plinth level.

The windows are largely timber framed sash windows with timber and iron awnings. Both the roofs and the window awnings have been reclad. The roofs are mid-pitch gables with fibro cladding to the apex of the gable and battened eaves. The roofs are enlivened by tall brick corbelled chimneys.

The two ranges to Northwood Street and Woolwich Street both incorporate covered entrances with gabled canopies supported on timber posts, timbered gable detail and the school logo.

Further sections of the original school cannot be seen from the road albeit the timbered elements of the gables stand above the ridge line of the front ranges.

History

The Western Australian gold boom resulted in a great increase in population, and there was considerable expansion of residential and commercial building in the areas to the north, east, and west of the city. It was during this period of rapid growth that the suburbs of Subiaco and Leederville developed, the latter taking its name from William Leeder, one of the first European settlers in the area.

In 1896, a temporary school was established in Subiaco. In the same year, the first school opened at Leederville. In August 1897, a number of residents from north of the railway line, representing about 90 children, submitted a petition requesting establishment of a school at West Leederville. On 28 August, O. P. Staples, Secretary for Education, advised the Minister for Education that as both Leederville and Subiaco schools were full, it was advisable to build a new school on a site which had been acquired recently, located between Subiaco and Leederville.

Plans for the new school were prepared in 1897 and approved in early 1898. Tenders were called, and the contract was awarded to Carter & O’Daille at a cost of £1,352 18s 6d, with completion due on 14 October 1898. However, subsequently Lake & Gurr were contracted to build the place at a cost of £1292 13s 11d, with completion set for 7 November 1898.

On Tuesday, 1 November 1898, the Minister for Education and Colonial Secretary, George Randell, MLC officially opened West Leederville School. It was reported in the local press that the position of the new school was well calculated to meet the demands of such a populous centre and the buildings were described as follows:
"The main schoolroom is divided in the centre by shutters which when down enable one half to be used for the infants. In addition it is provided with classrooms, a lavatory and other conveniences, while both lighting and ventilation appear to be all that can be desired. The furnishing of the building is excellent and includes provision for carrying on kindergarten work amongst the infants. The building though complete in itself is designed for future expansion and as occasion justified it additional provision for 50 children at a time can be made."

The first head teacher was James Sadler, ‘a gentleman of considerable experience in teaching’, who had previously taught at Albany. It was intended that a female teacher be appointed at once to assist in teaching at the school.
Since the opening of the school the original facilities have been adapted and added to in response to the demands of the surrounding population and changes in teaching practices and community expectations. The following developments at the school represent the key government response to these changes.

1899 Acquisition of adjoining half acre lot for future infants school
1901 New classroom built by G. Fraser for £320/10/3
1902 New teachers room, verandah and hat room
1902 Teacher' Quarters built by W. Fairweather for £520/0/4
1903 Two new classrooms, extension of corridor and new corridor, and new boys hat room and lavatory built by W.C. Rose for £667 /7/10
1905 New classroom built by W.T. Deeble for £295/6/10.
1907 School fenced with closed pickets
1907/8 Termite damaged timber replaced
1910 Hall built by N.F. Pedersen for £1,173/11/6 and opened on 5 October 1910
1912 New classroom opening from corridor, built by W. H. Pearman for £322/4/4
1913 New classroom opening from the hall, built by W. Fairweather for £486/4/6
1914-18 Drainage works undertaken
1915 Pavilion classroom erected
1922 New classroom opening from the hall built by W.H.Pearman for £418/19/4.
1939-45 School designated as an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) depot. Slit trenches dug in north eastern corner of school grounds. Pavilion classroom erected at the school, relocated from Bayswater PS.
1945 Stage added to the hall
1953 Open air theatre established but termite damage led to its removal in 1978
1957 Memorial Library instituted and centralised library established
1958 New brick shelter shed
1960 Relocation of the pavilion classroom from bitumen playground
1961/2 Brick toilet block constructed
1971 Migrant teacher appointed
1973-5 Carpet laid over timber floors and refurbished admin areas
1978 School Bell relocated to the school hall
1970s Acquisition of land adjacent to the school
1979 Conversion of Pavilion classroom to a Pre-Primary Centre
1981 New entry steps and door
1987 Construction of the oval and entrance pergola
1989 New toilet facilities added to the Pre-Primary Centre
1995 New gardener's shed built east of the toilet block to replace gardeners store destroyed by fire
1998 Construction of covered assembly area, canteen and store and removal of (1958) brick shelter
1999 Construction of a transportable building for use as a kindergarten
2004 Universal access bathrooms
2009 Multi purpose library, art and music building
2010 New Administration building and relocation of heritage building
2013 Two storey classroom
2016 Five classrooms, second storey addition to library, music and art building

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: High

Condition

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.