Heritage Perth

Author Archive

According to Bible Historians, this year is the 400th anniversary of the first publication of the King James Bible.

To celebrate this important anniversary, Heritage Perth Heritage Days 2011 is planning to mount an exhibition of family Bibles in St George’s Cathedral.

The fascinating history of the King James Bible starts in January 1604 when a fraction of the Church of England labeled as Puritans, declared their concerns with current translations of the bible. In response, King James I of England convened the Hampton Court Conference where a new English version was conceived.

Following the conference, the King gave instructions to the translators that were intended to limit the Puritan influence on this new translation. He believed the new translation should reflect the then current structure of the Church of England, and traditional beliefs about the role of ordained clergy.

Seven years after this conference, the King James Version of the Bible, popularly known as the ‘Authorised Version’ saw the first light of day. Whilst not by any means the first English translation of the Bible, the King James Version is considered to be one of the English language’s most pre-eminent books.

Many families have a Bible that has been handed down through successive generations. These treasures often include additional information about the family’s history such as; births, marriages, deaths, baptisms, family letters, newspaper cuttings and photographs.

If you have an old family Bible that you would be willing to loan to the safe hands of Heritage Perth for part of November 2011, please contact Richard Offen on (08) 9461 3244.

HERITAGE PERTH HERITAGE DAYS

SATURDAY 12 & SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2011

Now in its third year, Heritage Perth Heritage Days 2011 will be held across the weekend of 12 and 13 November.

Once again Perth will play host to this historical event when thousands of people will converge on the streets, buildings, parks, theatres, museums, libraries and hotels to celebrate its heritage.

Executive Director of Heritage Perth Richard Offen said “Given the success of the past two years we are looking forward to capacity attendances once again. I have long believed that people were interested in the history of our city, and the growing attendances over the last two years show just how much they care about our heritage. “We look forward to presenting this year’s event, which offers something for everyone to enjoy”.

An exciting program of FREE activities is planned, which aims to make the weekend Perth’s biggest ever heritage event that will showcase the City’s history going back many thousands of years. The expanded 2011 program will include numerous exciting new venues and activities including; Craftsmen interactive displays, a family Bible exhibition, kids activities at the Art Gallery of WA and an art exhibition – “Heroes and Villains of the Swan” at The Old Court House Museum.

The extremely popular garden events continue and are expanding in 2011 to include the Harold Boas Gardens. First developed as Delhi Square in the 1900’s, this ‘paradise garden’ along with Stirling Gardens, the historic Queens Garden and Government House Gardens will host “Meet the Gardiner” tours.

From the amazing and extraordinary to the unique and quirky there will be talks, tours, performances, food experiences, music and activities for all ages that celebrate the people, places, buildings and events that have made Perth great.

Heritage Perth Heritage Days activities are FREE fun for all the people of all ages. This weekend offers the entire family the opportunity to have access to places and events that are not usually available to the public.

HERITAGE PERTH HERITAGE DAYS

SATURDAY 12 & SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2011

Heritage Days 2010

Heritage Perth is delighted to announce that two key partners, City of Perth and Lotterywest, have once again generously pledged their financial support for this year’s Heritage Perth Heritage Days event.

“Heritage Perth Heritage Days offers the entire family the opportunity to have free access to places and events that are not usually available to the public. The event celebrates the fantastic heritage places of Perth in a way that is both informative and fun.” Richard Offen, Executive Director of Heritage Perth, explained.

“Last year, during Heritage Days weekend, over 17,000 people to take part in 100 activities based at 32 locations in the city centre. The grants from the City of Perth and Lotterywest will enable us to ensure that the event is bigger than ever before, giving everyone the chance to dip into an exciting programme of free heritage activities.”

Heritage Perth Heritage Days takes place over the weekend of 12/13th November.

The activation of under utilised spaces such as upper floors, often in heritage buildings, has created affordable and interesting spaces which are proving popular for many commercial and creative activities.

Heritage Perth is the proud to be a key partner of Spacemarket, an online interface for the exchange of floor space across central Perth. Spacemarket seeks to stimulate inactive and under-utilised spaces in city buildings by pairing non-tenanted spaces with people who have a desire to use them.

Spacemarket is seeking to reactivate the city’s disused spaces to provide sustainable and affordable accommodation for businesses that have not previously attempted to secure inner-city locations. The project is thus helping to create a more vibrant and attractive urban environment for the benefit of the city as a whole.

In a society that is increasingly concerned about sustainability and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, the conservation and use of older buildings can play a significant role in achieving sustainable urban environments through reductions in the emissions by energy saving and reduction in refuse. Heritage buildings not only contribute to our quality of life by adding character and a sense of place to our landscapes, they also play a significant role in creating a sustainable future for our planet.

