Search for NSW Heritage

18/09/2020 Search for NSW Heritage | Heritage NSW

https://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/search-for-heritage/search-for-nsw-heritage/ 1/3

Search for NSW Heritage

Item detailsName of item:Aerodrome (Former) (Council Depot)Other name/s:Aerodrome (Old) (Council Depot)Type of item:BuiltGroup/Collection:Transport - AirCategory:Other - Transport - AirLocation:Lat: -33.3112 Long: 149.099085Primary address:1610 Forest Road, Warrendine, NSW 2800Local govt. area:OrangeAll addressesStreet Address Suburb/town LGA Parish County Type1610 Forest Road Warrendine Orange Primary Address

Statement of signi�cance:The Aerodrome site retains relics suf�cient to identify and interpret the use and provides an historic and rareexample of the �rst formal air transport activity from the late 1930's.Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and Stategovernment agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies asnew information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

DescriptionPhysical description:A landscaped area approximately 60m x 30m divided by a cyclone fence which encloses a depot area used byCouncil for storage of equipment and materials. The area also includes mature trees which have been allowed togrow through the area previously dedicated as an aerial identi�cation sign with concrete lettering.Physical condition and/orArchaeological potential:Condition: Fair Integrity: GoodDate condition updated:14 Apr 11Modi�cations and dates:Removal of airport; Adaptation for motor racing; Adaptation for playing �elds; Subdivision for DepotFurther information:Streetscape: Level 1

HistoryHistorical notes:An aerodrome did not open in Orange until 1938 although the Orange Aero Club had formed in 1928 andKingsford Smith Air Services had indicated in 1934 that they were keen to establish a Sydney-Orange �ight but

https://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/

https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/copyright

https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/privacy



Kingsford Smith Air Services had indicated in 1934 that they were keen to establish a Sydney Orange �ight butrequired an aerodrome licensed by the Department of Civil Aviation. Department staff were sent to Orange in1935 to inspect a proposed site and clearance of the site near Bloom�eld began as an unemployment reliefproject.

Although not a commercial airport, a variety of planes used it, including for a weekly supply of �sh from Sydney.

Now known as the Sir Jack Brabham Park, changes in aircraft design brought about by World War Two saw theaerodrome quickly viewed as not being suitable for future needs, even with the introduction of new hangers in1946. A series of disasters in the mid twentieth century also saw it decrease in use. To keep the grass down theairstrip leased to graziers for sheep hence providing food for the animals and keeping the grass down for theaircraft. The Orange Chamber of Commerce began pushing for an A class aerodrome at Spring�eld and inNovember 1958 �nancial arrangements were approved between Orange City Council and the Department ofCivil Aviation to build a new aerodrome. The new aerodrome opened on17 June 1961, destined to become themain Orange airport which still operates today.

A number of new sporting facilities were established in Orange during the 1970s including sporting grounds atthe former aerodrome site between Forest and Huntley Roads

Historic themesAustralian theme (abbrev) New South Wales theme

Localtheme

3. Economy-Developing local, regionaland national economies

Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another,and systems for the provision of such movements

Aerodrome-

Assessment of signi�canceSHR Criteria a)[Historical signi�cance]

The aerodrome marks the growth and con�dence in air travel during the late 1930's with �ights available fromthe centre of OrangeSHR Criteria b)[Associative signi�cance]

Dept. of Civil AviationSHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic signi�cance]

Relics remain on site to identify the useSHR Criteria e)[Research potential]

The site includes relics from the unusual land useSHR Criteria f)[Rarity]

A rare example of the typeIntegrity/Intactness:Fair - relics capable of interpretationAssessment criteria:Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of signi�cance.Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:Review the site to determine the extent of relics; Re-arrange fencing to protect the lettering and allow suf�cientspace for curtilage, without further damage; Erect suitable interpretation

RecommendationsManagement Category Description Date UpdatedStatutory Instrument List on a Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 27 Feb 11

Recommended Management Consult with owner and/or community 27 Feb 11

Recommended Management Review a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) 27 Feb 11

Recommended Management Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education 27 Feb 11

ListingsHeritage Listing Listing Title Listing Number Gazette Date Gazette Number Gazette PageLocal Environmental Plan Orange Local Environmental Plan 2011 I172 24 Feb 12

https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/heritagebranch/heritage/listings/criteria.pdf



