Arnotts bakery in Morpeth
Opened 1847
An important trade, cultural, commercial and religious centre, it became a bustling town filled with sailors, bullockies and hotels; bond stores and salesmen; free settlers and convict workers; dairy farmers and railway men. In 1847, Scottish immigrant William Arnott opened a bakery in Morpeth. Later Mr Arnott moved to a bakery on Hunter St Newcastle, making biscuits and pies for townspeople and ships docking at the local port. Arnott was/is still the most famous biscuit brand in this nation.
built in 1861 and opened in 1862
Magistrate's bench
in Morpeth's courthouse
In time, the need for Morpeth’s court house as a symbol of authority grew. Between the 1820s and 1850s, local magistrates assigned to Morpeth generally used private or rented dwellings to hold court sessions. And the Court of Petty sessions was often held in private dwellings.
Although there were 2 important courthouses 20 ks away, this little river town felt it deserved honour by the erection of its own centre for law & order. In 1858, the Government recognised a need for a permanent court house. After some delay, Edward Close, a Morpeth land owner since 1822 and previously a magistrate in the area, took responsibility for the building. With Edward Day, Police Superintendent for the Maitland area, Edward Close petitioned the Colonial Secretary to urge the Dept of Public Works to speed up the process.
Architect Mortimer Lewis Jnr, son of the former colonial architect, wanted to get the building up and operational. Appropriately Close donated a plot land for the court house.
The final plans comprised a large courtroom with 2 wings, a police station and magistrates on one side and the Telegraph and Post Office on the other. Tenders were called and in Sept 1861 an East Maitland builder was contracted to build the courthouse, to be completed in 9 months. Morpeth Court House, centrally located on the corner of Swan & Northumberland Sts, was in the classical Greek Revival Style. It opened in 1862. The Court Room still displays the coat of arms over the original judge’s canopy.
The building was used as a courthouse and civic centre from 1862-1942, until Morpeth’s importance as a commercial river port declined and there was less need for its services. Later the building was used as a recruitment office during WW2 and a Red Cross station.
After WW2, the building continued to be used by the local community: public meetings, craft and art classes, Red Cross meetings and an emergency food distribution centre. The National Emergency Services used it to hold first aid practice and training. In July 1954 the main room of the court house was opened as a branch of Maitland City Library. Later the front 2 rooms of the east wing opened as a Baby Health Centre.
In 1965, Maitland City Council applied to resume the land and have the court house designated as a place of historical significance. The Council finally owned the land by Apr 1968 and used a stylised image of the roof line, bell tower and clock as the organisational logo for many years. In 1970 Morpeth Progress Association and the Library Committee began discussions about a section of Morpeth branch library becoming a local folk museum. The library was moved to the east wing and continued to work there for decades. I know Morpeth had a small population, but what happened to reduce and finally close the library?
Morpeth Museum’s task was to explore the Hunter region's rich heritage, collecting, preserving and interpreting the history for future generations. It is represented in the courthouse with permanent and temporary displays, together with the gallery of The Morpeth River Boats photographs and models. The Maitland City Council ensured the building underwent extensive restoration over 3 years and is once again the focal point of Morpeth.
After WW2, the building continued to be used by the local community: public meetings, craft and art classes, Red Cross meetings and an emergency food distribution centre. The National Emergency Services used it to hold first aid practice and training. In July 1954 the main room of the court house was opened as a branch of Maitland City Library. Later the front 2 rooms of the east wing opened as a Baby Health Centre.
In 1965, Maitland City Council applied to resume the land and have the court house designated as a place of historical significance. The Council finally owned the land by Apr 1968 and used a stylised image of the roof line, bell tower and clock as the organisational logo for many years. In 1970 Morpeth Progress Association and the Library Committee began discussions about a section of Morpeth branch library becoming a local folk museum. The library was moved to the east wing and continued to work there for decades. I know Morpeth had a small population, but what happened to reduce and finally close the library?
Morpeth Museum’s task was to explore the Hunter region's rich heritage, collecting, preserving and interpreting the history for future generations. It is represented in the courthouse with permanent and temporary displays, together with the gallery of The Morpeth River Boats photographs and models. The Maitland City Council ensured the building underwent extensive restoration over 3 years and is once again the focal point of Morpeth.
Museum exhibitions
Exhibitions range from early and family histories which can be researched, to specific industries, lectures, heritage walks and morning teas. The exhibitions are ever-changing as new and interesting historical elements are discovered or restored. The railway, housing and working industries draw in many viewers. After a long Covid break, Morpeth Museum reopened with the launch of a new exhibition. Local artist Holly McNamee said she used her own memories of growing up in Maitland to draw on.
