Stop B4: The Wesleyan School
Click on the above to listen to audio of the Wesleyan School
Cornerstone of learning
The first Wesley School House was built on this site in 1850 and operated for ten years as a school for girls and boys. Designed by architect George Wharton, it was completed in just seven months from the original tender. It was also used for church services prior to the construction of the permanent Wesley Church in 1858. The original footings of the eastern half of the brick building were uncovered during 2017 archaeological excavations. The western half of the building remains unexcavated.
What history teaches us
When the Wesley Church was granted the block with street frontages to Lonsdale and Little Lonsdale streets in January 1850, the church moved to quickly build a brick schoolhouse. It was designed by architect George Wharton and tenders for its construction were called for by May. The tender described the building as a “Wesleyan Mission House and School Room” (The Argus, 1 May 1850). It was erected by December and the opening service was held on 1 December by Rev. F. Lewis from Sydney.
The School House was used both as a day school and Sunday School and after the closure of the Wesley Collins Street church, services were moved to Lonsdale Street school house until the new church opened in 1858.
Raising the level
It is likely that the original School House had to be abandoned and demolished because of the raising of street and property levels in the 1850s. Archaeological excavations in 2017 found a layer of yellow clay within the School House building remains which confirms that the original floor level was raised by 0.7 – 0.8m. In addition, the school’s eastern fireplace had to be modified to raise the base to match the higher floor level. This may be the one of reasons the original School House was eventually abandoned in the 1860s as the modifications may not have been entirely successful, resulting in moisture and dampness entering the building.
Lost and found
The 2017 dig also recovered artefacts from within the School House that once belonged to the children and adults who used it. These included toys such as marbles, dolls and figurines, ceramic plates and cups with moralising messages to teach children right from wrong, slate ‘pencils’ and ink wells, as well as a variety of buttons, bottles and tableware’s.
The 1850s School House building was not completely excavated, and the western half is preserved below ground, between the church and the new Wesley Place tower.
Image References
- The structural remains of the eastern half of the original Wesley School House after excavation, facing north-east. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associates.
- 3D photogrammetry model of the archaeological remains of the 1850s Wesleyan School House. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associates
- Childrens ceramic plate fragment with a moral message for teaching children recovered from the original 1850s Wesley School House. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associates
- Clay smoking pipe fragments recovered from the original 1850s Wesley School House. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associate
