SPECIFICATIONS, FURNITURE, NEWCASTLE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, W.A. 1899

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Arthur Burgess

1899

Subcollections

Overview

Specification drawings for furniture to be housed in Newcastle Municipal Council Chambers at Newcastle (now known as Toodyay), WA.
Detailed drawings to be used for tenders to price manufacture of said furniture. Includes detailed plan of chambers - drawings of mayoral chair, desk, table, bookcase and other items.
Hand drawn in pencil, ink and red pen.
Attributed to Arthur Burgess of York.

Historical information

Cedar desk in museum collection (2001.759) is believed to be one of the furniture items made from these working drawings. The furniture was commissioned for the mayoral chambers for the Newcastle Municipal Council in 1899.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2006.5

Item type

Material

Width

350 mm

Height or length

830 mm

Themes

Social History

Inscriptions and markings

Official Council stamp in blue ink "Municipal Council - Newcastle WA'

Contextual Information

Arthur and Bernard Burgess, carpenter and cabinet makers, were listed in the York Almanacs for the years of 1897, 1899-1900. (ref: Colonial Furniture of Western Australia 1829-1910 by Tim Harris, p. 108)

Charles Henry Whiteford had designed the Newcastle (later named Toodyay) Council Chambers, and the foundation stone was laid by Hannah Emily Leeder, the wife of the Mayor William George Leeder, on 12 April 1899.
Premier John Forrest opened the Newcastle Council Chambers on 18 October 1899.The Newcastle Municipal Council held its first meeting in the new building on 4 December 1899. The Toodyay Road Board also held their monthly meetings in the hall from 1900, on separate days to the Council, until they merged in 1912. The building (with an extension added in 1910 and then renovated in 1956-57) is today known as the Toodyay Memorial Hall.

In 1926 ownership of the old Mechanics Institute building on the opposite side of the road reverted to the Crown and subsequently to the Toodyay Road Board. It was decided to renovate the building and re-establish Council Chambers at this location. (Today this building is known as the Toodyay Library) In January 1959 the Toodyay Road Board moved again, this time into the restored Toodyay Court House on Fiennes Street. Furniture made for the original Council Chambers and deemed suitable for further use was also relocated as required.

Place made

York
Western Australia
Australia

Year

1899

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Shire of Toodyay

Organisation Details
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