Scots Uniting Church

Statement of Significance

Scots Uniting Church, a Victorian Academic Gothic style stone church, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: Its historic value for its age and association with a key period of development in the town and church history. Its considerable aesthetic value for its landmark quality and contribution to the townscape. Its social value for its contribution to a sense of place and for its role in the spiritual life of the community. A hall (1969) and later toilet block and store at the rear of Scots Uniting Church are assessed as having low heritage significance.

Physical Description

The church building comprises a simple rectangular nave plan form with one main space and two small ante rooms at the western end of the building flanking the organ loft. The building is constructed from stone walls with rendered buttresses and window and door surrounds. The building has a steeply pitched roof with the ridge running in an east west direction. The church walls are solid local granite laid in an irregular rubble bond. At the quoins and buttresses the stones are laid into regular courses. They have been laid in a traditional lime mortar with a very fine grey sand and repointed several times. The pointing which remains consists of mostly a black ochre coloured mortar, ruled and painted white. There is no evidence to suggest that this is the original pointing. More recent repointing has been carried out to the north wall in hard grey cement. To the south wall there is evidence of lighter repointing over the darker blue grey. The east wall shows numerous generations of repointing following the removal of the old hall roof. At the base of the west wall a marble memorial plaque has been set into hard cement mortar above a cement plinth. Originally laid in place by P.H Nicholson Esq in 1891, the plaque was re-set in 1974. The stone plinth appears to continue beneath the ground to become the footings. Below the floor level is a bituminous damp-proof course in the plinth. The cast-iron grilles to the sub-floor ventilation. The roof is clad in recently installed corrugated zincalume with modern ridge ventilators. The tower has a flat corrugated iron roof. Except for one small rainhead and downpipe on the west façade which may be original, the gutters and downpipes are modern profiles and appear to have been replaced recently. The later additions of the hall, toilet block and store built to the rear of the church are constructed of face brick. The condition of the building generally sound, although there is some decaying of the brickwork and the joints of the stonework resulting in water damage to interior plaster. The Scots Uniting Church is prominently positioned in York Street and together with the older St Johns Church and Hall opposite they significantly contribute to the streetscape. Information from: ‘Scots Uniting Church, Conservation Plan’, H&H Architects, 2010

History

Albany experienced a critical period of progress and development in the 1890s as a result of the completion of the railway link to Perth. The subsequent growth in population and wealth in the town meant many substantial buildings were constructed in this period. An Anglican Presbyterian congregation had commenced in Albany in 1889. Following two years of agitation by this community for the establishment of their own church, plans were drawn by a Melbourne architect, Evander McIver and the foundation stone was laid in 1891. Contractor W. Sangster built the church and the final cost of construction was £1416. The church was opened 30 March 1892. Evander McIver (1834–1902), was a prominent architect from Victoria who for most of his career practiced from offices in Brunswick. He was also a town surveyor and engineer for Brunswick and a number of other municipalities, including the Shire of Broadmeadows. He designed the Brunswick Town Hall (1876) and was responsible for other buildings in Brunswick, especially during the 1880s boom, including the St Andrew’s Presbyterian (Uniting) Church (1884). During his career, McIver designed over 20 Presbyterian churches in Victoria. Scots Church is the only known building designed by McIver in Western Australia. William Sangster was a well-known building contractor in Albany who was the main contractor for quarantine station at Quaranup and also was the builder for Scots Church (168-174 York Street) and Law Offices (135 York Street). The mural on the eastern wall of the church above the altar was another notable addition to the interior of the building. The subject, “The Burning Bush”, was painted by noted Western Australian artist (painting and pottery) John Barker. Barker and his wife Maud, both from England and artists and potters, migrated to Western Australia in 1924 where their adult sons Leo and John (Leach) were living. After arriving in WA, Barker established and was President of the WA Artists’ Society. From the late 1920s, the Barkers, who lived in Perth, would holiday in Albany for at least three months of the year. During this time, Barker did many paintings of Albany and the surrounding areas. The Barkers moved to Albany in 1929, where Barker concentrated on painting, teaching and exhibiting fulltime, and was commissioned to paint ten historical views of Albany for the Mayoral Chambers and also a portrait of the Mayor Charles Wittenoom, which he presented to the Council in 1930. The Barkers lived in Jeffries Street, and Barker had studios across the road from the church at both 135 and 137 York Street (refer Treasure’s Building and Law Offices). Barker died in Albany in 1943 and was buried in the local cemetery. His work is today recognised as significant and his paintings hang in many notable Australian galleries and is represented in the Art Gallery of WA collection. His son, Leach Barker, also became a well-known Albany artist. The mural in the church has since been restored by the John Barker’s grandson, Laurence Barker, the third in four generations of artists in the family. In 1969, a hall, kitchen, vestry and two rooms were added. The name of the church was changed to Scots Uniting Church after the Presbyterian Church amalgamated with others to form the Uniting Church. For detailed history refer to: ‘Scots Uniting Church, Conservation Plan’, H&H Architects, 2010

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High Authenticity: High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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