draft - St George's College

ST GEORGE’S COLLEGE
CRAWLEY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
DRAFT: March 2004
Prepared by
Palassis Architects
for
St George’s College Council
0347.2166.SGCC-BD

D R A F T
M a r c h 2 0 0 4
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
CONTENTS Page
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Study Area 1
1.3 Methodology 1
1.4 Study Team 1
1.5 Acknowledgements 2
1.6 Terms 2
1.7 Photographs 2
2.0 Documentary Evidence 5
2.1 Chronology 5
2.2 Establishment of the University of Western Australia and the
development of St George’s College 8
2.3 Associations 18
2.4 Heritage Listing 19
3.0 Physical Evidence 21
3.1 Site and Setting 21
3.2 Garden 22
3.3 Buildings 24
4.0 Analysis of Documentary and Physical Evidence 33
4.1 Sequence of Development 33
4.2 Comparative Studies 35
5.0 Assessment of Significance 37
6.0 Statement of Cultural Heritage Significance 40
7.0 Levels of Significance 42
7.1 Schedule of Significance 44
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Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
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8.0 Conservation Policy 47
iv
8.1 Introduction 47
8.2 Methods of Approach 47
8.3 Use 48
8.4 Management 49
8.5 Setting and Fabric 49
8.6 Future Development 53
8.7 Services 55
8.8 Statutory Requirements 55
8.9 Interpretation 56
9.0 Policy Implementation 57
9.1 Schedule of Prioritised Works 57
9.2 Annual Maintenance Program 58
Bibliography 59
Appendix 1: Archival Drawings
Appendix 2: Room Schedules
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
St George’s College was designed in 1927 as the first residential college for students of The University
of Western Australia in Crawley. It originally accommodated thirty-six students, each with a bedroom and
study, as well as Warden’s quarters and offices, a dining hall, a kitchen with maids’ rooms, and a library
and common room. The college also included a Chapel and a Gardener’s Cottage, and later, a Warden’s
Residence, and a Sub-Warden’s Residence. The place has continued to function as a residential college for
university students since it first opened in 1931.
Increasing numbers of students have resulted in modifications to the student’s rooms. Firstly, two
students shared the combined bedroom and study, and later, rooms were unpaired to provide single room
accommodation. In 1959 and 1961, the South and North residential wings were added to the college. The
Guest Wing, constructed in 1967 to accommodate staff, has been utilised for student accommoadtion since
1979.
By 2001, the St George’s College Council confirmed its commitment to continue its renovation and upgrade
process in order to lift student numbers to 180. This was followed by a decision in 2002 to proceed with a
building plan for more student accommodation to ensure the attractiveness and economic viability of student
residence at the College. Palassis Architects were engaged to prepare the new building plans. As part of
the planning process, and in recognition of the cultural heritage significance of St George’s College, Palassis
Architects were engaged by the St George’s College Council to prepare a Conservation Management Plan
that would be the primary guiding document for the conservation of the place, and provide a framework for
future planning of the College.
1.2 Study Area
St George’s College is located at Lot 7, Swan Location 3088 on Mounts Bay Road, Crawley. The site is
located in the block bounded by Mounts Bay Road, Winthrop Avenue, Park Avenue and Crawley Avenue and
comprises 2.0209ha.
1.3 Methodology
The methodology adopted for this report is based on that set out in James Semple Kerr’s, The Conservation
Plan: A guide to the preparation of conservation plans for places of European cultural significance (National
Trust of Australia [NSW], fifth edition, 2000), the conservation philosophy of the Australian ICOMOS Charter
for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance (the Burra Charter), as revised in 1999, and the
Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Criteria for Entry into the Register of Heritage Places.
1.4 Study Team
Palassis Architects
Nerida Moredoundt B. Sc., B. Arch., Grad Dip Sc.
Julie de Jong B. Env. Des., B. Arch. (Hons)
Historian
Wayne Moredoundt B. A. (Hons), Grad. Dip. (Public History)
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
1.5 Acknowledgements
The study team would like to acknowledge the contribution of:
Dr Ben Darbyshire - Head of College/Warden
Father Braden Short - Sub Warden/Chaplan
St George’s College Council
The Georgians
The Staff and Residents of St George’s College
1.6 Terms
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The terms utilised in the Burra Charter have been used in this conservation management plan and are set out below.
Place means site, area, land, landscape, building, or other work, group of buildings or other works,
and may include components, contents, spaces and views.
Cultural Significance means aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or spiritual value for past, present
or future generations. Cultural significance is embodied in the place itself, its fabric, setting, use,
associations, meanings, records, related places and related objects. Places may have a range of
values for different individuals or groups.
Fabric means all the physical material of the place including components, fixtures, contents, and
objects.
Conservation means all the processes of looking after a place so as to retain its cultural significance.
Maintenance means the continuous protective care of the fabric and setting of a place, and is to be
distinguished from repair. Repair involves restoration or reconstruction.
Preservation means maintaining the fabric of a place in its existing state and retarding deterioration.
Restoration means returning the existing fabric of a place to a known earlier state by removing
accretions or by reassembling existing components without the introduction of new material.
Reconstruction means returning a place to a known earlier state and is distinguished from
restoration by the introduction of new materials into the fabric.
Adaptation means modifying a place to suit the existing use or a proposed use.
Use means the functions of a place, as well as the activities and practices that may occur at the
place.
Compatible use means a use which respects the cultural significance of a place. Such a use
involves no, or minimal impact, on cultural significance.
Setting means the area around a place, which may include the visual catchment.
Related place means a place that contributes to the cultural significance of a place but is not at the
place.
Related object means an object that contributes to the cultural significance of a place but is not at
the place.
Associations mean the special connections that exist between people and a place.
Meanings denote what a place signifies, indicates, evokes or expresses.
Interpretation means all the ways of presenting the cultural significance of a place.
1.7 Photographs
Archival photographs of the college reproduced in this conservation management plan are copies of photographs
held in the St George’s College collection. Current photographic views of the college were taken by Palassis
Architects in August 2003.
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Figure 1 St George’s College, Location Plan overlaid on an aerial photograph.
Figure 2 Computer-generated perspective of St
George’s College, looking north.
Palassis Architects, 2003.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Figure 3 Computer-generated perspective of St
George’s College, looking south.
Palassis Architects, 2003.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
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Figure 4 St George’s College, Site Plan, based on survey drawing prepared by Fugro Surveys Pty Ltd, 2001. Palassis
Architects, 2003.
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2.0 DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
2.1 Chronology
1898 Adelaide University Extension Committee formed.
1904 University Endowment Act.
1909 Royal Commission to investigate establishing a university in WA
established.
1911 University of Western Australia (UWA) established by Act of State
Parliament.
1912 The first University Senate appointed.
First university offices in Cathedral Avenue, then Irwin Street, Perth.
1913 Eight foundation chairs established. Teaching commenced at University
of Western Australia building in Irwin Street, built by Public Works
Department.
1914 Crawley site made available by the State Government.
Mining and Engineering Department moved to Crawley.
Competition for layout of Crawley site held.
1915 Harold Desbrowe-Annear won prize in site layout competition.
1916 Death of Sir John Winthrop Hackett. The Church of England received
a share of the Hackett Bequest ‘for the erection or maintenance of a
Church College in connection with the University of Western Australia’.
1918 St John’s Hostel established in Perth as a boarding house for students.
1920 University formalized its 999-year lease for the Crawley site with the
Crown.
1922 Senate committee appointed to report on buildings required and their
location on campus.
1923 A committee was appointed to investigate and report on the
establishment of university residential colleges.
The Anglican Archbishop of Perth approached the University,
successfully, for an allocation of land for a residential college.
Foundation stone of the Biology and Geology building, designed by
PWD, laid by Premier James Mitchell.
1925 First permanent University building completed.
Successful approaches were made to the University Senate by the
Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches
for an allocation of land for residential colleges.
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Crawley, Western Australia
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
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1926 University Colleges Act passed, to enable the University Senate to set
aside any University land for the erection of residential colleges.
Church of England established the Council of St George’s College.
1927 Archbishop Riley made application for land for a residential college to
the UWA Senate. Hobbs, Smith and Forbes appointed to prepare plans
for a college. Tender to build the college for 83,000 pounds accepted in
December. Name for college chosen.
1928 (8 March) Foundation stones of the chapel and the college were laid.
1930 College building completed and first Warden appointed.
1931 First students in residence. St George’s College formally opened on 23
April.
1932 Winthrop Hall opened.
Tutorial system begun at College.
1934 Tuart House, official residence of the Vice-Chancellor, built.
1936 Annual College play was established.
1938 First Asian College member in residence.
1942 Commonwealth Government paid a ‘living allowance’ to ‘reserved
students’.
1946 College acquired an extra half-acre of land on its western boundary.
Women’s College and the Servicemen’s Hostel were founded.
Extensions to the Gardener’s Cottage carried out.
1951 Commonwealth Government made college grants for administrative and
tutorial purposes.
1953 Warden’s house completed, the first new building since 1931.
1955 Attempts were made to stabilize the foundations of the Chapel.
St Thomas More (Catholic) College opened at Crawley.
1957 Murray Report on Australia’s University system released.
1958 (Memorial) Squash courts were built.
Commonwealth Government decided to implement the
recommendations of the Murray Report.
1959 Commencement of building of new accommodation (south) wing at St
George’s.
Colleges’ Joint Appeal was launched.
1961 First half of new south wing completed.
St Catherine’s College opened.
1961 Building of the second half of the south wing commenced.
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1962 Second half of the south wing, domestic wing and Warden’s house
extension opened on 25 March1962.
1963 Laundry and car parking facilities for students updated and increased.
Kingswood College opened.
1964 Stage one construction of the north wing commenced. Separate living
quarters for the Sub-Warden were erected.
1965 Construction of first half of the north wing completed.
1967 Extensions to the College kitchen and domestic wing were completed.
Currie Hall opened.
1968 Second half of the north wing completed.
Damage to Chapel from Meckering earthquake.
1969 North wing extension opened.
Additions to the Sub-Warden’s Residence.
1971 St Columba College opened.
1980 St George’s College gardens entered in the Register of the National
Estate by the Australian Heritage Commission.
1981 St George’s College became a co-educational institution.
1981-83 College organ pipe rebuilt.
1983 Commonwealth Government cut recurrent funding for residential
colleges.
1986 From this year, recurrent grants in support of University residential
colleges were terminated by the Commonwealth.
1988 College Council approved the establishment of the St George’s College
Foundation.
1989 Improvements to North Wing accommodation carried out.
1990 New College car park built.
1992 South Wing student accommodation refurbished.
Annual Giving established.
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
1998 Project to protect and record the heritage of St George’s was established
by the College Council.
1999 Western half of the South Wing refurbished.
1999 Baby grand piano, located in the Chapel, underwent reconditioning.
1999-2000 College pipe organ, located in the Chapel, underwent reconditioning.
2001 College Council committed to providing an additional 30 College places.
2002 College Council agreed to proceed with a building plan for new student
accommodation and other facilities.
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Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
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2.2 Establishment of The University of Western Australia and the Development of
St George’s College
The first steps towards establishing a university in Western Australia were taken in 1898 when the Adelaide
University Extension Committee was formed. The Committee arranged visits to Perth from lecturers, and
in co-operation with the University of Adelaide, public and University degree examinations were held. 1 The
lectures in Perth were well attended, and country centres were also visited. Lecturers were recruited from
other Australian universities, as well as from overseas. 2
In 1904, the Western Australian Parliament passed the University Endowment Act, by which around 4,000
acres of mostly suburban land were set aside as an endowment for a future university. In 1909, a Royal
Commission chaired by John Winthrop Hackett was appointed to report on whether the establishment of a
university was warranted in Western Australia. 3 The Royal Commission urged immediate action. Taking
population, revenue and national development into account, and comparing conditions in the State with those
that operated elsewhere in Australia, it declared that the argument for the immediate establishment of a
university was irrefutable. 4
The University of Western Australia Act was passed in 1911, and in the following year, the first Senate, of
eighteen members, was appointed. In 1913, the eight foundation chairs were filled, with two in Arts (English,
and History and Economics), four in Pure Science (Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Mathematics and
Physics), and two in Applied Science (Agriculture, and Mining and Engineering). 5
After the founding of the University in early 1912, temporary administrative offices were rented from the
Church of England in Cathedral Chambers, Cathedral Avenue, from May 1912 until 1916. Later in 1912,
the State Government made available to the University a 1.1-acre site on the west side of Irwin Street, with
frontages to both Hay Street and St Georges Terrace. There the Public Works Department designed the
University’s first permanent building, which opened for the start of the 1913 academic year. 6
Meanwhile, from 1912, the debate continued over suitable sites for the permanent establishment of the
University, with the field narrowed to three locations - Crawley, the area around Parliament House, and West
Subiaco (Shenton Park). The issue was decided in early 1914, when the Government made available to the
University 104 acres at Crawley, retaining a further 48 acres for parkland. It was also in this year that the
Department of Mining and Engineering relocated to Crawley from Irwin Street. 7
In 1916, the University’s first Chancellor, John Winthrop Hackett, died at the age of 68, leaving a wife, four
daughters and a son, and making the University of Western Australia and the Church of England his main
residuary legatees. In 1926, the benefits of the Hackett bequest became known, with the University to receive
425,000 pounds, while the Church received 138,000 pounds. The bequest in favour of the University made
available the sum of 150,000 pounds for the erection of a ceremonial hall and a Students’ Union building. An
endowment of 190,000 pounds was set aside for scholarships and bursaries, and two additional endowments
provided 10,000 pounds as a students’ loan fund, and 25,000 pounds to provide for the salary of a full-time
Vice-Chancellor. An additional sum of 50,000 pounds was set aside as an endowment for the maintenance of
the buildings and grounds. The bequest to the Church of England also included provision for the erection or
maintenance of a residential church college constructed on University land . 8
Discussions about residential colleges had begun as early as 1914, with the competition for the layout of
the University, and in 1923 a committee was appointed to investigate and report on the establishment of
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
such colleges. In October 1923, the management of St John’s University Hostel - established in St Georges
Terrace in 1918 - requested the Anglican Archbishop, Riley, to approach the University for an allocation of
land for a residential college. After the success of the Church of England in this matter in December 1923,
successful approaches were made to the University Senate by the Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist
and Congregational churches in May, July, August and September 1925, respectively. However, no specific
action to erect a college was taken by any of these denominations. 9
By 1926, it was recognized that legislative action would be necessary to enable the Senate to set aside any
University land for the erection of colleges. The Senate subsequently requested the Labor Government of
Premier Collier to pass enabling legislation. The University Colleges Act of 1926 provided the necessary
authority whereby the Senate might set aside land up to a maximum of five acres, on the request of ‘any body
of persons, corporate or incorporate, desiring to obtain an area of land for establishing a College’. 10
After the Church of England established the Council of St George’s College in 1926, the following year the
Council commissioned Hobbs, Smith and Forbes, the architectural firm in which J.J. Talbott Hobbs, also a
Trustee of the Anglican archdiocese from 1920 to 1926, was senior partner. Much of the design work for the
College was carried out by A.B. Winning - then the firm’s chief assistant architect and senior draughtsman,
and subsequently a partner in Hobbs, Winning and Leighton - who took instruction in this matter from
Archbishop Riley. In contrast to the design of the Hackett Memorial Buildings, which attempted to respond to
the ‘Mediterranean’ climate of Perth, Riley wanted to follow the traditional styling of Oxford and Cambridge.
