Heritage Building

The Dominican Nuns, an order of teaching sisters in the Catholic Church, arrived in Tamworth in 1876 and set up a convent and school in temporary premises. In 1878 the railway line was extended to Tamworth and this caused the school numbers to almost double, making the provision of larger, purpose-built premises essential.

As a result, a contract for erecting a new three-storey building was signed in 1880, at a cost of 2,353 pounds.

The builder was WS Dowell and the architect was John Wiltshire Pender, a Scottish born architect of Maitland.

The design of the building is Free Gothic style. Walls are exposed variegated brick laid in English Bond and until the 1960s the roof was galvanized iron.  Around the south-eastern end of the building, there is an elaborate two storey verandah which contributes greatly to the character of the building. It has cast iron columns between which are long curved timber brackets meeting to form pointed arches which impart a strong ecclesiastical flavour to the building.

As the school expanded extensions to the Convent and a large Chapel were needed. John Wiltshire Pender was again the architect and the cost approximately 1500 pounds.

Work was completed in 1904.

The extensions to the convent were generally consistent with the original but the roof was of slate and the brick bond Flemish instead of English.

The Chapel, designed in traditional Gothic style, is built of exposed variegated brick with bands of white brick and stone dressings. The roof is of hammerbeam construction and lined with varnished boards. The roof covering is slate broken up by a number of ventilating dormerettes.

The convent building was originally designed to accommodate nuns on the ground and first floors with a dormitory for boarders on the top floor. In later years, the building was used as classrooms and fell into disrepair towards the end of the 1970’s, although it always remained structurally sound.

In 1980 there was public controversy over a move to demolish the building to make way for a K-Mart development. The Tamworth Historical Society enlisted the help of the National Trust of NSW, who gave the building a “Classified Listing”, the reason being that it was a “dignified three-storeyed building with an imposing presence in the streetscape”.

The heritage Council put in place a Conservation Order on the Convent, Chapel and fence, describing the complex as “magnificent”.

Ownership of the site was transferred to the Minister for Planning and Environment.

In July 1980, the Public Works Department prepared a feasibility study for possible uses of the building. The Heritage Council selected an option that would provide accommodation for the Tamworth Office of the Public Works Department, Tamworth Regional Music Centre and Tamworth Arts & Craft Society.

The Public Works Department then undertook the construction phase of the project. The restoration involved some skills not commonly used today. These included matching the elaborate timber moulding, architraves and doors and the painting of stencilled designs on the walls. The external façade of the building was cleaned and all painted surfaces were repaired and painted using the original colours. The total cost of the restoration was $620,000, a modest amount compared with the cost of building such facilities from scratch.

In 1993 the Public Works Department vacated the building and ownership was transferred to the University of New England.

Tamworth Regional Conservatorium leased the building for a peppercorn rent, but is totally responsible for its maintenance.

In 2003-2004, major repairs were undertaken on the stained-glass windows in the Chapel. The windows were removed and transported to a workshop in Kangaroo Valley where they were cleaned, re-leaded and rebuilt prior to being returned to Tamworth.

During 2007 renovation of the Chapel and relocation of the stage were completed. Work undertaken included demolition, stage and seating tier construction, repairs to major cracks, plastering, electrical works, modification of doors, cleaning of walls, pest control, internal painting as well as carpeting and floor sanding.

The reworking of the layout of the Chapel proved most successful with benefits including better sight lines for the audience, better access for performers and use of ground floor studios as 'green' rooms.

The Conservatorium building is a marvellous example of the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of a threatened heritage building.  It is now a valued asset to Tamworth and district in keeping with its history and heritage.