Tooraweenah Butcher Shop (Former)

Item details


Name of item:	Tooraweenah Butcher Shop (Former)
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Retail and Wholesale
Category:	Shop
Location:	Lat: S31° 26.437’ Long: E148° 54.550’
Primary address:	Murray Street, Tooraweenah, NSW 2817
Local govt. area:	Gilgandra

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Murray Street	Tooraweenah	Gilgandra			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is one of a number of buildings that hosted businesses in the town in the mid to late 20th century. It is associated with the development of the village following the implementation of closer settlement. The butcher shop is a rare surviving example of a small country butcher shop constructed in the 1920s with Arts and Crafts influences. The building has local historical and aesthetic significance, rarity and representativeness. It has a high degree of integrity.
	Date significance updated: 25 Aug 08
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Unknown
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Construction years:	1925-
Physical description:	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is a simple carpenter style building constructed with early 20th century Arts and Crafts features. The main part of the building has a gable roof and the front is protected by a skillion-roofed verandah. The verandah has been partly infilled to create an entrance to the shop. A parapeted façade, clad in compressed asbestos fibre sheet provides advertising space on the front of the building. The building is timber framed and clad in compressed asbestos fibre sheet above windowsill height. Below this level cladding is rusticated weatherboard. Double hung, four-pane windows are located on either side of the building and a large display window at the front. Small vented windows with simple awnings are located on either side of the building.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The building is well managed and in very good condition. The site is considered to have moderate archaeological potential.
	Date condition updated:25 Aug 08
Further information:	The ongoing management of the buildings should focus on maintenance of the existing fabric to ensure that it is weatherproof and free of destructive pests. Replacement of building fabric, if required, should be undertaken with items of the same materials and profiles as items being replaced.


Current use:	Vacant
Former use:	Butcher Shop

History

Historical notes:

Andrew Brown of Cooerwull near Lithgow established a series of pastoral runs around the Upper Castlereagh River and Warrumbungle Range during the 1830s. Among these was the Tooraweenah Run that was taken up in 1837. A store was established on the northern side of Tooraweenah Creek in 1841 to provide supplies for Brown’s shepherds and drovers. Stores were brought by waggon from Mudgee. (Rohr)

Following the implementation of the Robertson Land Acts of 1861 the Toorawenah run was broken up into smaller holdings. Free Selectors began moving into the district surrounding Tooraweenah from this time. The first village school was established in 1884 and by 1914 the town hosted 15 businesses. Among these was the Mountain View Hotel, built in 1911. (Rohr)

The Butcher Shop in Toowaweenah was established in 1925. At one time during the building’s history a slaughter house was located some distance to the south of the shop. The shop ceased to operate in the 1970s.

It was common practice in the early 20th century for meat to be delivered around the village via a ‘cutting cart’. The cutting cart was a horse-drawn vehicle on which animal carcasses were carried. Leafy branches were piled on the meat to keep flies off. The butcher would stop at a house and the woman of the home would come out and tell him what cuts she required. The meat was then cut and handed over.

Electricity was not supplied to Tooraweenah until 1950 and prior to this most meat was salted down to keep it in an edible condition.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is one of a number of buildings that hosted businesses in the town in the mid to late 20th century. It is associated with the development of the village following the implementation of closer settlement and has local historical significance.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is a rare surviving example of a small country butcher shop constructed in the 1920s with Arts and Crafts influences. It has local aesthetic significance.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is a rare surviving intact example of a rural retail building.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Tooraweenah butcher shop is representative of the development of the village
Integrity/Intactness:	The shop has a high degree of integrity.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Gilgandra Local Environmental Plan 2011	I80	09 Dec 11
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Gilgandra Shire Community Based Heritage Study	2008		Ray Christison	Ray Christison	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Rohr, K	2008	Notes on the history of Tooraweenah

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1590024

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