St Boniface Cathedral, Bunbury

St Boniface Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Bunbury, a coastal city in the south west region of Western Australia. It was consecrated in 1962.[1]

St Boniface Cathedral, Bunbury
Cathedral Church of St Boniface
The cathedral in 2023
The cathedral in 2023
Map
33°19′53″S 115°38′16″E / 33.331419°S 115.637864°E / -33.331419; 115.637864
LocationBunbury, Western Australia
Address33 Parkfield Street, Bunbury WA 6230
CountryAustralia
DenominationAnglican Church of Australia
Websitebunburycathedral.org.au
History
StatusCathedral
DedicationSaint Boniface
Consecrated14 October 1962
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationState Register of Heritage Places
Designated15 April 2003
Previous cathedralsSt Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Victoria Street
Architect(s)
Architectural typeCathedral
StylePost-War Ecclesiastical
Years built1961–1962
CompletedNovember 1962
Construction cost£91,116
Specifications
MaterialsYellow face brick, Terracotta tiles
Administration
ProvinceWestern Australia
DioceseBunbury (since 1962)
ParishBunbury
Clergy
Bishop(s)Ian Coutts
DeanDarryl Cotton
Official nameSt Boniface Anglican Cathedral
TypeState Registered Place
Criteria11.1., 11.2., 11.3., 11.4., 12.1., 12.2., 12.3, 12.4., 12.5.
Designated15 April 2003
Reference no.05667

Location

edit

The cathedral is the focal point of a precinct of ecclesiastical buildings on Brent Tor, an elevated location south of central Bunbury.[2]: 2 [3]: 20  One of the city's highest sites,[2]: 2  the precinct also includes Bishopscourt (residence of the Bishop of Bunbury), a Calvary Wayside Shrine and Memorial Lawn, and the Walker Memorial Hall and Church Offices, as well as the Archdeacon's Residence, Deanery, and Former Deanery.[3]: 20 

Description

edit

The cathedral is built of double yellow face brickwork. It has a parapeted clock tower, an undercroft crypt, stained glass memorial windows, and a gabled terracotta tiled roof.[1]

Architecturally, the cathedral has been described as "... an outstanding example of the Post-War Ecclesiastical style ...", and as "modern Gothic".[1]

According to the Assessment Documentation prepared by the Heritage Council of Western Australia for the cathedral's and Bishopscourt's joint inclusion in the State Register of Heritage Places as a Parent Place or Precinct, the cathedral was and is:

"... the first Anglican cathedral erected in a regional area [of Western Australia], ... the first Anglican cathedral built and consecrated [in the State] in the 20th century, and the only war memorial cathedral erected in Western Australia. It is one of only four cathedrals in regional areas of this State, one of the two such cathedrals in the Post-War Ecclesiastical design style, and the only one that follows the traditional rectangular cruciform plan of church design."[3]: 31 

Amongst the materials used in the cathedral's construction were 410,000 standard bricks, 8,000 special bricks, 75,000 roof tiles, and 700 LT (710 t) of concrete. A total of 24,000 ft (7,300 m) of blackbutt[a] timber was required to complete the nave ceiling; the floor parquetry is fashioned from 200 sq yd (170 m2) of the same timber.[1]

The cathedral from the south west

The western elevation of the cathedral is in the form of a brick gable. Projecting from its centre is a full height gabled bay, with a cross at the apex. In the middle of the projection, recessed into its alcove, is a stained glass window, also full height; it is decorated with stone tracery in the form of the tree of life.[3]: 21 

On the south side of the western elevation is a south-facing double height main entrance porch framed by a pair of wide brick piers, and gabled.[1][3]: 21  The main entrance itself is a pair of ledge and braced doors beneath a tall highlight window recessed into the porch.[1][3]: 21 

At its eastern end, on both sides of the tower, the cathedral descends one level, to a wide semi-circular terrace with a concrete retaining wall. From there, a set of stairs leads down further to the Memorial Lawn at natural ground level.[3]: 21 

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Blackbutt is a common name for wood from several species of Eucalyptus, and it is unclear which this one is.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f City of Bunbury (13 May 1997). "St Boniface Anglican Cathedral / Place number 05667". inHerit (WA). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Heritage Council of Western Australia (29 October 2010). "Register of Heritage Places - Permanent Entry: Cathedral Church of St Boniface and Bishopscourt". inHerit (WA). Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation: St Boniface Anglican Cathedral & Bishopscourt". inHerit (WA). 29 October 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2023.

Further reading

edit
  • Tredwell, J. J. (1972). The Cathedral Church of Saint Boniface, Bunbury, Western Australia. Bunbury, WA: Muhling's. OCLC 219794289.
  • "Special souvenir issue". The Messenger: The Journal of the Church of England in the Diocese of Bunbury, WA. 17 (179). Bunbury, WA. October 1962. OCLC 221075948.
  • Consecration of the War Memorial Cathedral Church of Saint Boniface, Bunbury: Sunday, 14th October, 1962, 11 a.m. Bunbury, WA: Cathedral Chapter. 1962. OCLC 221788054.
edit

  Media related to St Boniface Anglican Cathedral, Bunbury at Wikimedia Commons