As Tamworth residents drive around our great town each day, we pass by a number of significant old buildings, some of which have been there for nearly 160 years, yet still stand impressively before us.
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Maybe driving along Brisbane St you pass the Mechanics Institute, just down from the Imperial Hotel, or perhaps you may pass Tamworth Public School further up Brisbane St, or the nearby St Johns Church in Carthage St.
Others might pass the Regional Conservatorium of Music (Dominican Convent) along Marius St, or the nearby St Nicholas Church in White St. Those heading towards Oxley Vale would pass the Community College (Munros Mill).
After crossing the river along Bridge St some would pass Tamworth West Public School, or even Calala Cottage in Denison St.
These and many other existing buildings can thank their presence to our leading builder William Springthorpe Dowel, one of our great community contributors during the second half of the 1800's.
Born in Hammersmith, London around 1833, he learned many skills from his building contractor father, that eventually set him on life's path. Another strong early interest brought him to Australia in 1851 at age 18, attracted by the Gold Rush. He moved to Rocky River near Uralla seeking gold, before leaving there in 1854 to continue his gold-seeking pursuits.
Reaching Tamworth, he was prevented from crossing the Peel due to a fresh in the river, deciding to stay on, which proved to be a great future bonus to Tamworth. Soon after, using his building-skills, he effected repairs to our first Courthouse on the Gipps/Ebsworth corner, and also helped with the construction of the original George Cohen's Tamworth Hotel in Peel St, the first two-storeyed building in the town.
Another early initiative was his employment by AA Co. boss P.G.King in constructing woolsheds on Goonoo Goonoo Station.
King came to the fore in 1857 by providing ironwork for Dowel to construct a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Peel, located just upstream from today's main traffic bridge. This was reported to be the first of its kind in NSW, taking three months to complete, with the construction agreement of local Commissioner-for-Lands Durbin.
The idea had no doubt come from his father, who had built a suspension bridge over the Thames at Hammersmith. Dowel showed his early business acumen by charging an expensive one shilling per person toll to cross over the bridge, soon deemed illegal, forcing him to provide free crossing. He was however paid for the construction.
The following year, in 1858, Dowel married 25-year-old Irish lady Eliza Lloyd, whose parents were farming in the district. Within four years he'd built his own home, 'Wallamoul', alongside the Peel River near today's Oxley Vale, still standing today.
Located on his 62 hectare farm, it was here that Dowel showed his farming enterprise, with a report that in one year he grew "3000 bushels of marketable wheat and 80 tons of hay." He also mined a small amount of gold in the Daruka area.
Near to 'Wallamoul', in 1863, he built the 'Ardullie' homestead for Donald Munro, the instigator of Munro's Flour Mill (near today's Peel/Jewry St corner), which Dowel also built, opening in 1864, and still standing. The three-storey Mill took three months to complete, with brick walls up to 50cm thick. Prior to this he was the successful tenderer for the Watch-house gaol in Darling Street, which he completed in 1859. Originally comprising two (later five) cells and a keeper's residence, it was situated behind today's Billabong Clubhouse.
Next door, in 1861, he built our second Courthouse in Darling St, sections of which still remain in our PCYC building. In its construction Dowel used 20,000 bricks and 6000 feet of timber. Not resting on his laurels, his (pictured) Mechanics Institute building was opened in 1866 at today's 93 Brisbane St, known for many years as 'The School of Arts' and filling many educational roles (library, museum, etc).
The following 20 years saw many other Dowel-constructed buildings come to fruition, including various shops and private homes many of which are still standing. Significant completions included - 1875 - 'Calala House', home of Tamworth Mayor P.G.King and currently Tamworth Historical Society headquarters; 1875 - Club House Hotel, where Good Companions Hotel is now located in Brisbane St; 1876 - a rear extension to the Cohen & Levy Flour Mill in Fitzroy St (now oiur Town Hall location); 1877 - Tamworth Superior School (Tamworth Public School) - Upper St original frontage.
Singing Dowel's praises the building's architect said "the construction to date is as creditable to a contractor as any work here in town and in every respect superior to other public works." ; 1878 - Moore Creek Public School ; 1879 - the 3rd present St Nicholas Church in White St, having also constructed the previous Church; 1881 - St Johns Church in Carthage St, the Architect being Sydney's Mr Bond.; 1881 - Businessman Daniel Regan's brick home in Marius St (present Services Club site); 1881 - Aiken's two-storey 16m x 32m store on the Peel/Brisbane St corner (later Treloars site); 1882 - 'The Wool Stores' - three-storeyed - 12.5m frontage, located around the central frontage of today's Target Store in Peel St; 1883 - West Tamworth Public School in Bridge St - Dowel the successful tenderer at 4383 pounds. An estimated 2000 people in associated opening procession; 1884 - Dominican Convent in Marius St, also known as 'Dominican High School', now the Regional Conservatorium of Music; 1885 - designed the Paradise Gardens Wine Palace - still standing at the start of the present King George V Avenue.
Such were some of the building accomplishments by William Springthorpe Dowel, but indeed he had many other attributes and local involvements. From 33 candidates in our first Tamworth Borough Council elections, he was one of nine aldermen elected.
He followed this to the next level of politics, becoming the Member for Tamworth in the State Parliament from 1887 to 1894. Included in some of his local community roles were the following - in 1881 initiating the first free public library in our first Town Hall in Darling St; prominent member of the Tamworth Farmers Society; an orchardist; a local auctioneer; Director of Tamworth Permanent Mutual Building Society; Director of Tamworth Co-operative Flourmilling at the Phenix Flourmill in 1886; 1884 - official speechmaker at the opening of the Tamworth District Hospital, encouraging further donations due to the Hospital's financial difficulties; 1885 - held investigation into possible dam sites to provide Tamworth water, suggesting chanelling water from the McDonald River near Bendemeer, with the fall in the land assisting reticulation.; 1887 - winning the local Protectionist vote (v Free Trade), represented with R.H.Levien in the NSW Parliament. Later, in 1901, withdrew as a candidate for the Federal seat of New England, not wanting to split the Protectionist vote; 1888 - heavily involved in the first 8 Hour Day Holiday celebrations in Tamworth.; 1888 - gave a speech in the Olympic Hall at a banquet held on the day prior to the switching-on of Tamworth's electric street lighting.
A very literate person, Dowel was often quite outspoken on political matters, and often criticised by the local newspaper 'The Observer'. By 1887, Dowel also had a home in Chiswick/Parramatta. By 1898, Dowel had moved to Queensland, pursuing personal interests in mining, and becoming a Justice of the Peace. He passed away at Herberton Hospital near Cairns in 1905 at age 72.
Obviously a great contributor to our town of Tamworth. Next time you pass by one of his buildings, think about his contribution. A minor regret is that Dowell Avenue, named in his honour, has been incorrectly spelt - should have one 'l'. (Sorry - that's the teacher coming out in me!)
Contributed by Mike Cashman from the Tamworth Historical Society
These local history articles appear in the Northern Daily Leader every Wednesday.