St Barnabas Anglican Church

Statement of Significance

St. Barnabas Church has been home to two different groups of worshippers. Built by the Roman Catholic Church, it was used by them until 1967 when the Anglican Community bought the building. As such it has social heritage value for each group.

Physical Description

The building is constructed from cement bricks made in the town and is a striking example of vernacular church design in a local building material. It is a small building, longer than it is wide, with a steeply pitched roof. Its design is typical of many churches in country areas.

History

Dowerin Town Lot 163 (Reserve 17657) was reserved as a site for a Catholic Church in 1921. ('Government Gazette' 11 February 1921, p.220) Records of the Department of Lands and Surveys indicate that the church was built by the Catholics in 1939, a statement confirmed by a local newspaper item, published in June of that year, reporting that work was 'progressing favourably with the construction of the new Roman Catholic Church'. (DOLA File 5717/08 and The Doiverm Guardian 3 June 1939 - Note: Exhaustive archival and newspaper searching has failed to reveal the identity of either the architect or the builder, or details of any opening ceremony. It may be worthwhile to consult Catholic parish records retained locally.)
When the Catholics decided to build a new church in Dowerin, their old church was purchased by the Anglican community. The last service in the old St Barnabas' Anglican Church (now known as Anderson Hall) was held on 11 June 1967, and the Anglicans moved into the former Catholic Church three days later, transferring the name St Barnabas' to their new property. Bishop Rosier was present at services held there on 25 June 1967. (Central Districts Herald Tribune 8 & 22 June 1967) Earlier, the Parish Priest, Wyalkatchem, had applied to transfer the Catholic church reserve to the Anglican community at Dowerin, but it was only after considerable delay that this transfer was approved by the Department of Lands and Surveys in December 1968. The purpose of Reserve 17657 was finally changed from 'Church Site (R.C.)' to 'Church Site (C. of E.)' in April 1969, when a Crown Grant issued to the Perth Diocesan Trustees to be held in trust for an Anglican church site. (DOLA File 5717/08)

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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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.