Buildings/swanmechinst.html
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Swan Mechanics Institute
Meadow Street, Guildford
Swan Guildford Historical Society:
The last three convict ships to the Swan River Colony arrived between 1865 and 1868. When the Governor had been advised transportation would cease, he initiated an extensive program of public works using convict labour. Government architect Richard Roach Jewell drew up plans for construction of halls for the mechanics' institutes.
Guildford's Swan Mechanics Institute was established in 1862 as a branch of the Swan River Mechanics Institute in Perth. At the first meeting, held at the Guildford Government School in James Street, William Brockman was elected president.
The site for the new hall, next to the convict depot hospital, was chosen, and local builder John Welbourne commenced building it. On 5th September 1865 it was formally opened. It was the first public hall in the district, and used for meetings and concerts and included a subscribers' library.
Today the Mechanics' Institute Hall, with its distinctive two toned Flemish bond brickwork remains very much a part of the community. Events are held continuously inside the hall throughout the year.
References and Links
SGHS, Facebook.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 26 October, 2022 and hosted at freotopia.org/buildings/swanmechinst.html (it was last updated on 14 April, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.