Church of Christ the King, Marble Bar

Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value
The isolated setting of the white corrugated iron church situated high on a rocky spinifex hill overlooking the outback town of Marble Bar has outstanding aesthetic qualities which are symbolic of the unique harshly beautiful Pilbara region in the North West of Western Australia.

Historic Value
The church haigh historic significance as one of the few buildings that remain from the golden years of the Comet Mine development in the 1930 & 40s when the boom times of the 1890s were experienced once again on the Marble Bar goldfields.

The church is the oldest extant church in the area and is associated with the first residential Roman Catholic priest in the Pilbara, Father Bryan, who became involved with the Pilbara Aboriginal Strike and the establishment of an early Aboriginal pastoral station set up to counterbalance the so called adverse Communist influences of the strikers on the local Aboriginal population.

Social Value
Socially it is highly valued as a place of community bonding and worship, where people supported each other through times of both joy and sorrow.

It is held in high esteem by local Marble Bar residents as important physical evidence of the historic development of the town.
Rarity

Structurally the building is a rarity today in outback Australia. It represents an era of the early building development in the Pilbara which survived until the 1950s when white-washed corrugated iron buildings were a common feature of settlement and pastoral station architecture. Examples of this type of structure which are both considerably intact and on the original site dating from 1941 are few.

Representativeness
The church is a good example of a typical bush structure designed to adapt to the hot desert and cyclonic conditions of the remote North West areas of Western Australia. The building demonstrates early pre 1950s construction practise inthe Pilbara.

Condition Integrity and Authenticity
The building is completely intact however it has been empty for over 10 years and the absence of regular cyclic maintenance has resulted in a number of broken and dismantled cladding sheeting. The frame also requires urgent attention particularly strengthening and bracing to withstand the next cyclonic season. All work is associated with maintenance and will not result in loss of authenticity or integrity.

Physical Description

The Church of Christ the King is located on the summit of a low hill overlooking the town of Marble Bar in the Pilbara. It is a distinctive landmark in the townscape. The building and its setting has considerable aesthetic appeal.

The main section of the church consists of a simple rectangular jarrah framed structure with three small skillion annexes which create a cruciform shape to the building. The side annexes form two small sacristy chapels on either side of the altar alcove. The whole of the building is externally clad with corrugated metal sheeting painted white. Only the internal front and rear of the church is lined with asbestos sheeting elsewhere the timber framing and external corrugated sheeting is exposed. There are a series of large double timber french external doors along the aisle and at the front entrance of the building. Each sacristy has a large rear corrugated iron shuttered window and external four panel door. Two fixed glazed windows are located on either side of the altar.

The church is a good example of a typical bush structure designed to adapt to the hot desert and cyclonic conditions of the remote North West areas of Western Australia. The building demonstrates early construction practise in the Pilbara. Examples of this type of structure are now rare in that it remains considerably intact on its original site dating from 1941. It is the oldest extant church in Marble Bar. [ The original 1930s Anglican church was demolished in the 1960s and the present building relocated from Shay Gap in the 1970s].

History

Assessment 1998
Construction 1941
Builder: Bill Daly
The Pilbara goldfields were declared in 1888 and the town of Marble Bar gazetted in 1893 when land was set aside for church development. In 1896 the impressive stone government buildings consisting of the Mining Register, Court house Police Station and Telegraph and Post facilities were constructed in the town marking a vigorous development phase in the area. Despite many visits to the area from travelling priests no church was constructed. The nature of the mining development meant that the majority of the population lived outside the town during the week. In 1911 the railway line was built connecting Marble Bar to Port Hedland. Increased population in the town resulted in application to the Bishop of Geraldton for a resident priest and permanent church in the area but by 1915 mining had declined and although the pastoralists continued to thrive until the early 1930s the matter concerning the erection of a church was postponed.

In 1931 the prosperity of the local area revived. This was due to the discovery of new gold finds such as the Comet mine and the continuing success in developing cheap extraction methods for tin mining. In 1939 Father Bryan was appointed as the first resident Roman Catholic priest in the Pilbara. He was stationed at Port Hedland. The local Marble Bar community made up of miners and pastoralists were able to raise funds for the construction of a church. In November 1941 Bill Daly who had just completed the construction of the Priests Retreat in Geraldton, Nazareth House was sent to Marble Bar to start construction on the Church of the Christ the King. [He was killed shortly afterwards during war combat.]

Marble Bar experienced a considerable boom during the 1940-50s initiated by the major mineral finds. During 1942 women and children from Port Hedland were evacuated to Marble Bar and at the nearby Corunna Downs station over several hundred service men were billeted . The dramatic rise in prices of tin, copper and manganese created by the demand for war artillery contributed to the general wealth of the miners in the area in contrast to the waning influence of the local pastoralists.

A number of these factors contributed to the rise of the Aboriginal social movement in the area, these included the demand for minerals which local Aboriginal groups were involved in extracting, the general shortage of labour and the employment of local Aboriginal men by the Army which provided far more equitable rates than they had ever experienced. The situation contributed to one of the first Aboriginal Workers Strikes in Australia. Historical evidence shows that Father Bryan was involved in these negotiations and the official reaction to the fear of the rise of communism amongst Aboriginal workers as well as participating in the churches response to the resurgence of Aboriginal identity in the Pilbara.

It is strongly recommended that further research work is carried out in this area, very little detailed historic work has covered these events.

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.