Dongara Schoolmaster's House (fmr)

Statement of Significance

ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
The criteria adopted by the Heritage Council in November 1996 have been used to determine the cultural heritage significance of the place.
11. 1 AESTHETIC VALUE
Dongara School Master’s House is a good example of a well designed and executed building whose aesthetic characteristics demonstrates the growing prosperity of the town at the time. (Criterion 1.1)
Dongara School Master’s House is a good example of a late Victorian Georgian style building. (Criterion 1.2)
Dongara School Master’s House has notable landmark qualities. The scale and proximity to the road contribute to its landmark quality. (Criterion 1.3)
Dongara School Master’s House is an important part of the historic precinct of Dongara. Its aesthetic character, together with those of the other buildings within the precinct, collectively forms a significant streetscape. (Criterion 1.4)
11. 2. HISTORIC VALUE
Dongara School Master’s House reflects the prosperity of the town at the end of the nineteenth century. It is evidence of the development and consolidation of the coastal town. (Criterion 2.1)
Dongara School Master’s House is important for its associations with educational activities within the district. (Criterion 2.2)
Dongara School Master’s House is associated with Mr Francis Kelly, a well known local businessman, and the original owner of the place. (Criterion 2.3)
* For consistency, all references to architectural style are taken from Apperly, Richard; Irving, Robert and Reynolds, Peter A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture: Styles and Terms from 1788 to the Present , Angus & Robertson, North Ryde, 1989.
Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation Dongara School Master’s House 2 01/10/2002
11. 4. SOCIAL VALUE
Dongara School Master’s House is highly valued by the local community as part of both an historic and educational precinct. (Criterion 4.1)
Dongara School Master’s House contributes to the sense of place of the Dongara community. (Criterion 4.2)
12. DEGREE OF SIGNIFICANCE
12. 1. RARITY
Dongara School Master’s House has rarity value as an uncommon two storey stone residence located in a small mid west town utilized as a school master’s
house. (Criterion 5.1)
12. 2 REPRESENTATIVENESS
Dongara School Master’s House and the other heritage buildings in the precinct combine to represent the range of buildings needed to provide for the civic, social, communications, educational and religious needs of a typical small country town. (Criterion 6.2)
12. 4 INTEGRITY
The building has a high degree of integrity. It continues to function to its original purpose as a residence although it was originally built as a private residence. The uses of the rooms in the original building and subsequent additions have not changed, and it is suited for continued use as a residential building.
12. 5 AUTHENTICITY
The place is of moderate authenticity. Much of the original form and fabric remains, although alterations and restoration campaigns have introduced some new finishes and materials.

Physical Description

This is a large two storey stone house with a hipped corrugated iron roof. The front (west) side has a two storey timber verandah with a hipped corrugated iron roof. The verandah is supported on chamfered timber posts with an arched verandah frieze to the ground and first floor. A timber balustrade runs between the first floor verandah posts. Windows are timber framed double hung to the ground floor front, french doors to the first floor verandah and casement style to the side. There are two stone chimneys. A brown brick extension with a skillion corrugated iron roof has been added to the rear and a timber hipped roof patio cover beyond the extension. A picket fence, which forms the street boundary to the west and north, has had the pickets remounted upside down.
CONDITION
The place is generally in a good condition, with some exceptions. These include: sections of the floor to the lounge, some minor cracking to the ground floor hall walls, a small section of floorboards to the south west corner of the first floor stairwell and some of the internal and external joinery where alterations and patching has occurred. The building has experienced an ongoing problem with white ants and rising damp. Ongoing repairs and remedial work has been carried out.
As a result of the programme of works carried out in 1989/90, with the assistance of a National Estate Program for $6,500 and the Shire of Irwin, the work undertaken followed the recommendations in the 1979 Feilman and Associates Architects report on the building and included repair of internal and external masonry, re-plastering, repair of timber and guttering, insertion of dampcourse, painting and electrical work.

