This image of a man on horseback is thought to have been taken in Beechworth in approximately 1900. The man pictured may be Chinese. Chinese miners were a significant cultural group in Beechworth's gold rush period. Carole Woods' history of Beechworth, 'A Titan's Field', details a rapid increase in the Chinese population beginning in 1856 that led to Government discrimination and hostility from other miners. Many Chinese people who came to the Victorian goldfields had formerly worked as merchants, mechanics, farmers and shop-keepers. The pictured individual is wearing Western-style clothes indicating prosperity, such as a top hat, so may have held an official position or provided services to the community rather than working as a miner. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's cultural and social relationships in the early Twentieth Century, in particular the experiences of Chinese people. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, chinese, chinese miners, immigration, racism, classism, social groups, cultural groups, horse riding, horses, equestrian, horseback

This image shows a semi-aerial view of commercial and official properties lining Ford Street, Beechworth, in approximately 1900. The tower of Christ Church of St Peter and St Paul can be seen in the middle section of the photograph, on the left-hand side of the street. The Church was constructed in 1858 with the tower added to the structure in 1864. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's built environment and commercial and official infrastructure in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation into one nation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a square image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, ford street, christ church of st peter and st paul, church tower, landmarks, 1900, shopping facilities, public buildings, 1900s, built environment, streetscape

This image appears to show nurses at what is now the Mayday Hills Mental Asylum in approximately 1900. These individuals are part of a long history of nursing in Beechworth. Three medical or social welfare facilities opened in the mid-1800s as part of a push by the township to become a regional centre for Government services. These were the Ovens District Hospital (opened in 1857), the Ovens Benevolent Asylum (opened in 1863), and the Beechworth Mental Hospital (opened in 1867 and renamed Mayday Hills Hospital at Centenary celebrations in 1967). It was recognised that the unsettled living conditions, poverty and relative isolation of the Goldfields environment could produce 'mental disturbances' which required local treatment facilities as services in Melbourne were too far away. Carole Woods' publication 'A Titan's Field' describes activities undertaken by patients at Beechworth Mental Hospital as including monthly balls and occasional concerts as well as work to make the facility self-supporting such as farm work and making clothes. She mentions a report in 1870 that the approximately 300 patients were clean and neat with 'no-one in restraint or seclusion' but that by 1905 the organisation had 623 patients which placed strain on building infrastructure such as heating and water supplies, leading to high turnover of nurses and other issues. A program of building works to extend and improve facilities followed over subsequent decades. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's social and medical amenities in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation into one nation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, magic lantern, indigo shire, north-east victoria, nineteenth century, 1900s, twentieth century, emulsion slides, nursing, nurses, mental hospitals, lunatic asylums, asylums, social services, social welfare, insane asylums, mental health, infrastructure

This glass slide captures a scene from a male hospital ward at Mayday Hills Mental Asylum. Also known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, Mayday Hills was officially opened on the twenty-fourth of October 1867 and was commissioned following lobbying from Beechworth Municipal Council concerning a need for better living conditions for individuals confined to the town's gaol. These individuals, as well as many others who were brought from surrounding institutions, exhibited behaviours that were deemed to be unfit for mainstream society. At its peak, the asylum consisted of sixty-seven buildings and housed over twelve-hundred patients and five-hundred staff. At the time of Australian Federation in 1901 - just a year after this photograph was taken - the patient population numbered six-hundred and seventy-four. The asylum was officially closed in 1996. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as being architecturally significant. The extensive complex of buildings are examples of Italianate-style, which is strongly associated with asylums of the 1860s - the period in which construction of this particular asylum began. Today the asylum offers tours to visitors, including daytime history tours and night-time ghost tours. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is socially and historically significant as it is representative of the lives of the nurses and patients at Beechworth Mayday Hills Asylum in the early twentieth century. It is also historically significant as it is representative of the changing style of treatments and attitudes towards mental illness. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.Obverse: h /lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, mayday hills, mayday hills hospital, mayday hills asylum, beechworth lunatic asylum, beechworth mental asylum, psychiatric hostpital, beechworth, burke museum, beechworth municipal council, beechworth patients, psychiatric patients, victorian heritage register, 1900, 1900 mayday hills, italianate style, 19th century asylums, asylums victoria, male ward mayday hills

This slide shows a train proceeding along the Beechworth rail trail in approximately 1900. The rail line to Beechworth was the subject of significant lobbying by local officials such as John Orr and G.B. Kerferd in the 1860s, as it was recognised that the poor quality of roads to Melbourne and Albury hindered trade and formed a barrier to the social development of the town. The subsequent positioning of Beechworth on a branch rather than a main line was not considered ideal to achieve these aims, but the Everton-to-Beechworth and Beechworth-to-Yackandandah components of the line cost an average of £7,277 per mile and State Government officials felt the need in the area did not justify the cost of a direct line. The Beechworth Railway Station was officially opened on the 29th of September 1876 and ran services twice daily to Melbourne, transporting nearly 12,000 passengers and around 6,500 tons of cargo in 1900. It closed in 1976 and is today used as a cycling trail used by locals and promoted as a feature of the area to tourists. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and Woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's social amenities and transport infrastructure in the late Nineteenth Century. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, indigo shire, north-east victoria, rail trail, beechworth rail trail, beechworth station, everton, wangaratta, wodonga, albury, rail transport, cargo transport, g.b. kerferd, john orr, murray to mountains rail trail, cycling, biking, railway

