Brighton Town Hall, South Australia
Background
The Brighton Town Hall was built in 1869 and was just the fourth Town Hall built in the colony of South Australia. The architect and builder was George William Highet who arrived in the colony in 1836. G. W. Highet served as a town clerk and Councillor and died in Brighton aged 80 years. The hall was constructed of stone from Ayliffe's quarry in the Adelaide Hills laid on concrete foundations. The pioneers built it not just as a place for the business of Government but as a place "to serve the wants of the citizens" for many different activities. On 10 May 1869 a foundation stone was laid by the Hon John Hodgkiss a member of the Legislative Council of South Australia in a ceremony attended by many of South Australia's most important pioneers. Under this stone was placed a time capsule containing copies of the newspapers of the day.
As the City of Brighton and the population grew the hall expanded. In the early 1900s the original building was added to which allowed the library to house more books in a larger reading room.
In 1936 the Brighton Council moved to new chambers and in 1937 the Brighton Town Hall was then leased to the RSL. In 2008 after 70 years the RSL moved.
Since 2008, after nearly 150 years of continual community use, the building has been left empty. It is a heritage listed building and an important part of the history of Government in South Australia. It still stands as a landmark.
References
- ^ "Conservation Management Plan Brighton Town Hall" Archived 29 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Flightpath Architects, 2009
- ^ The South Australian Advertiser, Wednesday 12 May 1869, page 2
- ^ South Australian Register, Thursday 23 September 1869, Page 3