Spacemarket is a not-for-profit organisation that offers its service free to all users. If you are a property owner or managing agent and have underutilised empty space or if your business is looking for a space in the city visit http://www.spacemarket.com.au/and contact the Spacemarket team.

Following extensive research, archaeologist Gaye Nayton has penned WA’s first book on the State’s archaeological heritage –“The Archaeology of Market Capitalism”.

In order to celebrate the publication of the first book on the archaeology of Western Australia, we are giving you the chance to win a signed copy of Gaye’s book.

To enter the competition, simply send an e-mail to [email protected]

Entry closes Friday 12 August 2011. The first name out of the hat wins the book. Winners will be contacted and announced in the Spring Heritage Perth Newsletter.

The Heritage Perth June 2011 Newsletter is now on the streets!

Packed full of news items, forthcoming events and short articles, this publication is a must for anyone interested in the heritage of Perth.

To download an electronic copy, please click here [PDF: 711 KB]

Every Monday morning at around 7.15 am, Executive Director of Heritage Perth, Richard Offen, joins ABC 720’s ‘Breakfast’ program presenter Eoin Cameron to talk about the heritage of Perth and Western Australia.

Each week Eoin and Richard chat about some aspect of our history and heritage. So far the topics have ranged from early Swan River Colony buildings to Perth’s public monuments and from churches to pubs and inns …you just never know what’s coming next!

Tune in to ABC 720 every Monday morning at 7.15, or listen to the podcast of each week’s heritage slot by clicking here and going to the 720 Breakfast web page.

The Supreme Court of Western Australia is celebrating an important milestone in 2011. In June, the Court will mark the 150th anniversary since its formal establishment in 1861. A range of activities will take place throughout the year, with a weekend of celebrations commencing on Friday, 17 June.

Visit the Supreme Court web site for more information by clicking here.

The WA branch of the Australian Garden History Society is holding a photographic exhibition ‘Historic Gardens of Perth’ in the ground floor exhibition space of the Perth Town Hall from 13 – 23 May.

The exhibition will cover a selection of Perth gardens ranging from plant nurseries, market gardens, private pleasure gardens and public parks, most of them within the city precinct.

By highlighting many largely unknown gardens, the exhibition will provide an overview of horticulture practice and the changing trends that resulted from the growth and development of the city. As well as showcasing private gardens, it will look at the role played by certain public officials and municipal gardeners, who, in guiding plant selection and garden design, laid the foundation of the current city streetscapes.

The exhibition, which is being funded by the WA branch and the National Management Committee of the Australian Garden History Society, with generous assistance from the City of Perth, will promote the importance of parks and gardens in the history of Perth. Much of the supporting research and material of this significant part of the city’s cultural heritage has not been viewed by the broader public, and will be brought together for the first time.

Held to commemorate the twenty-first anniversary of the WA branch of the Australian Garden History Society, the exhibition aims to raise awareness of the role and work of the society in the local community, and will draw on the research and curatorial expertise of John Viska, Lisa Williams, Elizabeth Hof, Gillian Lilleyman and Ruth Morgan.

After the exhibition closes, research and graphic display material will be donated to the local studies collection at the City of Perth Library, expanding and extending the material’s accessibility to the general public.

Historic Gardens Exhibition

Australian Heritage Week is a new annual national celebration of Australia’s unique heritage which will run from Thursday 14 April until Wednesday 20 April 2011. It is an opportunity for all Australians to join together to celebrate our shared and special heritage.

Celebrate By Taking Part in a Heritage Perth Guided Lunchtime Walk:

Look Up Perth

18th & 20th April at 12.30 pm

Many people claim that Perth has virtually no heritage buildings left in its city centre, suggesting most of the older buildings were demolished in the 1960s and 70s to make way for the ‘concrete giants’ which now dominate the city skyline. Whilst it is true many of our older buildings have gone, there are still plenty left, most of which goes totally unnoticed.

During his lunchtime ‘Look Up Perth’ walks, Executive Director of Heritage Perth, Richard Offen, will reveal the history of some of Perth’s superb wealth of heritage buildings, telling the stories of their origins and the people behind their creation. From the city’s fine Town Hall to Perth’s answer to New York’s Art-Deco skyscrapers, Richard will demonstrate how important these places to the creation of Perth’s unique ‘sense of place.’

The walks commence at 12.30 pm from Perth Town Hall and last approximately 50 minutes.

Booking is essential as the number per walk is limited to 25.

To book send an e-amil to [email protected] or telephone 9461 3244.