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Current
status*:
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Unlisted.
|
|
Name of
item:
|
Weatherboard
house.
|
|
Former
name/s:
|
Church
of England rectory
|
|
Item
type:
|
Built.
|
|
Item
group/collection:
|
Religion.
|
|
Item
category:
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Presbytery/Rectory/ Vicarage/Manse.
|
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Street
number:
|
|
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Street
name:
|
Bullara
Street.
|
|
Suburb/town:
|
Pambula.
|
|
Local
Government Area:
|
Bega
Valley Shire.
|
|
Property
description:
|
Lot
3, DP 237308.
|
|
Owner
category:
|
Private.
|
|
Current
use:
|
Private
residence.
|
|
Former
use/s:
|
Rectory.
|
* Refers
to the site's inclusion in Schedule 5 of the Local Environment Plan.
 |
| The former Anglican rectory at Pambula as it currently appears. |
 |
| The former Anglican rectory at Pambula, with Christ Church Hall alongside. |
Significance:
|
Statement
of significance:
The
old Church of England rectory is important as a tangible reminder of
religious presence in the township. It provided accommodation for the local
incumbent and his family from the time it was constructed in 1887 until the
rectory was moved to Eden in 1968. The building is typical of Pambula’s 19th
and early 20th century architectural style, making it potentially
important as a representation of local built heritage. Located as it is on
one of the main entrances into the township, it also has the potential to
enhance the heritage nature of the township. However, alterations, additions
and subtractions over the years have had a negative impact on the building’s
current status.
|
|
|
Level
of significance:
|
Local
|
 |
| The former Anglican rectory and Christ Church Hall at Pambula. |
 |
| The stables at the former Anglican rectory, Pambula. |
Description:
|
Designer:
|
Unknown.
|
|
Builder:
|
Mr. John May.
|
|
Physical
description:
|
Weatherboard
built house with corrugated iron M shaped roof and concrete slab and brick
deck at front. A weatherboard garage stands to the left of the main building.
|
|
Physical
condition:
|
Not
physically inspected, but appears to be run down, although structural integrity etc is not known. The 1913 built verandah
at the front of the house has been removed and replaced with a concrete slab
and brick deck. Windows at the front of the building also appear to have been
replaced. Oral communication indicates that ceiling heights inside have been
lowered, fireplace integrity, floors and walls have also been altered.
|
|
Construction
date/s:
|
1887.
|
|
Modifications
and dates:
|
1913.
|
|
Further
comments:
|
 |
| Pambula's Church of England rectory, C. 1920s. Image courtesy of the George Family Collection. |
|
Historical
notes:
The first Church of
England rectory in Pambula was a rented house where Reverend Knight lived
until moving to the rectory in Bega. These rented premises were the
birthplace of his son, Arthur Mesac Knight, later the Bishop of Rangton.
Another older son became the Bishop of Gibraltar.
The Pambula church
was operated from Bega between 1866 and 1880, with a lay reader or catechist
taking most of the control. From 1877 Pambula was worked from Kameruka, until
1880, when the annual report of the Church Society for that year recording
the establishment of the separate Parish of Pambula. The first rector of the
newly established parish was the Reverend (afterwards Canon) Richard Leigh,
followed by the Reverend James Clarke until 1886 and then the Reverend R. T.
Earl (sometimes spelt “Earle”) until 1891. It was under Reverend Earl that considerable
parochial expansion took place, including the churches at Eden, Towamba and
Wyndham, as well as the rectory at Pambula.
The construction of a
rectory for the local Church of England Minister had been raised locally as
early as 1873, when a meeting was held to discuss such a proposal, together
with a memorial to the Bishop with a view to securing an ordained clergyman
for the southern district.
The new weatherboard building was constructed to
accommodate the local incumbent minister and his family in the mid-1880s. It
was reported that after a confirmation ceremony in 1885 conducted by the
Bishop of Goulburn, a meeting of members of the local Church of England was
held at which he attended, during which it was resolved to have a parsonage
built at a cost of £200. During 1886, the fund raising efforts for
the parsonage were reported in local media, including an Art Union,
subscription list and a bazaar. In July that year, it was reported that the
bazaar was “…an unqualified success…” and it
was hoped that the proceeds would amount to about £10, enabling the building
committee to accept a contract for the construction of the building. In
November it was reported that the land, being allotments 3 and 4 of section
11 and allotment 8 of section 15 had been dedicated sites for the Church of
England church and parsonage and had been vested in the Bishop of Goulburn
and his successors.
By January 1887, it would appear that the building had been completed,
with the contractor, John May, paid the £256 in full, and the committee
declaring that they desired “…to convey to the contractor – Mr. John May –
their entire satisfaction at the workmanlike manner in which the building was
carried on to its completion.”
The Church Society report of 1887 records: “At Pambula
a parsonage has been very recently constructed on a small scale, capable of
enlargement when required.” By 1889, following another successful art union
and bazaar, “…the financial success was so
great as to leave enough net profits to liquidate the whole of the debt on
the parsonage.”
The tender of Mr. A. Wright was accepted for
construction of stables at the rectory in 1900 and in 1913 tenders were
called for the erection of a verandah to the building.
Over the years,
various other additions and alterations have been made to the building,
including lowering the internal ceiling heights, removal of the 1913 verandah
and addition of a brick and concrete slab patio at the front of the
structure.
This structure
remained in use as a residence for the local Church of England minister until
1968 when a new rectory was constructed at Eden. This became a somewhat
contentious issue as far as some Pambula parishioners were concerned and as a
result, some members of the Christ Church withdrew from the congregation.
The new brick rectory
in Eden was officially dedicated by the Right Reverend C. A. Warren,
administrator of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, in September 1968. The
original Pambula rectory was sold, and is now in private ownership.
|
 |
| The Anglican rectory, which can be seen in the background, with the verandah portion enclosed, 1966. © The Estate of A. C. “Bubby” George. |
Themes:
|
Australian
theme:
|
New
South Wales theme:
|
Local
theme:
|
|
8: Developing Australia’s cultural life.
|
Religion - Activities associated with particular
systems of faith and worship.
|
|
|
4: Building settlements, towns and cities.
|
Accommodation – Activities associated with the
provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation.
|
|
|
9:
Marking the phases of life.
|
Persons
– Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families
and communal groups.
|
 |
| The Anglican rectory in 1966, with additions at the rear of the building. © The Estate of A. C. “Bubby” George. |
Application
criteria:
|
Historical
significance
SHR
criteria (a)
|
|
|
Historical
association significance
SHR
criteria (b)
|
|
|
Aesthetic
significance
SHR
criteria (c)
|
|
|
Technical
/ Research significance
SHR
criteria (e)
|
|
|
Rarity
SHR
criteria (f)
|
|
|
Representativeness
SHR
criteria (g)
|
|
|
Integrity:
|
Heritage
Listings:
|
Nil
|
Information
sources / bibliography:
|
Baddeley, Ben, Pers. Comm.
Baddeley Family Papers (private ownership)
Bega Gazette
Bega Standard
Candelo & Eden
Union
George, Allan, Pers. Comm.
Hart, Reverend Fred, Pers. Comm.
Imlay Magnet
Magnet – Voice
Martin Family Papers (private ownership)
Pambula Voice
Town and Country Journal
Whelan, Betty, Pers. Comm.
Wyatt, Ransome T., The History of the Diocese of Goulburn
|
Author
and date:
|
©
Angela George. All rights reserved.
|
2006
|
