WA founder's grave 'not rare enough'
Efforts to save the gravesite of WA's founder Capt. James Stirling from redevelopment in Britain have been dealt a blow after the site was refused heritage protection.
English Heritage, the British Government body charged with protecting historic structures in England, has rejected an application to heritage-list the 1865 cross and grave of WA's first governor, saying it is "not sufficiently rare".
"Although of national interest, the significance of Sir James Stirling's contribution to British colonial history is not enough to make the grave worthy of inclusion on the National Heritage List for England," English Heritage designation co-ordinator Katy Mack told concerned Guildford residents by letter this week.
St John's Stoke Church in Guildford, Surrey, where Stirling is buried, plans to sell its churchyard for a housing development and is working through the Anglican Church's approvals process.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Guildford confirmed objections from "many West Australians" were among the 150 responses received during a recent public consultation on the plan, after a report in _The West Australian _ in January.
Although overall the responses were split evenly, for and against, the church also received a British-based petition with 1200 signatures urging it not to sell the land.
"St John's values highly its links with WA and is working closely with the family descendants of Sir James and Lady Ellen Stirling and the hope of the church is that through this process a new, a fitting memorial will be created in their memory," the spokesman said. The plans will now go before a bishop for consideration on April 22.
Perth man Sid Breeden, who has been working towards creating a "more fitting" memorial to the Stirlings at Guildford for five years, said he was pleased by the response from West Australians to the public consultation.
He said the WA Government had contributed financially to remembering the Stirlings at St John's Stoke in various ways since the late 1970s and West Australians had a right to a say in future developments.
The State contributed to restoring Stirling's headstone, which had been moved and found broken into eight pieces in 1979.
As a result of the headstone's removal, the exact location of Stirling's remains is unclear, though there are several theories, including one that the proposed development would not affect Stirling's resting place.