In particular, Riley wanted to reproduce elements of the architecture of Gonville and Caius, his old college at
Cambridge. Features copied from the English college included the side windows of the dining hall. On the
other hand, the double cloisters were a concession to climate, designed to provide shade for some of the
windows of rooms facing north, east and west. 11
The name chosen by the Trustees, at their meeting on 20 January 1927, for the new college was St George’s
College. Plans were approved by the Senate Building Committee in July 1927. By December of that year,
the Trustees of the Anglican Diocese accepted the tender of C.W. Arnott (for the sum of 83,000 pounds) to
build the College and Chapel. The accommodation for thirty-six students, each with a bedroom and separate
study, as well as Warden’s quarters and offices, a dining-hall and kitchen with maids’ rooms, and a library
and common room, involved the architects in preparation of some 400 sheets of drawings. The building took
advantage of modern construction techniques, being one of the earliest in Perth in which reinforced concrete
floor slabs were supported by load-bearing brickwork. In contrast with this modern technique, masons were
brought especially from Scotland to shape the Donnybrook stonework. 12
The foundation stones of the Chapel and the College were laid by Riley and by the Governor of Western
Australia, Sir William Campion, respectively, on 8 March 1928. Riley died fifteen months later, while the
buildings were rising on the site that he had chosen above the river. 13 The College was officially opened on St
George’s Day (23 April) 1931, by the Governor, Sir William Campion. According to the West Australian:
The College will be thrown open to general inspection … and therefore an excellent opportunity will be
available for viewing one of the most interesting buildings recently erected in the metropolitan area- a fine
example of Tudor-Gothic architecture, with internal appointments of great beauty and dignity. 14
The Chapel, although little more than a shell, was consecrated mid-morning, while the College buildings
were officially opened at 3 P.M. in the College Hall. Among the many clergy present for the consecration
of the Chapel were the Bishop of the North-West, the Archdeacon of Bunbury, the Dean of Perth and the
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Archival Photo 1: Laying of the Foundation Stone
for the Chapel and St George’s College, 8th March,
1928.
Archival Photo 3: St George’s College, post-construction,
c.1930.
D R A F T
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Archdeacon of Northam. There were also present the Trustees, the Registrar and the Chancellor of the
Diocese. According to the Archbishop of Perth, Dr Le Fanu, in his address on this occasion:
The purpose of such a College was to introduce into a young Country whatever was greatest in the ancient
traditions of church and race. [300 or 400 years into the future] when in an Australia grown to greatness
and holding onerous responsibilities, St George’s College would still stand firm … 15
Present with the Governor for the official opening of the College were the Chancellor of the University, Sir
Walter James; the Chief Justice, Sir Robert MacMillan; the Warden, Rev. P.U. Henn; and the Archbishop of
Perth, Dr Le Fanu. According to the Governor:
[The late Archbishop Riley] wished to have, in this beautifully dignified building, with its magnificent hall
and rooms, the idea of a real home that would give the benefits of real family residential life with brother
undergraduates. 16
Campion also traced the career of St George, whose festival day it was, and whom the Governor considered
the model for a ‘real gentleman’:
10
Archival Photo 2: Photograph showing the builders and
masons who worked on St George’s College, c.1930.
Archival Photo 4; View looking towards St George’s
College and Mounts Bay Road, c.1931.
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A gentleman is a straight-living man. To my mind that
describes the proudest thing that any man can claim
to be - a British gentleman. Here in this College we
hope that we shall turn out students who will be British
gentlemen … I hope that when they leave with the
capacity of British gentlemen they will have a very
great influence for good in the State. 17
The Chief Justice, who spoke after the Governor had
opened the College, sat down at the conclusion of his
speech, and then slumped into his seat. After being taken
to a nearby bedroom, it was confirmed that he was dead.
Out of respect for Sir Robert, a fund-raising Ball planned
for that evening was cancelled. 18 Two weeks later, on
9 March, the first twenty students arrived to take up
residence at St George’s College. 19
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
In order to manage the College, and to provide pastoral care, Archbishop Le Fanu appointed Rev. Canon P.U.
Henn as Foundation Warden, a position he retained until the middle of 1932. Following him as Warden, from
6 March 1932 until 1939, was the Rev. Canon C.B. Law. Also in residence at St George’s College was a Sub-
Warden, Rev. C.E. Storrs, who occupied this position from 1931 until 1938. It was the latter who worked to
spread the recruitment of students as widely as possible and to attract students of high intellectual potential. 20
Within a short time of opening, St George’s College
became a place wherein distinguished visitors to Perth
were received and entertained. In 1932, for example, the
College received the officers from Japanese battleships
visiting Fremantle; thespian, Dame Sybil Thorndike;
Field-Marshall Sir William Birdwood; and the managers
of the visiting English Cricket Team, the Captain, D.R.
Jardine, and the Nawab of Pataudi. 21 In 1935, the
College hosted Percy Grainger, who played the grand
piano- which, apparently, ‘sizzled beneath his catastrophic
assault’- in the College Hall. 22 An annual College play
was established in 1936, with a production of T.S. Eliot’s,
‘Murder in the Cathedral’. 23
Also in 1936, the well-known supporter of Indian
nationalism and close associate of M.K. ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi, Rev. Charles Freer ‘Charlie’ Andrews, stayed
for three weeks at St George’s College, where he completed his book, Christ and Prayer. Andrews lavished
praise on the constant sunshine and the beauty of the wildflowers in Perth, ‘something that Western Australia
may be proud of beyond all other lands on earth’, but wanted College authorities to share the ‘sunny climate
and genial atmosphere’ with others. 24 According to Andrews:
Archival Photo 5: Staff and residents, first term at St
George’s College, 1931.
Archival Photo 6 : St George’s College reception for
officers from Japanese battleships visiting Fremantle,
1932.
There is a pathway of friendship with the neighbouring East, which has not yet been explored. If carefully
chosen students from India were invited to share Australia’s hospitality, and then went back again to
India to speak warmly of the kindly treatment they had received, this would be an armament for Australia,
infinitely more durable and invulnerable, in its defensive character, than any weapons of war. 25
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Crawley, Western Australia
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Archival Photo 7: Charles Freer ‘Charlie’ Andrews and
representatives of St George’s College during his visit in
1936.
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Not long after this suggestion of Andrews, St George’s College had in residence, for a period of two years, an
Indian scholar from Lucknow Christian College, Subrij M. Thacore. Funding for Thacore’s travel and stay was
provided by the Student Christian Movement, UWA, and St George’s College. 26 In 1940, two undergraduates
from Singapore entered the College community. 27 Even while the War was in progress, thoughts turned to
increasing the amount of accommodation available for students at St George’s College. 28
Archival Photo 9: High-spirited College residents posing
near the courtyard fountain, c. 1940s.
Archival Photo 10 : Residents lounging on the courtyard
lawn at St George’s College, ca 1940.
12
Archival Photo 8: Charles Freer ‘Charlie’ Andrews
working in the cloisters at St George’s College,
during his stay in 1936.
At the beginning of 1942, the Commonwealth
Government had decided to reserve a quota for students
in the sciences and applied sciences, later extended
to arts and law, and to pay these ‘reserved students’ a
‘living allowance’. This payment, made available by the
Australian Universities Commission at the living-away-
from-home rate for all those living in a college, led to a
record number of (sixty-four) residents at St George’s
College by 1945. 29 It was also in the 1940s that Adult
Education Summer Schools were held at the College,
while the regular residents were away. 30 Also held at the
College were annual retreats for Anglican Clergy. 31
In 1946, the College acquired an extra half-acre of land
on its western boundary. This purchase required the
approval of both the University Senate and the Catholic
Church, who agreed to move the proposed Newman
College (later renamed St Thomas More College) further
south. This additional land enabled the St George’s
College Council to prepare a master plan for the future
expansion of College numbers to one hundred students.
As part of this plan, the Council decided to add a storey to
the domestic wing, a room to the gardener’s cottage, and
to build a Warden’s Lodge. 32 In May 1952, the Warden’s
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Archival Photo 11: View of residents at the western entry to St
George’s College, c.1940.
Archival Photo 13: Residents at St George’s College,
1948.
Archival Photo 15:St George’s College illuminated during
the 1953 Coronation celebrations.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Archival Photo 12 :Residents at St George’s College,
1946.
Archival Photo 14: View looking towards St
George’s College and front gardens, c.1950s.
Archival Photo 16:Visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
April 1965.
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Crawley, Western Australia
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house was completed, with the design by Alexander Barr Winning (of Hobbs, Winning and Leighton) meant
to harmonize with the architecture of the main building. This was the first new building on the site since the
completion of the College in 1931. 33 In 1955, the Catholic residential college of St Thomas More opened on
the site next to St George’s College. Also in this year, attempts were made to stabilize the foundations of the
Chapel, as serious cracks were developing in the walls of the building. For some months, piles were driven
into the ground around the Chapel, to hold the foundations in place. Besides this, the bases of the towers
were strengthened with concrete. 34
In 1958, the Commonwealth Government decided to implement the recommendations of the Murray Report
into University Education. This move had significant implications for St George’s and other residential
colleges. As a result of the Report, the Commonwealth Government made available 10,000 pounds for
college buildings at St George’s. Also in 1958, the War Memorial Squash Court - built at a cost of 4,440
pounds - was opened and dedicated by the Archbishop of Perth on 16 November. In addition, the College
Council resolved to proceed with re-modelling of the kitchen, additions to the domestic wing, and the addition
of at least ten new student rooms and a common room during 1959. 35 Because of an increasing demand for
college accommodation at the University, a fund-raising appeal - the Colleges’ Joint Appeal - was launched
in 1959, to contribute to additional student residential facilities at Crawley. Under the chairmanship of
businessman Charles Bunning, the Appeal had raised almost 70,000 pounds by the end of the year. In
addition, the State Government of David Brand agreed to honour the decision of the previous Government, to
make a grant of 10,000 pounds to each College. 36
Archival Photo 17: View looking towards
the Chapel and tennis court, prior to the
construction of the new residential wings,
c.1950s.
14
It was also in 1959 that the building of more student facilities at St
George’s College commenced, on the site first planned for future
extensions in 1946. The buildings were to comprise a new domestic
wing, as well as the re-building and re-equipping of the kitchen
area, to provide for a College of 150 residents. The domestic staff
members were also to be provided with a separate space. The new
student wing was to contain 15 bedrooms and a common room.
While the new common room was intended to eventually become the
main College Common Room, but part of it was to be used for student
accommodation initially. It was also decided that the student wing
was to utilize the ‘mediaeval staircase system’ to provide access to
the different levels. 37
The successful, and lowest, tenderer for the building work was
George Robinson, while the architects were Hobbs, Winning and
Leighton. The buildings, on the site of College tennis courts, were
placed so as not to interfere with the existing layout of buildings
and grounds. The architectural style - detailed by John Lidbury of
Hobbs, Winning and Leighton - was designed to harmonize with the
original college buildings. The total cost of the new work, including
furnishings, was budgeted at 51,000 pounds, of which the College
Council had 35,000 pounds at the commencement of the project.
