BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE
40 GAOL ROAD BENDIGO, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
Bendigo Senior Secondary College, the former Bendigo High School, was established in 1907 as the Bendigo Continuation School, one of the first state secondary schools in Victoria, and became a District High School in 1912. It was built on part of the site of the former Government Camp, established in the 1850s to impose law and order on the goldfields. Classes were held at first in the adjacent Camp Hill State School and the Court House, but a new purpose-built school building designed by the Public Works Department under the Chief Architect, G W Watson, was built in 1913-4 at a cost of £7085, with an additional £753 for furnishings. The two rooms of an earlier school on the site, the 1870s Sandhurst Corporate High School, were incorporated into the new building. A second building, designed under the then Chief Architect E Evan Smith and later named the James King Hall after the foundation headmaster, containing classrooms and a hall used for assemblies, exams and social events, was constructed nearby in 1929-30. The Memorial Gates and Steps were built in 1956-7 to commemorate former members of the school who had served in the armed forces. In 1976 the school became Victoria's first senior high school, which since 1990 has been known as the Bendigo Senior Secondary College. Honour Boards in the Hall, which were unveiled in 1919 and 1920, commemorate former students who fought in the First World War, and the Memorial Gates and Steps were constructed in 1956-7.
The former Bendigo High School consists of a number of buildings set on Camp Hill overlooking Rosalind Park. The oldest school building is a single-storey red brick Queen Anne Style building with a red tiled hipped roof. Bands of roughcast are used as decoration under the eaves and on chimneys and parapets. Lettering is used on the exterior stucco elements: for the name of the school near the front entrance; to signify the separate boys' and girls' entrances; and the date 1913 appears on a south gable. The ten classrooms and several smaller rooms are arranged around a quadrangle, which was used as an open-air assembly area. The original room layouts have been retained, as well as original features such as parquet floors, doors and windows, fireplaces and timber-lined coved ceilings. The James King Hall is a two-storey red brick Inter-war Classical style building, with a white painted Tuscan style entrance porch. The timber panelled entrance foyer leads on the ground floor to a central corridor with offices and classrooms opening off each side, and a stairway leads to the first floor where there is a large assembly hall. This has a vaulted ceiling, a stage at one end, and there are a number of Honour Boards on the walls. Other buildings on the site are the 1965-7 Alexander Wing, the 1977 Commonwealth Science Buildings, extended in 1996 to house the library, and the 1994 Arts/Science/Technology Building.
How is it significant?
Bendigo Senior Secondary College is of historical, architectural and archaeological significance to the state of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
Bendigo Senior Secondary College, established in 1907 as Bendigo Continuation School, is of historical significance as one of the first state secondary schools established in Victoria. The first state secondary school was the Melbourne Continuation School (1905, now demolished) and in 1907 new secondary schools were established in four country towns: Bendigo, Ballarat, Sale and Warrnambool. Only the Ballarat and Bendigo Schools still operate on their original sites. The War Memorial Gates and Steps are of historical significance as an unusual example of the more utilitarian war memorials that were built in Victoria after World War II.
Bendigo Senior Secondary College is of architectural significance for its early school buildings. The 1913-4 building is the second oldest purpose-built country high school (after Ballarat High School, built in 1910) in Victoria, and is a fine and intact example of the state secondary schools built in Victoria in the early twentieth century. It demonstrates the typical form adopted for school buildings at this time, which were generally single-storey, spreading Queen Anne style buildings with complex interpenetrating roof forms. The 1930 building is a fine example of the school forms of the late 1920s and early 1930s, when classicism replaced the Queen Anne and Tuscan frontispieces were popular.
The Bendigo Senior Secondary School is of archaeological significance for its potential to contain artefacts and deposits associated with the occupation and use as the former Government Camp Precinct during the gold rush in the mid-1800s. It is likely that some archaeological remains and deposits directly associated with the Government Camp buildings exist on the site, including building remains, cess pits and rubbish dumps.
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BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE - History
CONTEXTUAL HISTORY
Throughout the nineteenth century there were no State high schools in Victoria, only State primary and technical schools, the only secondary education being provided by private schools. In 1899 it was proposed that continuation classes be established in State primary schools to raise the standard of primary education, in order to provide a higher level of education for working class children who were otherwise destined only for a future as manual workers. Victoria's first Director of Education, Frank Tate, was appointed in 1902, and stressed the advantages to the nation of extending the State education system, as had already been done in some other countries, for example in Germany, France, Great Britain and the United States, and even in New South Wales and New Zealand.
The Melbourne Continuation School, the first State secondary school, was opened in 1905 at the old Model School in Spring Street. As it had been doing before, this continued to provide teacher training, but some students, even those from poor backgrounds, could pursue courses leading to University entrance. The school was in effect Victoria's first State high school. Other continuation schools were established in 1907 in Ballarat, Bendigo, Warrnambool and Sale.
