The English, Scottish, & Australian (ES&A) Bank (Terowie, South Australia's Mid North)
The history of Terowie's most prominent bank is closely linked to that of the town. The building was built during Terowie's boom in the 1880s, with provision for further extensions. As with many developments in Terowie, this confidence was never realised. The extensions were never built and the incomplete fabric at the rear demonstrates this. During the town's prosperous years, the bank operated as a branch in its own right, and in the devastating Depression of the 1890s, the bank was closed down completely for over a year. The later development of the bank continued to mirror the economic development of the town. The confidently executed Victorian Tudor bank building is an uncommon architectural example in this area. It is also interesting that the designer did not employ classical style common to Victorian banking institutions. The interior contains well-preserved Victorian bank furnishings. The building provides a distinctive contribution to the Terowie Main Street, and is a significant and distinctive example of a bank building in a rural town.
Terowie:
The town of Terowie was established in the early 1870s as a service centre for northbound traffic. Terowie owes its birth to one man, John Aver Mitchell; and its subsequent growth and success to its position on a major South Australian transport route, and later, to its important position within the South Australian rail network. John Aver Mitchell (1833 - 1879) is widely acknowledged to be the founder of Terowie. He and his family arrived in South Australia in 1847, and settled in the Marrabel area. Mitchell turned his hand to many things and lived in many places, including Kapunda and Hallett, before establishing himself in the Terowie area.
In 1872, Mitchell selected Section 158 from the recently proclaimed Hundred of Terowie. This land had previously been part of McCulloch's Gottlieb's Well sheep run, the lease of which had been resumed by the Government and opened for credit selection. Mitchell planted wheat on his land, but soon turned to other ideas for a livelihood. The growing amount of northward traffic passing through his section required services, and he is believed to have established an underground store or possible sly-grog shop at the side of the track as early as 1872.
He soon built two substantial stone buildings close to one another, the Hotel which was licensed on the 7th of May 1874; and a chapel which probably served a variety of functions including as a general meeting place. The hotel and chapel are considered to be Terowie's earliest buildings, but it was not long before a smithy and store were also constructed near the hotel. To ensure the growth and success of his infant town, Mitchell donated land and money for a school and a Methodist Chapel, both of which were erected in 1877.
The fact that the young town of Terowie offered much needed services to the northward traffic, as well as to the growing number of local settlers, secured its future prosperity. By the end of the 1870s over 500 people had settled in the town. Subsequent fluctuations in population had two main causes: the times of depression which affected local production, state-wide production and hence local services; and the rise and fall of railway operations, which reached high points in the 1880s (with the Silverton/Broken Hill Traffic), the 1940s (Military manoeuvres) and the 1950s (Leigh Creek Coal). The 1970 bypassing of the Terowie break-of-gauge sounded the death knell for the town's prosperity.
This history, of massive boom and prosperity in the 1880s, but then a subsequent dip in popularity followed by later peaks of a similar height has, to a large extent, dictated the face of Terowie today. Almost all of the buildings in the core of the town were constructed before the turn of the century. Lack of a steadily rising population led to there being no necessity for new buildings to be built after the 1880s, as the old ones were built during a wave of optimism, and then rarely outgrown.
Therefore, within the core of the town, very few twentieth century buildings have been built, and few modern alterations and additions have been required. Terowie survives as a fascinating nineteenth century commercial and residential time capsule. However, it is also a living town, with a small number of interested residents trying to retain their unique heritage.
Source: South Australian Heritage Register & Department for Environment & Heritage, District Councils of Mount Remarkable, Orroroo/Carrieton & Peterborough, Regional Council of Goyder, Northern Areas Council, and Port Pirie Regional Council "HERITAGE OF THE UPPER NORTH - Volume 2 -
Regional Council of Goyder "
The English, Scottish, & Australian (ES&A) Bank (Terowie, South Australia's Mid North)
The history of Terowie's most prominent bank is closely linked to that of the town. The building was built during Terowie's boom in the 1880s, with provision for further extensions. As with many developments in Terowie, this confidence was never realised. The extensions were never built and the incomplete fabric at the rear demonstrates this. During the town's prosperous years, the bank operated as a branch in its own right, and in the devastating Depression of the 1890s, the bank was closed down completely for over a year. The later development of the bank continued to mirror the economic development of the town. The confidently executed Victorian Tudor bank building is an uncommon architectural example in this area. It is also interesting that the designer did not employ classical style common to Victorian banking institutions. The interior contains well-preserved Victorian bank furnishings. The building provides a distinctive contribution to the Terowie Main Street, and is a significant and distinctive example of a bank building in a rural town.
Terowie:
The town of Terowie was established in the early 1870s as a service centre for northbound traffic. Terowie owes its birth to one man, John Aver Mitchell; and its subsequent growth and success to its position on a major South Australian transport route, and later, to its important position within the South Australian rail network. John Aver Mitchell (1833 - 1879) is widely acknowledged to be the founder of Terowie. He and his family arrived in South Australia in 1847, and settled in the Marrabel area. Mitchell turned his hand to many things and lived in many places, including Kapunda and Hallett, before establishing himself in the Terowie area.
In 1872, Mitchell selected Section 158 from the recently proclaimed Hundred of Terowie. This land had previously been part of McCulloch's Gottlieb's Well sheep run, the lease of which had been resumed by the Government and opened for credit selection. Mitchell planted wheat on his land, but soon turned to other ideas for a livelihood. The growing amount of northward traffic passing through his section required services, and he is believed to have established an underground store or possible sly-grog shop at the side of the track as early as 1872.
He soon built two substantial stone buildings close to one another, the Hotel which was licensed on the 7th of May 1874; and a chapel which probably served a variety of functions including as a general meeting place. The hotel and chapel are considered to be Terowie's earliest buildings, but it was not long before a smithy and store were also constructed near the hotel. To ensure the growth and success of his infant town, Mitchell donated land and money for a school and a Methodist Chapel, both of which were erected in 1877.
The fact that the young town of Terowie offered much needed services to the northward traffic, as well as to the growing number of local settlers, secured its future prosperity. By the end of the 1870s over 500 people had settled in the town. Subsequent fluctuations in population had two main causes: the times of depression which affected local production, state-wide production and hence local services; and the rise and fall of railway operations, which reached high points in the 1880s (with the Silverton/Broken Hill Traffic), the 1940s (Military manoeuvres) and the 1950s (Leigh Creek Coal). The 1970 bypassing of the Terowie break-of-gauge sounded the death knell for the town's prosperity.
This history, of massive boom and prosperity in the 1880s, but then a subsequent dip in popularity followed by later peaks of a similar height has, to a large extent, dictated the face of Terowie today. Almost all of the buildings in the core of the town were constructed before the turn of the century. Lack of a steadily rising population led to there being no necessity for new buildings to be built after the 1880s, as the old ones were built during a wave of optimism, and then rarely outgrown.
Therefore, within the core of the town, very few twentieth century buildings have been built, and few modern alterations and additions have been required. Terowie survives as a fascinating nineteenth century commercial and residential time capsule. However, it is also a living town, with a small number of interested residents trying to retain their unique heritage.
Source: South Australian Heritage Register & Department for Environment & Heritage, District Councils of Mount Remarkable, Orroroo/Carrieton & Peterborough, Regional Council of Goyder, Northern Areas Council, and Port Pirie Regional Council "HERITAGE OF THE UPPER NORTH - Volume 2 -
Regional Council of Goyder "