Bartlam's Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bartlam's Store |
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Bartlam's Store (now Zara Clark Museum), 1986
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| Location | Mosman Street, Charters Towers, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1891 - 1940s |
| Official name: Bartlam's Store (former), Burns Philp & Company Limited, Wright Heaton & Company, Zara Clark Museum | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600409 |
| Significant period | 1890s, 1901,1940s (fabric) c. 1891- 1940s, 1940s-1976 (historical) |
| Significant components | loading bay/dock |
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Bartlam's Store is a special old building in Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. It used to be two separate shops, but now it's a museum called the Zara Clark Museum. This building is important because it shows us what life was like in Charters Towers a long time ago. It was built around 1891 and has been used by different companies over the years. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its historical value.
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History of Bartlam's Store
The former Bartlam's Store is made up of two brick buildings. They were once separate shops but have been joined together. These buildings were part of a busy shopping area in Charters Towers in the late 1800s.
Charters Towers Gold Rush
Gold was found in Charters Towers in late 1871. Soon, it became the richest gold mining area in North Queensland. In 1877, Charters Towers became a town. A railway was built, making it easy to send gold to the port at Townsville. This helped the town grow quickly.
Charters Towers gold was deep underground. Special equipment was needed to get it out. Money for this came from investors far away. The town became very rich and offered many jobs. It had schools, churches, newspapers, and even a hospital. By the late 1880s, grand public buildings replaced older, simpler ones. Gold production was highest in 1899, and the town's population reached 26,500 people.
Early Businesses in the Building
The land where Bartlam's Store stands was sold in 1882. One part was bought by William Jackson. Later, in 1898, it was sold to Wright Heaton and Company Limited. This company was a large business that moved goods and sold farm products. They came to Charters Towers in 1882 when the railway opened.
Wright Heaton built their part of the store in 1901. They leased it to other businesses over the years. In 1925, Bartlam's Limited, another general merchant company, bought this part of the building. They supplied goods to farms in Western Queensland.
Burns Philp and Company Limited
The building next door was built for Burns Philp and Company Limited. This was a very important trading company. James Burns started a store in Gympie in 1867, working with mining towns. In 1872, he started his own business in Townsville. Robert Philp joined him in 1874.
In 1883, they formed Burns Philp and Company Limited. This company quickly became a leader in trade in North Queensland. They sold many different kinds of goods. They also became big in trading across the Pacific Ocean and in New Guinea.
In Charters Towers, Burns Philp built their new store in 1891. It was designed by architects Eyre and Munro. The building cost a lot of money, about £3500. Part of it was offices, and part was a store. It was a large building with a fancy front, just like other important buildings in Charters Towers at the time.
From Shops to Museum
Gold mining in Charters Towers slowed down after 1899. By 1920, most mines had closed. Many people and businesses left the town.
The Burns Philp building was sold in 1921 to Selina Vicks. Her husband, Thomas Vicks, ran a grocery store there. Burns Philp eventually moved out around 1940. The Vicks grocery store also closed around that time. In 1944, Bartlam's bought this building too. Bartlam's then changed both buildings to work as one large store.
Bartlam's company closed in 1976. In 1978, the building was put up for sale. People were worried it might be torn down. To save it, the National Trust of Queensland bought the building. They used money left to them by Miss Zara Clark. This is how the "Zara Clark Museum" started. The museum now has a large collection of local history items. These include old vehicles, farm machines, household items, mining tools, and many photos.
Bartlam's Store is important today because it helps us remember what Mosman Street was like. It was once a long row of busy shops and businesses. Many of those old buildings are gone now.
What Bartlam's Store Looks Like
The former Bartlam's Store in Charters Towers has two brick buildings. They are similar in size and design. They are located at the corner of Mosman and Mary Streets.
Both buildings have a decorative parapet (a low wall at the edge of the roof). This wall hides a gable roof (a roof with two sloping sides) covered with corrugated iron (wavy metal sheets). A street awning (a roof-like cover) stretches along the Mosman Street side and around the corner of Mary Street. This awning is held up by cast iron posts. Inside, both buildings have a high storage area. They also have delivery doors at the back that open into a yard with a loading platform.
The building on the corner of Mosman and Mary Streets used to be the Wright Heaton office. It has an entrance on the corner and sash windows (windows that slide up and down) along both streets. This suggests it was built as offices. The other building, which was the Burns Philp store, has two parts: a shop next to the corner building and an office. Each part has its own entrance. The office part still has its original walls and doors.
The outside of the building looks much like it did originally. The front shop window has been replaced with glass. The entrance to the shop is now a glass door. The parapet above the shop front is supported by decorative columns (tall, round supports). The bottom part of the shop front, below the window, is made of cast iron with a unique pattern.
Why Bartlam's Store is Important
The former Bartlam's Store was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it is a very important historical place.
Queensland's History
Charters Towers was a very rich goldfield. It helped Queensland's economy grow a lot, especially in the North. Bartlam's Store housed companies that provided important goods and services. These companies helped the gold mining and farming industries. The fancy fronts of the buildings show how important these businesses were. They also show how rich and confident the goldfield was in the late 1800s.
Building Design
Bartlam's Store is a good example of commercial buildings from the late Victorian era. It shows how businesses worked back then. It combined office space and retail shops with practical areas for loading goods.
Beautiful Building
The building looks very nice and adds to the visual appeal of Mosman Street. It helps us understand how big and important this business area was when Charters Towers was at its wealthiest.
Special Connections
The building is connected to important companies in Queensland's history. These include Burns Philp and Company Limited, Wright Heaton, and Bartlam's. These companies were vital for the development of Queensland.
