ROOM 1.24 Homelife

Room 24 of the Old Butter Factory was part of the original build of the Butter Factory and was constructed as a Box Store within the roof space over the Cool Room. Access to it was via a steel ladder from the former corridor north of the Cool Room, now part of Room 7. At some stage in the mid twentieth century, probably following the 1944 fire, Rooms 24 and 25 were reconstructed under a new gabled roof.

Along the northern wall there is a set of double sliding doors and a hatch that provided hoist access from the front of the building. In the north-east corner a small area is framed up as an alcove that projects into Room 25. This sits in front of the eastern part of the sliding doors and the detailing suggests that there was previously an opening between the two rooms in this area – possibly forming a small internal loading dock.

The whole of the first floor is now accessed via the stair that was constructed at the northern end of Room 24 in the 1970s. This stair has partly obscured the relationship between the room and the hoist openings in the north wall. It has also removed evidence of an original floor hatch that provided ladder access from below.

The Busselton Historical Society now call this the Homelife room and the displays relate to how home entertainment has developed from the time of the early settlers to Busselton.