Executive Director s3

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

RECOMMENDATION TO THE

HERITAGE COUNCIL TO

AMEND AN EXISTING REGISTRATION

Name: Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum

VHR number: VHR H1510

Hermes number: 118

Name: Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum

VHR number: VHR H1510

Hermes number: 118

NAME / former ovens benevolent asylum
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS ovens and murray hospital for the aged)
DATE REGISTERED: / 20 august 1998
VHR NUMBER: / VHR H1510
HERITAGE OVERLAY NO: / HO76
LOCATION / 5 Warners Road, Beechworth
CATEGORY / Heritage Place
FILE NUMBER: / 10/023012
HERMES NUMBER: / 118

PROPOSED EXTENT OF REGISTRATION

All of the place shown hatched on Diagram 1510 encompassing all of Lot 3 on Plan of Subdivision 704124, all of Lots 1, 2 and CM1 and parts of Lots 5, 6, B and CM2 on Plan of Subdivision 708844.

AERIAL PHOTO SHOWING ADDITION OF LAND

Note: Buildings listed in the former Register of Government Buildings had no land, including no land underneath the buildings.

PROPOSED STATEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

What is significant?

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum (later known as the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged), consisting of the main building (1862-70) and the 1881 extension, the former Chinese ward, the former laundry and isolation ward (now part of what is referred to as the recreation wing), all thought to have been constructed in the 1860s, the Wallace Memorial Ward of 1890, the 1938 gatehouse, the 1939 Coronation oak tree and the remnants of the original landscaping.

History Summary

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum was built to provide accommodation and long-term care for the elderly, infirm or destitute who were unable to care for themselves. The Asylum was initiated by a committee formed in 1861 and made up of Beechworth’s prominent early citizens, including James Ingram and George Kerford, who later became Premier of Victoria. Construction began in 1862 on an elevated site overlooking the town. The main building was designed by John Coe and constructed in three stages, as demand for the institution’s facilities increased. The first stage, the central section of the main building, containing two dormitories and four smaller rooms, was constructed in 1862-63. This was extended in a similar style towards the west in 1866-67 and to the east in 1870. The recreation wing incorporates a laundry and an isolation ward which are thought to have been built during the 1860s, as was the building known as the Chinese ward later used as a chapel. An extension to the 1866 wing was built in 1881. The Wallace Memorial Ward, funded by the local mining entrepreneur and parliamentarian John A Wallace and designed by the architect Donald Fiddes, was constructed in 1890 solely for female residents. The buildings were set amidst a designed landscape with a variety of trees, shrubs and flowers. The entrance to the complex was moved in 1938 from Albert Road to Warner Road, and a new gatehouse was built, which has been relocated to the rear of the site. The large oak at the rear of the 1881 building was grown from one of the acorns from the Royal Park, Windsor, which were distributed throughout the Empire to commemorate the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and planted here in 1939. The Benevolent Asylum was renamed the Ovens Benevolent Home in 1935, and became the Ovens and Murray Home in 1954. In 1974 it became the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged. A major redevelopment programme, which began in the 1960s, transformed the site into a specialist geriatric centre servicing all of north-east Victoria. This required the construction of a number of new buildings between the 1960s and 1980s, and the old buildings also underwent major renovation works at that time. In 1992 the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged was amalgamated with the Ovens District Hospital to form the Beechworth Hospital. By the late 1990s many of the buildings were considered inadequate and the hospital was closed in 2005. The site has now been subdivided and sold, and many of the 1960s and later buildings have been, or are being, demolished.

Description Summary

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is a complex of buildings on an elevated site overlooking the Beechworth township to the west. The main building (1862-70) is a single-storey building in an unusual Victorian Tudor style. The front façade is most decorative, with walls of tuck-pointed bi-chrome brick laid in a diaper pattern, and four projecting bays with curvilinear parapeted gables. There are paired Gothic pointed windows and unusual wrought iron finials. The U-shaped plan encloses a courtyard at the rear. The 1881 extension to the 1866 wing is in a similar Tudor style, but of a simpler form, with stepped parapeted gables and flat arched windows. The originally detached single-storey brick former laundry and isolation ward are now incorporated into the former recreation wing. The former Chinese ward is a free-standing single-storey brick building with a gable roof and an enclosed verandah along the west side. The Wallace Memorial Ward is a free-standing red brick building with cement dressings. It is domestic in character, with a central projecting arched portico with decorated bargeboards and is flanked on both sides with bull-nosed verandahs on turned timber posts. The site has been subdivided and many of the later twentieth century hospital buildings and additions have been demolished. Remnants of the original landscaping survive, including evidence of the route of the original entrance drive and turning circle, and important specimen trees: two exceptionally large and outstanding Arbutus unedo, a Cedrus deodara and a Quercus robur, along the route of the original driveway; a fine Cedrus deodara in the centre of the turning circle; and at the rear of the main building the Coronation oak, Quercus robur.

How is it significant?

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register:

Criterion A

Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion B

Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion D

Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

Why is it significant?