Study detailsTitle Year Number Author Inspected by Guidelines usedOrange community based Heritage Study 2011 2011 David Scobie Architects Pty Ltd Yes

References, internet links & imagesNone

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

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

Data sourceThe information for this entry comes from the following source:Name:Local GovernmentDatabase number:2220703

Return to previous page

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please sendyour comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.

https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/dpcheritageapp/HeritageItemImage.aspx?ID=2220703#ad-image-0




javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$ContentPlaceHolder1$LinkButtonBacktoSearchResult','')

mailto:[email protected]




Item detailsName of item:Bloom�eld Hospital and Grounds (including Nymagee Lodge)Other name/s:Mental Hospital, Elm Avenue, Entry Gateway, Nymagee LodgeType of item:BuiltGroup/Collection:Health ServicesCategory:HospitalLocation:Lat: -33.31767168 Long: 149.09514505Primary address:1502 Forest Road, Bloom�eld, NSW 2800Local govt. area:OrangeAll addressesStreet Address Suburb/town LGA Parish County Type1502 Forest Road Bloom�eld Orange Primary Address

Statement of signi�cance:Bloom�eld Hospital Nymagee Lodge (including landscape features, entry gateway, Elm avenue and grounds).

The Bloom�eld Hospital is of State heritage signi�cance. It has high historic, associative and aestheticsigni�cance as an example of a mental hospital designed according to the philosophy and treatment regimensof the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. It was the last of the large purpose built mental hospitals inNSW and one of only three built in rural areas. It has remained largely intact with regard to its original intentionand layout as little development of the site has occurred since the completion of the original hospital buildings.

The Hospital has a strong association with Frederick Norton Manning and Eric Sinclair who were pioneers in thetreatment and management of mental health in NSW in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. It isa landmark in the area as a �ne ensemble of buildings in a village-like landscape setting and demonstratesthrough its physical fabric, layout and park-like setting, a humane method for the treatment of the mentally illthat is no longer carried out on such a large scale.

Its continual use as a place of treatment for the mentally ill also makes the place signi�cant as does its traditionof promoting a close association with the local community through social, cultural and sporting activities.

The masonry entrance gates mark the formal entrance to the hospital. Of historical and aesthetic signi�cance.Date signi�cance updated: 30 Nov 17Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and Stategovernment agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies asnew information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

DescriptionConstruction years:1923-1931Physical description:Bloom�eld Hospital is located on Forest Road in the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Orange. The Hospital comprises two distinct groupings of buildings and their setting of landscaped and park like gardens






e osp ta co p ses t o d st ct g oup gs o bu d gs a d t e sett g o a dscaped a d pa e ga de sand playing �elds

The earliest buildings developed on the site lie on a ridge ( north-south) to the east of the site and comprise theoriginal Admissions Section ( Designed 1910) and Convalescent Section ( designed in the Inter-war period). TheAdmissions Section comprises a two storey central administration building built in the Federation Arts andCrafts style and two single storey wards. All these buildings are constructed of face brick, the second storey of theadministration block being rendered with stucco and painted. The roof of the administration wing is tiled withterracotta tiles as are the ward buildings. The western side of the administration block features a columned entryporch and adjacent Dutch gables which are edged with stone copings. The ward building also have stone edgedgable ends. The wards comprise central dormitories and wings of single room accommodation.

To the south of the Admission section lie the �ve buildings comprising the Convalescent Section designed toaccommodate 'curable' cases away from the in�uence of more seriously disturbed patients. These buildings areof the Inter War Arts and Craft style of architecture with some Inter War Neo Georgian in�uence. TheConvalescent Section Administration building is of two storeys with a recessed veranda on the front face and ashingled balcony above. This has since been enclosed. The wards are two story brick buildings with wideverandas on the north eastern elevation. The verandas are supported by circular columns.

Other buildings on the eastern part of the Bloom�eld site include the former Nurses Home 1 ( now Tallow WoodHostel). This two storey brick building is designed in the Inter War Georgian Style featuring a columned porticoon the main elevation and an upper level veranda at the rear of the u-shaped building. There are also residencesfor the "Of�cer in Charge " and the "Medical Of�cer" as well as another more contemporary residence. There arealso two former stable buildings located on the eastern ridge complexes of buildings.