This amount was made up of funds from the Commonwealth and
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State Building Grants, and from the Colleges’ Joint
Appeal. 38 After four and a half months of construction,
the new accommodation was available for the beginning
of the 1960 academic year. The new student wing was
greeted with approval by both students - who found it
comfortable - and university authorities. The consultant
architect to the Australian Universities Committee, R.
Featherstone, warmly recommended the building in his
official report, and advised that the design be continued
without modification. 39
During 1961, construction of the second half of the new
accommodation wing was undertaken. The architect for
this building was, again, John Lidbury of Hobbs, Winning,
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
and Leighton, while the contractor was W.H. Ralph and Son. For this, and additional work on the Warden’s
house and domestic wing, the Commonwealth contributed 20,000 pounds, while the State Government
matched this grant. 40 The following year, this building work was completed, allowing accommodation for a
total of 150 students. The buildings, which cost around 100,000 pounds, were opened by the Premier, David
Brand, on 25 March 1962. 41 1962 was also a year in which the College received a particularly large number
of visitors. As well as officials and participants in the Commonwealth Games, there were also attendees
from the Conferences of Mechanical and Civil Engineers and the World Council of Churches. Other College
visitors included Dame Sybil Thorndike (on her third visit), the High Commissioner for India, members of the
cast of La Traviata, and members of the Moscow State Variety Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet. 42
In 1964, plans were drawn up for further expansion of student accommodation at St George’s College.
These plans, for the first half of a new block containing 23 bedrooms- and drawn up by John Lidbury of
Hobbs, Winning and Leighton- were approved by the Australian University Commission. Subsequently, the
Commission offered the College a Commonwealth grant of 29,000 pounds for the present funding triennium.
In addition, the State Government offered a matching grant of around 20,000 pounds, as well as 1,500
pounds for the Sub-Warden’s house. 43 In March 1965, the new student accommodation block was ready
for occupation. 44 In order to reduce the cost of College staff, it was decided in 1968 that students would
participate in house-keeping activities by making their own beds. 45
Plans for an extension to the College kitchen and domestic wing were completed in 1966, with the building
work expected to cost 51,000 pounds, and completion by the beginning of 1967. Preparation of these plans
was again by John Lidbury of Hobbs, Winning and Leighton. 46 Further funding for building work at the College
was provided by the State Government in 1967. The latter offered the College a sum of $40,200 out of a total
requirement of $134,000, which was to be expended on the completion of the North Wing and the Office,
Senior Common Room and Laundry areas. The Commonwealth Government also provided $67,000, one
half of the cost of the proposed College building programme. 47 The St George’s College building work did
not proceed at the desired pace, however, a situation aggravated by the liquidation of the Contractor. The
uncompleted tender was then accepted and taken over by T.S. Plunkett Pty Ltd. 48
Archival Photo 18: View of South Wing, as completed in
1961.
For the 1970-72 funding triennium, St George’s College again received - in 1969 - a grant from the Australian
Universities’ Commission, a sum of $41,000 in a total expenditure of $82,000. The total sum was to complete
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the domestic wing, provide a television set in the undercroft area, additional furniture and furnishings for the
original buildings, a retaining wall for the north wall of the quadrangle, repaving the quadrangle balcony and
providing fly-wire screening to the dining room and other areas. 49 In the following year, the State Government
provided $21,500 towards the College building programme. 50 Also during the 1970s, there was a major re-
organization in the kitchen department, with the abolition of the position of Matron, and other live-in domestic
staff positions. 51
Archival Photo 19: Residents of St George’s
College, showing one of the earliest groups
to include female residents in the 1980s.
In 1981, St George’s College celebrated fifty years of existence.
To mark the occasion, an edited collection of essays on the
historical development of the College was published. 52 The same
year, women undergraduates were admitted to residence for the
first time, marking the culmination of a process begun decades
earlier. In the 1930s, women were only allowed to visit between
3 and 5 P.M. on Wednesdays and Sundays. The first meal in the
dining hall, with women co-mingling with men, was served on V.E.
Day in 1945. During the 1970s, rules regarding the association
of women with male residents of the College were continuously
relaxed, setting the scene for female students being able to attend
St George’s College as full residents. 53
By the 1980s, funding for university residential colleges had become more precarious. In July 1983, the
Heads of W.A. Residential Colleges presented their case for the maintenance of recurrent funding to the
Commonwealth Government, for the triennium 1985-1987. A short time later, the Federal Minister for
Education announced a 25% cut to this funding in the Press, to be effective from the next year. 54 From 1986,
recurrent grants in support of University residential colleges were terminated by the Commonwealth. 55 As
a result of this reduction in Commonwealth funding, the College Council reviewed already planned building
projects. In addition, on 5 July 1988, the College Council approved the establishment of the St George’s
College Foundation, a stand-alone body with its own Constitution, which aimed to - amongst other purposes
- preserve, maintain and develop the standards and facilities of the College. Another objective of the
Foundation was to raise money for the College for the acquisition of land or buildings or other facilities, and
for the construction, alteration, improvement and maintenance of buildings or other facilities. 56
It was during the 1980s, that improvements were made to parts of the original College buildings. The whole
area was rewired and light fittings in the various rooms were modernized. On the second floor, the original
caneite ceilings, which were a fire hazard, were replaced. Student bathrooms were also modified to increase
their utility. A major programme of ‘unpairing’ of student rooms was also undertaken so that each student
was housed in a single room, rather than having to share accommodation space, as had been the case in the
past. 57 By removal of walls and other modifications, rooms for student socializing were also created on the
ground and first floor of the dining room wing of the College. These areas, originally used for domestic staff,
were converted into the Reynold’s Room (ground floor) and the Georgian Room (first floor). The former room,
named after an early Warden of the College, was used for television viewing. In the Reynold’s Room, new
steel beams were used to underpin the structure above, and a ceiling was inserted below the beams. This
also provided space for air conditioning ducts to be put in place. The Georgian Room, on the first floor, was
provided with a bar area, and a piano donated by a former student allowed residents to practice music. Also
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St. George’s College
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during this period, the verandahs on the first floor of the original building were renovated. All of these various
improvements and renovations were carried out by the builder, C.P. Swann. 58
From 1987, the original Gardner’s cottage was adapted to provide additional student accommodation. In
1989, the student accommodation of the North Wing was substantially improved, with 13 student rooms
provided with an en-suite, air-conditioning, a refrigerator and telephone. 59
The following year, a new car park was built, allowing the front of the College to be largely free of parked
cars. 60 In 1992, the College Council decided to refurbish the South Wing student accommodation. The
original eastern part of this facility was to be improved, with six of the rooms to have their own individual
bathroom facilities. 61
Archival Photo 20: View towards St George’s College and The University of Western Australia, c.1993.
In 1998, the College Council endorsed a project to protect and record the heritage of St George’s, which had
been built up over more than sixty years. An important initiative was to record the oral histories of students
and staff of the College. Other initiatives included identifying heritage material to be archived, assessing
the condition of heritage material, developing policies for archival storage, and researching opportunities for
future displays of heritage items. 62 Also in 1998, the College retired the debt entered into for the rebuilding
of the eastern side of the South Wing. A new loan was to be established to refurbish the western half of that
building. Work- which involved the repair of the ‘Inner’ balcony and the installation of air-conditioning to the
16 rooms of ‘Outer B’ and ‘Inner’- was to be undertaken during the 1998-99 summer vacation. Council also
resolved that upon completion of the South Wing project, the next task would be the demolition of Guest Wing
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(yet to be carried out), and the relocation of the kitchen from downstairs to the same level as the dining room. These
changes would offer extended recreational areas for students, as well as an enlarged dining area, and a more efficient
food service. The process of renovation was designed to maintain the integrity of the Junior Common Room, the
library and dining room. 63
During 1999, the College pipe organ and baby grand piano, both of which were located in the Chapel, underwent
significanct reconditioning. The organ had been rebuilt in 1981, 1982 and 1983 and was refurbished in 1998
and 2000. Work on the 1920s German piano was carried out by Walter Haas, the piano technician for the Music
Department at UWA, and for the Perth Concert Hall. The organ, built in 1931 by J.E. Dodd and Son of Adelaide,
contained 518 pipes. These make up nine different sounding ranks of pipes, which were combined by the organist to
produce the desired sound. The pipes were in two cases, and ranged in size and tone from the low sounding 8-foot
long square wooden pipes, enclosed at the top to sound at 16-foot pitch, to the smallest (and highest pitch) metal
pipe, which was 1.5 inches long. The cases and console of jarrah were built locally. 64
At the beginning of 2001, the St George’s College Foundation held an amount of $1.5 million in various funds,
which were managed externally to both the College and the Foundation. All costs associated with the Foundation
were funded by the College. Annual Giving, since its inception in 1992, raised over $270,000, while bequests and
sizeable corporate donations contributed a large proportion of the total funds held. There was sufficient capital to
support nine fully-funded ‘named’ Scholarships and Bursaries. A target was set for the Foundation to contain an
accumulated capital funds base of $2.5 million, with approximately $1.5 million in Endowment and $1 million in the
endowment of several scholarship funds. The Foundation’s goal was to have one student in four at the College
receiving some financial support. 65 By 2001, the College Council had also firmed in its commitment to provide an
additional 30 College places (lifting student numbers to 180) and continue its renovation and upgrading process.
Each room now had a telephone and computer connection, while 35 of the rooms had an attached bathroom, and
56 were air-conditioned. The Council planned to continue with building and refurbishment plans that were estimated
to cost $5.8 million. The St George’s College Foundation was expected to make a substantial contribution to these
developments. 66
On 29 January 2002, St George’s College Council unanimously agreed to proceed with a building plan to ensure the
attractiveness and economic viability of student residence at the College. The first stage of the plan was to be the
construction of eighteen new rooms where the squash courts - built in 1958 - are located. It was intended that the new
building be rededicated as a memorial to the College’s war dead, a function currently assigned to the squash courts.
The new buildings, to be designed by Palassis Architects, were to complement the original buildings, rather than
simply mimic the past. 67 In 2003, Palassis Architects were also engaged by the College to produce a Conservation
Management Plan that would record both the existing fabric of the College as well as its historical development. This
document would provide a useful framework for future planning of the College.
2.3 Associations
Many of the former residents of St George’s Colleger have become prominent West Australians in their various fields
of endeavour. These former residents include, but are not limited to the following: Sir Francis Burt, John Cowdell,
John Day, Peter Dowding, Peter Foss, Sir Gordon Freeth, Geoff Gallop, David Malcolm, John Stone, Randolph Stow
and Darryl Williams.
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2.4 Registrations
St George’s College is included on the following Heritage Lists;
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
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National Trust of Australia (WA) - St George’s College incl. Cork Oak Tree 02/04/1979
National Trust of Australia (WA) - St George’s College Campus Gardens 04/03/1980
Register of the National Estate - St George’s College 28/09/1982
Register of the National Estate - St George’s College Garden 21/10/1980
City of Perth Municipal Inventory 13/03/2001
City of Perth Town Planning Scheme 20/12/1985
Endnotes
1 R.J. Ferguson, Crawley Campus: The Planning and Architecture of the University of Western Australia, UWA Press,
1993, p. 1.
2 Fred Alexander, Campus at Crawley: A Narrative and Critical Appreciation of the First Fifty Years of the University of
Western Australia, UWA Press, 1963, p. 23.
3 Ferguson, Crawley Campus, p. 1.
4 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, p. 26.
5 Ferguson, Crawley Campus, p. 1.
6 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, p. 62.
7 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, pp. 63-64.
8 Ferguson, Crawley Campus, pp. 14-15.
9 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, pp. 512-513.
10 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, p. 513.
11 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, pp. 633-634.
12 John D. Lidbury, ‘Oxbridge in Tudor’, in Brian Wills-Johnson, ed., St George’s College: The First Fifty Years, 1931-
1981, St George’s College, 1981, pp. 55-56.
13 Peter A. Wreford, ‘The Founders and Planners’, in Wills-Johnson, ed., St George’s College, pp. 6-7.
14 West Australian, 18 April 1931.
15 The Dragon, Volume 1, No. 1, November 1931, p. 7.
16 The Dragon, Volume 1, No. 1, November 1931, p. 8.
17 The Dragon, Volume 1, No. 1, November 1931, p. 8.
18 The Editor of the Dragon felt that St George’s College had been ‘baptized’ by the death ‘of a great public servant who
never spared himself’. The Dragon, Volume 1, No. 1, November 1931, p. 10.
19 Herbert A. Craven, ‘Early Years’, in Wills-Johnson, ed., St George’s College, pp. 8, 10-12.
20 Alexander, Campus at Crawley, pp. 519-520.
21 The Dragon, November 1932, pp. 9-10.
22 The Dragon, October 1935, p. 25.
23 The Dragon, October 1936, pp. 12-15.
24 The Dragon, October 1936, pp. 15-18.
25 The Dragon, October 1936, pp. 16-17.
26 The Dragon, November 1967, p. 16.
27 The Dragon, September 1940, p. 8.
28 The Dragon, October 1943, p. 5.
29 J.H. Reynolds, ‘The War Years 1939-1945’, in Wills-Johnson, ed., St George’s College, p. 24.
30 The Dragon, October 1946, p. 9.
31 The Dragon, November 1949, p. 12.
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32 The Dragon, October 1946, p. 9.
