South Australia differed from other Australian colonies by planning a library for public use, before settlement. Just after the South Australia Act was passed by the British Parliament in Aug 1834, a group of future colonists led by Richard Hanson & Robert Gouger formed the South Australian Literary Association; to cultivate and spread learning across the colony. The members donated useful books to start this library, and 2 years later brought the books out on the S.S Tam O'Shanter in an iron trunk. It also held the constitution of the colony, arriving Dec 1836. Today c40 of the original books remain as the Gouger Collection.
Top two floors for books and study
South Australia
The State Library commemorated important South Australians in its naming of the buildings and rooms. The names were suggested by senior library staff from among South Australians with connections to the State Library. Families of the people selected were consulted and formal approval involved the Libraries Board of South Australia, Geographical Names Board and Minister for the Arts. Sponsor names were recorded in the foyer.
presentation bays of South Australian history, ground floor
Trip Advisor
The State Library spans across 3 buildings. Starting at Kintore Ave and North Terrace see the Institute Building, then the Spence Wing. Finally the Mortlock Wing was designed by colonial architect EJ Woods amending RG Thomas' original design, and built by Brown and Thompson for £36,395. The building was French Renaissance in style, with a mansard roof. The brick walls were built with Sydney free-stone facings, with decorations in a darker stone. Mortlock Wing had a chimney on each side of its tower and the original entrance was on the SE corner, facing historic North Terrace.
The official foundation stone ceremony in Nov 1879 included speeches given by the Governor, Minister of Education, and Chairman of the Governors, South Australian Institute. There was a pamphlet which included a sketch of the initiation and progress of the South Australian Institute, a description of the proposed building and of the ceremony. It was opened in Dec 1884 by Gov Sir William Robinson.
The official foundation stone ceremony in Nov 1879 included speeches given by the Governor, Minister of Education, and Chairman of the Governors, South Australian Institute. There was a pamphlet which included a sketch of the initiation and progress of the South Australian Institute, a description of the proposed building and of the ceremony. It was opened in Dec 1884 by Gov Sir William Robinson.
Heritage of the City of Adelaide* showed the Mortlock Wing was unequalled as a mid-Victorian public library interior in Australia. The wing was regularly included on lists of the world's most beautiful libraries, and on travel blogs.
There were two galleries, one supported by masonry columns and one by cast iron brackets. The balconies had wrought iron balustrading ornamented with gold, while the lantern roof was glass-domed so the chamber enjoyed natural light. 2 of the original gas sunburner lamps survived in the second floor offices, as did some of the original wallpaper in a ground floor room. Heating vents were fed by hot water pipes linked to an underground boiler.
There were two galleries, one supported by masonry columns and one by cast iron brackets. The balconies had wrought iron balustrading ornamented with gold, while the lantern roof was glass-domed so the chamber enjoyed natural light. 2 of the original gas sunburner lamps survived in the second floor offices, as did some of the original wallpaper in a ground floor room. Heating vents were fed by hot water pipes linked to an underground boiler.
Winding the Mortlock Clock
State Library of S.A
The Board of Governors loved the grand chamber and decided it needed a clock. Board member Sir Charles Todd bought one when he went overseas in 1885, costing heaps because it was an accurate time-piece from the London Strand. Installed in 1887, the hands were set hourly on a signal from the Observatory where Todd was Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs. He was the engineer responsible for building the Adelaide-Darwin Overland Telegraph Line, and his wife Alice’s name lives on in Alice Springs. Todd was also the longest serving member Governor on the Board, 1866-1910. Today staff wind the clock to keep excellent time.
Todd urged the introduction of electric light by 1884, which the government declined on cost grounds. The Board's Annual Report of 1910-11 noted the baneful effects of gas on the pre-WW2 books’ leather bindings, plus the spoiled air inhaled by students etc who visit the library at night. Only in 1914 was electric light installed.
The Caledonian Society raised money for the statue of the most famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns, to be placed before the Art Gallery. Then pre-WW2, the statue was placed in the entrance plaza to the Library in a prominent position. North Terrace is wonderful!
Todd urged the introduction of electric light by 1884, which the government declined on cost grounds. The Board's Annual Report of 1910-11 noted the baneful effects of gas on the pre-WW2 books’ leather bindings, plus the spoiled air inhaled by students etc who visit the library at night. Only in 1914 was electric light installed.
The Caledonian Society raised money for the statue of the most famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns, to be placed before the Art Gallery. Then pre-WW2, the statue was placed in the entrance plaza to the Library in a prominent position. North Terrace is wonderful!
State of Robert Burns
in front of the library
BigWideWorld
In 1984 a heritage study resulted in the architecture being renewed at the state's Jubilee year, 1986. The major building was further redeveloped in 2003, when the Libraries Board named the building the Mortlock Wing to honour the wealthy benefactor’s gift to the state. And note the modern glass façade that is a new (2003) redevelopment of the library, an overpass that leads into the Mortlock wing.
The Mortlock Wing now accommodates a range of public functions and services eg exhibitions, conservation services, study spaces on the first gallery with wireless internet access and Crawford Room. It also houses the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia and the National Archives of Australia. The Sir Josiah Symon Library, a C19th gentleman’s library, holds 7,500 law books and his desk used when drafting the first Australian Constitution in the 1890s.