Stretching westward from this group of buildings lies an area of lightly treed, open space. The cricket pitch(established in 1928), a series of playing �elds (developed in 1938), a bowling green and clubhouse, ( 1960) and a 9hole golf course are located in this area. This open space was pivotal to the planning of the hospital facility as itfunctioned to separate different categories of patient. Patients whose behaviour and chances of recovery werelow were accommodated in the buildings on the western part of the site and those who were likely to besuccessfully rehabilitated lived in the eastern part of the site.

The group of buildings located in the were constructed between 1927 and 1931. The wards and the RecreationHall were built in an arc along the highest part of a ridgeline and take full advantage of the therapeutic views tothe east over the playing �elds and landscaped parklike gardens to the south east of the site. The Recreation Hall( now Leisure centre) is located at the centre of the arc. Designed in the Inter-war Mediterranean style thisbuilding is of rendered stucco, has an arcaded veranda along one side, a �at end facade with a bell niche on thewestern end of the building.

There and there are �ve male wards to the north and �ve female wards to the south of the Recreation Hall. Thetwo single storey brick wards either side of the Recreation Hall were for the sick and in�rm. The building on thesouthern side of the recreation Hall retains its original eastern elevation featuring a veranda on three sidesoverlooking a central garden area. To the north and south of these sick and in�rm wards lie mirror image, twostorey wards constructed of brick and designed in the Federation Art and Craft style. The northern and southernmost wards in this con�guration are constructed of Lithgow brick and are of a low key Arts and Craft style withwide east facing verandas supported on brick piers. All these building were designed to minimise the impressionof being institutional buildings.

Behind the arc of wards, across Canobolas Drive in its original layout, are located administration, service andsupport buildings including a mortuary chapel, operating theatre and epileptic wards. Directly behind theRecreation Hall is the Administration building and behind that the former Dining Room. These building form theeast west axis of this end of the site.

The hospital buildings in both parts of the site are set in extensive landscaped, park like gardens. Each ward onthe western part of the site has remnant formal ward gardens and hedges are used to de�ne boundaries andspaces ( 2004 Government Architect's Of�ce. Bloom�eld Preliminary Heritage Assessment.) Moving away fromthe wards the gardens give way to park like plantings of trees ( such as the Monterey pine, elm, pin oaks andpoplars) and remnant original woodlands vegetation (Single apple box, snow gum trees) .

The original layout of the site included a substantial nursery and vegetable garden in the western part of the sitealong Forest Road. This original garden has been transferred its current site located between the entry gates andthe former northern most men's ward. In 1928 there were also a small dairy and piggery established at thehospital



Nymagee Lodge: thought to be one of the �rst buildings constructed on the site. T is a two storey brick building,with stucco to the second storey. Of solid design, with wide curved portico verandahs at the front and back, Theverandahs are supported on twin cement Doric form columns. Double hung sash windows have low archedbrick heads. Doors are glazed and panelled with multipane fanlights. Two parapet walls on each facade arecapped with curved stone dressing. A bay window projects on the east side, and has pressed metal frieze abovewith decorative waratahs embossed on it. The building is set on a gentle curved drive, with two single storey buildings either side, named Gwydir andYuamgi, which are of similar design and constructed of local brick with orange brick trim. They have orangeMarseilles tiles. Their design is enhanced by end parapet walls �nished with stone dressings and projecting baywindows. There are many buildings, both single and two storeys, of simple unadorned style, throughout the complex. Nymagee Lodge Landscape features: The grounds are spacious and have many exotic European trees, such ascypresses, �rs and elms. There is a remnant stand of eucalypts on the east side. Entry masonry gateway, Fineavenue of mature elms and �ne boundary border of mature golden poplars. The site includes a golf course.