33 The Dragon, September 1952, p. 11.
34 The Dragon, November 1955, p. 15.
35 The Dragon, November 1958, pp. 13, 15-16.
36 The Dragon, November 1959, pp. 16-17.
37 The Dragon, November 1959, pp. 19-20.
38 The Dragon, November 1959, p. 20.
39 The Dragon, November 1960, p. 15.
40 The Dragon, November 1961, pp. 12, 17.
41 The Dragon, November 1962, p. 19.
42 The Dragon, November 1962, p. 25.
43 The Dragon, November 1964, pp. 12-13.
44 The Dragon, November 1965, pp. 13-14.
45 The Dragon, 1992, p. 60.
46 The Dragon, November 1966, p. 14.
47 The Dragon, November 1967, p. 11.
48 The Dragon, November 1968, p. 21.
49 The Dragon, November 1969, n.p.
50 The Dragon, November 1970, n.p.
51 The Dragon, 1992, p. 60.
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52 Brian Wills-Johnson, ed., St George’s College: The First Fifty Years; 1931-1981, The Georgians, Perth, 1981.
53 The Dragon, 1992, p. 60.
54 The Dragon, 1983, p. 5.
55 The Dragon, November 1986, p. 8.
56 The Georgian, Vol. 26, 1, January 2000, n.p.
57 Information supplied by the Warden, Dr Ben Darbyshire, 24 September 2003.
58 Information supplied by the Warden, Dr Ben Darbyshire, 24 September 2003.
59 The Dragon, November 1989, p. 9.
60 The Dragon, November 1990, p. 6.
61 The Dragon, 1992, p. 7.
62 The Georgian, Vol. 23, 1, May 1998, p. 1.
63 The Georgian, Vol. 23, 3, September 1998, n.p.
64 The Georgian, Vol. 24, 1, January 1999, n.p.
65 The Georgian, Vol. 26, 1, January 2001, p. 1.
66 The Georgian, Vol. 26, 1, January 2001, p. 2.
67 The Georgian, Vol. 27, 1, April 2000, pp. 1-2.
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3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
3.1 Site and Setting
St George’s College is set within open landscaped grounds in a
prominent position at the base of Mount Eliza on Mounts Bay Road,
Crawley, within the block bounded by Winthrop Avenue, Crawley
Avenue, and Park Avenue. The place is set within a precinct of
residential colleges and university buildings, including Tuart House
and Park Avenue Building to the east, St Thomas More College and
Currie Hall to the west, and The University of Western Australia,
across Mounts Bay Road, to the southwest. Kings Park is located
directly north of St George’s College.
Tuart House is a brick and tile Inter-War Georgian Revival style
building constructed in 1934 as the first official residence for the
Vice-Chancellor, and is located on the southwest corner of Park
Avenue and Mounts Bay Road. Located behind Tuart House, and
east of St George’s College is the Park Avenue Building, a two-
storey brick and tile Inter-War Georgian Revival style building,
constructed in 1923-25 as the first university faculty building. St
Thomas More College is a rendered brick and tile Post-War
Ecclesiastical style building constructed in 1955, featuring a
prominent row of mature eucalypts and a chapel on the Mounts
Bay Road elevation, and located adjacent to St George’s College.
Currie Hall is located further west and comprises a concrete brick
and tile complex of buildings constructed between 1966 and 1974,
and set in a large garden setting. As with St George’s College,
both St Thomas More College and Currie Hall are set back from
Mounts Bay Road and appear as individual collegiate complexes,
but nevertheless maintain strong visual and physical connections
with The University of Western Australia. St George’s College can
be seen from the Swan River, Mounts Bay Road, and The University
of Western Australia, and is an important architectural element within
the context of the University and in the approach to the city.
St George’s College comprises a number of buildings and
associated facilities arranged around the central residential building.
To the north are the Chapel, the North and South Residential
wings, and the Warden’s Residence. To the east is the Guest
wing (attached directly to the central residential building), and to
the southeast are the Squash Courts and the Cottage. The Sub
Warden’s Residence is located directly southwest of the central
residential building and is flanked at its north and south ends by a
carpark. Another carpark is located in the northeast corner of the
site, near the Warden’s Residence.
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Photo 1 St George’s College, south elevation
and grounds.
Photo 2 View from Mounts Bay Road, looking
west.
Photo 3 View of main entry from Mounts Bay
Road.
Photo 4 View of the exit from St George’s
College on Mounts Bay Road.
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Photo 5 St George’s College, south elevation,
showing perennial gardens and hedges.
Photo 6 St George’s College, gardens and
grounds.
Photo 7 St George’s College, mature trees
(including Norfolk pine) and grounds.
Photo 8 St George’s College, view of Cork Oak
from the north east.
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3.2 Gardens
D R A F T
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St George’s College has an expansive garden setting comprising
undulating lawns, rose gardens and flower beds, massed planting
of exotic trees and shrubs, formal terraced lawns, and a large
cloistered courtyard. Mature trees and shrubs line the north, east
and west boundaries, creating a sense of enclosure and definition
for the site, while a brick retaining wall forms the southern boundary
off Mounts Bay Road.
A visual axis runs approximately north-south from the Chapel,
through the cloistered quadrangle, and south across the front lawn
and garden beds towards the river. This axis produces vistas to
and from St George’s College without being a strong formal device.
A u-shaped bituminised driveway off Mounts Bay Road forms an
approach to St George’s College from the west, rising towards the
large entry arch on the south elevation, and then back around past
the Squash Courts and the Cottage returning to Mounts Bay Road.
The front lawn is interspersed with a range of mature trees - two
cypresses (Cupressus arizonica) frame the entry arch, and a large
Norfolk pine (Araucaria excelsa), formerly one of a pair, is located
southeast of the central residential building. A mature cork oak
(Quercus suber) is positioned east of the Sub-Warden’s House,
with timber benches beneath its branches. A mature English oak
(Quercus pendunculata) is located south of the cork oak, near the
western gateway, while a large Ficus benjamina is located along
the eastern boundary, behind the Cottage. A number of exotic trees
are also integrated into garden beds, such as the row of frangipani
(Plumeria acutifolia) opposite the Cottage, the Illawara Flame
Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) and the Cocos palm (Arecastrum
romanzoffianum) near the western gate. More flowerbeds and
clipped hedges are located directly in front of the central residential
building and along both sides of the driveway. A rose garden
stretches in an east-west direction across the front lawn, and is
intersected by a grassed path.
The typology of the garden at St George’s College can be described
as Institutional 1 , providing a setting for the major buildings and a
public image for the place. The garden also accommodates the
functional requirements of communication, linking the various
buildings and areas for outdoor activity. Stylistically, the garden can
be described as Naturalistic/Informal 2 , featuring irregular landforms,
serpentine roads and paths, and rustic features such as garden
seats and grottoes. The display of plants focuses on variety and
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colour; trees and shrubs are planted as individual specimens in
expanses of lawn to reveal their form and individual character.
Annual flowers are grown in multi-coloured combinations for eye-
catching effect.
The cloistered quadrangle comprises four grassed parterres with
a central circular fountain and concrete paved paths, enclosed by
creeper-covered brick walls. Narrow garden beds featuring shrubs,
agapanthus, lavender, and a range of annuals line the edges of
the arcade, and two Cocos palms (Arecastrum romanzoffianum)
are located in the northeast corner. The quadrangle is somewhat
more formal than the other elements in the garden in terms of
geometric order, however its implied symmetry is countered by the
natural informality of the plantings. The quadrangle is shaded by
a prominent Cork oak (Quercus suber) on the upper terrace. The
upper terrace contains the Chapel and provides access to the
North and South Residential wings and the first floor of the central
residential building. As with the front gardens, the upper terrace
features open grassed areas with a range of mature exotic trees and
shrubs, connected by areas of paving. A large paved BBQ area is
located at the northeast corner of the upper terrace. A bituminised
half tennis court is located directly west of the Chapel and is
surrounded by high wire-mesh fencing. Wire fencing is located to
the northern and eastern peripheries of the site, and also around the
car parks.
Photo 12 St George’s College, view to cloistered quadrangle and tower, looking east.
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Photo 9 St George’s College, cloistered quadrangle
looking east.
Photo 10 St George’s College, view to quadrangle
from ground floor cloister.
Photo 11 St George’s College, view of creepercovered
walls and garden beds in quadrangle.
Photo 13 St George’s College, view of grotto
and external stair to upper terrace and Chapel.
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Photo 14 St George’s College, view of tower
and entry arch on south elevation.
Photo 15 St George’s College, view through
entry arch towards quadrangle and Chapel.
Photo 16 St George’s College, main residential
building and cloistered quadrangle.
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3.3 Buildings
Central Residential Building
Exterior
D R A F T
M a r c h 2 0 0 4
The central residential building comprises an Inter-War Gothic style
collegiate building with Tudor details built in 1930. Constructed of
red brick with stone trim, and featuring a steeply pitched tile roof, the
form is characterised by a prominent square crenellated tower (of
five storeys), crenellated parapets, two three-storey gables, and a U-
shaped plan. The walls are face-brick with stone quoining around all
the doors and windows, and stone capping to the crenellations, the
chimneys, and balcony parapets.
The building is three storeys high, and features a two-storey inner
cloister that encloses the quadrangle and terminates in a balcony on
the second floor. The cloisters have an arcade on one side opening
onto the quadrangle, and function as the primary circulation space
for the building. The cloisters have concrete floors with spoon drains
along the outer edges. Downpipes are also located on the inside
leaf of the arcade walls. The ground floor and first floor arcades
have large arched openings with four-centred (Tudor) arches and
stepped brick buttresses defining the structural bays. The first
floor arches overlook the quadrangle and feature rendered sills,
face-brick quoins and a single crowning keystone. The ground floor
arches have a low balustrade with rendered sills, and face-brick
quoins. The central arch on each of the three ground floor arcades
opens directly onto the quadrangle.
There are three entries to the Central Residential Building, all
evident on the south elevation. The main entry is located below
the central square tower and comprises the arched passageway
that leads through the building into the quadrangle. This arch
allows views across the front lawn and Mounts Bay Road to the
Swan River. The arch also frames inward views to the Chapel
and quadrangle, and views east and west along the cloisters. Two
secondary entrances are located either side of the tower, in the
projecting bays to either end of the front (south) elevation. The
western entry has timber panelled double doors with a Tudor arch
head and stone quoining, and is positioned alongside a canted bay
window. This entry opens into the Lobby and new Administration
area. The eastern entry forms its own projecting bay with a
crenellated balcony overhead and also features timber panelled
double doors with a Tudor arch head and stone quoining. This entry
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Photo 17 St George’s College, north elevation overlooking
quadrangle.
Photo 19 St George’s College, view from upper terrace looking
southeast towards main residential building.
Photo 21 St George’s College, interior view of cloister looking
east.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 18 St George’s College, south elevation showing canted
bay windows, crenellated parapets and stone quoining.
Photo 20 St George’s College, west elevation.
Photo 22 St George’s College, detail of entry to ground floor
Entrance Hall.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 23 St George’s College, interior view of
Library.
Photo 24 St George’s College, interior view of
Junior Common Room.
Photo 25 St George’s College, interior view of
Dining Hall.
Photo 26 St George’s College, interior view of
the ground floor Entrance Lobby.
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opens into the Entrance Hall (alongside the Library) although it is
also not in continuous use.
Interior
The Central Residential Building has a symmetrical U-shaped
plan with separate residential wings, described as ‘Outer’, ‘Inner’,
‘Warden’, ‘Senior Common Room’, and ‘Hall’, an Administration
wing, and a Dining wing, which also contains the kitchen and
servery. The Guest Wing, a more recent addition, is attached to
the eastern side of the Dining wing. The interior spaces can be
generally divided according to their function and finish, namely
formal areas, reception areas, common areas, bedroom areas
and service areas. The formal areas include rooms such as the
Entrance Hall (ground floor) and the Lounge (first floor) and typically
feature marble floors, ornate varnished timber joinery, solid timber
wall panelling to dado height, plastered and painted coved ceilings
with exposed timber beams, and ornate fenestrations and fittings.
The formal areas are generously proportioned and ornamented,
reflecting the importance of the original spaces.
The reception areas have slightly smaller and simpler ornamentation
than the formal areas and include the ground floor Entrance Lobby
and Hall, the former Drawing Room, the former Dining Room, the
Study, and the former Lecture rooms (now used for offices as a
Senior Common Room). The reception areas typically feature
simple varnished timber joinery, plastered and painted walls and
ceilings with deep coved cornices, carpet floors, timber-framed
panelled doors and steel-framed multi-pane windows, often with
stained glass infill. The Study, the former Drawing Room, and the
former Dining Room also feature face-brick fireplaces with rubbed
edges, brick or concrete thresholds, and timber mantles.
The common areas include rooms such as the Library, the Dining
Hall, and the Junior Common Room. The Georgian Room and
the Reynolds Room may also be included in this group, although
the majority of their finishes and fittings are not original and have
been designed to match the other common areas. The common
areas typically feature ornate varnished timber joinery, timber floors,
plastered and painted walls with solid timber wall panelling to dado
height, deep coved plaster cornices, and plastered and painted
ceilings with exposed timber beams. Fenestrations are typically
timber-framed panelled or lined doors, and steel-framed multi-pane
windows with stained glass infill. The Library, the Dining Hall and
the Junior Common Room all feature canted bay windows. The
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Library also has in-built solid timber bookshelves to dado height.