Today the Morpeth Court House-cum-Museum is heritage listed. The museum is featured in the Morpeth Heritage Walk, along with other iconic buildings which reflect the history of the town. Read Ann Beaumont’s Morpeth Courthouse: a place of justice, a place of community for the history of the town itself.
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18 comments:
In this morning's SMH they were talking about reimagining important 19th century buildings in Sydney, rather than destroying them and wasting all those precious resources building something new. How much more so in small rural towns.
Hello Hels, The Morpeth Courthouse certainly has had a layered history, and I am glad of its current appropriate use as a museum. With its fancy ironwork it almost looks like something out of New Orleans. It is interesting to know the early history of the Arnott company. I love their cheese crackers, but currently in Taiwan unfortunately you can only get their sweet cookies.
--Jim
I was thrilled from the unexpected memories. Arnott's itself says the Tim Tam can never be defeated as the most iconic Aussie biscuit because it’s so damn delicious. The classic Tim Tam will go down in history as the best Aussie biscuit creation. Agreed!
Sydneysider
I found the article, thank you. So many historically important buildings were destroyed in the name of modernity that we will never again have the memory of the past in our vision and we will never be able to keep that history alive. Of course we can look at 19th century photos, but it isn't the same.
Unlike Morpeth Bendigo is a large rural city, but I remember how important it was to maintain the gold-rush architecture, stunning post office and law courts, churches and synagogue etc.
Parnassus
When I was thinking about preserving 19th century fire stations in London, it was clear to me that even though the external architecture needed to be carefully preserved, it largely didn't matter what the building was used for inside. So if Morpheth courthouse becomes a technical training college, public library, Red Cross Centre or baby health centre, each use should be recognised by a plaque.
Yes...architectural taste and decorative preferences can travel the world very quickly! I have not visited New Orleans, but I would recognise an architectural school straight away and know where the taste came from eg Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Bauhaus etc etc
Joe
I had no idea that William Arnott first opened a bakery in Morpeth, so I am delighted Arnott's bakery in Morpeth (1847) is still in place. And yes, it was such an important company in our post-war decades. Do you remember the Iced Vo Vo where the biscuit was covered with pink fondant, a strip of raspberry jam and a sprinkling of coconut :)
Where there's a river there's life and progress: a port, goods coming in and going out, hotels, institutions (law court) etc..Even the name of the town Morpeth , sounds promising.
I like the story and picture of Arnott's bakery. A tasty biscuit is something to savor and remember.
DUTA
Agreed. Cities, towns and rural regions' economies change when something huge happens outside their control eg Central Victoria (Aus) became mega wealthy when masses of gold deposits were dug up from 1850 on. The populations increased greatly, the architecture was stunning and the transport system became amazing. Until the gold ran out! In Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK), the teeming industrialisation only went down when the last coal pit closed in c1960 and the booming shipyards disappeared in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
I suppose life in those cities had to move more to banking and insurance, computers and technology, tourism, culture etc, if they were smart.
Thanks for your response your post are really amezing History Den
Boa tarde minha querida amiga. Obrigado pela maravilhosa matéria sobre essa importante região da Austrália, sempre aprendo com o seu trabalho.
It is not an area I know much about, having never visited, but I know a little more now. I am pleased the court house is being well utilised and maintained.
Kaushal
thank you. Are you interested in British colonial architecture of the 19th century? Where can people leave a comment on your posts?
Luiz
that part of Australia was important in mid 19th century, and although Newcastle is still important, the surrounding small towns have faded. So preserving the history, architecture and treasures of Morpeth has become even more important.
Andrew
me too. I have been along the Wollongong-Sydney-Newcastle road many times and know the three cities well. But I had never heard of Morpeth until accidentally reading of the town in My Maitland. Learning can come from all sorts of odd places :)
https://www.mymaitland.com.au/
I didn't know about Morpeth. I did know an Arnott descendent, however, and when he was a kid in Sydney, the family members still had their biscuits delivered from the Sydney factory every week by the red Arnott's van. His granny used to order her Sao biscuits "well done", so they'd cook her batch specially.
Pipistrello
I love it when bloggers have a personal connection with the topic, even if it is as remote as our grandparents' experiences. Books are wonderful, but there is nothing like you knowing an Arnott descendent or my beloved swapping Tim Tams in primary school in Sydney.
The architecture is interesting, the bakery in particular.
Cherry
colonial Victorian architecture in Australia (for those with money) was beautiful, both residential and commercial. Double storey, freestanding, open and plain façade, terraced with cast iron lacework and corrugated iron roof. I love it still.
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