This lantern slide shows the Ovens District Hospital (also called the Ovens Goldfields Hospital) in Beechworth in approximately 1900. The Hospital was built as part of a community push to develop the infrastructure needed for a permanent town in the 1850s. At the time there was no hospital located between Melbourne and the NSW town of Goulburn and it was recognised that the nature of mining and agricultural work predisposed people to serious injury. The community voted in 1853 to raise funds for a hospital and a voluntary committee elected from people who contributed £2 or more annually determined the organisation's management policies, which aimed to provide care for poor people at rates levied according to the person's means. Ongoing operations of the hospital were primarily supported by Government grants, however. The foundation stone was laid at a site in Church Street at a ceremony held 1st September 1856 which was attended by 2000 people using a locally crafted trowel with a tin ore handle and pure gold blade. The hospital, which was designed by J.H. Dobbyn, cost £2347. The hospital had two wards, a dispensary, apartments for a resident surgeon and the matron, an operating theatre and a board room. Further medical facilities including services to meet the cultural and health needs of the local Chinese community were later added, in addition to a Palladian-style cut-granite face built in 1862-63. It functioned as the region's primary hospital until surpassed by the Wangaratta Hospital in 1910. In the 1940s much of the building materials were salvaged and repurposed, with the exception of the facade which was restored in 1963 by the Beechworth Lions Club and still stands today. The facade featured on the covers of local history volume 'Beechworth: a Titan's Field' by Carole Woods and heritage-focused travel guide the 'Readers Digest Book of Historic Australian Towns'. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's built environment and infrastructure in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a round-edged square image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.Obverse: Y /burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, ovens district hospital, indigo shire, north-east victoria, hospital, palladian architecture, granite, community fundraising, community infrastructure, j.h. dobbyn, beechworth lions club, ovens goldfields hospital, chinese community

This picture shows an angle of Beechworth Primary School (State School number 1560) which is also pictured in the building's entry in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR record 1718). The school began as a national school in 1858 as an alternative to Wesleyan and Anglican schools already operating in the area. Its name was changed to Common School number 36 in 1862 and the Beechworth Academy prior to being taken over by the Education department in 1873. The new premises were built in 1875 utilising the skills of architect Henry Bastow though the original design may be attributable to the firm Wharton and Vickers. The design was used with modifications for other schools in Victoria, including the Competition School in Errol Street, North Melbourne. The school moved to the building pictured from its original premises in Loch Street, designed by Thomas Dalziel, which later became the office of the Ovens Advertiser. The school was opened on 2 July 1875 by former Beechworth resident G.B. Kerferd, who was then the Premier of Victoria. The image shows approximately ninety older students at the school in approximately 1900. There are approximately equal numbers of boys and girls pictured, with most of the individuals pictured appearing to be between the ages of twelve and fifteen. Although the school had more than 1000 students enrolled at its height, enrolments had declined to 304 in 1890. Also visible is a fringe of sequoia pines which were planted by the school children as a project lasting through to the late 1930s. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.The image is significant because it sheds light on the educational infrastructure present in Beechworth in the early part of the Twentieth Century, including the prevalence of education for students after current-day primary-school age and the education of girls. It also provides insight into the building and design practices used by Government departments at the time. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.Obverse: L / burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, schools, education, high school, primary school, common school, state school, state school 1560, common school 36, beechworth academy, g.b. kerferd, thomas dalziel, henry bastow, victorian heritage register, beechworth primary school, girls education, boys education, public schools, education department, pines, trees, sequoias, competition school

Chiltern Pharmacy, now called Dow's Pharmacy, opened in 1859 at a time when the township of Chiltern was experiencing a second-wave gold rush that redistributed the balance of commercial and social activity in the region. David McEwan, father of Prime Minister John McEwan, was one of the first pharmacists practicing at the business. It was purchased in 1929 by pharmacist Hilda Dow who ran the business with her apprentice and husband, Roy Dow, until they closed the business in 1968. In 1988, after founding the North East branch of the National Trust, the Dows donated the premises with its entire fittings and stock. Some of the more than 4,000 items in stock at the time of closure in 1968 were present in the shop when the Dows took charge in 1929 and date to the late Nineteenth Century (around the time this image was taken). Hilda Dow (nee Grey) was born in 1897, the daughter of a police magistrate. She enrolled to study at the Victorian College of Pharmacy in 1919 and worked initially for Poynton's Pharmacy in Morwell before purchasing the Chiltern Pharmacy that was later named after her. She was a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria, a hospital committee and Board, the Red Cross and the Infant Welfare Association and held office for the Chiltern branch of the Country Women's Association. Her sister Helene Grey received an OBE for her work as Lady Superintendent of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Although Hilda Dow was not Australia's first female pharmacist (this was Caroline Copp in 1880) the preservation of the pharmacy and the stories it presents sheds light on the general issue of recognition for female medical pioneers in Australia. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This image is significant as it provides insight into social and commercial infrastructure available in the North-East region of Victoria in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The business pictured is also associated with a Prime Minister of Victoria and some of Victoria's first female medical and pharmaceutical practitioners. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a circular image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, hilda dow, roy dow, chiltern pharmacy, dow's pharmacy, chiltern, indigo shire, north east victoria, history of pharmacies, women in pharmacy, women in medicine, women in business, david mcewan, john mcewan, national trust, national trust victoria, north-east victoria national trust, heritage buildings, industrial heritage, helene grey, pharmaceutical society of victoria, victorian college of pharmacy, country women's association, caroline copp, royal melbourne hospital, red cross, infant welfare association