The Dining Hall has a cathedral ceiling with timber lining and
exposed rafters and braces, clerestory windows, and also features
a prominent ashlar face fireplace with a stone mantle and brick
threshold. The Junior Common Room has a face-brick fireplace with
voussoir bricks forming an arched opening, and a concrete mantle.
The Reynolds Room also has a simpler face-brick fireplace with
a timber mantle. The Georgian Room also features a timber bar
(recent).
The bedroom areas comprise ‘Outer G’, ‘Hall G’ (ground floor),
‘Outer A’, ‘Warden A’, ‘Hall A’, ‘Senior Common Room’ (first floor),
‘Outer B’, ‘Warden B’, ‘Hall B’, ‘Inner’, ‘Tower B’ (second floor),
‘Tower C’, and ‘Tower D’ (third and fourth floors). The Dean’s
Suite, The Cloisters Flat and the Archway Flat are also included as
bedroom areas, although they typically contain more rooms and
facilities. In general, the bedrooms have plastered and painted
walls and ceilings, simple varnished timber joinery, carpet floors,
deep coved plaster cornices, timber-framed lined doors, and steel-
framed multi-pane casement windows. Half of the original rooms
also have built-in robes and wall-mounted vanity basins and mirrors.
Each wing comprises between 5-10 private rooms and a communal
bathroom (typically with shower stalls and toilet stalls) arranged
around a central corridor and stair hall. As with the bedrooms, the
corridors have plastered and painted walls and ceilings, simple
varnished timber joinery and carpet floors. Fenestrations usually
comprise timber-framed lined doors with Tudor arch heads, and
steel-framed multi-pane windows with stained glass infill. The
bathrooms have plastered and painted walls with ceramic tiles
to dado height, ceramic tile floors, and timber-framed half-glazed
lined doors. The kitchens in the Archway Flat and the Cloisters
Flat have plastered and painted walls and ceilings, linoleum floors,
and deep coved plaster cornices. The kitchens also feature built-in
cabinetry and electrical appliances. Modifications to all bedroom
areas include the installation of fluorescent lighting in the bedrooms,
corridors and bathrooms, and the installation of heating/cooling
devices. New stud walls have also been introduced in the process
of un-pairing undertaken during the 1980’s. Ceilings and cornices
in ‘Outer B’, ‘Warden B’, ‘Inner’, ‘Hall G’ and ‘Hall B’ are recent
replacements.
The service areas include the ground floor kitchen, the ground floor
laundry, and the first floor servery. Considerable modifications and
extensions have been carried out in all the service areas making
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 27 St George’s College, interior view of
typical corridor in residential wings.
Photo 28 St George’s College, interior view of
a typical bedroom.
Photo 29 St George’s College, interior view of
typical communal bathroom.
Photo 30 St George’s College, interior view of
Servery.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 31 St George’s College Chapel, view
looking north.
Photo 32 St George’s College Chapel, view of
south and west elevations.
Photo 33 St George’s College Chapel, view of
north elevation off Park Avenue.
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them each quite different, however, they typically have plastered
and painted walls and ceilings, linoleum floors, simple timber joinery
(in the kitchen only) and original timber-framed lined doors and
steel-framed multi-pane windows. Both the kitchen and the servery
have built-in cool-rooms and cabinetry, and have new ceilings and
cornices throughout.
The Chapel
The Chapel comprises an Inter-War Gothic style ecclesiastical
building, constructed in 1931. It is located directly north of the
Central Residential Building, with limited access off Park Avenue.
The Chapel is constructed of face-brick with stone trim and is
characterised by its parapeted gable form and steeply pitched tile
roof, and features two crenellated polygonal turrets either side of
the main entry on the south elevation. Celtic crosses adorn both
the north and south gables. Structural bays are defined by stepped
masonry buttresses along the east and west elevations, and also on
the north (Park Avenue) elevation. The north elevation reveals the
sanctuary and vestry, which are both distinguishable from the main
form. A brick stair connects the rear of the church to the street level
of Park Avenue, however a high wire-mesh fence and gate prevents
access from Park Avenue to the Chapel. Brick paving and grass
surround the east, west and south sides of the Chapel.
The Chapel has a simple rectangular plan featuring an entry arch
that opens into the ante-chapel and the nave, with a loft gallery over
the ante-chapel, and a sanctuary and vestry at the north end. The
Chapel has a distinct checkerboard tile marble floor, a timber lined
ceiling, and exposed timber arch braces. The internal walls are
face-brick with stone trim defining the blind gothic arches on the east
and west walls, the arched openings at the north and south ends,
and the arched door and window openings. The Chapel features
ten vertically proportioned multi-pane windows either side of the
nave, all with Gothic arches. The south wall contains a large Gothic
arch window with foil tracery and stained glass panels depicting
Reverend Broughton, Saint Aidan, Saint Augustine, Saint Boniface,
and Archbishop Riley. A similar window, of slightly smaller scale is
found in the north wall above the sanctuary. This window has three
panels, depicting Jesus (centre), St George (left) and St Paul (right).
Small and narrow windows are also located in the turrets, the vestry,
and the upper gable walls.
Solid timber panelling lines the east and west walls of the nave, and
the south wall of the ante-chapel. The ante-chapel also features
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paintings on the east and west walls. The painting on the west
wall is ‘In Him was life, and the Life was the Light of men’ by Carol
Rudyard, 1971. The painting on the east wall is ‘Christus Rex’
by Guy Grey Smith, 1964. The sanctuary is also clad with timber
panelling and features a reredos and altar table on the north wall.
Timber is used throughout the Chapel, in the doors, the pews, and
the timber staircase that provides access to the organ loft. The rows
of timber pews face inwards in a ‘collegiate’ arrangement, towards
the central aisle of the nave and the centrally placed lectern. The
loftgallery occupies the first structural bay over the vestibule and
features a stepped floor and an ornate stone balustrade for views
towards the sanctuary and the nave. A pipe organ is located on the
west wall of the gallery; a large Gothic arch window with foil tracery
and stained glass infill dominates the south wall of the gallery. On
either side of the gallery are the two polygonal turrets, the western
turret is a bell tower with a ‘cat ladder’ for vertical access, the
eastern turret is a lookout tower.
Photo 37 St George’s College Chapel, interior view looking north towards the
Sanctuary.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 34 St George’s College Chapel , main
entry (south elevation).
Photo 35 St George’s College Chapel, interior
view stained glass window in south elevation.
Photo 36 St George’s College Chapel, interior
view of pipe organ in gallery loft.
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Crawley, Western Australia
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Photo 38 St George’s College, former gardener’s
Cottage, west elevation.
Photo 39 St George’s College, former gardener’s
Cottage, east elevation.
Photo 40 St George’s College, former gardener’s
Cottage, interior view to typical bedroom.
Photo 41 St George’s College, former gardener’s
Cottage, interior view to living area.
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The Cottage
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The Cottage is located at the southeast corner of the site, alongside
the eastern gate, and comprises an Inter-War Gothic style brick
and tile building, built in 1931, and originally designed as the
gardener’s cottage, and now used as a student residence. The
Cottage is single-storey, with a hipped tile roof and large dormer
windows to accommodate the bedrooms in the attic. The form is
characterised by asymmetrical massing, vertical accents on the
roofline, a prominent parapet gable on the south elevation, and
crenellated parapets across the top of the western entry arcade.
There is an enclosed verandah on the east elevation that faces a
fenced and paved courtyard. The eastern wall of this courtyard
abuts the easternmost boundary of St George’s College. Similarly,
the small fenced front yard (south of the Cottage) forms the southern
boundary. Garden beds and an entry path define the bounds of
the Cottage on its west side, while the north side, comprising the
gardener’s shed, connects to the main driveway. The Cottage has
its own private setting, but can also be seen as a component of St
George’s College.
The Cottage has a symmetrical T-shaped plan comprising a central
living area, flanked on either side by the east and west verandahs.
The large gardener’s shed forms the perpendicular wing to the
north, but is not directly accessible from the residence. Entry to
the residence is from the arcaded verandah on the west elevation,
which opens into the main living area and then the central stair hall.
The kitchen and the bathroom are located north of the stair hall,
while a door on the east wall provides access to the east verandah
and the courtyard. In the attic level, two bedrooms are positioned
over the gardener’s shed, while another bedroom, and a common
area, are positioned over the living area. In general, the bedrooms
and living areas in the attic space have plastered and painted walls
and ceiling, simple varnished timber joinery, timber floors, timber-
framed dormer windows, lined timber doors. and built-in robes. The
ground floor rooms typically have plastered and painted walls and
ceilings, simple timber joinery, timber floors, steel-framed multi-pane
windows, and timber-framed lined doors. The ground floor living
room also features a face-brick fireplace with rubbed edges, a tiled
threshold, and a timber mantle. The kitchen has linoleum floors,
and the bathroom has tiled floors and walls to dado height. The
east verandah is enclosed by way of aluminium sliding glazed doors
and windows, and features face-brick walls with cement-rendered
trim, plasterboard ceiling, and concrete floor. A toilet is located at
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the north end of the verandah and a laundry at the south end. Both
have plastered and painted ceilings and walls, tiled floors and steel-
framed windows.
The Gardener’s shed to the north of the residence comprises two
spaces, a store (to the west), and garage (to the east), and features
four timber-framed lined and painted double doors on the north
elevation. Internally, the shed has painted brick walls, painted
concrete ceiling and exposed beams, and concrete floor.
Warden’s Residence
The Warden’s Residence (1952; 1962; 1987) is located at the far
northeast corner of the site, on Park Avenue, and comprises a
double-storey red brick residence with hipped tile roof and distinctive
white-painted timber-framed windows. The residence has a high
steel fence on two sides and dense shrubbery, which partially
separates it from the college grounds. Vehicular and pedestrian
access is off Park Avenue, with parking to the east side.
Sub-Warden’s Residence
The Sub-warden’s Residence (1964; 1969) is located directly
southwest of St George’s College, alongside the western boundary,
and comprises a single storey red brick residence with gable tile roof
and white-painted timber-framed windows. The garden and front
fence of the residence is integrated into the grounds of St George’s
College.
South and North Wing
The South Wing (1959; 1962; 1992; 1999), and the North Wing
(1965; 1968; 1989) are parallel to each other, and separated by an
open courtyard in the northwest corner of the site. The North Wing
is situated close to the Chapel and Park Avenue, while the South
Wing is close to the Central Residential Building and the student
carpark. Both residential wings are three-storey red brick buildings,
rectangular in plan, featuring cement rendered trim, projecting
balconies, and a flat fibrous cement roof.
Guest Wing
The Guest Wing (1967) is directly attached to the eastern side of St
George’s College and comprises a two-storey extension with a flat
bituminous roof and open under-croft for vehicular and pedestrian
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 42 St George’s College, former gardener’s
Cottage, north elevation.
Photo 43 St George’s College, Warden’s
Residence.
Photo 44 St George’s College, Sub-Warden’s
Residence.
Photo 45 St George’s College, covered link
between Main Residential Building and South
Wing.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Photo 46 St George’s College, North Wing as
seen from Park Avenue.
Photo 47 St George’s College, Guest Wing.
Photo 48 St George’s College, War Memorial
Squash Courts.
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through-access to the service areas. The Guest Wing is accessed
from the north via external concrete stairs, or internally, from the first
floor corridor near the servery.
War Memorial Squash Court
The War Memorial Squash Court (1958) is located directly north of
the Cottage, alongside the eastern boundary of St George’s College
and comprises a single storey brick and tile purpose-built building.
Mature trees and shrubs that partially conceal it from the nearby
driveway surround the Squash Court.
Endnotes
1 Richards, Oline Theoretical Framework for Designed Landscapes in
Western Australia, Final Report April 1997, Amended June 2003, page
81.
2 Richards, Oline Theoretical Framework for Designed Landscapes in
Western Australia, Final Report April 1997, Amended June 2003, page
100.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
4.0 ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTARY AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
4.1 Sequence of Development
1928 Foundation stones of the Chapel and St George’s College building laid
1930 St George’s College building completed
1946 Gardener’s Cottage extended.
1952 Warden’s Residence built
1955 Piles were driven into the ground around the Chapel in an attempt to stabilise the foundations,
the bases of the towers were strengthened with concrete.
1958 War Memorial Squash Courts opened
1959 Commencement of building of new student accommodation wing (South Wing) at St George’s
College.
Rebuilding and re-equipping of the kitchen area, including the provision of a new domestic wing
for staff members.
1961 Building of the second half of the South Wing was undertaken.
1962 Additional work undertaken on the Warden’s Residence and the staff domestic wing.
1963 Laundry and car parking facilities for students updated and increased
1964 Stage one of the construction of the North Wing (student accommodation) commenced.
Sub-Warden’s Residence constructed.
1965 Construction of the first half of the North Wing completed.
1967 Extensions to the kitchen and the staff domestic wing were completed (Guest Wing).
1968 Second half of the North Wing completed.
1969 North Wing extension opened.
Additions to the Sub-Warden’s Residence.
1970s St George’s College received funding to complete the staff domestic wing, provide a television
set in the undercroft, additional furniture and furnishings for the original buildings, a retaining wall
for the north wall of the quadrangle, repaving the quadrangle balcony, and providing flyscreening
to the Dining Hall and other areas.
