Christ Church Grammar School Chapel

Opened in 1970 by the Archbishop and awarded the WA Bronze Medal that year, the Christ Church Grammar School Chapel continues to be the heart of the school.

Being nearly 50 years old, the Chapel was ready for maintenance and improvements. The refurbishment brought the building to Code Compliance, updated the infrastructure, increased the seating capacity, and provided greater functionality within the forecourt.

Additional seating capacity was achieved by rebuilding and extending the mezzanine within the nave space. Cross-ventilation, lighting and audio-visual equipment improve the interior environment, and the north-facing facade now features full-width bi-folding glass doors that open onto a paved terrace below a new canopy. These features extend the Chapel’s use and enable the School to host outdoor events on the terrace and grassed forecourt.  

Famously, the chapel is without stained-glass windows as its location atop Claremont Bay’s escarpment and the design’s large southern windows affords parishioners impressive vistas of the Swan River. Natural light floods the interior and distinctive joinery and pipe organ embellish the architecture with a richly detailed and warm character.

In respecting the cultural and heritage value of the Chapel, the restoration and refurbishment were made in accordance with the principles of the Burra Charter.