Taken in approximately 1900, this glass slide captures an image of a Mayday Hills Mental Asylum nurse. Also known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, Mayday Hills was officially opened on the twenty-fourth of October 1867 and was commissioned following lobbying from Beechworth Municipal Council concerning a need for better living conditions for certain individuals confined to the town's gaol. These individuals, as well as many others who were brought from surrounding institutions, exhibited behaviours that were deemed to be unfit for mainstream society. At its peak, the asylum consisted of sixty-seven buildings and housed over twelve-hundred patients and five-hundred staff. At the time of Australian Federation in 1901 - just a year after this photograph was taken - the patient population numbered six-hundred and seventy-four. The designated site of the institution was chosen due to its scenery and altitude. It was argued that these picturesque surroundings would assist in curing the hospital's patients of their ailments. The asylum was officially closed in 1996. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as being architecturally significant. The extensive complex of buildings are examples of Italianate-style, which is strongly associated with asylums of the 1860s - the period in which construction of this particular asylum began. Today the asylum offers tours to visitors: both daytime history tours and night-time ghost tours. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is socially and historically significant as it is representative of the lives of the nurses who worked at Beechworth's Mayday Hills Asylum in the early twentieth century. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a portrait image printed on the front. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, mayday hills, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth asylum, beechworth asylum nurses, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric care, 1900 mayday hills, victorian heritage register, italianate style, 19th century asylums, asylums victoria

Taken in approximately 1900, this glass slide captures an image of two Mayday Hills Mental Asylum nurses. Also known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, Mayday Hills was officially opened on the twenty-fourth of October 1867 and was commissioned following lobbying from Beechworth Municipal Council concerning a need for better living conditions for certain individuals confined to the town's gaol. These individuals, as well as many others who were brought from surrounding institutions, exhibited behaviours that were deemed to be unfit for mainstream society. At its peak, the asylum consisted of sixty-seven buildings and housed over twelve-hundred patients and five-hundred staff. At the time of Australian Federation in 1901 - just a year after this photograph was taken - the patient population numbered six-hundred and seventy-four. The designated site of the institution was chosen due to its scenery and altitude. It was argued that these picturesque surroundings would assist in curing the hospital's patients of their ailments. The asylum was officially closed in 1996. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as being architecturally significant. The extensive complex of buildings are examples of Italianate-style, which is strongly associated with asylums of the 1860s - the period in which construction of this particular asylum began. Today the asylum offers tours to visitors: both daytime history tours and night-time ghost tours. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is socially and historically significant as it is representative of the lives of the nurses who worked at Beechworth's Mayday Hills Asylum in the early twentieth century.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a portrait image printed on the front. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, 1900 mayday hills, mayday hills, beechworth mental hospital, beechworth mental asylum, beechworth asylum nurses, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric care, victorian heritage register, italianate style, 19th century asylums, asylums victoria

This image shows the gorge adjacent to Beechworth in approximately 1900. Although the exact location of the photograph is yet to be determined, the present-day Beechworth Gorge Walk includes views of the Cascades at the point at which Spring Creek flows into the valley on the level below. Gold-sluicing techniques in use in the town during periods of active gold extraction may have altered the landscape since the photograph was taken, however. In the 1850s a mill was built at the top of the Spring Creek falls by Russian-born Louis Chevalier, brother of artist Nicholas Chevalier. The mill supplied the town with lumber that supported the town's initial construction boom. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's built environment and natural landscape in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a square image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metals strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, beechworth gorge, indigo shire, landscapes, mill, sluicing, gold mining, north-east victoria, spring creek, louis chevalier, cascades

Miners from Snake Valley lobbied the Victorian Government in 1855 to make land available for sale for farming purposes as an alternative occupation and income for people who wished to stay in the region but move away from gold mining. A secondary motivation was to increase the supply of fresh produce and decrease prices of items that otherwise needed to be transported from Melbourne or other regions. Forty-three country lots were initially offered in the Three Mile area, ranging in size from two to ninety acres and costing from £1 to £3 per acre. An additional eighty-five country lots were auctioned later in the year, in addition to many smaller suburban lots. More lots were offered than sold, initially, but this represented conditions of sale requiring the total purchase cost up front which many people interested in purchasing could not afford, especially as land purchased for farming would accrue substantial additional costs for clearing and labour before becoming productive. Further lobbying activities and the election of parliamentary members sympathetic to the cause took place through the 1850s. Ovens Parliamentary Member, Daniel Cameron, was re-elected in 1856 on a platform of surveying the land for public selection with deferred payment options. Land reform remained an issue in the area through the 1850s and early 1860s, impacting broader decisions in the new State of Victoria relating to voting rights, use of Crown land and the farming of land that wasn't always suitable for the purpose. This photograph depicts Beechworth in approximately 1900, after several waves of land sales resulted in increasingly levels of development. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques.This glass slide is significant because it provides insight into Beechworth's built environment and infrastructure in the early Twentieth Century, around the time of Australia's Federation. It is also an example of an early photographic and film-making technology in use in regional Victoria in the time period.Thin translucent sheet of glass with a square-edged image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, indigo shire, north-east victoria, farming, squatters, miners, agriculture, land-clearing, land reform, daniel cameron, land sales, three mile, snake valley, tarrawingee

