The Ross Memorial Church is a

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

building on Hay Street in

West Perth, Western Australia West Perth is an inner suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Geography Formerly an exclusive enclave for wealthy merchants and politicians, the West Perth suburb is now part of the inner mixed zone, and has predominantly o ...

History

Five years prior to the construction of the church a brick hall (designed by Andrew Oswald Wilson) was built adjacent to the church's site, as the congregation was growing too large for their earlier Havelock Street hall, where they had been for nearly 17 years. That earlier site was sold to the Catholic community, and the Hay Street land purchased from them for the purpose of constructing a church, hall, and

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

. The church is named after Daniel Ross, who was minister of the West Perth Presbyterian congregation until his death in 1917. It was completed in 1917 at a total construction cost of £4,147. The

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

for the project was James Hine,

FRIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

, and the

building contractor A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

was R. A. Gamble. It was built in the

Federation Gothic Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Au ...

revival style. The church contains a

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

chamber with case, and display pipes arranged in 3 towers. Senator Agnes Robertson was a longtime member of the church, teaching the girls' Bible class and becoming one of the first women to serve as a

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

. Plaques on the walls describe the dedication and West Perth Heritage Trail text:

Dedication

This stone was laid
by the Right Honourable

Sir John Forrest Sir John Forrest (22 August 1847 – 2 SeptemberSome sources give the date as 3 September 1918 1918) was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister i ...

P.C., G.C.M.G., L.L.D..
Assisted by Lady Forrest
15th July 1916.

James Hine, F.R.I.B.A.,
Architect

R. A. Gamble,
Contractor

Heritage trail

The West Perth Presbyterian Church was first established in Havelock Street in 1898. However, as the congregation swelled during the gold boom years of the 1890s and early 1900s, it was found to be too small. The Ross Memorial Church was built during the First World War (1914 - 18), largely as a result of the efforts of the Reverend Ross, who died only a few months after its completion in 1917.

Present day

As well as services, the church is used for community functions and weddings. The church is currently the home of the Wesley worshipping community of the Uniting Church in the City, part of the

in Australia It is currently listed with the

Heritage Council of Western Australia The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state. Prior to its creation, considerable variance in policy and ...

, as Heritage Place No. 2235.

Gallery

File:Ross Memorial Church Plaque Laid Stone SeanMcClean.jpg , Dedication plaque File:Ross Memorial Church Front SeanMcClean.jpg, Viewed from Hay Street File:Ross Memorial Church Plaque SeanMcClean.jpg, Heritage plaque File:Church hall, cnr of Hay and Colin streets, Perth, 1913.png, Church hall (east of the church; constructed 1913; now demolished)

References

External links

* * {{Religion in Australia Churches in Perth, Western Australia Heritage places in Perth, Western Australia Landmarks in Perth, Western Australia Uniting churches in Western Australia Hay Street, Perth