The Wollaston College Chapel is a dominant feature on the Wollaston site and has an important part in the history of the Anglican Diocese in Perth.
The Chapel was consecrated by Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, on 2 April, 1965.
In 2023 it won the Richard Roach Jewell Award for Enduring Architecture. Designed by Hungarian-born architect Julius William Elischer, the Chapel has no set place for the altar or for any furniture, to enable the space to be configured in multiple ways. Its design is a bold departure from traditional church buildings and reflects the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s. The vision is of a ‘tent of meeting’. The stark white interior is punctuated by deep-set windows of different coloured glass. The concave ceiling appears to ‘float’ above the building, owing to clear glass panels between the tops of the thick concrete walls and the roof itself. Light ‘flickers’ through the coloured glass and through the ‘clerestory’, suggesting the movement of light through canvas walls and under a canvas roof. The original floor, laid by students even on the morning of the Consecration, are deliberately earth-coloured bricks: this ‘tent’ rests solidly on God’s good earth. Furthermore, the walls of the Chapel resist any ‘straight lines’, again suggesting the billowing of the canvas.
Solvitur ambulando – It is solved by walking (St Augustine of Hippo)
From medieval times, pilgrimage has been important in Christian spirituality. While arriving at the destination (usually the shrine of a saint or a significant place in the life of Christ or the saints) was the main goal, it was also recognised that the walk or journey was also a vital part of the pilgrimage. For some, long walks were difficult. So the habit of prayerful and meditative walking in one place developed. Initially this could be as simple as monks and nuns walking around the cloisters of their abbey or convent. In time, the practice was extended. In this context, labyrinths became popular from the Middle Ages.
One of the most famous Christian labyrinths was at Chartres Cathedral in France. Interestingly, Chartres Cathedral was, itself, a great site of pilgrimage. As the Cathedral was rebuilt (c. 1220 C.E.) to accommodate the many pilgrims, a labyrinth was installed in the floor.
The labyrinth at Wollaston is a scaled replica of the Chartres Labyrinth. It was built because, increasingly, churches and other people interested in the inner human journey are discovering the value of walking and praying. As the Wollaston Labyrinth is outdoors, though at the side of the Chapel, people are welcome to walk it at any time. Groups wishing to use it, however, should contact the College to make a booking.