This cardbord box was used to package explosives which were used for mining. Black powder and dynamite were heavily used on the goldfields to blast away large sections of earth which. Explosives were stored at Beechworth Powder MagazineMining played an important role in the history of Beechworth, for the township was established in the mid-1850s after gold was discovered in the area. The success of goldmining lead to the growth and development of early Beechworth.A brown rectangular cardbord box with opening flaps at top and features printed text on sides and top.GLASGOW / THE PERFECT COMBINATION / NOBEL-GLASGOW EXPLOSIVES / NOBEL-GLASGOW DETONATORSburke museum, beechworth, mining, explosives

A tin trunk used by the Rocky Mountain Extended Sluicing Company (Limited).Mining played an important role in the history of Beechworth, for the township was established in the mid-1850s after gold was discovered in the area. The success of goldmining lead to the growth and development of early Beechworth. The Rocky Mountain Company was a very successful gold mining company and had a big impact on the people and landscape of early Beechworth.A tin trunk painted in black with gold script painted on the front.The Rocky Mountain Extended / Gold Slucing Company. (Limited / BMM 8068

Nozzle was fitted in the end of the director and was used for hydraulic gold miningMining played an important role in the history of Beechworth, for the township was established in the mid-1850s after gold was discovered in the area. The success of goldmining lead to the growth and development of early Beechworth.A sluicing nozzle attachment which is 3 inch diameter inside top. Base area has thread machined inside for attachment to sluice. Casting venturi shaped internally.3 /burke museum, beechworth, gold mining, sluicing

Alluvial deposits along with water were scooped into this pan and aggressively agitated to allow dense material, such as gold, sink to the bottom for easy extraction.Mining played an important role in the history of Beechworth, for the township was established in the mid-1850s after gold was discovered in the area. The success of goldmining lead to the growth and development of early Beechworth.A circular gold panning tin featuring sloped sides, a folded over rim, and handles.burke museum, beechworth, gold mining, alluvial mining

This is a school text book for Grade 6. It is part of the Southern Cross series.This item is an example of a school text book used in the early 20th century. School textbooks reflect the development of education in Australia.From them we can understand what was taught and how children learned in Australian schools in earlier times.A small 192 pp book, red cloth covered, titled "Arithmetic". The cover is red with black text inside a black border.on front and on back - "?????? Richardson"book-education arithmetic-text-book

This book contains interviews with 48 of the 300 centenarians listed by the Australian Bicentennial Authority, whose long lives together form an oral social history of the development of Australia over the past one hundred years. It includes reminiscences of Judy Bagu, Jimmy Bird, Paddy Djiaween and Walter Smith; brief accounts of bush foods, medicines, uses of plants, birth and mortuary rituals; working lives on cattle stations, missions, prospecting, dingo trapping, camel working, pearling, shire council; Kunmunyah, Beagle Bay Mission, Broome.This compilation of stories from centenarians is a contemporary social record of one hundred years of living through two world wars and the Great Depression in Australia. A 183 pp book with a light brown cover, darker spine. On the front cover is a photograph of a pair of hands. Print is black "A Ton of Spirit Australian Centenarians talk with Penny Smith".book-a-ton-of-spirit-penny-smith social-records-early-australia

This is an extract from the Victorian Parliamentary Debates on Tuesday 18th July, 1922. It is titled "Death of the Honorable James Cameron" and is a tribute from Mr Lawson, the Victorian premier. In 1882 James Cameron was the first Orbost councillor of the newly constituted Tambo Shire. In the next twenty years he served as justice of the peace, shire councillor, guardian of St James's Anglican Church, Sunday school superintendent and president of the local agricultural society. In 1902 he won a by-election for Gippsland East and took his seat in the Legislative assembly. He serve for eighteen years and his main achievements were securing one million pounds for East Gippsland development bringing the railway to Orbost and establishing the Country Roads Board.James Cameron was an early Orbost pioneer, a respected community member and a prominent politician.A memorial extract from the Victorian Parliamentary Debates. It is on white paper with black print, a black border and is tied with black ribbon.cameron-james-orbost

After being out of print for 30 years this book has been reprinted in 1987 as a tribute to W.A. Bayley (dec.). WA Bayley had been a public school teacher and was principal of Bega Intermediate High when he researched and wrote his history in the 1940s. He wrote history books on all the towns where he worked,A 120 pp book titled "The Story of the Settlement and Development of Bega". The author is William Alan Bailey (1910-1981). it was published by Bega Intermediate High School.The book contains biographical sketches of some of the early settlers. It also includes maps, newspaper clippings of historical articles, official and handwritten correspondence. The cover title is History of Bega. bega bayley-w.a. bega-settlement