The Mortlock Wing now accommodates a range of public functions and services eg exhibitions, conservation services, study spaces on the first gallery with wireless internet access and Crawford Room. It also houses the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia and the National Archives of Australia. The Sir Josiah Symon Library, a C19th gentleman’s library, holds 7,500 law books and his desk used when drafting the first Australian Constitution in the 1890s.
View of the library from North Terrace
BigWideWorld
*Adelaide: Corporation of the City of Adelaide, 1990
Thanks to History of the State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. And credit for the photos to There’s a Big Wide World Out There.
26 comments:
North Terrace, 2 ks long, has great 19th century architecture and great tourist sites. I agree that the Public Library was special, and also recommend Parliament House Adelaide, South Australian Museum, Migration Museum, Art Gallery of South Australia, and the parklands. I think another couple of days in Adelaide would have helped greatly.
Joe
without a doubt North Terrace is amazing.
I would like to add one more very special site. Adelaide Railway Station, the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system, was not Victorian but was built after WW1 ended. Its recent refurbishment looks both original and prestigious.
It is a good looking library for sure. What a great piece of history
roentare
Adelaide was never going to be the biggest city population-wise or economically-speaking, but it certainly wanted to be a cultural, religious and educational leader in Australia. So it shouldn't surprise us in the least that the city poured money into preserving and protecting its 19th century architecture. The State Library was beautifully laid out, specifically to invite in ordinary citizens for their own education.
Looks beautiful.
Bom dia de terça-feira, com muita paz e saúde. Que Biblioteca maravilhosa. Que vontade de conhecer. Infelizmente nunca saí do Brasil.
I wish I'd known of the splendid library before our last visit to Adelaide. The various states are fortunate to have such great public libraries.
Wow, people who had some pre-planning when it came to books and literacy. It looks like an amazing building, and I like how they even still have a few of the original books.
Jim
Yes!The original design was beautiful, and the essential renovation was beautiful as well.
Andrew
The states proudly built exceptional facilities for their citizens back in the day eg museums, galleries, libraries, universities. Now we are lucky to get ugly freeways from the state governments ggrr
Erika
The Adelaide Library has many vital facilities, but I wonder if children at school now even know what a library has or does.
Luiz
During my undergrad years at university, the State Library was a great place of books, study space, quiet and comfort. Of course this was a long time ago :)
Wow!! 3 buildings! 2 galleries! natural light from a glass roof! an accurate clock from London! an impressive statue of the scottish poet Robert Burns, currently placed the in the entrance plazza to the library!
Special investment in a very special library!
It is a very beautiful library. I have only been on there a couple of times and don't remember now why I went there. I used to go to the lending library section to borrow books, but haven't been there in quite a long time either.
What a beautiful building Hels.
DUTA
My husband grew up in Sydney and I grew up in Melbourne, plus we spent 2 years in Perth after the children were born. But although Adelaide is only 725 kms away, it is not a city we knew a great deal about. This was a great mistake.... that will be fixed :)
River
When I first started going to academic conferences and blogging meetings in other countries, I think I began to learn more about London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Delhi, Singapore, Vancouver and Chicago etc better than I knew Australian cities. So I am not surprised at all that you don't remember visiting Adelaide's beautiful buildings in great detail.
Thank goodness for blogs, I say :)
I love public libraries and I always visit one if I can when I'm abroad. The one in Adelaide looks beautiful. If we make another visit to Australia, Adelaide is on our 'hit list'.
I really like the way that many libraries are also community hubs. We visited one in Lexington, Mass. where we were made most welcome as overseas visitors. My Sister-in-Law received the Queens Medal for services to school libraries in the London Borough of Redbridge and was invited to King Charles's Coronation!
What a library I could spend hours in there wondering around
bazza
the concept of a community hub is interesting - a multipurpose centre like a health or educational centre that provides cost effective services to locals. But as you say, a community hub could easily open itself up to interstate and overseas visitors, to make people feel connected and knowledgeable about the local community.
Warmest mazel tov to your sister in law :) She must have done very well in the library world!
Jo-Anne
I am with you 100%. Our houses and offices are sometimes irritating with constant tv, computers, music, cricket games, children wrestling, telephone calls etc. Spending quiet time in the library looks very peaceful and promotes quality thinking/reading/writing.
Margaret
I would preserve public architecture from the Victorian era, as long as it was historically important and architecturally valuable. Even better when the building is beautiful!
Libraries are very important for us and our general knowledge. It should be peaceful in their and not loud.
Hello Hels, The Adelaide Library is a particularly felicitous one. Perhaps architects are inspired when they design libraries--there are so many good ones! Also, the books themselves are attractive, while the ranked shelves add an architectural interest. Your story of the managers resisting installing electricity reminded me (by way of opposites) of researching Harvard's Gore Library, in which the 19th century building was closed early to avoid the dangers of fire. Also, how do they know the London clock was accurate if they had to reset it every hour?
--Jim
Gattina
I couldn't agree with you more. And now it is summer when Adelaide is very hot, it is important that the space is very comfortable.
Parnassus
The clock I knew nothing about except for its decorative/functional contribution. But the fear of fire in libraries and other large, crowded public facilities must have been constant .
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