Old King's School, Parramatta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old King's School |
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| Location | O'Connell Street, Parramatta, City of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1833– |
| Architect | Various including Ambrose Hallen; Blacket Brothers; Moorhouse & Isaacs; Power Adam & Munnings |
| Owner | NSW Department of Health |
| Official name: Marsden Rehabilitation Centre Group; The Kings School (former); The Old King's School; Former King's School; Laurel House | |
| Type | State heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 826 |
| Type | Hospital |
| Category | Health Services |
| Builders | Various including C. A. Millyard; W. Noller |
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The Old King's School is a special historic place in Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It used to be a school for boys, then a place to help people get better (a rehabilitation centre), and now it's the Bayanami Public School. Many different architects helped design it, including Ambrose Hallen. This important site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, meaning it's protected for its history.
Contents
Discovering the History of Old King's School
Early Land Use and Aboriginal Heritage
Before any buildings stood here, this land was part of the traditional hunting and fishing grounds of the Dharug people. You can still see signs of their ancient use in Parramatta Park nearby. These include old plantings and scarred trees. The Parramatta River was also very important to them.
Later, part of this land became a government farm. In 1806, Governor King gave over 100 acres to William Bligh, who would become governor. This land was called Mount Betham. It was meant to be Bligh's private home in Parramatta.
For a while, the land was used for farming. An 1811 map shows some areas were "under cultivation." However, in 1819, the government decided to take the land back from Bligh. It was then divided up for other uses.
The Agricultural and Horticultural Society
In the 1820s, some of the land was given to the Agricultural and Horticultural Society. This group wanted to grow the best fruit trees in the colony. They cleared the land, built some small buildings, and set up a water tank. They worked hard to introduce new plants and trees.
The Agricultural Society of NSW started in 1822. Its first president was Sir John Jamison. This group helped protect the interests of large landowners. In 1824, they held their first successful show in Parramatta.
The Horticultural Society joined the Agricultural Society in 1826. They had a special garden on this site for scientific research. By 1832, they sold off their plants, and the Society eventually closed down in 1836.
The King's School Era
By 1833, the Agricultural and Horticultural Society offered their land for a new school. On 2 January 1834, the land was officially given to Mr. Forrest, the first headmaster of The King's School.
The idea for "King's Schools" came from Archdeacon William Grant Broughton. He wanted to create schools that offered a "good classical, scientific and religious education." These schools would be for boys from middle and upper-class families. The teaching would follow Anglican beliefs.
Robert Forrest became the first Headmaster. The King's School first opened in a temporary building called "Harrisford" in February 1832. It started with just three day students. By the end of that year, it had 41 boarders and 12 day students.
Architects like John Verge and Ambrose Hallen drew plans for the new school building. The first plans were too expensive. Finally, a simpler building was completed in January 1836.
Early School Life and Buildings
In 1836, the school had a two-storey main building. It had two single-storey wings on each side. The east wing was for the Headmaster, and the west wing had offices. The main building had large rooms on the ground floor. One was the schoolroom, and the other was the dining room. Upstairs were two dormitories for the students.
The school's washing facilities were very basic. Boys washed in a wooden tub, and some even washed in the river! Water for the school came from the river and was stored in a large underground tank.
The school faced financial problems over the years. In 1842, it even closed temporarily due to a scarlet fever outbreak. But it reopened with fewer students and slowly grew again.
Important people like William Branwhite Clarke, a geologist, and James Walker, a botanist, were headmasters. Walker helped inspire school master William Woolls to study Australian plants. Woolls became a famous botanist.
Growth and Changes to the Buildings
During Frederick Armitage's time as Headmaster (1855-1862), the school grew. More buildings were added, and student numbers reached 100 boarders and 20 day students. However, the school still struggled with money and old buildings.
In 1864, the roof of the school building collapsed. The King's School had to close. But in 1868, George Fairfowl Macarthur agreed to become the new headmaster. He brought his own students from another school, and The King's School reopened in Parramatta in 1869.
The buildings were repaired with help from donations. New changes were made, like partitioning the dormitories into smaller rooms. In 1874, more land was bought for the school.
Between 1879 and 1881, a big addition was built. This was a wooden extension on the north side of the main building. It was quite unusual! John Horbury Hunt designed this addition.
Sport became very important at the school. Rugby was introduced in 1870, and tennis courts were built. The playing field in Parramatta Park was also improved.
The school's Chapel opened in 1889. It had a unique Moorish Gothic style. Other new buildings included a carpenter's shop, a hospital, and new lavatories. By 1889, there were 138 boarders and 34 day students.
