The Scone School of Arts was a Mechanics' Institute that provided adult education in the town of

Scone, New South Wales Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 5,624 people. It is on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydn ...

, Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century. The School, founded in 1868, occupied two heritage listed buildings in Scone – the first from 1873 to 1917, the second from 1924 until the School's closure in 1954.

History

The origins of the School of Arts can be traced back to the 1841 establishment of a reading society, The Scone Book Society, one of the first educational groups to be established in New South Wales.School of Arts (1868–1916), p.12. In 1854, funds were raised to establish the Scone Mutual Instruction Class and Juvenile Library; efforts to establish adult education followed, leading to the formation of a 40-strong Mutual Improvement Association and a reading room in 1868. This was reconstituted as Scone School of Arts in the same year so that it might be eligible for government grants to construct its own building.School of Arts (1868–1916), p.13. In February 1869, it had appointed a librarian and purchased books, had 70 members, and was holding regular monthly meetings. In 1868, Bertrand Gordon, third son of

Charles Gordon, 10th Marquess of Huntly Charles Gordon, 10th Marquess of Huntly (4 January 1792 – 18 September 1863), styled Lord Strathavon from 1794 to 1836 and Earl of Aboyne from 1836 to 1853, was a Scottish peer and first a Tory (1818–1830) and then a Whig (1830 onwards) po ...

was elected to the School's committee; at a debate on whether the discovery of gold had been beneficial to Australia, he argued in favour of the motion. In May 1869, ''

The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser The ''Maitland Mercury'' is Australia's third oldest regional newspaper, preceded only by the '' Geelong Advertiser'' (estab. 1840) and the ''Launceston Examiner'' (estab. 1842). The ''Maitland Mercury'' was established in 1843 when it was calle ...

'' reported on entertainments as part of fund-raising by the School.

First building

In January 1871, the School began to raise funds for a building, for which plans were approved in July 1871. A site (91 Kingdon Street) between the town's Presbyterian church and the railway line, was purchased for £11.School of Arts (1868–1916), p.14: The Building. The proposed hall measured 50 ft by 25 ft, with a stage and two skillion rooms, and was to be of brick construction with a shingle roof. The 50,000 bricks required for construction were locally produced by a John Newman at £2 per 1000 bricks, and construction began in late 1872. The building officially opened on 9 September 1873. In September 1873, ''The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River Advertiser'' described it as having "a handsome stuccoed front, of the Tuscan order ... built of brick on a stone foundation, and is roofed with galvanised iron."School of Arts (1868–1916), p.15: The Building. This building, now incorporating the local library, with 1359 books, was later (1887–1889) extended to include a new stage, proscenium, reading room, library, ante-room and

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

.School of Arts (1868–1916), p.16: The Building. It hosted a variety of activities, meetings and events, including lectures. Notable speakers included Mark Twain (on 19 December 1895), who gave a talk on 'morals' which, according to the ''Scone Advocate'', was punctuated with "droll sayings and humour," and Banjo Patterson in 1900.School of Arts (1868–1916), pp.17–21: Uses and social history. During the 1890s and 1900s many

exhibitions An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibitio ...

and competitions were held at the school, including needlework, drawing, mapping, writing, spelling bees, elocutionary and music contests. In 1890, it opened a

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

(which closed soon after). Membership peaked at 192 in 1906. By July 1908, it started to hold classes including dress-making,

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...

and

millinery Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

with instructors coming from Sydney Technical College. The School of Arts established drama and musical clubs, and had a

billiards Cue sports are a wide variety of games of skill played with a cue, which is used to strike billiard balls and thereby cause them to move around a cloth-covered table bounded by elastic bumpers known as . There are three major subdivisions ...

table. It was also used as a

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

during World War I, having been compulsorily acquired by the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

for £850 in 1917.School of Arts (1868–1916), p.22.School of Arts (1917–1954), pp.1–2: Establishment. The building later reopened as a dance school, a pop-up shop, and as

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

accommodation, called Willowgate Hall.

Second building

After the wartime requisition of its first building, the School of Arts eventually located to 214 Kelly Street. It initially purchased land from the Presbyterian Church, but later opted for a new site, for which it paid £330.School of Arts (1917–1954), pp.2-7: Building. Its new building, budgeted to cost £1800, was designed by architect Walter Pender"Pender, Walter Harold (1885‐1943)" in Reedman, Les (2008) ''Early Architects of the Hunter Region: A Hundred Years to 1940''. and constructed by H Taylor. The Scone branch of the Returned Soldiers' and Sailors' Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA) donated £100 towards the building's cost on condition that they could display an Honour Roll in its lobby and use a room for meetings. Named the Scone Soldiers' Memorial School of Arts, the new building was officially opened on 24 March 1924 and helped the School attract new members, with membership reaching 220. A memorial arch commemorating those who lost their lives in World War I was officially unveiled on 26 August 1924. During the Great Depression, the school lost government funding, and its reading collection was reduced.School of Arts (1917–1954), pp.7–11: Uses and Social History. An "All Nations Fair" was twice held to raise funds, along with

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

s, socials and

euchre Euchre or eucre () is a trick-taking card game commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States. It is played with a deck of 24, 28, or 32 standard playing cards. Normally there are four players, two o ...

parties, and in 1933 it hosted exhibition billiards matches by

Horace Lindrum Horace Lindrum (born Horace Norman William Morrell, 15 January 1912 – 20 June 1974) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. A dominant snooker player in Australia, he lived in Britain for long periods and played in the maj ...

. In 1936, the Scone Branch of the

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...

moved their rest rooms to the building, and a baby health clinic opened in 1938. In 1939 work began on installing sewerage to the building and undertaking some renovations. After World War II, social changes including the passage of Australia's Free Public Library Act began to affect the School's future, and in 1953 the School of Arts Committee proposed to donate the building to Scone Council on condition that it continue to be used as a library; this proposal was accepted by the Council in April 1954. The building was modernised, stocked with new books, and was officially opened on 31 July 1954 by the State Governor, Lieutenant General Sir

John Northcott Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott (24 March 1890 – 4 August 1966) was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during the Second World War, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupa ...

. In 2011, the library was moved to the old Scone Shire Council Chambers, while the former School of Arts building was sold to Transcare, a not-for-profit community organisation providing support and services for local residents.

External links

A Plan for the Second Building

References

Sources

*, Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society, August 2017. *{{Cite web, title=School of Arts (1917–1924) Soldiers' Memorial School of Arts (1924–1954), url=https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Scone-School-of-Arts-1917-%E2%80%93-1954.pdf, Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society, August 2017. Education in New South Wales Adult education in Australia Scone, New South Wales