Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery |
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery, 1994
|
|
| Location | 28 Capper Street, Gayndah, North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919 - 1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1922 |
| Official name: Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery, Overells | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 8 August 1994 |
| Reference no. | 601470 |
| Significant period | 1920s (fabric) 1922-ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | toilet block/earth closet/water closet, furniture/fittings, shed/s |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery is a historic shop located in Gayndah, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1922 and is also known as Overells. This building is special because it's listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's an important part of Queensland's history and culture.
Contents
A Look Back at Mellors Drapery
This single-storey building was finished in 1922. It was built for a company called Overells Pty Ltd. This new building replaced an older one that burned down in May 1921.
Gayndah's Early Days
The town of Gayndah was officially started in 1849. It grew as a hub for large sheep farms in the Burnett area. These farms were set up in the 1840s. Early growth was thanks to determined "squatters." Squatters were people who settled on land without officially owning it. For a short time, Gayndah was even thought to be a rival to Brisbane as Queensland's capital.
Gayndah also became an important administrative center. Gayndah State School opened in 1861. A post office and court house were also built. A bank, the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, opened in 1864. In 1867, a local government, the Borough of Gayndah, was formed. By the late 1800s, cattle farming became more popular than sheep. Citrus orchards also grew well. These activities helped Gayndah develop from the early 1900s.
The Shop's First Owners
The land where the shop stands was bought by Andrew Brown in 1858. Then Francis Brown, a storekeeper, owned it in 1864. Old documents mention houses and buildings, possibly a shop, on this spot. After Francis died in 1910, Martin Conrad Stephenson bought the land in 1911. He was a store manager in Gayndah.
Later in 1911, William Henry Williams, a merchant from Maryborough, bought the land. It's likely that Overells started renting the shop from Williams around 1912. Photos show the building was split into two shops. One side was Overells, and the other was Ford's Cash Store.
Fires and Rebuilding
Between May and July 1921, three fires hit Gayndah's main street. Nine shops were destroyed, including the Overells and Fords building. Overells lost about £3000, which was a lot of money back then. Soon after the fire, Overells bought the land. They started rebuilding their shop by August 1921. People said the new building would be "an imposing structure."
Overells started in Brisbane in the early 1880s. William James Overell moved there from Tasmania. He opened a store in Fortitude Valley in 1883. Another store opened on Queen Street in 1891. Floods in 1893 destroyed all the stock in the Queen Street store. The Fortitude Valley store moved around 1901 and was destroyed by fire in 1904. It was rebuilt the next year. By 1910, Overells had many country branches, including Charleville, Laidley, and Pittsworth.
The new Gayndah store was finished in early 1922. A former employee remembered the re-opening as a big celebration for Gayndah. In June 1933, all Overells stores had a 50th anniversary sale.
Mellors Takes Over
Ownership of the shop changed hands a few times. In 1954, Cedric Mellor leased the shop for ten years. He was part of the firm Reddan and Mellor. This company, General Drapers and Boot and Shoe Warehousemen, started in 1886 in Bundaberg. It was founded by Michael Reddan and William Mellor (Cedric's father).
Mellors Pty Ltd bought the Gayndah shop in 1963. John Mellor, William Mellor's grandson, has been the Managing Director since 1973. The back of the building was extended in the 1960s.
What Mellors Drapery Looks Like
Mellors Drapery is easy to spot on Gayndah's main street. It's a single-storey, rectangular building. It is made of concrete and timber, with a corrugated iron roof.
Outside the Shop
The front of the shop faces north-northeast. It has a balanced design. There's a sloped roof over the footpath, held up by five timber posts. Below this awning is a glass shopfront. Above it is a fancy wall called a parapet. This parapet hides the roof behind it. It has a raised middle section with the store's name.
Most of the outside walls are made of strong reinforced concrete. The timber roof slopes down at the back. A small, raised section called a roof lantern is on the roof's highest point.
The shop front has three large display windows. There are two doors set back between them. A strip of frosted glass above the windows lets light into the shop. Each entrance has double timber doors leading right inside.
Inside the Shop
The inside is one big open space. A line of large timber posts runs down the middle. These posts hold up a timber beam from the front to the back of the store. Traditionally, men's items were on one side and women's on the other. High windows are on the east side wall. The opposite wall has no windows.
A cool feature is a suspended wire system. It connects the service areas to a raised cash desk at the back. An ornate metal and timber cash carrier, known as a "flying fox," uses these wires. It transports change between the service areas and the cash desk.
The ceiling is flat with fibrous cement panels. Some panels have decorative vents and metal ceiling roses. A large skylight in the middle of the ceiling lets in light. The floor is covered with carpet squares. The shop still has many original timber fittings. These include shelves, counters, and display cabinets. A small extension was added to the back of the store.
At the back, double timber doors open to concrete steps. These steps lead to the backyard. In the yard, there's a timber shed and a small brick toilet block. You can get to the yard from Pineapple Street.
Why Mellors Drapery is Important
Mellors Drapery and Haberdashery was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 8 August 1994. This means it's recognized as a very important historical place.
Showing History
This shop, built by 1922, stands on land that has been a store site since the late 1800s. It shows how Gayndah grew as a business center for the Burnett area.
Rare and Special Features
The inside of the shop is almost exactly as it was. It still has its shelves, display cabinets, and counters. It even has the old way of organizing goods into departments. This is rare to see today. The "flying fox" cash dispenser is especially unique. It shows how money was handled in the early 1900s.
A Great Example
Mellors is a fantastic example of a medium-sized country store. It has kept its original concrete structure, shop front, and elegant interior. It also shows how the store was managed and served customers in the past.
Connecting to Important People
This store was built in the early 1920s as a country branch of Overells Pty Ltd. Overells was once a major department store in Queensland. Mellors also has a strong link to the Mellor family. They have been involved in retail in central Queensland since 1886.
