CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS

C. 250 METRES NORTH EAST OF HAMMERSMITH COURT SUNBURY, HUME CITY

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS - History

    Following the implementation of the Neglected and Criminal Children's Act of 1864, a 1,000 acre site was put aside on Jackson's Hill in Sunbury on which was developed the Sunbury Industrial School. This institution was designed to provide destitute or orphaned children with the skills necessary to care for themselves in adulthood.

    The steam powered pump would appear to have been installed at the site in the 1860s to provide water from Jackson's Creek to the Industrial School (Trevor Dunn pers. comm.).

    Provisions for the children were inadequate and illness was rife. It was estimated that around 10 percent of children died within the first year of operation, and led to the school gaining the nickname of the Sunbury Slaughterhouse. After public outcry, and after numerous Royal Commissions into the Industrial School System the Sunbury Industrial School was closed.

    The site was redeveloped in 1879 as an asylum for the mentally ill and, having been substantially enlarged in the period 1891 - 1914, it reached 1000 patients at its peak. The 1920s the Health Reformation Act improved conditions and the site was maintained in use as a psychiatric hospital before becoming the Caloola Training Centre for the Intellectually Disabled between 1968 and 1992. It is now occupied by a number of organisations including Sunbury and Macedon Ranged Specialist School and Victoria University, although the latter is due to be replaced at the site by the Hume Anglican Grammar School in 2010.

    Interpretation of Site

    CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS - Interpretation of Site

    Installed in the 1860s, the concrete and brick mounts, measuring 6 metres by 5 metres, on which the pumping engine would have been held by the extant metal rods. Voids can be seen in the mounting to accommodate the mechanism. The boiler and its mounting block lie immediately to the north west of the mounting. The boiler has recently been returned having been stolen and converted for use as a barbecue (Trevor Dunn pers. comm.). The coal dump lay to the south east of the mounting, as can be seen from stray pieces of fuel which can be observed on the surface.

    Research undertaken by the Sunbury and District Heritage Association has revealed that the engine at least was originally contained within a shed which measured 55 feet by 22 feet and had a brick floor. The floor survives, c. 150mm below the current ground level. The route of the pipeline to the top of the hill is however not known.

    Archaeological Significance

    CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS - Archaeological Significance

    Detailed research and archaeological recording of the engine mounts should enable the design and capabilty of the engine and pump to be determind.

    The brick floor of the shed which contained the engine is said to survive below the surface, and it is likely that other deposits survive in the vicinity.

    Historical Significance

    CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS - Historical Significance

    The site is of historical significance for its relation to the former Industrial School, the first purpose-built example of this type, and the Lunatic Asylum, both of which are represented by substantial physical evidence at the nearby Caloola siteH0937.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    CALOOLA INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL PUMP HOUSE RUINS - Heritage Inventory Description

    Site of mid 19th century steam pump to supply Caloola Industrial School. Includes boiler, brick and later concrete footings and remnants of a coal dump and access track.

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