The Mixmaster 9B in 1948 was the first Sunbeam appliance to be made in Australia. It was designed in the USA.After years of rationing and shortages, the 1950s were a period of economic prosperity, high employment and great technological development. During this period, Australians enthusiastically adorned their homes with a dazzling range of new domestic appliances. Hire-purchase schemes allowed people to take products home and pay for them in instalments. The American-designed Mixmaster 9B was the first Sunbeam appliance manufactured and sold in Australia in 1948. An early Sunbeam Mixmaster. It is an electronic stand mixer with a black metal base in the shape of a rounded teardrop with two holes for the turntable. It has a cream enameled metal arm, cream coloured metal motor housing with a black plastic handle on the top. On the back of the motor housing is a black plastic knob with ten speed options for the mixer, and the "OFF" position. a black electric cord is attached under the motor housing with a black switch beneath the cord. The motor housing is able to tilt backwards on a hinge which is attached to the top of the stand arm. It is worked on AC or Dc power 240 On the bottom are the words "MODEL 9B". mixmaster sunbeam kitchen-appliance food-technology

Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). The common name "castor oil", from which the plant gets its name, probably comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum, a perfume base. Castor oil was a common remedy for various ailments in the early 20th century.These bottles reflect the developments in health care during the first half of the 20th century. There is also an aesthetic element, the shapes, colour and textures of the bottles are visually appealing. Two castor oil bottles. Both tall and blue. 246.2 has a label. Both have screw tops and both still have castor oil in them.246.2 front - medallion label - Groves McVitty & Co Pty Ltd castor oil. 246.1 front Burnsides Castor oil. Bottom -J443castor-oil bottle groves-mcvitty burnside medicine glass

This bottles is aesthetically pleasing and reflects an earlier stage of development in glass manufacturing.Very long, thin, green tinged bottle with spiralling glass neck. Contained salad oil.bottle glass container

The A1 Gold Mine is located north of Woods Point, near Jamieson, in the Upper Goulburn region of Victoria. Gold was discovered at the A1 site in 1861 and mining operations began in 1864. The A1 Mine Settlement refers to a small township known variously as Castle Reef, Castle Point, and Raspberry Creek, which developed in the 1860s around mining industry centred on a crushing machine that worked the three gold reefs in the area. Historically, the name "A1"referred to the high quality of gold found in the quartz reefs at depths of at least two thousand feet. Along with the Morning Star mine at Woods Point, the A1 gold mine produced almost sixty percent of Victoria's gold output in the 1950s to 1970s and continued operating until 1992 when it went into administration. Operations at the site were revived in 2016 and the A1 Mine is now considered one of Victoria's premier gold mines. The A1 mine is part of the extensive and prospective Lachlan Fold Belt, a north-west trending belt of tightly folded Early Devonian sedimentary rocks extending from New South Wales to Victoria. Mineralisation is hosted within or immediately adjacent to diorite dykes. Contemporary development of the 'Queens Lode' at the A1 mine signals a move from high-grade, narrow vein airleg mining into larger scale, mechanical mining designed to increase ore production volume. This original, undated photograph of the A1 Mine appears to depict an area or phase of disuse or abandonment. The aged and humble appearance of the cottage suggests association with the historical A1 Mine Settlement, therefore the image may have been taken prior to the 1950s-1970s revival period in which the A1 mine is known to have produced high gold yields. The photograph contributes to our understanding of the A1 Gold Mine's impact on the landscape and the social, environmental impacts of mining on communities and may be compared with others in the Burke Museum's extensive collection of mining photographs to deepen our understanding of mining in the Jamieson area.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on photographic paperReverse: 5577 / A1 Mine / Near Jamieson / Vic. /burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, mining tunnels, gold ming history, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, indigo shire, upper goulburn shire, jamieson, woods point-walhalla goldfield, a1 gold mine, victorian high country, modern mining methods, orogenic gold province, gold mineralisation, devonian, dykes

