147A Victoria Street (St Paul's Place)

147A Victoria Street was first purchased from Thomas Thompson, a surveyor with the Western Australian Company, in 1844 and, after his completion of the Picton Church, Archdeacon John Wollaston oversaw construction of a structure which served as a church, hall and school until 1865 (reference). The first service was held there on Sunday, 29 December 1844, and it was officially opened on 5 January 1845 (reference). 

This temporary church served the Anglican community of Bunbury until it was replaced with St Paul’s Church in 1865, built in the same location as the first church. In 1913 Canon Adams, the Rector, produced an in-depth study of the church site and interviewed those who remembered the original church. The interviewees said it looked “almost identical both in size and shape with the church at Picton'' (reference).  

St Paul’s Church was built due to the efforts of Rev Joseph Withers who championed the project and raised money for the Building Fund any way he could. Rev Withers arrived in Bunbury in 1864 to a church that was “too small for the ever-growing needs of Bunbury” (reference). Plans for the building were procured from London by George Eliot, the Resident Magistrate, who also supported the new church’s construction. George Elliot laid the foundation stone, and a bottle containing copies of colonial papers and coins were also placed there (reference). The project was finished by William Spencer after the original contractor fell ill (reference).

St Paul’s was opened and consecrated 3 December 1865 (reference). It was consecrated again on 11 November 1866 by Bishop Hales, which is the date that was celebrated by the churchgoers as it was performed by the Bishop. The build of the church was expensive, so several fundraisers over a few years were conducted, including a ‘large fancy bazaar’ on Wednesday 29 November 1865 to raise money for internal fittings, and another on 27 November 1866 to ‘clear the debt on the church’ (reference). 

In 1903 the church became a pro-cathedral (a parish church which temporarily serves as a cathedral) and on 18 June 1904 at 4 pm the first Bishop of Bunbury, Frederick William Goldsmith, was enthroned. The significant event was documented in the newspapers, and a photo taken of the clergy involved in the ceremony. Due to the popularity of the event, those wishing to attend had to purchase a ticket, with the clergy and church workers given priority. After the ceremony, the group enjoyed dinner at The Rose Hotel, followed by a public social in the Masonic Hall (reference).

The church was the heart of the Anglican community in Bunbury, used for countless weddings, baptisms, funerals and served as a meeting place. The community’s dependence on the church increased during times of war. From 11 November 1914 until Armistice Day 1918, a special service was held every Wednesday at 12.15 pm to remember the men at the front. The church always performed a special ceremony, a ‘Requiem Eucharist’ for when “the sad news of the passing of a Bunbury boy” came. The church also served to deliver the happy news of the end of the war with the ringing of the cathedral bell on 11 November 1918 (reference). 

Over the following decades the church continued to be used by the community for both general services and special celebrations, including Armistice Day which fell on the same date as the Consecration of the church (reference). Other celebrations include St John's Day when, on Sunday 23 June 1946, members of St John Ambulance attended a service at the pro-cathedral and performed a Church parade (reference). 

In 1962 St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral was replaced by St Boniface Anglican Cathedral, overlooking the city at 33 Parkfield Street. Despite the efforts of many parishioners to save their beloved church, it was demolished in 1963. 

In 1964 Flanagan Motors briefly established a car yard on the demolished church ground. Despite its absence, the church left its mark and the site is known as St Paul’s Place (reference). 

In 1979 artist Mark Le Buse crafted a limestone sculpture of Sir John Forrest’s head, which is still on display on the corner of Stephen and Victoria Streets, along with a plaque memorialising the site of St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral (reference) .