Memorial Hall Upper Swan, WA - Built 1851

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Photo - State library of WA

The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was the Swan River Colony’s first cultural centre, established on 21 January 1851. In time it was to house an extensive and well-used subscription library and a natural history collection, including botanical, zoological and mineral specimens. A new building replaced the old in 1899, and in 1909 the institute was renamed Perth Literary Institute.

In 1957 the institute became the City of Perth Library, which moved to another building in 1963. The original building, which was located on the south-west corner of Pier and Hay Streets in Perth, was demolished sometime in the 1970s.

Foundation The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was established on 21 January 1851. Its founding president was Surveyor-General John Septimus Roe, who held the position until his death in 1878. Other officers included Joseph Hamblin (chairman), Bernard Smith (treasurer) and Harry Hughes (secretary) - Roe’s botanical collection, which was kept at the institute, won him membership of the Linnean Society of London. The second president was Luke Leake, who held the position until his death in 1886.

Although ostensibly formed for the educational benefit of the working classes, the Mechanics' Institute, like many in the Australian colonies, was mostly dominated and sponsored by men of the middle class and tended to pursue mostly literary goals as well as providing a recreational facility for that group. Hay describes the activities: “the educated gentry ‘improved’ the workers through the medium of occasional lectures, discussion classes which emerged from literary meetings, the establishment of a reading room and a project to build a scientific museum”. Institute rules prevented discussion of current political issues; in 1856 a carpenter by the name of Joseph Chester was expelled from the Institute for criticising government policies.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -