St Andrew's Anglican Church

Statement of Significance

St. Andrew's Anglican Church has social significance for its role in the religious activities of the local community. Further the use of coquina shell block and its prominent position on Hughes Street make the place important to the character of the town.

Physical Description

St. Andrew's Church is a small rectangular building of coquina shell block construction, with a small extension to the east. The building has an asbestos gable roof with a shallow pitch. There are two timber crosses at each end of the building to the top of the gable. The roof, which is supported on steel trusses with internal steel uprights, extends to form an eaves overhang about one metre beyond the walls with supporting metal posts. The windows are small, gothic arched with leadlights. Bottles are also incorporated into the walls as an additional feature. The building has a concrete floor with brick pavers. The entry door is surrounded by fibro sheeting and there is a bell hanging under the eaves at the south west corner. The building has a low metal rail pole fence to the west.

History

Prior to the construction of the church, services were held in the Shire Hall. Funding for this church was provided from the 'League of Help", a group based in England dedicated to erecting churches overseas, following the bombing of St. Andrew's-by-the Wardrobe Church in London during World War II. A simple design was drawn up by Perth architects Hawkins and Sands and construction commenced on 24 February, 1954. The shell blocks were quarried from the beach at Hamelin, (Place No. 21), many of them being sawn by the then Rector of Carnarvon, the Rev. Ron Hobby. The supervision of the construction was carried out by Mr. R.J. Davies of Perth, with two Italian stone masons and an Estonian carpenter. The building was opened and consecrated on 6 June, 1954 by Bishop Frewer. The stained glass window depicting the cross of St. Andrew and the pews came from St. Andrew's Church, Subiaco. During the late 1950s services were conducted once every six weeks when a minister visited Denham. The vestry extension was built in 1966, and this was dedicated by Bishop Howell Witt on 31 July, 1966. In 1968 Shark Bay became one of the many centres of the new Gascoyne-Ashburton parish, having previously been under the care of the Carnarvon parish. The church has also been used by other Christian denominations - it being the only church in the Shark Bay area. (Sources: Church pamphlet; Max Hipkins & Associates, "Survey of the Built Environment of Shark Bay", Department of Planning and Urban Development, 1991, pp21-22.)

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Degree

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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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.