The Education Act of 1910 gave the government authority to establish district high schools (as well as higher elementary schools, continuation schools, preparatory trade classes, trade schools and technical schools). As well as the five continuation schools already established, high schools opened in 1909 in Shepparton and Wangaratta, in 1910 in Melbourne (University), Castlemaine and Geelong, in 1911 in Coburg, Colac, Mansfield and Warragul, and in 1912 eight high schools opened (the highest number established in any one year until 1954): at Leongatha, Maryborough, Horsham, Kyneton, Stawell, Bairnsdale, Echuca and Mildura. (A Max Badcock, 'The Secondary Division', in Vision and Realisation, pp 436-462.) Except for two, these were all located in country areas, a reflection of the belief of the Director of Education, Frank Tate, that Victoria's destiny lay in the country, and he gave strong support for the establishment of high schools in country towns.
HISTORY OF PLACE
[from Janette Bomford, The School on the Hill. Bendigo High School and Bendigo Senior Secondary College 1907-2007, Bendigo 2007.
The first secondary school in Bendigo was the Sandhurst Corporate High School which opened in 1870. It was built on the site of the Government Camp, which was set up in the 1850s to service the Bendigo goldfields. It was the only municipal school in Victoria and opened eighteen days after the new Municipal Bill was passed in Parliament, which made municipal support of schools legal. In 1873 the school severed it connection with the council and became a private school, St Andrew's College. The headmaster John Muir, leased the buildings and continued as headmaster. Girls as well as boys were enrolled, and a ladies' classroom was erected on the school reserve. In 1873 105 girls and 218 boys were enrolled. In 1886, under a new headmaster, a separate girls' school was organised, as the headmaster believed that it was 'neither conducive to study nor desirable in other respects to allow boys and girls of mature age to associate together in the same classroom'.
In April 1907, two years after the entry of the state into secondary education, the Bendigo Continuation School opened. Continuation Schools were established by the Victorian Department of Education as a means of bridging the gap between the State's primary school system and its subsidised technical schools, and enabled students to qualify for entry to the public service, university senior technical schools or the teaching profession. The first classes were held in two upstairs rooms of the Central State School on Camp Reserve (1878, VHR H1642), but soon moved to the old Supreme Court Buildings (1857-8, VHR H1465). On the first day 21 girls and 19 boys were enrolled. Enrolments in 1908 were 106, and by 1011 there were eight teachers. The fees were £6 a year.
As a result of the Education Act of 1910, the school became a District High School in 1912, and accepted children for a 'general' secondary education. The fees were still £6 a year. The leased premises of the Corporate High School were transferred to the Education Department and incorporated into the school.
In 1912 there were 250 pupils, and the school had outgrown several premises. During its first eight years the school was housed in the old Supreme Court buildings, the School of Mines, the Corporate High School and St Andrew's College, the old Police Barracks and the old Quarry Hill State School.
On 19 August 1913 the foundation stone was laid for a new building, the ceremony performed by Sir Alexander Peacock, the Minister of Public Instruction, and Frank Tate, the Director of Education. The building was designed by the Chief Architect G W Watson, and the local Supervising Architect was John Beebe. The building was completed and occupied in May 1914 at a cost of £7085, with an additional £753 for fittings. It comprised ten classrooms around an open quadrangle and incorporated the two rooms (now rooms G15 and G16) of the 1870 Sandhurst Corporate High School (and later St Andrew's College). As well as classrooms the school had a well-filled library, two science laboratories and an art room. The school then had 250 pupils and 15 staff.
Many former staff and pupils enlisted in the Great War, and on 23 June 1919 there was a ceremony to unveil an Honour Roll. The Honour Roll for the Old Boys of St Andrew's College, the Corporate High School and Sandhurst Grammar School was unveiled on 3 March 1920.
By the late 1920s overcrowding was again a problem, with some classes held in the old Supreme Court and School of Mines. The home of the former headmaster, built as the residence of the Warden of the Goldfields, was demolished, but the cedar panelling from one room was to be incorporated into the new building (said to be the panelling on the foyer). The school had raised £1350 and the Advisory Committee was collecting money for equipment, but the £10,000 needed from the Government was delayed through a change of Ministry.
The foundation stone for the new building, designed by the Chief Architect E Evan Smith, was laid on 16 November 1929 and it opened in November 1930. It included classrooms and a hall, used for assemblies, exams and social events. It was later named after the foundation headmaster as the James King Hall.
