Wyong Public School (former)

Item details


Name of item:	Wyong Public School (former)
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Education
Category:	School - State (public)
Primary address:	8 Rankens Court, Wyong, NSW 2259
Local govt. area:	Central Coast

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
8 Rankens Court	Wyong	Central Coast			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	Historically and aesthetically significant. 1889 school is the earliest surviving building in the town centre. An intact representative example of 19th Century Public Works Department design with social significance for its community links.
	Date significance updated: 25 Oct 09
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Physical description:	Single storey brick school with weatherboard addition erected in two stages. Simple hipped and gabled rooves, with decorative baseboards and characteristic large timber corbelled brick chimneys.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The exterior conditions of the properties are well maintained. The front section of the gardens is maintained by Wyong Shire Council, and the back and side section is maintained by the occupants of the school. The small maintenance jobs of the properties are done by the 355 committee, and the remaining jobs by Council. At the rear of the building, the original toilet blocks are in need of painting on the exterior walls. The interior of the buildings are generally maintained. Some major infrastructure damage has occurred in the main building, two main teaching rooms. In the form of decay or subsides of piers under the building. As a result, the rear wall has pulled away from the floor. A large gap can be seen, exposing exterior brickwork. General assessment of wooden windows is needed due to rotting in small sections. (2002)
	Date condition updated:23 Sep 09
Modifications and dates:	Disabled access provided. Paint to brickwork.

History


Historical notes:	The township of Wyong was first established in 1887. The first Wyong School was opened on 2 July 1888 in temporary premises known as Watt's Concert Hall. In May 1889, the pupils moved to the Alison Road School. In September 1979, the new school opened at the present site in Cutler Drive, Wyong.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The buildings are significant regionally for recording the arrival of public school education in the Wyong region. They represent the only surviving buildings from the latter decades of the 19th Century.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The buildings have the potential to contribute to an understanding of the form of delivery of education at the time, and the size of the school age Wyong catchment.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The buildings have social significance for generations of residents of the commercial heart of the region for providing education and childhood memories.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The building has local rarity.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Wyong Local Environmental Plan 2013	I140	23 Dec 13
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Inventory of Heritage Items	1991	63	Wyong Local Environmental Plan		Yes
Wyong Shire Heritage Study	1994		Rod Howard Heritage Conservation Pty Ltd		Yes
Wyong Shire Heritage Study Review	2009		David Scobie Architects	David Scobie	Yes
Wyong Shire Council - Heritage Properties Audit	2002	Location 2	Greg Walkerden		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyong_Public_School
Written	Strom, B		History and Heritage

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2720063

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.