A sweeping curved carriageway entrance to the hospital marked with masonry gate pillars, �anked on eitherside by contemporary masonry fencing. Construction: Masonry entrance gates and posts with horizontal metal rung fencing.Physical condition and/orArchaeological potential:Bloom�eld Hospital retains the integrity of its original layout and underpinning design philosophy as atherapeutic environment for the treatment of the mentally ill. Its original layout, separating different categoriesof patients over the eastern and western portions of the site as well as within the hierarchy of wards on each siteis still clearly evident in as there has been very little new development on the site since the original constructionperiod between 1923 and 1931.Date condition updated:09 Dec 10Modi�cations and dates:1952 - small brick extension to the Female sick and in�rm ward 1958 - new kitchen block to the south of theoriginal kitchen block 1956 - Bowling green to the southern end of Pringle Park 1960 - Bloom�eld bowling greenclubhouse built Early 1960s - remodelling of male and female ward block on the western part of the site 1969 -Central Western Area Laundry complex established in the south west of the grounds 1970s - �re escapes addedto all two storey buildings 1965-8 - 9 hole golf course developed on the site- below Pringle Park ( the playing �eldbelow the make wards in the western part of the site) 1989 - 4 X16 bed treatment single storey units establishedin the western part of the site 2004 - 3 new units were established - a new Admissions Unit inside the Main Gateon the northwest side of the Crescent, a Short Stay Unit on the south west side of the Crescent near the ChapelFurther information:Recommended conservation strategy: As per Preliminary Heritage and Conservation Register - Central WestAHS. Exercise care to protect cultural signi�cance.

HistoryHistorical notes:At the turn of the Nineteenth Century, institutions for the mentally ill were fast becoming overcrowded. Inresponse to this pressure and the demand for treatment of rural based mentally ill patients, Frederic NortonManning, Inspector General for the Insane, proposed that a number of hospitals for the mentally ill beestablished in rural areas. Under his guidance, Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital was built in Goulburn in 1897. In1898 Eric Sinclair took over from Manning and continued the work of developing rural based psychiatrichospitals with the hospital at Morisset completed in 1910.

In 1889, 640 acres south of Orange was secured and dedicated for the future development of a Mental Hospitalyet it was not until 1909 that a general site plan for the Mental Hospital at Orange was developed by GovernmentArchitect Walter Liberty Vernon. The construction of the hospital was further delayed until 1923 when work onthe �rst of the hospital buildings began.

The construction of the hospital building was assisted by patients as well as local carpenters, labourers andcraftsmen. The patients had been transferred from the mental hospital at Gladesville and in 1923 the Orange andDistrict Illustrated Times noted that many of those patients were discharged due to the improvement of theircondition through the work. By October 1925 the Admissions and Convalescent Sections on the eastern part ofthe site had been completed and accommodated 270 patients from other overcrowded institutions. The of�cialopening by Acting Inspector for the Insane, Dr W.A. Couttie was held in November 1925. Between 1925 and 1931the wards, Administration, service buildings workshops, kitchen, Recreation Hall and Nurses Home and staffaccommodation were constructed on the western part of the site



accommodation were constructed on the western part of the site.

The hospital was built to facilitate the late Nineteenth Century and early Twentieth Century theories of thetreatment of the mentally ill propounded by Frederick Norton Manning and later developed by Eric Sinclair.Manning championed a shift from seeing institutions for the mentally ill as asylums or places of con�nement tobeing places for the treatment of the patient's illness where the architecture and setting of the hospital wasintegral to patients treatment. During his term as Director General for the Insane he worked to further eliminatethe stigma of mental illness by ensuring that medical practitioners alone were responsible for schedulingmentally ill patients. Doctors were charged with the administration of the hospitals and the treatment ofpatients.

Sinclair further developed Manning's ideas infusing them with the newer 'scienti�c' theories on Mental Illnesssuch as the germ theory of mental illness which maintained that mental illness was most responsive totreatment in its early stages. This theory emphasised the bene�ts of quarantining 'curable' patients from thosewith more intractable forms of illness.

The design of Bloom�eld ensures that patients perceived to be able to be rehabilitated were accommodated inthe eastern area of the site in the Admissions Ward, completed in 1923 and the Convalescent Wards which were�nished by 1924.

Patients suffering more debilitating and profound disturbance were accommodated in the nine wards spanningthe north-south ridge in the western part of the site (completed between 1927 and 1931).The eastern and westernareas were separated by landscaped gardens and playing �elds. In each of these areas further separation ofpatients was accommodated with wards for men and women, separate wards for female and male sick andin�rm, and for men and women considered 'quiet and industrious' and those with more challenging andentrenched behaviours - the 'violent and noisy ' wards. All the buildings and wards at the hospital werespeci�cally designed to re�ect the proportions and style of domestic architecture to ally the impression of beingan institution of con�nement.

