Smithfield Chambers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Smithfield Chambers |
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Smithfield Chambers, 2015
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| Location | 235 Mary Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1890s |
| Built for | William Evan Thomas |
| Architect | Leslie Gordon Corrie |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Smithfield Chambers | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 15 July 2011 |
| Reference no. | 602777 |
| Significant period | Late 19th-mid twentieth century |
| Significant components | shop/s, laneway, office/s, toilet block/earth closet/water closet, stables |
| Builders | William Anthony |
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Smithfield Chambers is a special old office building located at 235 Mary Street in Gympie, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Leslie Gordon Corrie and built in the 1890s by William Anthony. This building is so important that it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 15 July 2011. This means it's protected because of its history and unique features.
Contents
A Look Back at Smithfield Chambers
Smithfield Chambers is a two-story brick building. It was built in 1895 for William Evan Thomas. He was a very busy person who worked as a mining secretary and sharebroker.
Gympie's Gold Rush Days
Gympie started as a town after gold was found there in October 1867. A man named James Nash discovered the gold. This gold discovery was a big deal for Queensland. It brought a lot of money to the young colony. By the end of 1867, thousands of people had moved to Gympie.
At first, people found gold near the surface. But soon, they had to dig deeper. This led to "reef mining," where gold was found in veins underground. Gympie grew quickly from a temporary mining camp. Its streets were built to follow the hills and valleys, not in a straight grid.
How Gold Mining Shaped Gympie
By the late 1870s, deep underground mining was booming. Companies were formed, and people invested money to buy machines and hire workers. This led to a lot of wealth for Gympie in the early 1880s.
Because of all the mining companies, the Gympie Stock Exchange was created in 1884. This was a place where people bought and sold shares in mining companies. This is why people like sharebrokers and mining secretaries were so important.
What Did a Mining Secretary Do?
A mining secretary made sure that a mining company followed all the rules and laws. They kept important records, like lists of directors and shareholders. They also made sure that shareholders received their payments (called dividends). They were the company's official representative for legal papers.
Gympie's Golden Age
During the 1880s and 1890s, Gympie was one of Queensland's biggest gold producers. The town became very rich. This wealth led to the building of many grand new buildings on Mary Street, like banks and offices for mining companies. Several big fires in the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s destroyed older wooden buildings. This made way for the new, stronger brick buildings.
Even though there were floods and money problems in the early 1890s, gold mining grew again in 1894. More gold was produced that year than at any other time in the 1890s.
Building Smithfield Chambers
It was during this time of growth that William Evan Thomas decided to build Smithfield Chambers in 1895. Thomas was born in Wales in 1854. He started as a builder in Brisbane. He later moved to Gympie and became a very successful mining secretary and sharebroker. He helped start many new mines. By the end of 1895, his company, W.E. Thomas and Co., managed 28 out of 100 mining companies in Gympie.
In 1894, Thomas bought the land next to Gympie's Stock Exchange. He hired Leslie Gordon Corrie, a well-known architect from Brisbane, to design his new office and shop building. Corrie was a very respected architect.
Thomas named the building "Smithfield Chambers" after a very successful early gold mine called the Smithfield Mine. William Anthony, a builder from Brisbane, won the contract to build it for £2,500. The building was planned to have shops on the ground floor and many offices upstairs. Each office suite had its own strong room for keeping important documents safe.
When it was finished, Smithfield Chambers was one of the largest and most important buildings on Mary Street. Its name, "Smithfield Chambers," and "W.E. Thomas & Co., mining secretary" were proudly displayed on the top of the building.
Later Years of the Building
In 1899, Thomas sold Smithfield Chambers. Gold production in Queensland reached its highest point in 1903. After that, gold mining slowly declined. By 1925, the last big gold mines in Gympie had closed.
The building continued to be used for many purposes. In 1923, the Gympie Stock Exchange Club moved into Smithfield Chambers. They had a bar, reading rooms, and card rooms. The Country Women's Association also held meetings there in the 1930s.
Over the years, parts of the building changed. The original verandah (a covered porch) was removed. An awning was added later. The building is still used today by a law firm called Power and Cartwright.
Old Toilets and Stables
Behind the building, there are some interesting old structures. You can still see the remains of a brick stable. There's also a row of "earth closets." These were old-fashioned toilets that used dry earth to cover waste, instead of water. They were common before modern plumbing.
The architect, Leslie Gordon Corrie, was very interested in good sanitation. He even gave talks about it. The Gympie Council had rules about these earth closets to keep the town clean. They even had a service to empty them at night. These old earth closets are a rare example of how people managed waste a long time ago.
What Smithfield Chambers Looks Like
Smithfield Chambers is a strong, two-story brick building. It has a classic design and stands out on Mary Street. The front of the building is very grand. It has a main entrance in the middle, with windows on either side. The ground floor used to have shops, which are now offices.
Upstairs, there are five sections with windows. A heavy decorative top part, called a cornice, sits above the windows. The words "Smithfield Chambers" and "W.E. Thomas" are written on the top. A metal awning now covers the footpath in front.
At the back, the building has a steel-framed balcony. The upper and lower levels have timber doors and windows. Inside, the building is designed around a small open space called a "light well." This light well is now enclosed.
Inside the Building
The ground floor has offices in the middle and where the old shops used to be. There are two strong rooms on the ground floor. These rooms have very heavy metal doors and concrete floors, showing they were built to be very secure.
The first floor has two sets of offices. One set has two offices and another strong room. The other set has several rooms, including a large boardroom. Many original features are still there, like timber walls, decorative ceilings, and wooden doors and windows. The boardroom is especially nice with its large windows.
The Rear Yard
A small metal bridge leads from the back balcony to a grassy yard. Here, you can see the remains of the old stables. They have brick walls and some timber framing left.
Next to the stables are the eight earth closets. These are small brick cubicles with a sloped roof. They have small wooden doors for accessing the "pans" (containers for waste). Some still have the original wooden boxes inside. A path from Nash Street gives access to the back of these old toilets and stables.
Why Smithfield Chambers is Important
Smithfield Chambers is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register for several reasons:
- It shows Gympie's history: This building helps us understand how gold mining changed Gympie. As mining became more serious, the town built more permanent and impressive buildings. Smithfield Chambers shows how rich and confident Gympie was in the 1890s. For almost 70 years, it was closely linked to the mining industry. It housed mining secretaries and later the Gympie Stock Exchange Club.
- It has rare features: The row of earth closets behind Smithfield Chambers is very special. They are a rare example of an old toilet system that was once common but is now no longer used.
- It shows how mining offices worked: Smithfield Chambers is a great example of a building designed for mining secretaries. It still has its original office layouts, a boardroom, strong rooms, stables, and earth closets. This helps us understand how these businesses operated in the past. The earth closets are also a good example of this type of old sanitary facility.