In 1892, Ring's Bridge was built next to the school, connecting O'Connell Street over the Parramatta River. This bridge helped with floodwaters.
More additions were made in the early 1900s. A library was built in 1908, and the dining hall was extended in 1909. A swimming pool was also built in 1908, so students no longer had to swim in the river for races.
The 1920s saw another big expansion. The main stone building had major changes in 1924. An extra stone storey was added, and the old timber additions were removed. This created more space for masters' rooms and sick rooms.
A new gymnasium was built in 1921. In 1922, the Chapel extension became a memorial to students who died in World War I. By 1923, a new block with classrooms, a library, and a tuck shop was finished.
The school also started to house boarders in other buildings nearby. By 1926, there were 366 boarders, more than double the number in 1910.
In the 1930s, a master plan was made for the entire school site. New dormitories called School Houses, Baker and Forrest, were built on O'Connell Street in 1934.
However, the school eventually outgrew its site. In 1954, land was bought for a new school location. By 1968, the entire King's School had moved to its new home. Even the Chapel was taken apart and moved!
Marsden Rehabilitation Centre
In 1964, the old school site and buildings were sold to the New South Wales Department of Health. It became the Marsden Rehabilitation Centre, a place for people with intellectual disabilities. The buildings were changed inside to suit this new purpose.
The former Headmaster's Quarters became Laurel House, used for offices. The main building was used for activities and even as a theatre. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the Q Theatre used it for performances.
Over time, the Marsden Rehabilitation Centre changed its services. Many clients moved to community living. By 2003, fewer people lived at the centre, and many buildings were no longer needed. In 1999, the entire site was listed on the State Heritage Register.
Recent Uses and Bayanami Public School
In 2001, work began to restore the Main Building and Laurel House. The NSW Heritage Office moved into the Main Building in 2003. The rehabilitation centre closed around 2004.
In 2018, the O'Connell Street Public School opened on the site, using the historic buildings. In September 2019, the school's name changed to Bayanami Public School.
Exploring the Buildings and Grounds
Main School Buildings
- Main School Building: This is the original two-storey stone building. It has a Greek Doric style entrance with columns. The walls are made of dressed sandstone, and the roof is terracotta tiled.
- Additions to Main School Building: These are two-storey brick additions on the north side.
- Headmaster's Residence: A two-storey building with verandahs. It has cast iron columns and railings. The ground floor walls are dressed sandstone.
- Dining Hall: Built of brick, with a single-gambrel roof.
- Reference Library and Museum: A two-storey brick building.
- Armoury Block: A three-storey brick building with a metal roof. It has dark red brickwork and decorative features.
- Classroom Block: A two-storey rendered brick building with a neo-classical style. It has a colonnade on the ground floor.
- Dormitories: These are three-storey buildings in a Georgian Revival style. They have terracotta tiled roofs and decorative brickwork. A clock tower sticks out from the roof.
Landscape and Grounds
The southern part of the site is dominated by the Oval, which was once the school's parade ground. It sits on a flat area above the Parramatta River. The school buildings are to the north of the Oval.
The site has many old and important trees. Some, like the two carob bean trees, might even be older than the school itself! Other significant trees include:
- Three plane trees
- One huge Morton Bay fig tree
- One hybrid kurrajong/Illawarra flame tree
- Two large camphor laurels
- One cotton palm
Other mature plants include magnolia, laurustinus, and date palms.
Archaeology and Heritage
The land where the Old King's School stands has a very long history. It was first used by the Dharug people. Then, Europeans used it for farming and for the Agricultural and Horticultural Society's plant nursery.
The most important part of the site's history is its time as The King's School. This was the first large private boarding school for secondary education in New South Wales. It operated here for 128 years, from 1836 to the 1960s. Many important Australians were students here.
Archaeological digs can help us learn more about the site's past. They can uncover old building foundations, tools, and personal items. This helps us understand how the school changed over time. It also shows us what life was like for the students and staff.
The site's heritage is very important because:
- It was part of the land of the Burramuttagal people.
- It was part of the early government farms in Parramatta.
- It played a role in developing farming and plant research in Australia.
- It is linked to important people and events in Parramatta's history.
- It shows how large buildings were placed to look good, with views over the river.
- It has old trees, some of which are rare in Sydney.
The Old King's School site is a valuable part of New South Wales' history. It helps us understand education, architecture, and the growth of the colony.
Images for kids
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The Old King's School building.
