Katanning District Hospital

Values

• The place demonstrates the development of hospitals in regional areas of Western Australia during the inter-war period.
• The place contains representative examples of buildings in the Inter-War Bungalow style applied to health service
• The place has social value to the local and wider regional communities as a place that has provided continuous medical and hospital services since its construction in 1925

Physical Description

The main buildings of the campus are laid out orthogonally but do not align to the block or strict cardinal directions. The current angled arrangement is the result of the original 1925 layout of the campus in which the Male and Female Wards were angled to form an arc around the central Administration building. An extension to the Male Ward in 1960 maintained the same orientation, as did subsequent extensions in 1975 and 2001 after the original Administration and Female Wards were demolished. The Workshop (1925) (fmr Isolation Ward), Beasey House (fmr Nurses Quarters), and houses along Elizabeth Street are all aligned with the cadastral boundaries. All buildings are made of brick, with tile or profiled metal roofs. The newer buildings have exposed red or cream brick and the older buildings have painted brick. Most open spaces are sparsely grass covered and there are a large number of native and endemic trees and plantings across the site. Plantings around the main entry are exotics. The entrance gates remain the original gates from 1925, though one half is a reconstruction.

History

In June 1889, the Great Southern Railway, built on the land-grant principle, was opened to traffic. At Katanning in that year, there were two stores, a private residence, the Katanning Hotel, and some timber buildings in the course of erection. On 20 November 1890, it was announced that the West Australian Land Company had declared a portion of Kojonup Locations 255 and 256 as a Townsite, and a number of the lots were sold in 1891.

Katanning developed gradually after the flourmill was built in 1891, encouraging further development in the district and in the town. In 1892, the Road Board was proclaimed. By 1894, Katanning was beginning to establish itself as a centre on the Great Southern Railway. In the late 1890s, major buildings erected included the Mechanics’ Institute (1896) and St Andrew’s Anglican Church (1898). In 1901, a new two-storey store of brick construction, was built in Clive Street, indicative of the gradual ‘spread of the town from the existing apex of Austral Terrace.

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.