Proserpine Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Proserpine Hospital |
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Proserpine Hospital, 2005
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| Location | Herbert Street, Proserpine, Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1919–1930s (interwar period) |
| Built | 1939–1940 |
| Architect | Hill & Taylor |
| Official name: Proserpine Hospital | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 23 February 2001 |
| Reference no. | 601573 |
| Significant period | 1939–1940 (fabric) 1930s–1940s (historical) 1940s–ongoing (social) |
| Significant components | ward – enclosed |
| Builders | W C Kynaston |
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Proserpine Hospital is a special old building in Proserpine, Australia. It's located on Herbert Street. This hospital is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its important history and unique design. It was built between 1939 and 1940. The famous architects Hill & Taylor designed it, and W C Kynaston built it.
Contents
History of Proserpine Hospital
Building the Hospital
The Proserpine Hospital was built between 1939 and 1940. It was designed by a well-known architecture firm called Hill and Taylor. W C Kynaston was the builder for the main parts of the hospital. The hospital has three single-story brick buildings, called pavilions. They are on a large piece of land that used to have beautiful gardens.
Who Were Hill & Taylor?
The architecture firm Hill and Taylor started in Cairns in 1925. Richard Hill had worked in Cairns before this. Arthur John Henry Taylor was born in New South Wales and studied architecture in Brisbane. Hill and Taylor worked in Cairns until 1941. They also had an office in Townsville from 1933 to 1939. After World War II, they reopened their business in 1945 but closed it in 1952.
Hill and Taylor were very important architects in north Queensland. They designed many famous buildings between World War I and World War II. Some of their other projects include the Cairns City Council Building (1938) and the Cairns Post Office (1930). They also designed several hospitals in the countryside, like Mossman Hospital.
Moving the Hospital
The current Proserpine Hospital replaced an older wooden hospital. The first hospital was built in 1911. It was about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the center of town. The local community raised money to build and run this first hospital. The local council also helped with donations.
In June 1930, the first hospital had to close because the community couldn't afford to keep it open. But just one year later, the community worked together to raise money, and the hospital reopened.
In 1936, the Bowen Hospital Board decided to move the hospital closer to town. They chose the current location on Herbert Street. New buildings were designed in late 1936 to add to any parts moved from the old site. A special stone was laid on February 4, 1939, by a politician named Ned Hanlon. The new buildings were finished by 1940. They included a maternity ward, nurses' quarters, a male ward, and an outpatients department.
Hospital Design and Changes
The new hospital buildings were made up of several pavilions. These were connected by covered walkways. All the buildings looked similar. They were made of red brick and had high, sloped roofs. These roofs had special vents in their gables. A cool feature of the buildings was their arcades. These were covered walkways with unique brick arches and concrete columns. The front entrances also had special projecting walls.
In the early 1960s, some changes were made to the front entrances. The fancy brickwork was removed. It was replaced with plain triangular shapes or small sloped roofs. Also, the original roofs, which were made of asbestos cement, were replaced with galvanized iron.
The hospital was updated again in the late 1990s. When the work finished in 1999, many of the original buildings were still there. This included the old maternity ward, male ward, and outpatients department. However, the Nurses' Quarters, which faced Herbert Street, were taken down. The original 1923 Maternity Hospital building was updated to house medical staff.
What the Hospital Looks Like Today
The Proserpine Hospital has three single-story brick buildings. They are located on a large block of land at the corner of Herbert and Taylor Streets. New hospital buildings were built next to them in 1998–99. These newer buildings face Taylor Street.
The three original brick buildings all face Herbert Street. This was the hospital's main entrance. They include:
- The former Maternity Ward
- The former Men's Ward
- The former Outpatients Department
Inside the Buildings
The former Maternity Ward was updated in 1999. The inside of this building has been changed. It now holds different health services like dental health, mental health, physiotherapy, speech therapy, and child health.
A covered walkway connects this ward to the former Men's Ward. This walkway has been divided into small rooms for storage. The Men's Ward is also used for storage now. This building originally had two wards and an operating room.
The former Outpatients Department is still mostly the same inside. This building is currently empty. It used to have an area for administration, an examination room, a consulting room, a laboratory, an X-ray facility, and an area for treating outpatients. No changes were made to this building during the 1999 hospital updates. It is currently closed to the public.
Hospital Grounds
Some of the original landscaping around the buildings is still there. This includes open grassy areas and special trees. You can see Moreton Bay Fig trees, Mango trees, Norfolk Island Pines, and Queen Palms.
Why Proserpine Hospital is Important
Proserpine Hospital was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on February 23, 2001. This means it's recognized as a very important historical place.
Showing Queensland's History
The Proserpine Hospital helps us understand how hospitals were designed in Queensland's past. It shows the idea of having separate buildings, or pavilions, for different parts of the hospital. This was a common way to design hospitals back then.
Community Connection
The Proserpine Hospital has a very special connection with the local community. The people of Proserpine helped pay for the first hospital and kept it running. Even when the hospital was updated in the late 1990s, the community strongly wanted the original buildings to stay on the site. This shows how much the hospital means to them.
Important Architects
The hospital is also important because of the architects, Hill & Taylor. They were very famous in north Queensland between the World Wars. They designed many hospitals in the countryside, and Proserpine Hospital is a great example of their work.
