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Orford War Memorial Hall
Dicks Road, Orford VIC 3284

All information on this page is maintained by Vic. War Heritage Inventory. Click below for their website and contact details.
Vic. War Heritage Inventory
Orford 1.jpg
Orford 1.jpg
Orford 1.jpg
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Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Orford War Memorial Hall is located on the former main road through the town of Orford. It is a gabled building constructed of timber and corrugated iron. It possibly constitutes a remodelling in the 1920s of the Orford Mechanics Institute Hall which was erected in 1909.

How is it significant?
The Orford war memorial hall is of historical and social significance to the Shire of Moyne.

Why is it significant?
The Orford war memorial hall is of local historical significance for its part in the development of the Orford township, through its origins as the local mechanics institute erected in 1909. It is also of local historical significance as an example of a public hall dedicated to the memory of local soldiers. In this respect it is important for its dual role as a public hall and as a war memorial.

The Orford war memorial hall is of social significance as a war memorial and as a community facility in use for almost 100 years. It has social significance for its role as a venue for local community meetings, social gatherings and entertainment.
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    • Physical Description 1

      Orford War Memorial Hall - Physical Description 1

      This is a combination of hall buildings which were built of timber with aluminium siding. The lettering on front of building reads 'Orford Memorial Hall 1914-18 1939-45'. The rear section of the complex was probably the original mechanics institute (built 1909). See sketch overpage in Field Notebook 1. [FS 2001]

      COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
      This hall is an unremarkable structure in itself, built as it is in the typical gabled timber style and without any architectural embellishments. It is not an unusual building type - there being a small public hall in almost every town and hamlet in Moyne Shire. Nevertheless, the hall at Orford is of interest as a former, standard mechanics institute and public hall that was adapted as a 'war memorial hall' after World War I. This was also the case at Mortlake, where the Mechanics Institute building of c.1860s was renamed the Soldiers' Memorial Hall in 1923. Examples of purpose-built soldiers' memorial halls in Moyne Shire are at Minhamite (1926) and The Sisters (1926), with a much later example at Wangoom (1958).

      Physical Conditions

      Orford War Memorial Hall - Physical Conditions

      Good

      Integrity

      Orford War Memorial Hall - Integrity

      Minor Modifications

      Veterans Description for Public

      Orford War Memorial Hall - Veterans Description for Public

      The Orford War Memorial Hall is located on the former main road through the town of Orford. It is a gabled building constructed of timber and corrugated iron. A mechanics institute hall was built at Orford in 1909 and then appears to have been re-opened as a war memorial hall after one of the World Wars. The Memorial Hall is dedicated to the men who fought in both the First and Second World War. Orford was an area with considerable soldier settlement. The Orford hall has now been a war memorial and community facility in use for over 100 years.

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Moyne - Moyne Shire Heritage Study Stage 2

      Author: Helen Doyle in association with Context P/L
      Year: 2006
      Grading: Local

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
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