Residency Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Residency Museum |
|
|---|---|
Residency Point (and building behind tree) in 1927
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Museum |
| Location | Albany, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°01′43″S 117°52′51″E / 35.0287°S 117.8808°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 29 November 1996 |
| Reference no. | 39 |
The Residency Museum, also known as the Albany Residency or Western Australian Museum - Albany, is a museum in Albany. This city is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Contents
About the Museum Building
This museum is located in Albany, looking out over Princess Royal Harbour. It's a special spot because Major Edmund Lockyer raised the British flag here way back in 1827.
The museum building has one floor and a roof made of wooden shingles. It's shaped like the letter 'L', and you enter from the northern side. The walls are made of brick, covered with a smooth finish outside and plaster inside. A covered porch, called a verandah, goes all around the building. Inside the 'L' shape, there's an entry area with brick paving and a parking spot.
When it was first built, the building was just one room used as a storage space. Over the next few years, three more rooms were added. All four rooms shared a common roof that sloped down on all sides, known as a hipped roof. More changes and additions happened in 1873 when it became the governor's home. Seven more rooms were added, creating the 'L' shaped building you see today.
History of the Residency Museum
The building was finished in 1854. It first served as a store and office for a nearby place where convicts worked, called the Albany Convict Gaol. After this convict depot closed in 1872, the building was changed. Seven more rooms and an outside verandah were added to make it ready for the Governor's Residency.
From 1873 to 1953, the building was home to the local government leader. This person was called the Government Resident until 1901, and later the Resident Magistrate. Both of these jobs had high social importance. The building hosted many social events, like tea parties, balls, and weddings.
Royal Visit in 1881
King George V spent his 16th birthday at the Residency in 1881. His brother, Prince Albert Victor, was also with him. They were on a navy trip when their ship, HMS Bacchante, had its steering part (rudder) break during a storm.
Becoming a Museum
The Major Lockyer Memorial was put up in 1936. It stands between the Residency building and the harbour.
From 1953 to 1970, the building was used for different things. It was a school hostel, a headquarters for sea scouts, and a navy training place. By 1975, after some repairs, it reopened as the Residency Museum. This was the first branch of the Western Australian Museum to open outside of the main city area of Perth.
Elizabeth II visited the site in 1977. She officially opened the Lockyer Memorial. This was part of the celebrations for 150 years since the British first settled in Western Australia.
In 1985, the site was renamed the Western Australian Museum - Albany. It was temporarily listed as a heritage site in 1996. In 2010, more renovations were finished. These created new galleries to show stories of the Mineng people and the early settlers.
The building had some problems by 1996, including cracks and leaks. It was fully repaired and updated in 2010.
