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EAGLEHAWK TOWN HALL, MECHANICS INSTITUTE AND TWO HMVS NELSON CANNONS
2A PEG LEG ROAD AND 1 SAILORS GULLY ROAD EAGLEHAWK, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
EAGLEHAWK TOWN HALL, MECHANICS INSTITUTE AND TWO HMVS NELSON CANNONS
2A PEG LEG ROAD AND 1 SAILORS GULLY ROAD EAGLEHAWK, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Eaglehawk Town Hall is a public building with a history dating back to 1865 when a single storey building was completed on this site. The architect for this building was HE Tolhurst who later designed the adjacent Mechanics Institute.
The present building replaced this earlier building and was opened on 14 August 1901. The architects were the Melbourne firm of Wilkinson and Permewan. As a much larger and more sumptuous building of brick and stone featuring a central clock tower, the new hall reflected prevailing architectural fashion and was a remarkable investment for a town consisting predominantly of poor mining families. The condition of the town hall is substantially as built. The design is almost identical to the Castlemaine Town Hall.
How is it significant?
The Eaglehawk Town hall is of architectural and historic importance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The town hall is one of the most notable and dramatically sited of all Victorian provincial town halls, is an expressive example of the architecture of the Federation period and a notable work by the architects Wilkinson and Permewan. The Town Hall is also an expressive symbol of localised government and of the aspirations of a provincial Victorian urban community at the turn of the century.
The Mechanics Institute adjacent to the Town Hall had its beginnings in 1868 when members of the Eaglehawk community formed a Public Library Committee and this led to a reading room being set up in a spare room of the Council's new chambers. The site of the library was given to the committee in 1877 but it was not until 1883 that a tender was furnished to the design of HE Tolhurst.
Since that date the building has retained a small lending library. The design is in red brick with a classically derived entry portico.
The Eaglehawk Mechanics Institute is of historic importance to the state of Victoria. The Institute is important as forming part of this early precinct of municipal buildings, is rare as an early and continuing lending library in Victoria and rare as a relatively intact although small building of its type.
The cannons in the reserve to the south of the hall were recovered from the HMVS Nelson, one of the colony's earliest warships. The Nelson was a wooden steam frigate first laid down in 1805 and was on permanent loan to the Victorian Navy from 1867. Nelson remained in service until 1891 and was finally broken up in 1929. In 1898 the Eaglehawk Borough Council wrote to HR Williams MLA to secure some of the Nelson's guns. Other guns were despatched to Ararat, Echuca and Hamilton. Two guns were also recovered in archaeological works at Rosalind Park, Bendigo during 1997.
The HMVS Nelson cannons are of historical significance to the state of Victoria being associated with one of the earliest ships to constitute the Victorian Navy. The Nelson when completed in 1814 was a timber sailing vessel and the largest warship in the British Navy. At the time of its permanent loan to the Victorian Navy, the vessel was already converted to steam and had undergone substantial modifications.
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EAGLEHAWK TOWN HALL, MECHANICS INSTITUTE AND TWO HMVS NELSON CANNONS - History
Associated People:
EAGLEHAWK TOWN HALL, MECHANICS INSTITUTE AND TWO HMVS NELSON CANNONS - 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:EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
(Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under
Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)
Policy
Permit Exemptions are given below which do not affect the overall significance
of the structure or historic place. The exemptions generally are for
maintenance and minor works to the buildings.
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.
2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of
alterations 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 alteration shall cease and the
Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive
Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending
or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the
responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the
responsible authority where applicable.
Town Hall interior only
Renewal including demolition of existing and Installation of new kitchens and
toilets in rooms which currently house those facilities provided new work does
not affect the exterior appearance of the building.
The installation of floor coverings in all rooms except the main hall
The repainting or wallpapering of all interior rooms except the main hall
The provision of new electrical services provided no original light fixtures
Mechanics Institute interior only
Renewal of floor coverings, repainting and wall papering are permit exempt
except where that work will change or destroy any existing original colour or
decorating schemes.
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