Ravenswood School of Arts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ravenswood School of Arts |
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Ravenswood School of Arts, 2009
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| Location | Macrossan Street, Ravenswood, Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s—1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1884 |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Ravenswood School of Arts | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600453 |
| Significant period | 1880s–1920s (historical) |
| Significant components | school of arts |
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The Ravenswood School of Arts is a historic building located on Macrossan Street in Ravenswood, Australia. It was built in 1884 and is a special part of Queensland's history. This building is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which helps protect it for everyone to see and learn from.
Contents
A Look Back at Ravenswood's History
The School of Arts building is a timber hall. It was built in 1884 next to an older building that was used as a library. This hall quickly became the main place for plays, movies, and social events in Ravenswood. It continued a tradition of community spaces that started in the town back in 1872.
The Gold Rush Era
Ravenswood was once a very important gold mining town in North Queensland. Finding gold here helped shape how railways were built and where towns grew. Some gold rush towns appeared quickly and then vanished. Others, like Ravenswood, became established towns with shops and homes. However, many of these towns faded away when the gold ran out.
Europeans first settled in this area after the town of Bowen was founded in 1861. Gold was discovered near Ravenswood in 1867. The first gold was found in a triangle of dry creeks. This area soon became a busy settlement with tents and shacks.
Gold in Ravenswood was found in "reefs," which are veins of rock. Mining companies set up mills to crush the rock and get the gold. Ravenswood officially became a town in 1871.
Challenges and Changes
Miners soon found that the gold deeper underground was hard to separate from other minerals. This meant it cost a lot of money to get the gold out. Many miners left for other goldfields, like Charters Towers, which became a bigger gold producer.
Even so, Ravenswood continued to do well. Gold was still being mined, and silver was found nearby in 1878. Ravenswood also became a busy trading centre. By 1874, the town had a courthouse, police station, post office, hospital, and a school.
What is a School of Arts?
The first Mechanics' Institutes or Schools of Arts started in Britain in the early 1800s. They were places for people to learn and improve themselves. They offered lectures, discussions, and lending libraries. At that time, there were no public libraries, and books were expensive. So, these schools gave people a chance to borrow books and learn.
The very first School of Arts committee in Queensland was set up in Brisbane in 1849. Its goal was to help the community learn about literature, philosophy, and science. As towns grew, local groups formed their own Schools of Arts. They became key places for adult education.
A New Hall for the Community
Ravenswood's economy got a boost in the mid-1880s when the railway arrived in 1884. New ways to get gold from the ore also helped. Around this time, new public buildings were built, including the current School of Arts hall.
In the late 1800s, Schools of Arts started to offer more than just books. They also promoted games and entertainment. The new hall in Ravenswood was perfect for plays and concerts. It became the main spot for fun and social gatherings in town. People used it for meetings, dances, and live theatre. There was even an amateur drama group that put on plays every year.
A Period of Prosperity
In 1899, a company called New Ravenswood Company was formed. They brought in money from overseas and used modern methods to mine gold more efficiently. This made Ravenswood very prosperous for several years.
However, after 1908, it became too expensive to mine the gold. After World War I, it was clear that the gold mining would not recover. In 1916, train services were cut, and in 1917, the New Ravenswood Company closed down.
Decline and Revival
In the 1920s, many buildings and people left Ravenswood. Timber buildings were even moved to other towns. There was a small comeback in the 1930s and early 1940s. New technology made it cheaper to mine lower-grade gold.
But by the 1960s, the town's population dropped to just 70 people. This was its lowest point. Then, tourists started to become interested in the town's history. Studies were done on the old buildings, and work began to save them. In the 1980s, the whole town was listed by the Australian Heritage Commission and the National Trust of Queensland. In 1987, a new open-cut mine opened, bringing more life back to Ravenswood.
Rebuilding After the Storm
In 1989, Cyclone Aivu damaged the front of the hall. It also completely destroyed the old library building next to it. The community tried to save the library, but it was eventually taken down in 1992 because it was unsafe.
The School of Arts hall was repaired, and its front was rebuilt to look like it did originally. In 1990, the Dalrymple Shire Council and Carpentaria Gold helped pay for big renovations to the hall. It officially reopened on September 29, 1991. Since then, it has once again become a central place for community events and celebrations, like the annual "Back To Ravenswood Weekend."
What the Building Looks Like
The School of Arts is on Macrossan Street, which is the main street in Ravenswood. It's near the town's shops and close to the Imperial Hotel. Ravenswood is a mining town, so you can see old ruins and piles of mining waste around.
The School of Arts is a single-story, rectangular timber building. It sits on low concrete stumps. The roof is shaped like a triangle (called a gabled roof) and is covered with corrugated iron. The sides and back of the building show the timber frame, but the front is covered with weatherboards.
The front of the building is very balanced and has columns (called pilasters) that divide it into sections. The arched shape at the top of the building (the parapet) matches the arched shape of the main front door and the windows next to it.
Inside, there's a large open space and a stage. The stage curtain is very special because it has old painted advertisements for local businesses from around the year 1900. This shows how important the building was to the community.
Why It's a Heritage-Listed Site
The Ravenswood School of Arts was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992. This means it's recognized as an important historical place for several reasons:
- It shows how Queensland's history developed.
The School of Arts is a great example of the many Schools of Arts that were built in towns across Queensland. These places were run by the community and played a big role in education and social life. They provided information, hosted meetings, offered games, and put on community events like plays and concerts.
- It shows the main features of its type of building.
This building is a good example of a School of Arts hall. It has a classic-looking front and was designed to host public events.
- It has important aesthetic significance.
The building looks great as part of the Ravenswood townscape. It's located among other important public and business buildings near the town centre.
- It has a strong connection to the community.
The painted stage curtain, with its old advertisements for local businesses, shows how much the community used this building. The School of Arts is very important to the people of Ravenswood because it has always been a key part of the town's social and community life.