The setting in which patients were treated was considered to be of utmost importance and much attention waspaid to the planting of both formal gardens and of parklands across the hospital property. Wards were built totake advantage of light and ensure easy access to fresh air. The hospital was planned to be a virtually selfsustainable community with patients growing vegetables and fruit and in earlier times tending the dairy andpiggery.

Like all patients experiencing mental illness, patients at Bloom�eld, were committed by law to receive treatmentat a metal hospital. In 1900 the classi�cation of those who were able to be committed was expanded to includealcoholics and inebriates with serious behavioural problems. Bloom�eld was the �rst hospital to be licensed totreat these patients.

In the 1930s new psychiatric treatments for the mentally ill such as hypnosis, use of bromides, fever therapy,coma therapy and leucotomy were being implemented in the state's hospitals. Bloom�eld was well equipped tokeep abreast with these new therapies having a purpose built operating theatre included in the schedule ofhospital building completed by 1931.

Recreational and occupational therapy developed as important forms of treatment at Bloom�eld from 1929 andthe value of sporting activity was recognised from early on. The �rst cricket pitch was established near the mostnorthern entrance to the side. During the 1930s this pitch and adjoining area ( 96 acres in total) was redevelopedas Bloom�eld Aerodrome. A second pitch, located on land between t he eastern and western part of the site wasdeveloped in 1928. This Cricket Ground became a focal point for patients, staff and visitors over the years.

An important addition to the hospital was the construction of two TB Wards in 1934. These Wards were built inresponse to a decade or more of measures put in place to control the epidemic spread of TB. The Women's TBWard was located at the eastern end of the Convalescent Section and the Male TB Ward was located at the endof the Male Wards in the western part of the site. Both wards had north-east facing airing yards consideredessential to the design of such wards at the time. The wards were unusual in that they were two of the fewattached to Mental Hospitals and as such posed the architectural challenge of ensuring patients remainedcon�ned and isolated from the broader population while still providing access the therapeutic effects of sunlightand fresh air.

The War years saw characteristic shortages at the hospital including the dearth of male staff members. This wascoupled with an in�ux of patients from Kenmore which was used for military purposes and resulted inovercrowding for the patients and an increasing workload for the mainly female staff. Overcrowding remained adif�culty after the war and there was little progress in the development of effective treatments or the



dif�culty after the war and there was little progress in the development of effective treatments or theimprovement of facilities at the Orange Mental Hospital.

During the 1950s new behaviour stabilising drug treatments such as largactil and lithium and the provision ofcommunity care to patients were implemented to reduce the demand for mental hospital accommodation.Never the less Bloom�eld, as Orange Mental Hospital was renamed in 1954, remained a large hospital with aroutine of therapeutic treatments and activities. The emphasis creating links with the local community throughsporting and cultural activities was continued at this time with the establishment of a Dramatic Society whichinvolved patients and staff in regular productions. Performances were attended by those associated with thehospital and members of the wider Orange Community. The Society was the precursor to the recently formed,semi-professional Orange Theatre Company.

During the 1960s another incentive to promote patient integration into the community was the establishment ofa Bloom�eld Branch of the Country Women's Association. Patients belonging to the Branch to participate inchoral and drama performance and various fund raising activities. In 1965 a nine hole golf course was establishedon the site, a third sporting �eld Pringle Park was established just below the Male Wards and a new laundrycomplex servicing the Central West area hospitals was built .

In 1983 the Richmond Report recommended a major overhaul of the operation of Mental Health Services whichfocused on separating services for the mentally ill and those with developmental disability and the rehabilitationthose with mental illness back into the community with the support of community services. In the mid 1980s theAdmission and Convalescent Sections of Bloom�eld were 'removed from Bloom�eld and consolidated as theRiverside Centre'. (2004, NSW Government Architects Of�ce. Preliminary Heritage Assessment). Also around thistime an acclaimed clinical community rehabilitation scheme was piloted out of Bloom�eld. This program, heelite Housing Integrated Program Support ( SHIPS) still operating in Bathurst and Orange.

In 1986 Bloom�eld came under the administration of the Central West Health Services and the program ofdeinstitutionalisation continued, reducing the number of beds available at Bloom�eld to 274 and it number ofpatients to 197 in 1989. A review of the hospital's operations in 1989 recommended that the two storey wardblocks be decommissioned. The wards treating those with dementia were also earmarked for closure in thisreport. In the early 1990s a new Admissions unit was built, a Short Stay Unit was built and an Aged Care Unit wasalso built.