1983 Cloister balcony re-tiled.
1987 Warden’s Residence renovated. Each bedroom has a telephone connection.
1989 Improvements to the North Wing carried out.1990 New car park built.
1992 South Wing student accommodation refurbished.
1997 Each bedroom has a computer connection.
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Crawley, Western Australia
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1998 Repair of the ‘Inner’ balcony, installation of air-conditioning to the 16 rooms of ‘Outer B’ and
‘Inner’.
1999 Western half of the South Wing refurbished.
2001 35 of the bedrooms have an en-suite, 56 are air-conditioned.
34
Figure 5 Sequence of Development, site plan based on survey drawing prepared by
Fugro Surveys Pty Ltd, 2001.
Palassis Architects, 2003.
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4.2 Comparative Information
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
St George’s College was designed in 1927 as the first residential college for students of The University of
Western Australia, and originally accommodated thirty-six students, each with a bedroom and study, as
well as Warden’s quarters and offices, a dining hall, a kitchen with maids’ rooms, and a library and common
room. The college also included a Chapel and a Gardener’s Cottage, and later, a Warden’s Residence, a
Sub-Warden’s Residence, a Squash Court, a Guest Wing, and two new student accommodation wings. St
George’s College is an integral component of the university residential college precinct located on Mounts
Bay Road, which also includes St Thomas More College (1955), St Catherine’s College (1960), Kingswood
College (1963), Currie Hall (1966; 1974), and St Columba College (1971). Each of these places is stylistically
different, but may be compared to St George’s College in terms of function, setting, and ongoing association
with The University of Western Australia.
Stylistically, St George’s College is comparable to a number of other collegiate buildings in Australia,
particularly Geelong College (1871) in Newtown, Victoria, Ormond College (1881) in Parkville, Victoria, St
Paul’s College (1850s) in Sydney, New South Wales, and St John’s College (1860s) in Sydney, New South
Wales. As with St George’s College, each of these colleges makes strong references to the traditional styling
of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge.
Geelong College is a two-storey brick building in the Victorian Tudor style featuring a cloistered courtyard,
central square tower, crenellated parapets, and Tudor details. The buildings that make up the campus, and
the associated external spaces, are visually cohesive and similar in scale, materials, form and detail to St
George’s College. Geelong College is listed on the Australian Heritage Places Inventory, and the Victorian
Heritage Register.
Ormond College comprises a complex of sandstone and cream brick Victorian Gothic style collegiate
buildings located in extensive landscaped grounds and associated with the University of Melbourne and
the Uniting Church. The college features a residential hall, master’s lodge, dining hall, and cloisters which
enclose the quadrangle and Maclean House. Ormond College is similar to St George’s College in terms of
setting, form, and architectural detail, and for its ongoing association with the university. It is listed on the
Australian Heritage Places Inventory, and the Victorian Heritage Register.
St Paul’s College is associated with the University of Sydney and comprises a pleasantly arranged and
detailed group of collegiate buildings that contain, as their major element, the original group of sandstone
structures. These early structures, described as “English Gothic Revival” style, comprise two-storey solid
sandstone buildings arranged around grassed quadrangles. St Paul’s College is the oldest established
university college and may be compared to St George’s College in terms of setting, form and architectural
detail, and for its ongoing association with the university. It is listed on the Australian Heritage Places
Inventory and the Register of the National Estate.
St John’s College is also associated with the University of Sydney and comprises a complex of sandstone
collegiate buildings, described as “fourteenth century English Gothic” style. The place features a distinct
tower with pinnacles, parapeted gables, steeply pitched roofs, Tudor arches and crenellations. It also has fine
interior spaces, particularly in the Chapel, dining hall and library. St John’s College is similar to St George’s
College in terms of setting, form and detail, and for its ongoing association with the university. It is listed on
the Australian Heritage Places Inventory, the Register of the National Estate, and the New South Wales State
Heritage Inventory.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
The Heritage Council of Western Australia’s database reveals eighteen other places attributed to the
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architectural firm Hobbs Smith & Forbes, and only five of these date from the Inter-War period, namely Bank
of New South Wales (fmr) in Lake Grace (1929), Homeswest Building in Carnarvon (1929-61), Newspaper
House in Perth (1930-32), St Peter’s Anglican Church in Bruce Rock (1929) and St George’s College. Of
these, only St George’s College is in the Inter-War Gothic style.
St George’s College was the first residential college designed at The University of Western Australia in
Crawley and is representative of the way of life of a student residential college in a traditionally designed
physical setting. St George’s College is a rare example ‘Oxbridge’ style college architecture and is
representative of the attributes of this style of architecture transplanted into an Australian setting. St George’s
College is also representative of the work of the architectural firm Hobbs Smith & Forbes in the Inter-War
Gothic style.
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5.0 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Aesthetic Value
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
St George’s College is a well-resolved work in the Inter-War Gothic style, featuring a cloistered courtyard and
Tudor-inspired ornamentation and detailing. A prominent tower and a range of decorative elements, including
crenellated parapets and turrets, form a distinctive skyline and harmoniously balance the symmetrical form.
(Criterion 1.1)
The Chapel at St George’s College is an important component of the collegiate buildings and is characterised
by its distinct vertical proportions, parapeted gables and crenellated turrets. Internally, the Chapel exhibits
fine Gothic details, including stained glass arch windows with Gothic tracery, marble checkerboard floors, and
timber pews in a ‘collegiate’ arrangement. (Criterion 1.1)
The Main Residential Building at St George’s College features fine interior spaces, such as the Entrance Hall,
the Library and the Dining Hall. These formal spaces are characterised by marble or timber floors, elaborate
timber joinery, timber panelling, and ornate fenestrations and fittings. (Criterion 1.1)
The gardens and significant plantings at St George’s College provide a harmonious setting for the major
buildings and contribute to the public image of the college. The cloistered courtyard is also significant as a
protected and serene space that relates strongly to the collegiate buildings. (Criterion 1.1)
The execution of the design by skilled tradesmen, many of whom came from Scotland for the project, is of a
consistent and high quality throughout the original buildings. (Criterion 1.2)
St George’s College is an established landmark which can be seen from the Swan River, Mounts Bay Road
and The University of Western Australia. It is an important architectural element both within the university
grounds and in the approach to the city. (Criterion 1.3)
St George’s College forms part of an historic university precinct including the Hackett Memorial buildings at
The University of Western Australia (1930-32), the Park Avenue Building (1923-25), Tuart House (1934), St
Thomas More College (1955), St Catherine’s College (1960), Kingswood College (1963), Currie Hall (1966;
1974), and St Columba College (1971). (Criterion 1.4)
Historic Value
St George’s College is significant in demonstrating the development of tertiary education in Western Australia.
(Criterion 2.2)
St George’s College is significant as the first residential college associated with The University of
Western Australia. Its continued use and growth demonstrates the development of university residential
accommodation in Western Australia. (Criterion 2.2)
St George’s College is significant in demonstrating the involvement of the Anglican Church of Australia with
tertiary education in Western Australia. (Criterion 2.2)
St George’s College is historically significant as a destination for ‘important’ visitors to Perth, in which role it
acted as a ‘showcase’ for, and demonstrated, Western Australian cultural development. (Criterion 2.2)
St George’s College is significant for its association with Sir John Winthrop Hackett. (Criterion 2.3)
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Crawley, Western Australia
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St George’s College is significant for its association with a number of former residents who have become
prominent West Australians in their various fields of endeavour. (Criterion 2.3)
St George’s College is significant for its association with the architectural firms of Hobbs, Smith and Forbes
and Hobbs, Winning and Leighton, and in particular, with Sir J.J. Talbott Hobbs, Athol Hobbs, and A.B.
Winning. (Criterion 2.3)
St George’s College is significant for its association with Charles Freer Andrews, a major figure in the
movement for Indian independence. (Criterion 2.3)
St George’s College is significant as an example of technical innovation, being one of the earliest buildings in
Perth in which reinforced concrete floor slabs were supported by load-bearing brickwork. (Criterion 2.4)
Scientific Value
----
Social Value
St George’s College is valued by the community for its educational associations since its opening in 1931.
(Criterion 4.1)
St George’s College is highly valued by its community of former residents - The Georgians. (Criterion 4.1)
St George’s College is important in contributing to the community’s sense of place. (Criterion 4.2)
Rarity
St George’s College is a rare example of ‘Oxbridge’ style college architecture in Western Australia. (Criterion
5.1)
St George’s College is rare in demonstrating the way of life of a university residential college in a traditional
‘Oxbridge’ style setting. (Criterion 5.2)
Representativeness
St George’s College is representative of the attributes of ‘Oxbridge’ style College architecture transplanted to
an Australian setting. (Criterion 6.1)
St George’s College is representative of the work of the architectural firm Hobbs Smith & Forbes in the Inter-
War Gothic style. (Criterion 6.1)
St George’s College is representative of the way of life of a student residential college in a traditionally
designed physical setting. (Criterion 6.2)
Condition
St George’s College is in good condition and has been well maintained. Repairs and renovations have been
carried out to both the buildings and the grounds, but these are generally sympathetic to the original fabric
and show an ongoing level of care.
The brickwork in the walls of the Chapel and the northern wall of the quadrangle (including the grotto and
stairs to the upper terrace) show evidence of cracking and deterioration of mortar joints.
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Integrity
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
St George’s College has a high level of integrity. It has been in continuous use as a residential college since it
first opened in 1931, and maintains other collegiate functions such as administration, quarters for the Warden
and Sub-Warden, and religious services at the Chapel. The former Gardener’s Cottage was used as such
until 1987, and currently houses students.
Authenticity
St George’s College has a moderate to high level of authenticity. Various modifications and alterations have
been carried out over time to accommodate changing requirements, the most significant of these changes
being the division (un-pairing) of the combined bedrooms and study’s into single rooms, and the building of
new corridors between these rooms for access. Only rooms Outer B7 and Inner 1 still maintain the original
relationship of the combined bedroom and study.
Other examples of changes to the place include; the re-modelling of the former Warden’s Quarters (ground
floor) to create a new office and administration area; division of the former Lecture Room (ground floor) into
two offices; the addition of the Guest Wing to the eastern elevation of the Central Residential Buiidng; re-
modelling of the former Maid’s Room to create the Reynolds Room; renovation and updating of the Kitchen
and Scullery (ground floor); conversion of the former administration area (ground floor) to the Cloisters Flat;
re-modelling of the former Maid’s Room (first floor) into the Georgian Room; re-modelling of the former
Matron’s Room to make new servery which connects directly to the Dining Hall; and conversion of the former
Warden’s Quarters (first floor) to make the Senior Common Room student accommodation wing.
Other less significant changes include the installation of new ceilings and cornices to all the bedrooms on the
second floor, the installation of heating and cooling devices in all the bedrooms, and the installation of fixed
security bars and flyscreens to many of the windows.
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6.0 STATEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
D R A F T
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St George’s College, a complex of red-brick and stone Inter-War Gothic style collegiate buildings set in
expansive landscaped grounds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
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the Central Residential Building is a well-resolved work in the Inter-War Gothic style, featuring a
cloistered courtyard, Tudor-inspired ornamentation and fine interior detailing. A prominent tower
and a range of decorative elements, including crenellated parapets and turrets, form a distinctive
skyline and harmoniously balance the symmetrical form;
the place has significant gardens and plantings that provide a harmonious setting for the major
buildings and contribute to the public image of the college. The cloistered quadrangle is also
significant as a protected and serene space that relates strongly to the collegiate buildings;
the Chapel at St George’s College is an important component of the collegiate buildings and
is characterised by its distinct vertical proportions, parapeted gables and crenellated turrets.
Internally, the Chapel exhibits fine Gothic details, including stained glass arch windows with
Gothic tracery, marble checkerboard floors, and timber pews in a ‘collegiate’ arrangement;
the execution of the design of the place by skilled tradesmen, many of whom came from
Scotland for the project, is of a consistent and high quality throughout the buildings;
the place is an important and established landmark and can be seen from the Swan River,
Mounts Bay Road and The University of Western Australia. It forms part of an historic university
precinct including the Hackett Memorial buildings at the University of Western Australia (1930-
32), the Park Avenue Building (1923-25), Tuart House (1934), St Thomas More College (1955),
St Catherine’s College (1960), Kingswood College (1963), Currie Hall (1966; 1974), and St
Columba College (1971), and is an important architectural element both within the university
grounds and in the approach to the city;
the place was the first residential college associated with The University of Western Australia to
be constructed, and demonstrates the development of university residential accommodation in
Western Australia;
the place is a rare example of ‘Oxbridge’ style college architecture transplanted into a Western
Australian setting, and is representative of the way of life of a university residential college in this
traditionally-styled setting;
the place is associated with the architectural firms of Hobbs, Smith and Forbes, and Hobbs,
Winning and Leighton, and in particular, with Sir J.J. Talbott Hobbs, Athol Hobbs, and A.B.
Winning;
the place is highly valued by its community of former residents – the ‘Georgians’, and by the
community for its educational associations since its opening in 1931. The place makes an
important contribution to the community’s sense of place;
the place is historically significant as a destination for ‘important’ visitors to Perth, including
Charles Freer Andrews, a major figure in the movement for Indian independence, in which role
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
St George’s College acted as a ‘showcase’ for, and demonstrated, Western Australian cultural
development;
the place is significant for its association with a number of former residents who have become
prominent West Australians in their various fields of endeavour. ;
the place demonstrates the continuing involvement of the Anglican Church of Australia with
tertiary education in Western Australia; and
the place is historically significant as one of the earliest buildings in Perth in which reinforced
concrete floor slabs were supported by load-bearing brickwork.
