As it was 112 yrs ago || Stepping Back in Time

This was the year of The Big Flood, which occurred in January of that year, greatly effecting business in Peel and Lower Streets.

(1) The original St Paul's Church building, in the same location as the present Church. This earlier Anglican church was consecrated in November, 1859. with the building completed in May, 1860. St Nicholas Church in East Tamworth had been completed 16 months earlier. The original St Pauls held its final Service in 1954, with the present Church building consecrated in 1958.

(2) The Thibault's Store on the Bridge/Ebsworth St corner. Subject of a recent 'Stepping Back in Time' article, the Store existed on this site from 1875 to 1989, now occupied by Gasweld Tool Centre. Note that Bridge St was known as our 2nd Peel St until 1938.

(3) With our first tiny Fire Station having existed where today's Centrepoint Arcade is located, late in 1908 the Tamworth First Brigade moved into a new brick building in Kable Avenue (then Lower St, until 1957), where Diggers Club is now located. There were 14 volunteer firemen to operate a "push & pull" cart, with a horse-drawn engine introduced in 1912.

(4) - The Queen Victoria Gates , still at the entrance to today's Bicentennial Park at the bottom of Fitzroy St, were erected in 1897 to recognise the 60th year of her then record reign. (When will QEII's 70th be similarly locally recognised?). Note on the map 'The Oval' is our original Sports Oval, now a section of Bicentennial Park, and the 'Showground' shown was our 3rd, taking up part of the Park plus today's No.1 Oval, soon to be relocated to West Tamworth following the 1910 flood.

(5) Tamworth's 2nd Courthouse from 1861, now the location of the PCYC, across the road from the current Community Centre.

(6) The location of our 2nd Town Hall, operating from 1896. It was built close to where the original 1879 Town Hall was located, which had been within the earlier 1855 National School building.

(7) Our original electricity Power House, which had been in this location since 1888, in which year Tamworth started the first Council-operated electric street lighting in the Southern Hemisphere. Now the location of our local 1988 Power Station Museum.

(8) Grayston's 'Premium Bakery', commenced by previous Tamworth schoolteacher Thomas Grayston in the early 1870's, and inherited by his son upon his death in 1882. Situated near today's Rivers Store in Peel St.

(9) Glyde's Pharmacy, a part of Glyde's Chambers from 1901, where 'Cotton On' Store is now situated. The pharmacist John Glyde had previously taken over the Goodwin Pharmacy in 1889, next to today's 'Adairs' Store, later setting up on the site shown.

(10) Having read last week's 'Stepping Back in Time' (?), you'll know all about the 'Treloar's' Store, located on this corner since 1889. It was to continue until its closure in 2011 - 122 years !

(11) Banks have come and gone over the years, this being the site of the Bank of Commerce, which eventually came under the umbrella of the Bank of NSW (now Westpac). The site had previously been occupied by the Australian Joint Stock Bank, which had been severely effected by the 1893 Depression.

(12) Nearly always a "pub corner" , this was the site of the original Central Hotel, the present building still carrying the Central name. The Royal Standard Hotel had been there previously until burnt down in the huge 1896 fire.

(13) Another previous 'Stepping Back in Time' topic - Charlie Ison's Theatre Royal, the site now occupied by CH Boutique Hotel. The Theatre Royal, previously named the Central Hall, was built in 1901 after the 1896 fire had destroyed the Olympic Hall on the site. Dame Nellie Melba performed in Ison's new Hall in 1909.

(14) One of our oldest buildings - the Mechanic's Institute. Built by William Dowel in 1866, it is now occupied by the Burger Bar at 93 Brisbane St. Referred to as "The School of Arts", in more recent years it had been the headquarters of the Australian Country Music Foundation.

More like it:

(15) The Royal Hotel site, in this location for many years until 1963, where today's Target Store is now situated. Originally two storeys, a third storey was later added, making it the largest hotel ever to operate in Tamworth.

(16) Charles Regan's 'Palace of Trade' operated next to the Royal Hotel after opening in 1901.

(17) Situated on today's Centrepoint Arcade site, P.G.Smith & Co was the "supermarket" of its time back in 1910. Occupying the previous 1896 Cohen & Levy building, it traded from 1908 to 1976, before its demolition to allow today's Arcade structure.

(18) Today's Italianate clock-tower on the Peel/Fitzroy St corner marks the site of our 1886 Tamworth Post Office, with the main postal business now being on the Fitzroy St extremity. This site replaced a smaller adjacent 1865 Post Office in Fitzroy St.

(19) Bank of NSW, Australia's oldest Bank (Westpac from 1982), has had various sites in Tamworth (1856/1865/1892), with this site becoming ANZ Bank in 1951, and now the Pig & Tinderbox Restaurant location.

(20) Many older local residents will remember the Caledonian Hotel, near the current Coles site in Peel St. The Hotel was located here from 1853 to 1965, being rebuilt after a fire in 1886, with a 2nd storey added in 1898. A young Victor Trumper stayed there with the NSW Cricket team in 1898, as did Dame Nellie Melba in 1909.

(21) Growing in size from 1869, the Phoenix Flour Mill at the bottom of White St became our major Mill, going through to 1924. It was owned over the years by prominent local businessmen - C.J.Britten, George Fielder & Charles Regan.

(22) The high ground on the slight ridge between Murray and East St became known as 'Bedwell's Hill', after Charles Bedwell's residence ('The Towers') at 522 Peel St. Bedwell had a solicitor's practice in Tamworth from around 1876.

(23) The Paradise Gardens complex was near the end if its impressive life at the time of this map, due largely to the disastrous 1910 Flood. Opened by Charles Zartmann in 1876 it was one of Tamworth's major entertainment & celebration venues. The major buildings still exist at the start of King George Avenue.

(24) With the high ground above Marius St here being a common area for feral goats in early days, it became known as 'Billy Goat Hill', although nearby residents preferred to call it 'Angora Heights'.

Fitzroy St at the top of this 1910 map in West Tamworth was renamed Crown St in 1938, with the nearby Hill St renamed Mathew St in the same year.

These local history articles appear in the Northern Daily Leader every Wednesday, today's topic being No. 157. Spread the word!