This image shows the approach to Beechworth from the south-west via the Newtown Bridge. Numerous early buildings line the road as it bifurcates to become Ford and High Streets on the ridge above Spring Creek and Newtown Falls. The sloping, rocky terrain and water course along the gorge show evidence of the intense mining activity that occurred at the site. The Ovens Gold Rush at Beechworth started when gold was found at Spring Creek in February 1852, prompting an influx of miners from around the world. The population grew over 20,000 by 1857. While the earliest mining at Beechworth was similar to that in other Victorian goldfields like Ballarat and Bendigo, Beechworth is notable for its use of hydraulic sluicing as a major method of removing wash-dirt. Hydraulic sluicing employs high pressure jets of water to blast away large areas of earth and wash it down to be run through a sluice box. Gold gets caught in the sluice and the remaining slurry is washed away. This method of mining is extremely effective but causes significant environmental impacts and damage to waterways. Large water quantities were required for large-scale sluicing, and the long water races and deep tailraces that were constructed in the Beechworth area in the nineteenth century are nonetheless considered feats of engineering. The site in the photograph is associated with the Rocky Mountain Mining Company who constructed an eight hundred meter tunnel under the township between 1876-1880 to reduce water levels at Spring Creek, which had been subject to diversions since the earliest days of alluvial mining. Over four million ounces of gold (115 tones) were found at Beechworth between 1852 and 1868, and the wealth from the gold rushes built Beechworth and the nationally significant buildings that remain standing today.This image shows the early development of the Beechworth township above Spring Creek, where gold was discovered in 1852. Evidence of hydraulic sluicing, a uniquely predominant method at Beechworth, and water-works engineering are present in the landscape. By the 1870s, alluvial gold deposits were depleted and increasingly complex engineering was required so deeper shafts could reach bedrock. This image is significant for understanding changes to the landscape and the evolution of mining methods and engineering practices related to the extensive construction, manipulation and management of water networks. The shift from smaller scale alluvial mining to larger company dominance in the mining industry has implications for understanding wider social, economic, political and industrial changes in the region of Beechworth and within the context of the Victorian Gold Rush more broadly. A black and white rectangular reproduction photograph printed on photographic paper. burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, hydraulic sluicing, rocky mountain mining company, spring creek, netwown falls, mining tunnels, water races, tailraces, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, migration, indigo shire, gold mining, gold mining history

This photograph was captured sometime between an estimated 1940s-1950s. It depicts the Beechworth Benevolent Asylum (later the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged) which was built in 1862. It is located on an elevated site in Beechworth, Victoria because it was believed the height was beneficial to the health of the patients at the Benevolent. Later wings were added to the original building between 1867 and 1890. The building was constructed in an unusual Flemish Gothic Revival style which contrasts with the classical style of the Mayday Hills Hospital in close proximity to the Benevolent. The Hospital was designed in Italianate Revival architecture. The appearance of buildings like the Mayday Hills Hospital and the Ovens Benevolent Asylum are representative of the importance of Beechworth as a town shortly after the goldrush. During the 1850s and 1860s, administration buildings were erected alongside churches, shops and structures of justice. This marks a movement away from the "chaotic" structure of life on the goldfields and towards a more civilised and cultural lifestyle. This social phenomenon is also witnessed in Melbourne with the creation of buildings like the State Library and the University of Melbourne. The Beechworth Benevolent Asylum was renamed the Ovens Benevolent Home in 1935. The Asylum had been set up to provide accommodation and care for permanently injured gold miners, and for women and children who were penniless, homeless, or whose parents were guests of the state. In 1954 it was renamed as The Ovens and Murray Home (as pictured in this photograph). The purpose of this building was to provide a refuge for the poor and destitute, homeless older men, deserted women and children along with providing care for the mentally ill. These buildings were built at the government's expense and are of great historical and architectural significance.This photograph depicts the Ovens and Murray Home (previously the Ovens Benevolent Home) during the 1940s or 1950s. Since this building is of great historic and architectural significance, photographs like this are especially valuable in reconstructing the use history and any changes/additions to the building over a period of time. This building is important for what it can reveal about society in Beechworth and also architectural styles. This building is made in the Flemish Gothic Revival style which is quite unusual for the 1860s. It is important as an early example of a building constructed for a specific purpose, in the case of this particular building: caring for the aged/destitute. This building is important for research into the civic development of Beechworth as an early Gold Rush town located in Victoria's North-East. During this period, Beechworth was developing as the main center of administration in this region which made it a very influential and quickly developed town. Photographs like this one which depict a building during one period in history can reveal important information for the use and alterations of a building and for preferences in architectural style. It can also be studied for what it reveals about society in Beechworth and compared and contrasted to similar institutions across Australia and with additional photographs in the Burke Museum collection.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paperObverse: OVENS & MURRAY HOME / Reverse: KODAK PAPER / 727 / J. Collins BMM 8689.1 /mayday hills, beechworth benevolent asylum, ovens benevolent home, asylum, refuge, poor and destitute, goldrush, flemish gothic revival, architecture