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St. George’s College
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7.0 LEVELS OF SIGNIFICANCE
D R A F T
An understanding of the degree or level of significance of the place provides an important complement
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to the statement of significance in the preceding section of this report. Such an understanding can assist
in establishing priorities for conservation. In general, the higher the level of significance of a place, the
greater the care that needs to be taken in determining actions which may impact on its heritage value and
importance. The zones of significance of the place are indicated in the figure on the following page. The
hierarchy of levels used are based on those described by J.S. Kerr in The Conservation Plan – A Guide to the
Preparation of Conservation Plans for Places of European Cultural Significance (Fifth Edition, 2000):
Exceptional Significance
Considerable Significance
Some Significance
Little Significance
Intrusive Elements
Items at the highest level are of exceptional significance in a broad context. Items of considerable
significance are those that would warrant inclusion on any national or state register of places of significance,
while those items of some significance are at the minimum threshold for inclusion on most lists. Items of
little significance do not warrant inclusion on any lists. Items which are visually intrusive and damage the
character and spatial quality of the place are also identified.
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Figure 6 Levels of Significance, site plan based on survey drawing prepared by Fugro
Surveys Pty Ltd, 2001. Palassis Architects, 2003.
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7.1 Schedule of Significance
Considerable Significance
St George’s College
• Overall layout of the original collegiate buildings and grounds
• Axial connection between main residential building and Chapel
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• The Cork oak (Quercus suber), the Norfolk pine (Araucaria excelsa), and the
English oak (Quercus pendunculata) in the front lawn, and the English oak
(Quercus pendunculata) that overhangs the quadrangle
Main Residential building
• Overall form of the main residential building, including the roof and tower
• Form and detailing of cloisters
• Clay tile roof cladding
• Original masonry walls
• Original stone trim and quoining
• Original external and internal joinery/hardware
• Original plaster finish to walls and ceilings, including deep coved cornices
• Original steel-framed fenestrations
• Original timber doors
• Original stained glass to doors and windows
• Original timber floors in common areas
• Original marble floors in formal areas
• Original vaulted timber ceiling in Dining Hall
• Original fireplaces
• Original timber staircase in Entrance Hall
• Original timber furniture throughout formal and common areas
Chapel
• Overall form of the Chapel, including turrets, parapeted gables and roof
• Original masonry walls
• Clay tile roof cladding
• Original stone trim and quoining
• Original stained glass windows in Chapel
• Collegiate arrangement of timber pews
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• Original steel-framed fenestrations
• Original timber doors
• Original floors
• Original external and internal joinery/hardware and finishes
• Original interior fittings
• Original vaulted timber ceiling
Cottage
• Overall form of the Cottage
• Original masonry walls
• Clay tile roof cladding
• Original stone trim and quoining
• Original external and internal joinery/hardware
• Original timber doors
• Original steel-framed fenestrations
• Original plaster finish to walls and ceilings
• Original fireplace
• Original timber floors
• Original timber staircase
Some Significance
St George’s College
• Overall character and style of gardens and grounds
Central Residential building
• Original circulation patterns and room layouts
• Concrete floors to cloisters and balconies
Chapel
• Pipe organ in gallery loft
Cottage
• Original circulation patterns and room layouts
• Dormer windows in attic space
• New rooms in attic space
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St. George’s College
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Little Significance
Central Residential building
• New walls added in ‘un-pairing’ process
• Plasterboard ceilings
• Plaster moulded cornices
• Carpet floor coverings
• Carpet and non-slip nosing on stairs
• Re-modelled communal bathrooms
• Re-modelled interior of Cloisters Flat
• Re-modelled interior of new Administration area
• New dividing walls in former Lecture Room
• Internal A/C and heating units
Cottage
• New timber floors
• Kitchen and bathroom fittings
• Enclosed rear (east) verandah
Warden’s Residence
• Overall form of the building
Sub-Warden’s Residence
• Overall form of the building
War Memorial Squash Courts
• Overall form of the building
Guest Wing
• Overall form of the building
North Wing
• Overall form of the building
South Wing
• Overall form of the building
D R A F T
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8.0 Conservation Policy
8.1 Introduction
The intentions of the conservation policy are:
• To retain and reveal significance
• To identify feasible and compatible uses
• To meet statutory requirements
• To work within procurable resources
• To anticipate threats and opportunities
8.2 Conservation Policies: Methods of Approach
8.2.1 Acceptance of Approach
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Crawley, Western Australia
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Conservation policy is guided by the assessment of significance of the place as outlined in this conservation
management plan.
Policy 1 The assessment of significance for the place as outlined in this document should be accepted as
the basis for the conservation and planning of St George’s College.
Policy 2 The policies recommended throughout this document should be endorsed as a guide to future
work by those responsible for managing the place.
8.2.2 General approaches to Levels of Significance
The levels of significance provide a guide to conservation actions. Greater care is taken for fabric and
elements of more significance. Adaptation, and in some cases, removal of fabric is possible for elements of
lesser significance. Intrusive elements should be removed when no longer in use.
Policy 3 The greater the significance of a fabric or a feature of a place, the more care should be taken in
actions which may affect it.
Policy 4 Items identified as intrusive should be removed when no longer in use.
Policy 5 Items identified as having little significance may be removed or modified with some freedom.
Policy 6 Items identified as having some significance should be retained and conserved, where possible.
They may be modified with some freedom.
Policy 7 Items identified as having considerable significance should be retained and conserved. They
may be modified in keeping with the overall aims of the conservation policy.
8.2.3 Use of the Burra Charter
The Burra Charter sets out the principles generally accepted in Australia for the conservation of heritage
places. The 1999 revision of the Burra Charter is published online at www.icomos.org/australia. The
philosophy embodied in that document has been used as a basis for the formulation of this conservation
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D R A F T
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management plan. As such, the Burra Charter forms an important reference document for the present and
future custodians of St George’s College, and may assist in resolving any issues relating to the conservation
of the place that are not explicitly dealt with in the conservation management plan.
Policy 8 In addition to the conservation management plan, the principles and processes set out in the
Burra Charter should be used to inform decisions relating to the conservation of the place.
8.2.4 Expert Advice
The Burra Charter recognises that caring for a culturally significant place requires expert skills. The input of
people with expertise in specialised areas of conservation may also be needed from time to time.
Policy 9 A high degree of professionalism is warranted for all aspects of the place’s conservation. The
input of a recognised conservation practitioner will assist the College in ensuring that the
outcome of any proposals will aim to retain or enhance the cultural significance of the place.
8.2.5 Review of the Conservation Management Plan
From time to time new evidence will come to light that will afford different interpretation of the place, its
significance, and the way it should be managed. Circumstances relating to the custody, management and
conservation of the place are also likely to change over time, making some aspects of this conservation
management plan inaccurate or obsolete. For this reason, the periodic updating of the conservation
management plan will be required.
Policy 10 A review of the Conservation Management Plan should take place within 10 years. If a major
change of use is proposed prior to this date, then the conservation management plan should be
reviewed at that time. Any new information that comes to light should be noted in the rear of this
conservation management plan for inclusion in the review.
8.2.6 Further Research
Future conservation of the place will benefit from continuing research. In particular, more photographic
images of the interiors of the Central Residential Building during various periods of occupation will increase
the understanding of the place.
Policy 11 Further research should continue so that an understanding of the place increases and new
information incorporated in updates of the conservation management plan.
8.3 Conservation Policies: Use
Ensuring the continued use of a heritage place is often the most effective way of aiding in its conservation.
Policy 12 The place should continue to be used.
Policy 13 The use of the place should be compatible and feasible.
Policy 14 In determining compatible uses for St George’s College, the historical use of the place as a
residential college associated with The University of Western Australia should be recognised.
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
The place was originally designed to accommodate the private, social and academic aspects of college
student life in an ‘Oxbridge’ style setting. The place has continued to function as a residential college since it
first opened in 1931, although certain aspects of these functions have evolved with the changing times – there
are no longer Maid’s quarters or Warden’s quarters inside the Central Residential Building, and the combined
student bedrooms and studys have been ‘unpaired’.
Policy 15 It is recognised that the preferred and most compatible use of St George’s College is as a
residential college.
There may be opportunities for alternative uses at St George’s College. The compatibility and feasibility of
any alternative uses should be tested against the significance of the place.
Policy 16 The conservation policies within this document should be adhered to irrespective of the use to
which the place is put.
8.4 Conservation Policies: Management
8.4.1 Management
Policy 17 A single entity should be responsible for the planning and management of the place.
Policy 18 Maintenance of the place should be the single most important part of the conservation program.
8.4.2 Records
The need to keep publicly available records about places of cultural significance is guided by the Burra
Charter. If maintained and added to over time, the records will continue to be of use to future generations.
Policy 19 A record of actions that have affected the place should be maintained by the owners.
8.5 Conservation Policies: Setting and Fabric
8.5.1 Setting
Set within open landscaped grounds in a prominent position at the base of Mt Eliza, St George’s College can
be seen from the Swan River, Mounts Bay Road, and The University of Western Australia, and is an important
architectural element within the context of the University and in the approach to the city.
Policy 20 Land utilisation to the south (front) of the college should not restrict views to the south elevation
of the Central Residential building.
Policy 21 Views to and from Mounts Bay Road, The University of Western Australia and the Swan River
should be retained and enhanced, where possible.
Policy 22 The overall layout of the original collegiate buildings and grounds, and the visual and axial
connections between the Central Residential building and the Chapel, have considerable
significance and should be retained and conserved.
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8.5.2 Landscaping
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D R A F T
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St George’s College has an expansive garden setting comprising undulating lawns, rose gardens and flower
beds, massed planting of exotic trees and shrubs, formal terraced lawns, and a large cloistered quadrangle.
The character and style of the gardens and grounds have heritage significance and provide a setting for
the major buildings, as well as producing a public image for the place. The Cork Oak (Quercus suber), the
Norfolk pine (Araucaria excelsa), and the English Oak (Quercus pendunculata) in the front lawn, and the Cork
Oak (Quercus suber) that overhangs the quadrangle also have heritage significance.
Policy 23 The existing landscape scheme is significant and should be retained and enhanced.
Policy 24 Any new plantings to the site should reflect the historic design intent and stylistic typology.
Policy 25 There should be no new plantings to the site which would adversely affect the setting of the place
or obscure important views to and from the site.
Policy 26 The plantings of heritage significance should be retained and conserved through appropriate
arboricultural management.
Policy 27 Where removal of significant plants is necessary due to their condition, replacement plants of the
same species and variety should be made.
Policy 28 The creeper-covered walls contribute to the character and style of the place, however they are
detrimental to the building fabric. The creepers should be closely monitored to ensure they do
not affect the integrity of the building fabric and should ultimately be carefully removed.
8.5.3 Parking
St George’s College has a number of car parks generally located on the peripheries of the site – there are
two on the western boundary, one on the eastern boundary and a parking area directly in front of the Central
Residential Building.
Policy 29 On-site car parking should be carefully managed and consolidated so as to minimise its impact
on the significant fabric, particularly to the south elevation of the Central Residential Building.
8.5.4 Exterior Fabric
Policy 30 The appearance of the place should not be altered in such a way as to compromise its aesthetic
value. Furthermore, the placement of new elements, including signage, plantings and structures,
should have minimal impact on the place’s cultural heritage significance.
Policy 31 The original form of the Central Residential Building, the Chapel and the Cottage, including the
roof forms, towers and the crenellated parapets shall be retained and conserved.
Policy 32 The original masonry walls, stone trim and quoining to the Central Residential Building, the
Chapel and the Cottage shall be retained and conserved. Any repairs to the masonry fabric,
including re-pointing, should match the existing.
Policy 33 The clay tile roof cladding to the Central Residential Building, the Chapel and the Cottage shall
be retained and conserved.
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Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Policy 34 The form and detailing of the cloisters is significant and shall be retained and conserved.
Policy 35 Original or early external doors and windows, joinery and hardware shall be retained and
conserved. Missing or damaged elements should be replaced with new to match the original.
Policy 36 There should be no new door or window openings to any of the elevations of the Central
Residential Building or the Chapel, or to the south and west elevations of the Cottage.
Policy 37 New/door window openings should only be allowed elsewhere externally where such an opening
is a critical requirement for the compatible use of the place. The location of such openings
should be determined by an understanding of the degree of significance and should be re-sealed
when no longer required.
8.5.5 Interior Fabric
Policy 38 Historic patterns of access and movement, particularly original entrances, hallways and
passageways are of some significance and should continue to be retained and conserved. They
may be modified if it is a critical requirement for the compatible use of the place.
Policy 39 The original timber staircases located in the Entrance Hall and the former Warden’s Quarters
provide the primary vertical circulation for the formal and reception areas and should be retained
and conserved. Missing or damaged elements should be replaced with new to match the
original.
Policy 40 The original concrete staircases with steel balustrades in the residential wings provide the
primary vertical circulation and should be retained. The staircases themselves may be modified
by surface treatment to reduce noise and improve safety.
