Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia 12/12/08 8:53 AM

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Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

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Friday, December 12th, 2008

Time Event
8:42aRottnest Island - Henry Vincent's Anglican chapel

Tucked away between an assortment of 19th century penal structures now converted to tourist accommodation is a tiny
Anglican chapel. It was built circa 1858 in association with the 'native' prison known as the Quod, which is located a dozen
or so metres to the north.

The building has had a variety of other uses beside divine worship - schoolhouse, public reading room, itinerant worker
accommodation, post office and even as a beer storehouse. In 1965 the Islanders saw the error of their irreverent ways. The
chapel was cleaned up and reconsecrated by the Anglican Archbishop of Perth.

What goes on inside the building nowadays is strictly churchy type business. All denominations are welcome to worship
there. It can also be booked for weddings and will seat about forty people. (The first wedding was held in September
1873.)

If modern wedding guests want to gather together elsewhere in celebration afterwards, then a non-religious island
management authority permit costing about $90 must be applied for a month in advance.

I took some photos of the interior of the chapel in October this year. I like this church for its peaceful simplicity.
Occasional services are still conducted but I don't know how regularly. Some of the wooden pews are original, some are
exact replicas of them.

On the rear wall are a few private commemorative plates from peoples of the past who yearned for more 'permanent'
recognition of their familial association with the building. There's also an armoured 'poor box.' The main wooden door is
very solid.

Two interior views

Much of the old architectural style on Rottnest has a Spanish village flavour. This is attributed to the the influence of the
first prison superintendent and construction supervisor Henry Vincent whom had been a British soldier fighting the French
in the Iberian Peninsular War for Spanish independence during the early 19th century. Apparently he had sufficient time
during the war to be impressed by the Spanish building methods and design. He'd reportedly also lost an eye in battle.

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Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia 12/12/08 8:53 AM

The main entrance faces east

© MMVIII Paul R. Weaver.

Click here to visit 'dogandcatwatcher', my YouTube website.

Original still photographs are stored online in a cache at my Panoramio website or my Picasa site. Most of them have
a brief description and a link back to a relevant essay. Images on Panoramio can usually be enlarged several times by
clicking them.

About the writer

Click here to see our backyard.

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st
century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to
write at least couple of million words. Zzzzzzzz!

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2008/12/12
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