In 2005 the site was considered for redevelopment which will integrate a new Base Hospital for Orange into theMental Health Services operating from the site.

In April 2009, the Government approved rezoning of 171 hectares of land at Bloom�eld to provide land for futureurban residential and commercial developments. The land was identi�ed because of its proximity toemployment uses such as the Bloom�eld Hospital and a new private hospital. The rezoning permits a range ofnew land uses, including: nearly 93 hectares zoned for special activities for the continued operation of theOrange Agricultural Institute; nearly 68 hectares zoned for low density residential development, with the capacity to yield around 800 dwellings; over 11 hectares acrosstwo tracts of land zoned for a range of uses servicing the adjacent medical, recreational, residential and industrialprecincts

Historic themesAustralian theme(abbrev)

New South Wales theme Local theme

3. Economy-Developing local,regional and nationaleconomies

Health-Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promoting ormaintaining the well being of humans

MentalInstitution-

8. Culture-Developingcultural institutionsand ways of life

Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architecturaland other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expressionof cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.

Hospitalbuilding andassociated siteplanning-


Bloom�eld Hospital is of historic signi�cance to the development of NSW as it was one of only three dedicatedmental hospitals built in rural NSW. It has been continuously used as a mental hospital and its designdemonstrates the evolution of mental health treatment overtime. Its design and setting clearly demonstrate the'enlightened' Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century theories on the treatment of the mentally ill.SHR Criteria b)



[Associative signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital is strongly associated with Frederic Norton Manning, Director General for the Insane (1876 to1898) who proposed the construction of the hospital in Orange during his incumbency. Manning was achampion of a more compassionate and enlightened treatment of the mentally ill. The detailed design andconstruction of the hospital was undertaken by Eric Sinclair another signi�cant �gure in the humanisation oftreatment of the mentally ill and in pioneering new treatments. The initial sit layout was developed by WalterLiberty Vernon and followed through by his successors in the role of Government Architect.SHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital in its landscape setting is of high aesthetic signi�cance as for its landmark qualities withinthe Orange area. These qualities derive from its distinctive tree cover, its ensemble of buildings, gardens andlandscape features. The domestic scale of the buildings and their village like layout in the park like setting are anoutstanding and intact example of a hospital speci�cally designed to promote recovery and rehabilitation of thementally ill. Bloom�eld was the last of a series of dedicated mental hospitals designed along these lines in theNineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and has special and enduring aesthetic values.SHR Criteria d)[Social signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital has a strong association with past and present patients and staff many of whom came fromall over NSW. Bloom�eld has been home to many of these people who spent extended periods of their life there.SHR Criteria e)[Research potential]

The built form, layout, landscape setting of Bloom�eld Hospital provides evidence of and insight into theevolution of mental health treatment and underpinning theories from the late Nineteenth Century to thepresent day. Its research value is heightened by the level of integrity and intactness of its original form andlayout.SHR Criteria f)[Rarity]

Bloom�eld Hospital is the last of a series of major, purpose built mental hospitals set in a park like setting. Itcontinues to be used as a mental health facility and so provides a rare 'living' demonstration of the changes tothe treatment of the mentally ill from the Nineteenth Century to the present.

It is likely that Bloom�eld's operating theatre was a unique addition to mental hospital. Its constructioncoincided with the pioneering years of psycho surgery in NSW and Australia. It is also likely that the inclusion inthe hospital complex of purpose built TB wards for mentally ill patients was also uncommon.SHR Criteria g)[Representativeness]

Bloom�eld Hospital, its built form, layout and setting, provides an outstanding example of the principalcharacteristics of an early Twentieth Century mental hospital designed as a holistic therapeutic environment.Integrity/Intactness:The Bloom�eld hospital retain most of its original buildings and signi�cant layout elements. While some of theformal ward gardens are no longer in tact the plantings of many of the trees and shrubs throughout the siteremain retaining the park like quality of the grounds.Assessment criteria:Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of signi�cance.Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:A Master Plan for alterations and additions to the site is required to guide future works being undertaken by therange of tenants and stakeholders

RecommendationsManagement Category Description Date UpdatedStatutory Instrument List on a Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 28 Sep 10