An iron Memorial Gate, also named in memory of Mr King, opened in 1933. A new library opened in 1939. In 1941 the old Police Barracks were transformed into an art room, which remained in use until 1967. Plans for a new library were drawn up, but this was not to be built until 1977. New Honour Boards, with the names of Head Prefects, House Captains etc, were unveiled in 1950. The old Honour Boards were restored at some stage and transferred from the 1914 building into the James King Hall. The Memorial Gates and Steps were built in 1956-7, to commemorate 'Those members of the school who served and suffered that our way of life might be preserved'. This is an interesting example of the more utilitarian memorials that were preferred to monuments after World War II to commemorate those who had served.
Overcrowding again in the post-war period led to the school gaining in 1959 the Girls' School building (known as the Annexe) when that school moved to Flora Hill. The music/drama complex (the former Bendigo Supreme Court) was taken over from the Bendigo Girls' High School in 1959 Enrolments peaked at 970 in 1963 and plans for a new wing to improve rather than expand accommodation, were almost completed. This was begun in 1965 and opened in August 1967, and named the Alexander Wing. The quadrangle was also remodelled, the Annexe renovated, a school canteen opened, and a stage and new lighting were added in the hall. The new $700,000 Commonwealth Library and science building opened in 1977.
In 1976 the school became Victoria's first Senior High School, which operated from 1979 as a seniors-only school, and which since 1990 has been known as the Bendigo Senior Secondary College.
A new building program began in 1991, and the new three storey Science/Technology Studies/Arts building, with a gymnasium, cafeteria and student common room, opened in 1993. The upgrade of the earlier buildings commenced in 1995. The multimedia Centre and Staff Centre became operational in 1996.
BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE - Assessment Against Criteria
a. Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria's cultural history
Bendigo Senior Secondary College, established in 1907 as Bendigo Continuation School, was one of the first state secondary schools established in Victoria. The first state secondary school was the Melbourne Continuation School (1905, now demolished) and in 1907 new secondary schools were established in four country towns: Bendigo, Ballarat, Sale and Warrnambool. Only the Ballarat and Bendigo Schools still operate on their original sites. The War Memorial Gates and Steps are an unusual example of the more utilitarian war memorials that were built in Victoria after World War II.
b. Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria's cultural history.
c. Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria's cultural history.
The Bendigo Senior Secondary School has the potential to contain artefacts and deposits associated with the occupation and use as part of the former Government Camp Precinct during the gold rush in the mid-1800s. It is likely that some archaeological remains and deposits directly associated with the Government Camp buildings exist on the site, including building remains, cess pits and rubbish dumps.
d. Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places or environments.
Bendigo Senior Secondary College has two fine and intact examples of early twentieth century school buildings. The 1913-4 building is the second oldest purpose-built country high school building (after Ballarat High School, built in 1910) in Victoria, and is a fine and intact example of the state schools built in the early decades of the twentieth century. It demonstrates the typical form adopted for school buildings at this time, which were generally single-storey, spreading Queen Anne style buildings with complex interpenetrating roof forms. The 1930 building is a fine example of the school forms of the late 1920s and early 1930s, when classicism replaced the Queen Anne and Tuscan frontispieces were popular.
e. Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics.
f. Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.
g. Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions.
h. Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria's history.
BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE - Plaque Citation
Established in 1907, this was one of the first State secondary schools in Victoria. It has two fine early twentieth century school buildings, completed by the Public Works Department in 1914 and 1930.
BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component. General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and plan endorsed by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it. Note: The existence of a Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan endorsed by the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan. General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works may submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.BENDIGO SENIOR SECONDARY COLLEGE - Permit Exemption Policy
The purpose of the Permit Policy is to assist when considering or making decisions regarding works to the place. It is recommended that any proposed works be discussed with an officer of Heritage Victoria prior to a permit application. Discussing any proposed works will assist in answering any questions the owner may have and aid any decisions regarding works to the place. It is recommended that a Conservation Management Plan is undertaken to assist with the future management of the cultural significance of the place.
The addition of new buildings to the site may impact upon the cultural heritage significance of the place and requires a permit. The purpose of this requirement is not to prevent any further development on this site, but to enable control of possible adverse impacts on heritage significance during that process.
The extent of registration protects the whole site. The significance of the place lies in its two early high school buildings, its Memorial Gates and Steps, and also the site's potential to yield archaeological remains of the Government Camp which was on the site from the 1850s. All of the registered buildings and features are integral to the significance of the place and any external or internal alterations that impact on its significance are subject to permit application.
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ANNE CAUDLE CENTRE, BENDIGO BENEVOLENT ASYLUM AND LYING-IN HOSPITALVictorian Heritage Register H0992
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BENDIGO TOWN HALLVictorian Heritage Register H0117
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SPECIMEN COTTAGEVictorian Heritage Register H1615
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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'NORWAY'Boroondara City
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1 Mitchell StreetYarra City
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