Australians visit the town to see distinctive building

The Australian visitors at The White Tower

FANS of an architect travelled around the world to pay homage to his work in Bognor Regis.

The 17 Australians made the journey of thousands of miles to see the creativity and design skills of John Hawes.

Mr Hawes created The White Tower in Aldwick Road in 1898 in the arts and crafts style, though with the appearance of art deco, as his first building.

His anonymity in Bognor Regis is in contrast to the fame given to his life and work in Western Australia where he settled as a priest from 1915-39.

Among those on Tuesday's visit of about two hours was Pat Mills, 82, of Geraldton. She was baptised by Mr Hawes in her local church in the nearby town of Mullewa.

"It's amazing to see this building and it's made me a bit teary," she said. "It's m not just about his skills as a architect but about him as a man. He lived so frugally.

"He never asked for money or material things. He designed 44 churches and s priest houses in Western Australia, though not all of them were built.

"Mullewa is only a small town of 700- -800 people but it has a lovely church that he built. I was only four when he left Australia so I didn't know him but my brother and sister did.

"My mother was English and went to Australia to live on a farm. There weren't many English people in that small town so she and John Hawes struck up a rapport. He had time for everybody."

In honour of the visit, a temporary blue plaque in memory of Mr Hawes (1876- 1956) was put on the four-storey house in advance of the permanent plaque as part of a new heritage trail.

The visit was arranged by local historian and Post columnist Sylvia Endacott. She found out on the internet about the esteem in which Mr Hawes is held in Australia.

A heritage project has been based around him and a museum dedicated to him opened in Geraldton in 2016.

She was told about the 19-day pilgrimage around Mr Hawes' work in England and the Bahamas and arranged with the owners of The White Tower, who did not want to be publicly named, for the exclusive tour of a building designed by Mr Hawes as a summer house for himself and his two brothers.

She said: "I am honoured to do this. Who would have thought the architect of a building in Bognor Regis would be so well-known in Australia?"

Another of the visitors, Geraldton resident Tony Cricth, 70, said: "The effort that has gone into this is fantastic. I hope it is the start of a stronger connection with Geraldton."

The White House has many of its original features thanks to being kept in the Hawes family until 2010. The current owners gave keepsakes about the building to the visitors.