Statutory Instrument Nominate for State Heritage Register (SHR) 23 Jan 11

ListingsHeritage Listing Listing Title Listing Number Gazette Date Gazette Number Gazette PageLocal Environmental Plan 12 May 00 57 3927

Local Environmental Plan Orange Local Environmental Plan 2011 I21 24 Feb 12

Potential Heritage Item H 17 May 02




Study detailsTitle Year Number Author Inspected by Guidelines usedOrange Heritage Study 1985 M28, L4 Hughes, Trueman, Ludlow Consultants No

Orange Base Hospital Archive Study 2010 David Scobie Architects Yes

Orange community based Heritage Study 2011 2011 David Scobie Architects Pty Ltd Yes

Bloom�eld Hospital CMP 2006 NSW Dept. Public Works Yes

References, internet links & imagesType Author Year Title Internet LinksWritten Schwager Brooks & Partners Pty Ltd Study



















Item detailsName of item:Bloom�eld HospitalOther name/s:Orange Mental HospitalType of item:LandscapeGroup/Collection:Landscape - CulturalCategory:Historic LandscapeLocation:Lat: -33.3176716830 Long: 149.0951450530Primary address:Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800Local govt. area:OrangeLocal Aboriginal Land Council:OrangeProperty descriptionLot/Volume Code Lot/Volume Number Section Number Plan/Folio Code Plan/Folio NumberLOT 301 DP 1115809

LOT 10 DP 1174672

LOT 11 DP 1174672

LOT 500 DP 1175440

LOT 501 DP 1175440

LOT 205 DP 42900

LOT 206 DP 42900

LOT 207 DP 42900

LOT 208 DP 42900

LOT 209 DP 42900

LOT 211 DP 42900

LOT 212 DP 42900

LOT 212 DP 42900

LOT 213 DP 42900

LOT 231 DP 48075

LOT 229 DP 720596

LOT 229 DP 720596

LOT 151 DP 750401

All addressesStreet Address Suburb/town LGA Parish County TypeForest Road Orange Orange Primary Address

Owner/sOrganisation Name Owner Category Date Ownership UpdatedOrange Ex-services Club General

Statement of signi�cance:




gThe Bloom�eld Hospital is of State heritage signi�cance. It has high historic, associative and aestheticsigni�cance as an example of a mental hospital designed according to the philosophy and treatment regimensof the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. It was the last of the large purpose built mental hospitals inNSW and one of only three built in rural areas. It has remained largely intact with regard to its original intentionand layout as little development of the site has occurred since the completion of the original hospital buildings.

The Hospital has a strong association with Frederick Norton Manning and Eric Sinclair who were pioneers in thetreatment and management of mental health in NSW in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. It isa landmark in the area as a �ne ensemble of buildings in a village-like landscape setting and demonstratesthrough its physical fabric, layout and park-like setting, a humane method for the treatment of the mentally illthat is no longer carried out on such a large scale.

Its continual use as a place of treatment for the mentally ill also makes the place signi�cant as does its traditionof promoting a close association with the local community through social, cultural and sporting activities.Date signi�cance updated: 03 Mar 05Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and Stategovernment agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies asnew information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

DescriptionDesigner/Maker:Walter Liberty Vernon, George McRae (Government Architects)Construction years:1923-1931Physical description:Bloom�eld Hospital is located on Forest Road in the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Orange. The Hospital comprises two distinct groupings of buildings and their setting of landscaped and park like gardensand playing �elds

The earliest buildings developed on the site lie on a ridge ( north-south) to the east of the site and comprise theoriginal Admissions Section ( Designed 1910) and Convalescent Section ( designed in the Inter-war period). TheAdmissions Section comprises a two storey central administration building built in the Federation Arts andCrafts style and two single storey wards. All these buildings are constructed of face brick, the second storey of theadministration block being rendered with stucco and painted. The roof of the administration wing is tiled withterracotta tiles as are the ward buildings. The western side of the administration block features a columned entryporch and adjacent Dutch gables which are edged with stone copings. The ward building also have stone edgedgable ends. The wards comprise central dormitories and wings of single room accommodation.