This photograph was captured sometime between an estimated 1940s-1950s. It depicts the Beechworth Benevolent Asylum (later the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged) which was built in 1862. It is located on an elevated site in Beechworth, Victoria because it was believed the height was beneficial to the health of the patients at the Benevolent. Later wings were added to the original building between 1867 and 1890. The building was constructed in an unusual Flemish Gothic Revival style which contrasts with the classical style of the Mayday Hills Hospital in close proximity to the Benevolent. The Hospital was designed in Italianate Revival architecture. The appearance of buildings like the Mayday Hills Hospital and the Ovens Benevolent Asylum are representative of the importance of Beechworth as a town shortly after the goldrush. During the 1850s and 1860s, administration buildings were erected alongside churches, shops and structures of justice. This marks a movement away from the "chaotic" structure of life on the goldfields and towards a more civilised and cultural lifestyle. This social phenomenon is also witnessed in Melbourne with the creation of buildings like the State Library and the University of Melbourne. The Beechworth Benevolent Asylum was renamed the Ovens Benevolent Home in 1935. The Asylum had been set up to provide accommodation and care for permanently injured gold miners, and for women and children who were penniless, homeless, or whose parents were guests of the state. In 1954 it was renamed as The Ovens and Murray Home (as pictured in this photograph). The purpose of this building was to provide a refuge for the poor and destitute, homeless older men, deserted women and children along with providing care for the mentally ill. These buildings were built at the government's expense and are of great historical and architectural significance.This photograph depicts the Ovens and Murray Home (previously the Ovens Benevolent Home) during the 1940s or 1950s. Since this building is of great historic and architectural significance, photographs like this are especially valuable in reconstructing the use history and any changes/additions to the building over a period of time. This building is important for what it can reveal about society in Beechworth and also architectural styles. This building is made in the Flemish Gothic Revival style which is quite unusual for the 1860s. It is important as an early example of a building constructed for a specific purpose, in the case of this particular building: caring for the aged/destitute. This building is important for research into the civic development of Beechworth as an early Gold Rush town located in Victoria's North-East. During this period, Beechworth was developing as the main center of administration in this region which made it a very influential and quickly developed town. Photographs like this one which depict a building during one period in history can reveal important information for the use and alterations of a building and for preferences in architectural style. It can also be studied for what it reveals about society in Beechworth and compared and contrasted to similar institutions across Australia and with additional photographs in the Burke Museum collection.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paperBack of photograph. Handwriting: "For John Beckingsale"mayday hills, beechworth benevolent asylum, ovens benevolent home, destitute, gold town, beechworth, victoria, north-east vic

Taken in Beechworth, this photograph depicts the business of Camp Street looking towards the Ovens and Murray Benevolent Asylum. In the foreground of right hand side; there are row of buildings, on the left hand side; there are a two standing figures. The Ovens Benevolent Asylum (or the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged) was constructed in 1862 on an elevated site overlooking the township of Beechworth. This Asylum was built in response to boom in population due to the discovery of Gold in Beechworth in 1852. This period also saw the development of additional administration buildings such as; the Court house, the Town Hall, and offices. The original Benevolent Asylum building was designed in an unusual Flemish Gothic Revival style. The single storey building is of red brick on a dressed granite base, and the main facade is dominated by four curved, Flemish gable ends, those at the extremities being added to the original central section in 1867. This facade incorporates paired windows of pointed Gothic form and dark brick diaperwork patterning. The adjacent J. A. Wallace Wing of 1899 was designed by Donald Fiddes as a separate building. Also constructed of red brick, Fiddes adopted a conservative approach, designing a simple domestic scale building with central projecting gable porch and flanking bull nosed verandahs. The Benevolent Asylum was renamed the Ovens Benevolent Home in 1935 and The Ovens and Murray Home in 1954. Many buildings have been added to this site, particularly since the 1960s, including a poorly sited addition to the front of the original building. Extensive internal renovations have also been made to the original buildings. [https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/118]The Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged is of architectural significance as an unusual example of Flemish influenced design from the 1860s. Although the facade has been partly obscured, it remains intact, and, together with the more simply designed Wallace wing, are important examples of early buildings designed for the specific purpose of aged care. The Flemish gables remain as a dominant form of Beechworth's urban landscape. The Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged is of historical significance due to its association with the early development of Beechworth and its dominant siting within the town. It is illustrative of the civic development that took place in the town after the peak of the gold rush, when Beechworth was develpoing as the administrative centre of the north east of Victoria. [https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/118]Black and white rectangular photograph. Image is printed on matte photographic paper. Obverse: BOOT SHOE STORE Reverse: 7770.2 / 1997.3099beechworth, burke museum, diggings, camp street, the benevolent asylum, ovens benevolent hom, gold rush

Taken in Beechworth 1859, this photograph depicts the south side of Ford street looking towards the Methodist Church. The Methodist Church was built in 1857, and was the first permanent church building on the Ovens goldfields. It was one of the first permanent churches built on the Victorian goldfields, and the first on the Ovens goldfield. It demonstrates the rapid development which occurred in the goldfield towns following the discovery of gold in the early 1850s. It reflects the importance of Methodism in Victoria at this time, and the early activities of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in taking their religious message to the gold miners. [https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/104] The buildings ceased being used as a church in 1966 when the Methodist and Congregational churches in Beechworth amalgamated.Black and white rectangular photograph. Image is printed on matte photographic paper. Obverse: NO INSCRIPTION Reverse: 7775 Ford St Looking Southwest 1859 Burke Museum Beechworth beechworth, ford street, methodist church, 1859

