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ST JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CHURCH COMPLEX

Location Martin Street PENSHURST, Southern Grampians Shire File Number 369 Level Stage 2 study complete

[1/3] 23320 St Joseph s Catholic [2/3] 23320 St Joseph s Catholic [3/3] 23320 St Joseph s Catholic

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
St Joseph's Catholic Church is located on west side of Martin Street between Watton and Cobb Streets in the centre of Penshurst. The building is in the Gothic revival style using local bluestone. It was designed by Architect James Fox of Hamilton, who was responsible for the designs of many churches in Western Victoria in the nineteenth century. Extensions to St Joseph's in 1897 were designed by the architect, Frank Hammond who lived in Penshurst and who designed the extensions to the Catholic Church in Hamilton. The names of the builders are not known. Both the interiors and exterior are in excellent condition and retain a very high degree of integrity. The presbytery is a single storey, asymmetrical red brick house in the Edwardian or Federation Queen Anne style. It is sited immediately to the south of the church.

How is it significant?
St Joseph's Catholic Church, Presbytery and School are of historical and architectural significance to the Southern Grampians Shire and the township of Penshurst.

Why is it significant?
St Joseph's Catholic Church, Presbytery and School are of historical significance as the focus for that denomination in the area. The church is of architectural significance for its typical use of the Gothic revival style and as a work of the local architects, James Henry Fox and Frank Hammond. The Presbytery is of architectural significance for its conventional and essentially domestic style and form and for its aesthetic support of the church. The School is of architectural significance for its use of the Moderne style to express a sense of progress and modernity.