The Dominican Roman Catholic Convent is a heritage-listed former

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

located at Marius Street (East), Tamworth,

Tamworth Regional Council Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in Ma ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is also known as St Nicolas' Church. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999. The building is owned by the University of New England and is leased by the Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music.

History

The convent was established by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

and built during 1880 and 1882. Built of exposed variegated brick laid in English Bond, of three stories and in the Victorian Free Gothic style. The roof was originally galvanised iron. The balconies feature cast iron columns between which are long bent timber brackets meeting to form in effect pointed arches which impart a strong ecclesiastical flavour to the building. In the open spandrel to each arch is an infill of a timber ring in four segments. The convent building was originally designed to accommodate nuns on the ground and first floor with a dormitory for boarders on the top floor. Extensions to the original building were made in 1903–04 and the Chapel opened as a memorial to celebrate the golden jubilee of the profession of Mother Mary Regis, who was the first Mother Superior. Sister Mary Madeleine Thérèse was twice Mother Superior here during the 1920s. The school grew and comprised the entire site now occupied by the K-Mart complex with the exception of a small parcel of land at the intersection of Peel and White Streets. In the 1970s the convent was in a deteriorated condition after the closure of the school, the land was sold for the development of a Kmart complex, and the building was marked for demolition. A group of local citizens, recognising the historic significance and potential of the old convent, began strenuous efforts to have the building retained. The National Trust was alerted, and the building was classified, which authenticated the claim of its significance. While classification gave official recognition to the heritage value of the building, this alone could not have prevented its demolition. Representations were made to the

Heritage Council of New South Wales The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

and the Council placed a Conservation Order on the Convent, the Chapel, and the fence, describing the complex as “magnificent”. Ownership of the site was transferred to the Minister for Planning and Environment. In July 1980, the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

prepared feasibility for possible uses of the building. The Heritage Council selected an option that would provide accommodation for the Tamworth Office of the Public Works Department, the Tamworth Regional Music Centre and the Tamworth Art & Craft Society. The Public Works Department then undertook the construction phase of the project. The restoration involved some skill not commonly used today. These included matching the elaborate timber mouldings, architraves and doors and the painting of stencilled designs on the walls. The external façade of the building was cleaned and all painted surfaces were repaired and painted using the original colours. The total cost of the restoration was $620,000, a modest amount compared with the cost of building such facilities from scratch. In 1993 the Public Works Department vacated the building and ownership of the building was transferred to the University of New England. The Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music leased the building for a peppercorn rent, with responsibility for the maintenance of the building. In 2003–2004, the Conservatorium undertook major repair work on the stained glass windows in the Chapel. The windows were removed and transported to a workshop in the

Kangaroo Valley Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb within it, formerly known as Osbor ...

where they were cleaned, broken glass replaced, re-leaded and rebuilt prior to being returned to Tamworth. In 2003 restoration and refurbishment of the Chapel roof was undertaken and part of the exterior of the building was repainted. In 2006 the exterior painting was completed. In 2007 a renovation of the Chapel was undertaken involving the relocation of the stage, upgrading of the lighting, painting, new chairs and the purchase of a new grand piano.

Heritage listing

Dominican Roman Catholic Convent was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Attribution

External links

*{{cite web, url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2011/09/09/3314546.htm, title=Farewell the Dominicans, date=9 September 2011, author1=Saban, Emelia, author2=Rixon, Maragaret , author3=Fuller, Kelly , work=ABC New England North West New South Wales State Heritage Register Tamworth, New South Wales Former convents in Australia Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1882 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1882 University of New England (Australia)