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St Charles Seminary
Padury House, Guildford
Walter Padbury built 'Garden Hill' in 1893. It was purchased in 1941 by the Archbishops of Perth and Geraldton for a seminary. The seminary opened in 1942, closed in 1975 and reopened in 1993. New buildings were constructed in 2002.
Heritage Council:
History
Originally one of two medium size farmlets within Guildford town boundaries. Present building constructed for Mr Sanderson (brother-in-law of William Padbury). Property once owned by Devenishs. In 1837 bought by Alfred Waylen who left it to his son Dr Alfred Waylen (Jr). He was medical officer to Guildford Convict Depot and also planted extensive vineyard at 'Garden Hill' and was pioneer in the Swan Valley wine industry. Catholic Church bought property in 1942 and established Catholic Seminary. Grounds are still used for this purpose. Prendiville House was demolished in 2011. The Prendiville House site has been associated with a long standing use as a Catholic Seminary.
Physical Description
Two storey grand bungalow style house with a Marseille terracotta titled roof. Verandahs on three sides, detached servants wing with ballroom and billiard room combined, garage or stables and addition built for the Seminary. House loosely planned with long corridor down centre. Walls constructed of limestone and brick quoins and window reveals 'the concrete balustrading in the garden is impressed with a circular motif. House has impressive setting overlooking two reaches of Swan River. Includes Padbury House and Aquin House (formerly 'Dunhelm'), servants quarters and ballroom.
Statement of Significance
The associations of the site with the inland port on the Swan River;
The place is important for the aesthetic characteristics imparted by the appearance and structure of Padbury House, and its river side setting;
Its association with Dr Waylen and William Padbury; and
The place's long standing use as a Catholic Seminary and its high social value for the Catholic Church in Western Australia.
References and Links
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 12 April, 2022 and hosted at freotopia.org/schools/stcharles.html (it was last updated on 7 December, 2023), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.