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is significant at the State level for the following reasons:

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is historically significant as an example of the philanthropic welfare facilities which were established throughout Victoria during the prosperous and confident post-gold rush period. Many of Victoria's major health and social welfare institutions were initiated at this time in response to the public desire to assist disadvantaged groups, at a time when governments provided few such services. Benevolent asylums were established in Melbourne and regional centres from the 1850s to care for the aged, poor and infirm, but few of these institutions have survived intact. The individual asylum buildings at Beechworth, notably the main wing, with its several wards and dormitories, the laundry and isolation ward, the Chinese ward and the later Wallace Ward, built exclusively for women, helps to provide some understanding of the problems associated with life for the disadvantaged in nineteenth century Victoria. The 1938 former gatehouse is an unusual feature which provides evidence of the continuing need for the institution during the 1930s depression. The remains of the original landscape and trees on the site reflect the importance attached to a picturesque garden setting for such institutions at the time, when nature was seen as a panacea for social ills. The 1939 Coronation oak is the only known surviving King George VI commemorative oak in Victoria. [Criteria A and B]

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is architecturally significant as an outstanding example, largely intact externally, of a benevolent asylum, a nineteenth century building type designed to provide long-term accommodation for those unable to look after themselves. It is probably the best surviving example of a nineteenth century benevolent asylum in Victoria. The main building and the more simply designed Wallace wing are important examples of purpose-designed benevolent asylum buildings, designed on a smaller, more domestic scale than other benevolent asylums in the state. It is significant as an unusual example of a the Victorian period Tudor style, which was adopted for several benevolent asylum buildings in Victoria in the mid-nineteenth century. [Criteria B and D]

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is also significant for the following reasons, but not at the State level:

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum is significant for its association with the early history of Beechworth. It demonstrates the civic development that took place in Beechworth after the peak of the gold rush, when the town was emerging as the administrative centre of north east Victoria. It is a reflection of the prosperity of the local community in the 1860s, following the gold rushes, and is a monument to the community-mindedness of early settlers. It is significant as a major community asset, which was an important source of employment in the town, and which served the people of Beechworth and north-east Victoria from 1863 until 2005. It is significant for its association with some of Beechworth’s prominent early citizens, such as James Ingram and George Kerferd, who were instrumental in the establishment and the continuing existence of the asylum in the nineteenth century, and John A Wallace, the local entrepreneur who funded the construction of the Wallace Memorial Ward in memory of his wife, Theresa. It is also associated with the local architects John Coe and Donald Fiddes who designed the buildings. The elaborately decorated façade of the main building has been a prominent landmark in Beechworth since the 1860s.

PROPOSED PERMIT POLICY

DRAFT ONLY – NOT YET APPROVED BY THE HERITAGE COUNCIL

Preamble

The purpose of the Permit Policy is to assist when considering or making decisions regarding works to a registered place. It is recommended that any proposed works be discussed with an officer of Heritage Victoria prior to making a permit application. Discussing proposed works will assist in answering questions the owner may have and aid any decisions regarding works to the place.

The extent of registration of the Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum in the Victorian Heritage Register affects the whole place shown on Diagram 1510 including the land, all buildings, roads, trees, landscape elements and other features. Under the Heritage Act 1995 a person must not remove or demolish, damage or despoil, develop or alter or excavate, relocate or disturb the position of any part of a registered place or object without approval. It is acknowledged, however, that alterations and other works may be required to keep places and objects in good repair and adapt them for use into the future.

If a person wishes to undertake works or activities in relation to a registered place or registered object, they must apply to the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria for a permit. The purpose of a permit is to enable appropriate change to a place and to effectively manage adverse impacts on the cultural heritage significance of a place as a consequence of change. If an owner is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that Heritage Victoria be contacted.

Permits are required for anything which alters the place or object, unless a permit exemption is granted. Permit exemptions usually cover routine maintenance and upkeep issues faced by owners as well as minor works. They may include appropriate works that are specified in a conservation management plan. Permit exemptions can be granted at the time of registration (under s.42 of the Heritage Act) or after registration (under s.66 of the Heritage Act).

It should be noted that the addition of new buildings to the registered place, as well as alterations to the interior and exterior of existing buildings requires a permit, unless a specific permit exemption is granted.

Cultural heritage management plans

The Conservation Management Plan for the Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum (Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged), completed by Bryce Raworth in 2006 may provide guidance for the future management of the site.

Overview of significance

The Former Ovens Benevolent Asylum has had many alterations and additions during its lifetime, but its cultural heritage significance lies in its use as a benevolent institution from the 1860s until the mid-twentieth century. Most important are the buildings constructed as part of the asylum during the nineteenth century: the various wings of the main building, the former recreation wing which incorporates the original laundry and isolation ward, the Chinese ward (later used as a chapel),and the Wallace Memorial Ward. The 1938 former gatehouse is an unusual feature which provides evidence of the continuing need for the institution during the 1930s depression. The complex retains the general form of a nineteenth century asylum complex, a building type unique to the nineteenth century, with a number of separate buildings in a garden setting. The remnants of the Asylum gardens are therefore significant. The interiors retain evidence of the original room arrangements and such features as windows and some coved timber ceilings in the main building.