History

On 1 January 1893, Mr George William Ward was appointed as Headteacher at Dongara. Previously Headteacher at Grigson’s Well School (also known as Tipperary and later Burges Siding) located approximately 10 kilometres north of York, Mr Ward moved to Dongara with his wife, Eliza (nee Hathaway) and family. During his years as Headteacher at the Dongara School, Mr Ward was assisted by pupil teachers Violet Delmage and Mary Plester as well as his own daughter, Elsie, who in 1895 was the sewing mistress. During these early years the schoolmaster was housed in private residential accommodation. However, as the years progressed this situation was not considered to be entirely satisfactory.
In November 1893, the schoolmaster, Mr Ward, wrote to the Irwin Board of Education complaining about his present “unsuitable residence” which was inconveniently located at a distance of 1 1/3 miles from the school. In requesting some financial assistance towards rental, Mr Ward explained that there was an “extreme scarcity of suitable accommodation” in Dongara with none being available “except at a very high figure”, thus putting it “beyond the capabilities of the teacher to accept”.
While the search continued for suitable teacher’s quarters in Dongara, it was agreed to pay the schoolmaster £1 per month allowance towards rent, given that rents were rather high in the township.
One option for teacher’s accommodation which was given only brief consideration was to build quarters on the school block between the school building and the road (High Street). However, Mr Joseph Mitchell, the Secretary of the Irwin District Board of Education did not consider this to be appropriate as it would effectively destroy the little bit of playground available at the school and afford no privacy to the occupants of the quarters. A further factor against this proposal was the sloping nature of the school block itself which made it virtually impossible to find a suitable location upon which to erect the quarters.
The house on Lot 38 was built by Mr Cummings for Francis Kelly in 1893 and although uncompleted, it was purchased by the Education Department in 1897 for housing for the school headmaster, the purchase price was £360. Following the completion of renovations to the building, mainly consisting of painting, which cost a total of £100, the Headteacher Mr Ward and his family moved into their new residence in May 1897.
Between 1900 and 1956, numerous occupants complained of termite damage and rising damp in the house. On 2 August 1965, the quarters were divested from the Public Works Department and vested in the Government Employees’ Housing Authority under Section 17 of the Government Employees Housing Act 1964.
In December 1972, the Public Works Department was advised that the Education Department no longer required the old school site, together with the schoolmaster’s quarters. In February 1974, the PWD requested that the land be revested in the Crown and the area created as a Reserve for the purpose of Recreation. Subsequently, Reserve number 33096, comprising 8,853 square metres and consisting of a former portion of Victoria Location 317 and being Lots 38 to 48 inclusive and Lot 160 on Plan 520, was officially gazetted on 31 January 1975, for the purpose of Recreation. Vested in the Shire of Irwin, the purpose of the reserve, was amended from ‘Recreation’ to ‘Recreation (Arts, Crafts and Youth Activities) and Tourist Information Centre’ on 11 July 1975.
The quarters continued to be occupied by teaching staff on a temporary basis until 1977, while other accommodation was under construction for the Government Employees Housing Authority. When the Education Department finally vacated the building, all items of freestanding furniture were removed, but all other fittings, fixtures, floor coverings and window treatments were left in place. A grant was received by the Shire of Irwin under the 1989/90 National Estate Program for $6,500 for conservation works for the Dongara School Master’s House. With the Shire of Irwin matching the grant monies, the work undertaken followed the recommendations in the 1979 Feilman & Associates Architects report on the building and included repair of internal and external masonry, re-plastering, repair of timber and guttering, insertion of dampcourse, painting and electrical work. The final report submitted by the Shire of Irwin detailed the works carried out by Mr Colin Bock, Electrical Contractor and Mr Roy Butterfield, Registered Builder.
In 1998 the Shire of Irwin applied to the Lotteries Commission for a $10,000 grant under the Heritage Grants Program. The application was successful and Architect Naomi Lawrance was appointed to prepare a conservation plan for Dongara School Master’s House.
At present the former quarters remains vested in the Shire of Irwin and continues to be used as staff quarters.
The house is of similar design and construction to the two storey house on Hunts Road. (Place No. 27).
(Source: IDHS Records, Bunney, R. and Ellery, K., "Dongara 1839-197-", Naomi Lawrence, 'Dongara School Master’s House Conservation Plan’)
2004
A brick garage has been erected at the rear of the building, the street tree on the northwest aspect of the building has been removed.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Modifications: Brick extension to rear

Condition

Good

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.