Residency Museum, York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Residency Museum |
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Residency Museum, York, in 2019
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| General information | |
| Address | 4 Brook St |
| Town or city | York, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°53′34″S 116°46′31″E / 31.8928°S 116.7754°E |
| Construction started | 1852 |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 9 February 1996 |
| Reference no. | 2870 |
| References | |
| York municipal inventory | |
The Residency Museum in York, Western Australia is a special old building. It has only one floor and was built in the Victorian Georgian style. This means it looks like buildings from the time of Queen Victoria. It is also connected to the Old York Hospital, which is another historic building.
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The Residency: A Historic Building
This building was first built around 1852. It started as a small house for the person in charge of the Convict Depot in York. A Convict Depot was a place where convicts (people sent from Britain as punishment) lived and worked. Today, this building is the only part of the old Convict Depot that is still standing.
Building with Convict Bricks
The oldest parts of the building were made from bricks by hand. These bricks had a special mark called the "broad arrow." This mark showed that the bricks belonged to the government, also known as "the Crown." Over time, this mark became a sign that convicts had built the structure.
Early Residents and Changes
In the 1860s, a doctor named Dr. Robert McCoy lived in the cottage. He was the medical officer for the Convict Depot Hospital.
Later, in 1867, a very important person moved in. This was Walkinshaw Cowan, who was the Resident Magistrate. A Resident Magistrate was like a local judge and government official. He needed a bigger house for his large family. So, the cottage was made much larger to fit them all. After this, people started calling the building "The Residency."
Becoming a Maternity Hospital
In 1896, the Old York Hospital was built next door. But it didn't have enough space for new mothers and babies. So, The Residency building was changed to become a maternity hospital. It had rooms for mothers giving birth, a ward for new mothers, and rooms for nurses. There was also a kitchen and a maid's room in a nearby part of the building.
In 1926, more changes were made. A bathroom, toilet, and a new porch were added. After this, the building became the Matron's Quarters. The Matron was the head nurse of the hospital.
The building was used as part of the Old York Hospital until 1963. That's when a new hospital and nurses' homes were built in York.
Saving The Residency
After 1963, the building was empty and started to fall apart. But in the early 1970s, a group called The York Society stepped in to save it. They raised $6,000 to fix the building. This money helped restore it to how it looked when Walkinshaw Cowan lived there in the 1860s. Any newer parts that didn't fit the old style were removed.
The Residency Museum: A Community Treasure
In 1972, the building officially opened as a museum. It is called the Municipal Museum and is managed by the Shire of York. Many local volunteers also help run the museum.
The Residency Museum now holds many old items from the early days of the colony. It also has different exhibitions that change over time, so there's always something new to see!
