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PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.275
119 SCHOOL ROAD WANDILIGONG, ALPINE SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Register
PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 275 SOHE 2008
PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 275 SOHE 2008
PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 275 SOHE 2008
1 wandiligong primary school side view2 jun2001 pm1
DIAGRAM 1638
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Statement of Significance

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT?

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong including the 1877 school building and the 1881 additions. All other buildings, structures and hard landscaping are not of significance.

History Summary

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong opened in 1877, and was designed by Henry R. Bastow, chief architect for the Education Department. Wandiligong was established during the 1850s gold rush, when the development of mines in the areas resulted in a stable community. The first school in the town was opened by the Presbyterian Church in 1860 and it became Common School No. 275 in 1862. A timber school room was built in 1870, and in 1876 a request for a substantial brick building was agreed to by the Education Department. The new school building with accommodation for 200 children opened the following year and the 1870 timber building became the teachers' residence. Additions to the school building, of a similar style to the original, were made in 1881. The school continues to operate and four additional buildings of lightweight construction have been added to the north and south boundaries of the school site. A covered play area and a brick toilet block has been constructed at the rear of the school building.

Description Summary

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is an asymmetrical brick building with a distinctive square tower, and is constructed on two levels in response to the sloped site. It has a high pitched corrugated iron roof and verandahs which are extensions of the main roof, but at a lower pitch. The 1877 building incorporates a gabled roof section and, at a lower level, an adjacent section with jerkin-head roof. Rectangular paned windows, roof finials and vents are a feature of the original building, and these, together with the jerkin-head roof form and verandahs, are repeated in the 1881 section at the rear. Gothic influenced brick arches in the gable ends and contrasting red brickwork in a distinctive herringbone pattern to the rear section contribute to the overall picturesque nature of the composition of the building. Ventilation was a major health concern in the design of school buildings in the late nineteenth century, and it is believed that the first appearance of the Tobin tube in school design occurred at Wandiligong Primary School. Named after its English inventor, this system was developed in c. 1874 and required a horizontal opening in an exterior wall at floor level, leading to a vertical tube, attached to the inside face of a wall. This system was adopted in a large number of new schools thereafter.

There is presently no Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) for the area in which the Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is located. The Taungurung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (TCAC) are currently negotiating a recognition and settlement agreement for this area under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010. (June 2017)

HOW IS IT SIGNIFICANT?

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criteria for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register:

Criterion A

Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria's cultural history.

Criterion D

Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places.

WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT?

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is significant at the State level for the following reasons:

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is of historical significance for its associations with the gold rush period. It is an important remnant in the town, illustrative of the growth that occurred in the region as a result of the Victorian gold rush. [Criterion A]

Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is of architectural significance. The principal characteristics of the class of nineteenth century school buildings is evident in the physical fabric of the place, including multiple classrooms with large windows and circulation spaces between the classrooms. Primary School No. 275, Wandiligong is a notable example of the class of school buildings for its highly picturesque design, set on two levels, with a distinctive square tower. It was one of the first school buildings to incorporate verandahs into its design, showing a sensitivity to the Australian climate. [Criterion D]

Wandiligong Primary School is of architectural significance as one of the first to include the innovative Tobin tube in an attempt to address the important issue of ventilation in schools. Developed only a few years earlier in England, this was an early adoption of this method, subsequently used widely for a number of years in Victoria. [Criterion D]

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    • History

      PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.275 - History

      The primary school in Wandiligong was opened in 1877, designed by Henry R. Bastow, chief Education Department architect and constructed by Grieg and Wilson. The first school in the town was established in 1860 and was conducted by the Presbyterian Church. It became Common School 275 in 1862 and a timber school room was built in 1870 as numbers in the town grew.

      Gold discoveries in the late 1850s prompted the development of Wandiligong and the establishment of mines resulted in a stable community in the town. In 1876 a request for a substantial brick building was agreed to, and the next year a school to accommodate 200 children was opened. In 1881 a wing was added to the school building to accommodate growing numbers, and the old school building, located to the rear became a teachers’ residence. It remained in use until 1959 and the school has continued to operate despite a sharp decline in the population of the town in the twentieth century.

      The draft statement of significance and the above history were produced as part of an Online Data Upgrade Project 2005. Sources were as follows:
      L. Burchell. Victorian Schools. A Study in Colonial Government Architecture, 1837-1900. Melbourne 1980
      L. J. Blake. Vision and Realisation, vol 3. Melbourne 1931
      I. D. Hannon. The Story of Wandiligong School, 1860-1960. 1960
      R. Peterson. Historic Government Schools. A Comparative Study. 1993

      Permit Exemptions

      PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.275 - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.

      General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Planprovides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.

      General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.

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