Heritage Buildings in Port Adelaide
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Further north from
Henley Beach and
Grange is Port Adelaide, our main supply link to the world in times past. Although no longer the case today, quite a number of heritage buildings still stand within walking distance from its town centre. We spent almost two hours exploring the area and gained a wealth of information.
As a port, warehouses are of course a fundamental requirement. We found a local publican's three warehouses, built in 1865, that we're able to bear heavy loads and easily move goods. They even had one of the earliest installations of hydraulic lifts in South Australia! Smith Channon relocated here in 1918 and is the current tenant of this building.
Other early warehouses include the bonded and free stores of Elder & Co on Lipson Street, now home to the SA Maritime Museum. Merchants would store their unsold goods in the bonded stores deferring customs duties while goods with duty already paid were held in the free stores.
Sail making was also a successful business at the port. Henry Weman's loft and shop front of the 1870s housed nautical essentials. The first floor featured large double doors which were used for loading materials and sending sails out when finished.
Banks played an important role too. In Anglo-Italian style, the former National Bank of Australasia was built using Dry Creek stone. It provided services to the public and accommodation for its manager until World War II. Today, the building has transitioned into a private residence.
Completed for £3,555, an outstanding Queen Anne style building with a large lobby was the former Bank of Adelaide. Its elaborate facade featured Mitcham freestone and cement dressing. Believe it or not, the current owner of this now private dwelling apparently lives in the United States.
Another bank had its building completed in 1891 at the corner of Divett and Lipson Streets. This Port Adelaide branch of the Bank of Australasia incorporated not just a bank but also the manager's residence and offices.
Unlike the electronic distribution of messages that fills today's world, printed publications were the means to carry news, articles, advertisements and correspondence. The original Advertiser Building consisted of two divided wings, one for the newspaper and one for rent. Constructed in 1881, each wing was designed with their own entrance, staircase and ornamental iron gates.
Physical face-to-face in-person rendezvous sometimes seem to be a thing of the past. In 1913, a reading room, as well as a scientific and technical library, was constructed by the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers for its members to socialise, exchange ideas and deliver educational talks. It was even reported that the building had splendid ventilation and was lighted throughout with electricity!
Last but not least, the Railway Hotel is one of the few that survived the colony's second decade of settlement. It provided good accommodation for visitors in the early 1900s. The terminus of the railway was just across the road from the hotel.
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214563 - 2023-06-16 07:06:20