How things have changed

Discovered during the re-carpeting works at the Horsham Library, were some old photo prints. Unfortunately the backs of the prints were blank and they had no documentation with them – so no title, description or dates.

Some were reasonable easy to identify. One particularly interesting one was this.

It took a moment to orientate oneself to work out it would have been taken from the old Post Office tower looking east south-east to the old 298 School. Works out it was part of a larger panoramic of Firebrace Street looking south.

It is possibly easier to understand it as a ‘now and then’. The ‘now’ is a composite of two photos taken from in the State Government Offices (in 2016 as part of the Art Is tour, and why there is a bird-net over the images).

Here is another of the same panoramic scene from the Post Office tower, taken at a later date, spot the changes – the brick St Michael & St John, rooms & buildings added to the school, the Methodist Church is also brick and the Jubilee Hall has been built, and the Presbyterian Church has a tower.

Further investigation was needed to calculate a date, or range of dates for the old photograph, and to ascertain the fate of some of the buildings depicted.

The Water Tower

The brick tower in McLachlan Street was built in 1875 when Horsham’s water was pumped from the Wimmera River. The original steam boiler pumping station was at the end of Baillie Street and fed water up wood-staved pipes to the tower till 1911. In May 1933 Horsham’s water came from Lake Wartook via the Mount Zero station. The new gravity-fed supply did not require the tower to provide pressure, so the Council staff dismantled it. The tower was approximately 15m high.

From "The story of Horsham", with captions added

The current concrete water tower at the corner of Mill & Gertrude Streets was erected in 1956 as suburbia extended into the higher ground to the north & west.

In McLachlan Street showing the Water Tower, the State Government Offices & the Post Office

The Power Station

Prior to the SEC (State Electricity Commission) when Horsham generated its own electricity, the power station was next to the water tower. Power arrived in Horsham in 1955, and it was connected to the state grid in 1958. The SEC built their offices (now the CFA offices) on the power station site.

298 School

Horsham School No.298 began as a National School in January 1857, in a two-room dwelling previously used as a private school. Richard Spry built the new one-room school and four-room residence on a site on the west half of the block of land bounded by Wilson, Hamilton, Urquhart & McPherson Streets. In 1862 the Horsham National School became Common School No. 298, but the school buildings were overcrowded and dilapidated beyond repair. In 1874, 2 acres were reserved for a State School. In 1877 a new school was built on land enclosed by Roberts Avenue, Urquhart and McLachlan Streets, however the brick building of 2 large rooms was overcrowded from the outset. In 1878 a verandah was enclosed to make 2 extra classrooms. In 1880 a further 2 rooms were added, and another in 1890. In 1902 a dead-end corridor was enclosed as another room. In 1929 the school was remodelled and a new section constructed of Mt Gambier stone. A brick building (one of the 3 main buildings), which housed 3 grades, library and staffroom was demolished in 1966 and replaced by 4 prefabricated units. The Police acquired part of the 298 site in 1967. In 1970 there were 13 classrooms, library, art-craft room & remedial room. 298 was re-established on a site in Baillie St East at Sunnyside in 1975 when half the children were still taught at Urquhart Street.

298 looking from Urquhart Street, with the Court House in the background

The 298 school buildings were demolished and a new complex - Civic Centre (for both the City of Horsham & the Shire of Wimmera) and the Department of Education’s Regional Office – was erected on the old school site. The new Police Station & Commissioner’s Residence opened in May 1980, 2 months after the Civic Centre.

Wesleyan Methodist Church 

The weatherboard Methodist Church (Turner postcard)

The original 1876 weatherboard building was moved to the corner of Roberts Avenue (then Splatt Street) & Urquhart Street in 1882 by a team of 24 bullocks & 2 horses. A new timber building was erected in 1902. 

The brick & timber buildings (Williams postcard)

A new brick building opened in 1912 and the old weatherboard building was turned to face Roberts Avenue. In 1924 the Church celebrated its Jubilee with the opening of a new Sunday School Hall. In 1936-41 the front of the Church was rebuilt, the chapel enlarged & new porches added. It joined the Uniting Church in 1976, but services were still held there in the 1980s. It became the Wesley Performing Arts Centre who added a new foyer & kitchenette to the facade.

The brick church & Jubilee Hall (Palamountain postcard)

St Andrews Presbyterian Church 

The Presbyterian Church prior to the tower (Rose postcard)

A small brick church was erected in 1860 at the corner of Pynsent & Urquhart Streets. In 1874 the building was condemned & demolished. A new McKenzie Creek stone church & manse were built in 1875. It was enlarged in 1928 with a tower & porch added. 

The church with its tower & the Masonic Temple behind (Valentine postcard)

The stone church building was demolished in 1962 and the current building opened in Nov 1963 utilising the original stone on all exposed walls. 

St Michael and St John's Catholic Church

The first Catholic Church was wooden structure, erected in 1876. It was situated in the middle of the block bordered by McLachlan Street and Splatt Street. It was placed across the block running east to west. In 1913 a new red brick Church facing Roberts Avenue was opened and the old church building became the school. The current church was opened in 1987, and again the old building was used by the school, till it was demolished in 1997. 

S.S. Michael & John's Church with the Presbytery to the left & the Convent on the right (Rose postcard) 

The Court House 

The Court House & Police Station to the left (George Ryan postcard)

The first Court House was in Darlot Street in 1849. It then moved to a timber building in Splatt Street (Roberts Avenue) in 1860-62. The timber building was replaced by the colonial-style two-storey building in 1879. 

The Police Station with a front verandah, the Court House & 298 school (Real Photograhic Postcards)

In turn this was demolished and the current building erected on the site in 1967. 

 Court House from '"Horsham in focus"

So when was the mystery photograph taken? We can narrow it down to between 1902 and 1912.

It all comes down to the Methodist Church. The timber church building is in Splatt Street, and is yet to be moved and replaced by the brick building.

We welcome any further information on the buildings or dates, in the Comments section.

Sources: “The story of Horsham” by Brian Brooke & Alan Finch;  “Horsham in Focus: 1849-1999” by Noelene Jenkinson;  Australian Christian Church Histories (https://www.churchhistories.net.au);   “Greetings from Horsham: Picture Postcards from the Past” (http://greetingsfromhorsham.au);  Trove newspapers.