History Notes - early building applications
History Notes
A wonderful weekend for Barraba - even car parking was at a premium on Saturday as numerous visitors arrived to spend the day touring the various venues to view the paintings, the handcrafts, the markets and the music.
It was one of the Society's best markets with crowds of people visiting the stalls and sampling the barbeque - some stalls had lots of customers but I doubt if anyone actually sold out. Thank you to everyone for coming.
Our next market will be held on the usual second Saturday in the month and then there will be another one the next week to co-inside with the motor show in October.
We have a meeting coming up next week with quite a few items to discuss including a date for the Annual General Meeting in October. Memberships are also due now.
There have been two requests this week - the first about Barraba down in the Hunter Valley and the other is the Barraba Hotel in Windsor- how much history of these two can we find and is there a connection to our Barraba?
Returning to history and the early building applications, we find Harry White extending his home in Queen Street. J. T. Bridges was to be the builder, adding a verandah, laundry and bathroom to the house which appears to have been about where Russell's Garage is today. The cost of the additions was estimated to be 52 pounds - just over 100 dollars in today's currency.
Negotiations were being undertaken in October, 1929, at Clifton Hall for an Open Air Theatre at the back of the building. As we know there was an Open Air Theatre at The Empire Theatre for a short while before it closed and films were shown inside the building.
The unusual building application in January, 1930, was for a Tea Room for W. Pringle, in the centre of the block opposite Clifton's garage. There was to be one room 45 X 13 feet and another 17 x 13 feet and a bathroom 6 x 6 feet. The walls were to be brick with an iron roof. Was this Andy's Backpackers? The Sofis family had their cafe here before they built on the other side of the street.
Hopefully I will find out for next week's notes.