Policy 41 The original plaster wall finishes, solid timber wall panelling, plaster ceilings and deep coved
cornices are of considerable significance and should be retained and conserved.
Policy 42 Original or early internal doors and windows, joinery and hardware are of considerable
significance and shall be retained and conserved. Missing or damaged elements should be
replaced with new to match the original.
Policy 43 The original or early timber floors in the common areas are of considerable significance and shall
be retained and conserved.
Policy 44 The original or early marble floors in the formal areas and in the Chapel are of considerable
significance and shall be retained and conserved.
Policy 45 The original fireplaces are of considerable significance and should be retained and conserved.
Policy 46 Fittings, fixtures and furniture that are identified as original (based on documentary and physical
evidence) should be retained and conserved and should remain as part of the fabric of the
building, even if there is a change of ownership.
Policy 47 The existing interior fittings/fixtures that are of little significance may be removed or modified if
desired.
Policy 48 New openings to internal walls may be considered acceptable only where such an opening is a
critical requirement for the proposed future use of the place.
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8.5.6 Internal Planning
D R A F T
Considerable changes have occurred to the internal room layouts of the Central Residential Building,
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particularly in the residential wings during the ‘un-pairing’ process carried out in the 1980s. Two sample
rooms have been retained (Outer B7 and Inner 1) to represent the original combined bedroom and study
layouts. There are a number of other rooms in the Central Residential Building which have retained their
original layout. Further adaptation may be required to meet the requirements of changing needs.
Policy 49 Further adaptation may occur where room layouts or elements are repeated, however a sample
area should be retained on each floor. This applies to the bedrooms, bathrooms and corridors.
Policy 50 Where room layouts or elements are not repeated they should be retained and conserved.
Where adaptation is required for future use it should be undertaken in such way as to enable the
original layouts to be discernible and should be reversible. This applies particularly to the formal
areas, the reception areas and the common areas.
Policy 51 Where room layouts or elements have already been altered, adaptation may occur. This applies
particularly to the amenities and the service areas.
8.5.7 Painting and Decorative Finishes
Policy 52 Before any fabric is repainted careful investigation and recording of previous paint schemes
should be undertaken in sufficient detail to discern the treatment of all features. Thorough
records should be made of the paint scheme investigations and the findings applied to future
repainting of the place.
Policy 53 Where a surface or element has not been previously painted, no paint finish should be applied.
Policy 54 Internally, where timber joinery has been varnished, the varnished finish should be maintained.
8.5.8 Signage
Excess signage can clutter and confuse the experience of places with cultural heritage significance. It is
therefore necessary to limit the amount of signage. St George’s College has a history of signage, including
notice boards, residential wing names, and room numbers.
Policy 55 New signage should respect the nature of the historic signage and not adversely affect the
significant fabric. Do not fix new signage to the brick and stone fabric, if required fix signage to
the mortar.
8.5.9 Security
Security features have been installed at the place, including aluminium security doors and screens, and fixed
steel bars across some of the windows. Aluminium security doors and screens should be avoided where
possible as they can be intrusive elements.
Policy 56 Any security features should not be dominant features of the place.
Policy 57 New technologies, such as glazing films and stainless steel mesh fly-wires, may be used to
minimise the intrusion of security features. Fixed steel bars, similar to those already in place, are
an unobtrusive and acceptable option.
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8.6 Conservation Policies: Future Development
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Any future development of the place should take into account the assessed cultural heritage significance of
the place.
Areas for potential development have been identified and are shown in Figure 7 on page 54. The areas
indicated for potential future development have been determined based on the assessed significance of St
George’s College and its setting.
New development to the northwest of the Central Residential Building would continue the history of
development in this area, which was first planned in 1946. The North and South Wing’s currently located
in this area are of little significance and may be modified or replaced and used as a potential site for future
development.
The Sub-Warden’s Residence and student carpark located on the western boundary of the site, and the staff
carpark (adjacent to the Warden’s Residence) and War Memorial Squash Courts located on the eastern
boundary, are also of little significance and may be modified or replaced and used as potential sites for future
development.
The south elevation of the Central Residential Building, and the significant views to and from the place, would
be damaged by any substantial new development to the front of the place.
Policy 58 Planning for future development should take into consideration the considerable significance of
the overall layout of the original collegiate buildings and grounds.
Policy 59 New development may occur on the site in the areas indicated in Figure 7 on page 54. Other
areas for new development may be possible, subject to consideration of the cultural heritage
significance of the place.
Policy 60 Any new structures should be located and/or detailed to ensure that there is a clear visual
separation between the original building and any new structures.
Policy 61 Any new development should respect the form, scale, and materials of the existing building, but
should be readily identifiable as new work.
Policy 62 The advice of the Heritage Council of Western Australia may be sought regarding any proposal
for development on the site to assist in determining the impact on the cultural heritage
significance.
8.6.1 Heritage Impact Statement
A useful way of reviewing the effect proposed changes may have on the cultural significance of a place is to
inform the process by considering a professionally prepared heritage impact statement. Such statements
have the potential to be very useful for conservation planning as they can be specific in ways that this, or
other conservation management plans, can not be.
Policy 63 Heritage Impact Statements specific to proposals for major works or new developments, either at
the place or in the vicinity of its setting, should be prepared and proposals modified in light of the
findings.
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Figure 7 Diagram showing areas for Potential Future Development and/or Adaptation at St George’s
College.
Site plan based on survey drawing prepared by Fugro Surveys Pty Ltd, 2001.
Palassis Architects, 2003.
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8.7 Conservation Policies: Services
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St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
In order to adapt the place for future uses the provision of additional services may be required. These
services may include upgrading and/or additional electrical, gas and plumbing, telephone and data,
mechanical services, and emergency lighting and exits.
Policy 64 The provision of new services should be undertaken with the minimum interference to significant
fabric and the character of significant spaces. Existing services should be consolidated and
redundant ducts removed.
Policy 65 Internally, new services should be surface mounted, or located in the ceiling space or other
existing cavities, unless located within new fabric.
8.8 Conservation Policies: Statutory Requirements
8.8.1 Statutory
Fire safety regulations, Health Acts, the Australian Building Code regulations, and other constraints operating
on any property apply, and the future uses of any building will be influenced by these requirements.
Procedures for approval by the WA Fire Brigade should be followed for any proposed future use of the
building. In order to ensure that statutory requirements are met with minimum interference to significant fabric
and other heritage values, a process of negotiation should be undertaken.
Policy 66 Where elements have been assessed as having heritage significance, any works arising from
requirements to comply with statutory regulations should be evaluated against this conservation
policy to ensure minimum impact on significant fabric. Professional advice should be sought to
ensure that both safety and conservation issues are fully assessed.
8.8.2 Heritage Listings
In Australia, places of cultural significance can be officially recognised by entry into a list or register kept by
government and community organizations concerned with the responsible management of this country’s
cultural heritage. Places in Western Australia may be listed by any of the following organizations:
Australian Heritage Commission
St George’s College has been entered into the Register of the National Estate. Listing on this register is
recognition of the cultural heritage significance of the place. It has no statutory implications for places other
than those that are Commonwealth property.
Heritage Council of Western Australia
St George’s College has not been entered on the State Register of Heritage Places.
National Trust of Australia (WA)
St George’s College has been classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA). Classification is the means
by which the National Trust recognises the cultural heritage significance of a place, but has no statutory
implications.
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St George’s College is listed on the City of Perth’s Municipal Inventory. A place’s entry in a Municipal Heritage
Inventory is recognition of its importance to the local community.
Policy 67 Because the place is entered on the Register of the National Estate, it is recommended that
information documented in the Conservation Management Plan be forwarded to the Australian
Heritage Commission so that they can update their listing.
Policy 68 Because the place is listed in the City of Perth’s Municipal Inventory, the conservation
management plan will be referred to by the City when assessing development applications for
the place.
Policy 69 Because the place is classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA), it is recommended that
information documented in the Conservation Management Plan be forwarded to the National
Trust (WA) so that they can update their listing.
8.9 Conservation Policies: Interpretation
It is important to provide the community with an understanding of the place. The extant built fabric of the
place and its continued use as a residential college are important sources for interpretation. The conservation
management plan also provides a valuable source for interpretation of the place.
Policy 70 The significant fabric of the place should be retained and conserved to assist in the
understanding of the place.
Policy 71 The continued use of St George’s College as a residential college, since its construction,
contributes significanctly to the understanding of the place.
Policy 72 A copy of the conservation management plan should be placed in the Battye Library and with the
City of Perth.
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9.0 Policy Implementation
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Crawley, Western Australia
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Care of heritage places involves both ongoing maintenance and conservation works. St George’s College is
in very good condition and has been well maintained.
9.1 Schedule of Prioritised Works
The following schedule was prepared based on inspections of the fabric carried out in August 2003. The
owners of the place are responsible for carrying out the schedule of works outlined below. Works to St
George’s College should be undertaken generally in order of priority set out below. The works may vary in
nature depending on future use of the place.
Immediate Action (to be completed within 2 years)
Inspection of all exposed plumbing and air-conditioning pipes for leaks
Inspect water-tightness of showers and tiles in bathrooms for leaks
Repair original plaster walls and ceilings damaged by water leaks in Warden B7, Hall B5, Tower B2, Outer
G6, Outer G5, Hall A4, Hall A2, and Outer B Bathroom
Repair cracks and holes in original plaster walls in Outer G7, Outer G1, Hall A5, Hall A6, SCR1, SCR2, SCR3,
Warden A1, Hall B1 and the former Study (Warden’s Quarters)
Repair cracks and holes in original plaster ceilings and cornices in Warden A3, Warden A1, Hall B7, Hall A1,
Outer A7, Outer A6, Outer A5, Outer G5, the former Study (Warden’s Quarters), the Entrance Hall, and the
Senior Common Room (former Lecture Room)
Preparation and treatment of original timber floors in the Dining Hall using appropriate materials
Inspection of roof tiles and their fixings to ascertain their condition
Replacement of deteriorated roof tiles and their fixings
Inspection and repair of all flashings and rainwater goods as required, to match original specifications and
materials (replace any PVC repairs with plumbing pipes to match original)
Engineering repair of vertical cracking in brickwork of grotto, staircase and quadrangle walls, including re-
pointing deteriorated mortar to match original specification
Continue to monitor movement of cracks in Chapel walls
Prepare a proposal to carry out structural stabilisation, based on analysis of cracks. The extent of this work
may range from minor to major work after input from an engineer experienced in historic buildings
Provide secondary handrail to gallery balustrade in Chapel to comply with Building Code for safety reasons
Intermediate Action (to be completed within 5 years)
Preparation and treatment of original timber doors throughout using traditional materials
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Repair of damaged stone window surrounds in the former Study (Warden’s Quarters)
Repair of damaged tiles to windowsills throughout, replace with new to match existing
Long Term Action (to be completed within 5-10 years)
Carry out repairs to marble floors in Entrance Lobby
Investigate options to exclude bees, to allow the wall vents to be re-opened (if possible)
9.2 Annual Maintenance Program
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St George’s College has a comprehensive maintenance program, which is undertaken on a regular basis.
The following list of items are already included in the maintenance program. The inclusion of these items,
which are preventative measures to be undertaken on an annual basis, will continue to ensure that the fabric
of the building will be well maintained.
Any rectification which may be required after inspection of the fabric, should be undertaken in accordance
with the conservation policies and with appropriate specialist conservation advice, where required.
Inspect for termites and other vermin and treat as necessary
Inspect roof cladding, flashings and rainwater goods, repair as necessary. Ensure that all gutters are free of
debris and that downpipes flow freely
Check all fire fighting equipment and detection devices are in operational order and ensure all points of
egress remain clear
Ensure that ground levels adjacent to walls have not been built up higher than vents or damp proof courses
Inspect masonry for cracks and failure of mortar and signs of movement
Check all electrical fittings, switchboards etc. for safety reasons
Check all plumbing services for leaks
Clean all light fittings
Check joinery and paint finishes for deterioration and repair damaged elements
Ensure landscape has been maintained and that plants are not damaging the building fabric. Check
reticulation system is functioning and does not spray onto walls
Rod all rainwater and soil drainage systems
Check door/window hardware. Oil locks and hinges
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Bibliography
Prepared by PALASSIS ARCHITECTS for ST GEORGE’S COLLEGE COUNCIL
St. George’s College
Crawley, Western Australia
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
Alexander, Fred, Campus at Crawley: A Narrative and Critical Appreciation of the First Fifty Years of the University of
Western Australia, UWA Press, 1963.
Archival Plans held by St George’s College, 1927-2003.
Certificate of Title, Lot 7, Swan Location 3088, Vol. 1024, Folio 368, Diagram 9045.
Ferguson, R.J., Crawley Campus: The Planning and Architecture of the University of Western Australia, UWA Press,
1993.
The Dragon, 1931 to 1992.
The Georgian, 1998 to 2001.
West Australian, 18 April 1931.
Wills-Johnson, Brian, ed., St George’s College: The First Fifty Years, 1931-1981, St George’s College, 1981.
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APPENDIX A - Archival Plans
Copies of coloured architectural drawings
prepared by Hobbs Smith & Forbes Architects,
dated September 1927,
showing the proposed College Buildings.
Originals held by St George’s College.
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APPENDIX B - Room Schedules
Prepared by Palassis Architects following inspection of rooms in August 2003.
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