This compressor was part of the E.G. Ward Collection. It is connected to the diving suit and boots also in our collection. Siebe Gorman & Company Ltd was a British company that developed diving equipment and breathing equipment and worked on commercial diving and marine salvage projects. The company advertised itself as 'Submarine Engineers'. It was founded by Augustus Siebe, a German-born British engineer chiefly known for his contributions to diving equipment. Siebe Gorman traded as an engineering firm for over 180 years from 1819 to 1999. The early success of the business was due to its founder, the Prussian immigrant Christian 'Augustus' Siebe (1788-1872). For business reasons, he applied for and was granted British citizenship in 1856. He was a gifted engineer who was able to translate theoretical problems into practical, working products. During the industrial Victorian period, the business traded as 'A. Siebe' at 145 High Street Holborn London, but in 1828 new premises were acquired at 5 Denmark Street, Soho. The family firm produced a wide range of manufactured goods including paper-making machinery, measuring machinery, water-pumps, refrigeration equipment and diving apparatus. Augustus Siebe specialised in submarine engineering early on and the company gained a reputation for the manufacture of safe, reliable diving apparatus. Augustus Siebe is best remembered for the development and manufacture of the ‘closed’ Diving Dress based on the ideas of Charles and John Deane, George Edwards and Charles Pasley. Apart from some small modifications to valves and diver communications, the basic 12 bolt ‘closed’ diving dress remained relatively unchanged after the 1870s. Later company successes were also based on innovation, with new products that could be successfully developed and manufactured to high standards. This was largely attributed to the inventive nature, foresight, engineering and entrepreneurial skills of Robert Henry Davis (1870-1965). In 1882, RH Davis joined the company of 'Siebe & Gorman' as a young 11-year-old office boy and he was to remain with the company until he died in 1965. Augustus Siebe retired in 1869 and handed over the company to a new partnership of Henry H. Siebe (1830-1885) and William A. O'Gorman (1834-1904). The new firm traded as 'Siebe & Gorman' (1870-1879) from premises in and around Mason Street, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth, London. The two partners soon recognised the potential of R.H. Davis and in 1894, aged 24, he became General Manager of Siebe & Gorman. Davis increasingly ran the company until the surviving partner (W.A. Gorman) died in 1904. The firm was disposed of to the Vickers (armaments) family and a new company 'Siebe Gorman & Co. Ltd.' (1905-1998) was formed. Under the chairmanship of Albert Vickers, R.H. Davis was kept on as Managing Director, and the company forged ahead. However, after WW1, the Great Depression caused manufacturing output and share prices to slump. In 1924 Robert Davis made a deal with the Vickers Board and acquired control of the company through majority shares. Under his leadership, the Siebe Gorman Company flourished and within time, four of his sons also joined the firm. The company gained a worldwide reputation for the manufacture of diving apparatus, decompression and observation chambers, and safety breathing apparatus of all types for use on the land, in the air and under the sea (including mine rescue, tunneling, aircraft, diving, submarine escape and in other hazardous environments). Close research and development links with the MOD (especially the Admiralty), also provided a lucrative outlet for the company products. In 1932, Robert Davis was knighted by King George V, principally for his invention of the ‘Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus’ (D.S.E.A.). Siebe Gorman essentially remained a family firm from the beginning (under A Siebe) until it became a public company for the first time in 1952. However, following WW2, British manufacturing stagnated through stifled investment and post-war austerity, and there was little innovation. Siebe Gorman fortunes began to decline as an ageing Sir Robert Davis failed to invest, or change the company business and management practices. In 1959, Siebe Gorman was acquired by the “Fairy Group” and the ailing Sir Robert was made Life President. Consequently, nothing changed and the slow decline continued until Sir Robert's death in March 1965. Around 1960, Siebe Gorman acquired the diving apparatus manufacturer C E Heinke, and for a brief period, it manufactured some diving equipment under the combined name of Siebe Heinke. Around 1964, Mr. E. 'Barry' Stephens was appointed as the new Managing Director to modernise Siebe Gorman. Changes were made, including a move to a new factory in Wales in 1975. The new company concentrated on fire fighting breathing apparatus and escape equipment, and the move coincided with the loss of many of the older, traditional craft skills. Between 1985 and 1998, Siebe expanded through acquisitions, and several other companies were acquired. The Siebe Gorman (diving apparatus) company has therefore traded as A. Siebe (1819-1870); Siebe & Gorman (1870-1879); Siebe Gorman & Co (1880-1904); Siebe Gorman & Co. Ltd (1905-1998).The compressor is a very significant item as it gives a snapshot into marine history and the development of diving equipment generally especially that used for salvage operations before and during WW2. Siebe & Gorman the company that made the equipment was a leading inventor, developer and innovator of marine equipment with its early helmets and other items eagerly sought after today for collections around the world. The items in the Flagstaff Hill collection give us an insight as to how divers operated and the dangers they faced doing a very necessary and dangerous job during the early days of marine exploration.A single cylinder divers' pump by Siebe Gorman & Co Ltd, London, eccentric hand cranked in brass mounted mahogany case with instructions to the underside of the lid, brass covered pressure gauge and air outlet, brass makers plaque to the front, water inlet and outlet to the rear, green painted lifting rings. Machinery has some blue painted areas on the metal.Plate on the back 'WATER SUPPLY" "WATER OVERFLOW" "WATER DRAIN-IN" Pressure gauge dial "BOURDON'S PRESSURE GAUGE" STEBE GORMAN & CO. LONDON", "LBS PRESSURE" "FEET OF SALT WATER" Plate on the front " PATENT, Siebe Gorman & Co Ltd Submarine Engineers" below emblem (Lion, Crown, Horse)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, maritime-museum, diving compressor, london, siebe gorman & co ltd, marine technology, life saving, deep sea diving, maritime museum, maritime village, manine history