Saint Ignatius School (abbreviated as St Ignatius School) is a heritage-listed former

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

school and now museum and

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

branch office, located at 30 Caddell Street,

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

, in the

Wentworth Shire Wentworth Shire is a local government area in the far south-west Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This Shire is located adjacent to the Murray and Darling Rivers. The Shire's major roads are the Sturt and the Silver City Highwa ...

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. The school was built between 1911 and 1912 by Ducan McLean. The building 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 1 March 2002.

History

Situated at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers, Wentworth was settled in 1840, town surveyed in 1958 and named in honour of explorer William Charles Wentworth. At turn of the century, Wentworth was the largest river port in the country, docking up to 100 paddle steamers a month. St Ignatius High School, described as a "select" school, was opened by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

in 1892 and a boarding school for girls opened at the

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 Anglic ...

in 1898. Students traveled from surrounding areas, sometimes over many days, by horse and buggy or riverboat, and attended St Ignatius School each day. A new schoolhouse was built in 1911 as a tall, wooden structure on the west side of the convent, where the nuns taught many extra subjects, such as languages, bookkeeping, painting, wax modeling art, needlework, singing, pianoforte, violin, etc.National Trust Magazine, June 1989A History of Early Catholic Education in Wentworth - St Ignatius School 1911-1989

Description

The building is an unusual symmetrical structure of

weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...

construction. The single room structure has a centrally located entrance

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

on the northern side. The main gambrel roof is clad with

corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America) and occasionally abbreviated CGI is a ...

sheeting and the little

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

over the porch has simple timber decoration. The building is supported on timber posts set in the ground. There is a curved, embossed iron window hood over the northern porch window. The former school room has a boarded ceiling and much of the internal joinery is intact. The large main windows have the appearance of double hung windows however, the

sashes Sashes Island is an island in the River Thames in England at Cookham Lock near Cookham, Berkshire. It is now open farmland, but has Roman and Anglo-Saxon connections. The island is located between Hedsor Water and the present navigation cha ...

operate as casements. The building has been recently restored and repaired. A brick fireplace and chimney on the western side has been replaced with a replica. The original two- tone colour scheme has been rendered.Howard, 1986

Condition

As at 29 June 2000, the property was in excellent condition following the 1988-89 restorations. The integrity of the property remains as no significant renovations have changed the original structure from that of the design in the early nineteenth century. The properties intactness adds to its recognition and overall social and historical significance.

Modifications and dates

Restoration work was carried out between January 1988 and April 1989 for the National Trust. The project architect was R. Howard; and the builder was Denis J. Wynne. Roof repairs included patching and re-use of old sheets; the guttering was replaced. Brick fireplace and chimney replaced based on original drawing. Windows and floors Ceilings, front and rear entrance steps repaired/ restored. Exterior and interior repainted in original colour scheme.Howard, 1988

Heritage listing

As at 3 July 2000, a small, unusual wooden schoolhouse with many original details and featuring an early colour scheme. Building is both architecturally and historically significant to the town of Wentworth and significant in its earliest contribution to the education of children from outlying areas.R. Howard, 1986 St Ignatius School was listed on the

on 1 March 2002 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. St Ignatius School is an example of "select" schooling in a town with a significant history as a major trading centre.National Trust Magazine - June 1989 The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. A most unusual and beautifully proportioned symmetrical building of rusticated weatherboard constructed. The intactness of the building also adds to the aesthetic significance of the site. The church like architectural design reinforces the association with religion, the building being the former site of the Catholic school. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Marked the dedicated service to the parish of Wentworth by the Sisters of Mercy. The long association with schooling in Wentworth has formed a social recognition within the community.A History of Early Catholic Education in Wentworth - St Ignatius School 1911/ 1989 The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. St Ignatius School is of particular education value in allowing school students experience the type of materials used in education in the early nineteenth century. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The properties rare in the unique design of the small schoolhouse and the development of a unique social and historical background beginning in the early nineteenth century.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

{{commons category-inline, Saint Ignatius School, Wentworth New South Wales State Heritage Register Wentworth, New South Wales Museums in New South Wales Defunct Catholic schools in Australia Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register National Trust of Australia