Old Bathurst Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Bathurst Hospital |
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| Location | Howick Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1880–1886 |
| Architect | William Boles |
| Owner | NSW Department of Health |
| Official name: Bathurst District Hospital; Bathurst Base Hospital (excl later additions to northeast & cancer care cottage) | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 815 |
| Type | Hospital |
| Category | Health Services |
| Builders | J. Willet |
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The Old Bathurst Hospital is a heritage-listed hospital building at Howick Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. Formerly the main building of the Bathurst Hospital, it was conserved and restored when a new hospital was built on the same site in 2006–2008, and is now used as consulting suites and an education centre for the new hospital. The building was designed by William Boles and built from 1880 to 1886 by J Willet. It was also known as Bathurst District Hospital or Bathurst Base Hospital before the redevelopment. The property is owned by the NSW Department of Health. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Description
Grounds
The Bathurst Hospital complex is best described as a collection of buildings set within a simple landscape of grass and trees. The front entrance, at the high point of the site, is formal in layout, designed to reinforce and complement the street facade of the original 1880s hospital building. The location of the entrance on Howick Street, with its views over the park to the north-east and panorama of the surrounding countryside, together with the formality of the landscape lends a quality of grandeur and importance to the main entrance. The front boundary is defined by a low brick wall, with entrance and exit gate posts which open on to the semi-circular driveway and simple garden planting containing a stone-edged plot of lawn, rockery and pergola and two very large (1890) Southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) from America.
The remainder of the grounds is dominated by various, well-established exotic trees (mostly cypresses (Cupressus spp./cv.), wide expanses of grass and small garden beds planted with dwarf heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica 'Nana') and golden cypress.
The earliest known plantings on the site were several trees including the Southern live oaks, by a local man Mr Thomson and his son, on Arbor Day 1890.
Further landscaping commenced in 1896 after an inspection of the grounds by the gardener employed by Bathurst Council. From that time additional trees were planted around the building, at the front and rear and garden beds were established near the entrance.
A 1920s photograph shows that part of the picket fence had been replaced. A low brick wall with entry gate posts, surmounted by lights, had been built in front of the main hospital entrance.
In addition to the formal entry, there are two obvious stages of landscape development on site. These are the landscape to the north of the site, most likely post construction of the Maternity and Children's wards in the early 1940s which included a number of Himalayan cedars (Cedrus deodara) and construction and planting of various garden beds with rock or Koppers log edging. These are planted with dwarf heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica 'Nana') and golden cypress (Cupressus sp./cv.) and other assorted shrubs, particularly in the south-west section of the site, which is likely to have occurred post-1980.
Old hospital building complex
This is a large late Victorian hospital complex in the second empire style. The two-storey hospital consists of a central administrative area with a tower, and operating theatre block flanked by long wings, with the men's wards on one side and women's on the other. Arcaded covered ways link the blocks and corner pavilions which are used for specific functions with octagonal operating theatres. Two storey arcaded verandahs run full length of the main facade. Construction is of brick with hipped iron roof and moulded string courses.
Constructed in Bathurst bricks; verandahs are decorated with timber posts, arched brackets and cast iron balustrades. The roofs are clad in iron sheeting. The architectural style is Federation Filigree.