To the south of the Admission section lie the �ve buildings comprising the Convalescent Section designed toaccommodate 'curable' cases away from the in�uence of more seriously disturbed patients. These buildings areof the Inter War Arts and Craft style of architecture with some Inter War Neo Georgian in�uence. TheConvalescent Section Administration building is of two storeys with a recessed veranda on the front face and ashingled balcony above. This has since been enclosed. The wards are two story brick buildings with wideverandas on the north eastern elevation. The verandas are supported by circular columns.

Other buildings on the eastern part of the Bloom�eld site include the former Nurses Home 1 ( now Tallow WoodHostel). This two storey brick building is designed in the Inter War Georgian Style featuring a columned porticoon the main elevation and an upper level veranda at the rear of the u-shaped building. There are also residencesfor the "Of�cer in Charge " and the "Medical Of�cer" as well as another more contemporary residence. There arealso two former stable buildings located on the eastern ridge complexes of buildings.

Stretching westward from this group of buildings lies an area of lightly treed, open space. The cricket pitch(established in 1928), a series of playing �elds (developed in 1938), a bowling green and clubhouse, ( 1960) and a 9hole golf course are located in this area. This open space was pivotal to the planning of the hospital facility as itfunctioned to separate different categories of patient. Patients whose behaviour and chances of recovery werelow were accommodated in the buildings on the western part of the site and those who were likely to besuccessfully rehabilitated lived in the eastern part of the site.

The group of buildings located in the were constructed between 1927 and 1931. The wards and the RecreationHall were built in an arc along the highest part of a ridgeline and take full advantage of the therapeutic views tothe east over the playing �elds and landscaped parklike gardens to the south east of the site. The Recreation Hall( now Leisure centre) is located at the centre of the arc Designed in the Inter war Mediterranean style this





( now Leisure centre) is located at the centre of the arc. Designed in the Inter-war Mediterranean style thisbuilding is of rendered stucco, has an arcaded veranda along one side, a �at end facade with a bell niche on thewestern end of the building.

There and there are �ve male wards to the north and �ve female wards to the south of the Recreation Hall. Thetwo single storey brick wards either side of the Recreation Hall were for the sick and in�rm. The building on thesouthern side of the recreation Hall retains its original eastern elevation featuring a veranda on three sidesoverlooking a central garden area. To the north and south of these sick and in�rm wards lie mirror image, twostorey wards constructed of brick and designed in the Federation Art and Craft style. The northern and southernmost wards in this con�guration are constructed of Lithgow brick and are of a low key Arts and Craft style withwide east facing verandas supported on brick piers. All these building were designed to minimise the impressionof being institutional buildings.

Behind the arc of wards, across Canobolas Drive in its original layout, are located administration, service andsupport buildings including a mortuary chapel, operating theatre and epileptic wards. Directly behind theRecreation Hall is the Administration building and behind that the former Dining Room. These building form theeast west axis of this end of the site.

The hospital buildings in both parts of the site are set in extensive landscaped, park like gardens. Each ward onthe western part of the site has remnant formal ward gardens and hedges are used to de�ne boundaries andspaces ( 2004 Government Architect's Of�ce. Bloom�eld Preliminary Heritage Assessment.) Moving away fromthe wards the gardens give way to park like plantings of trees ( such as the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), elm(Ulmus procera), pin oaks (Quercus palustris) and poplars (Populus sp.)) and remnant original woodlandsvegetation (single apple box, snow gum (Eucalyptus pauci�ora) trees).

The original layout of the site included a substantial nursery and vegetable garden in the western part of the sitealong Forest Road. This original garden has been transferred its current site located between the entry gates andthe former northern most men's ward. In 1928 there were also a small dairy and piggery established at thehospitalPhysical condition and/orArchaeological potential:Bloom�eld Hospital retains the integrity of its original layout and underpinning design philosophy as atherapeutic environment for the treatment of the mentally ill. Its original layout, separating different categoriesof patients over the eastern and western portions of the site as well as within the hierarchy of wards on each siteis still clearly evident in as there has been very little new development on the site since the original constructionperiod between 1923 and 1931.Date condition updated:03 Mar 05Modi�cations and dates:1952 - small brick extension to the Female sick and in�rm ward 1958 - new kitchen block to the south of the original kitchen block 1956 - Bowling green to the southern end of Pringle Park 1960 - Bloom�eld bowling green clubhouse built Early 1960s - remodeling of male and female ward block on the western part of the site 1969 - Central Western Area Laundry complex established in the south west of the grounds 1970s - �re escapes added to all two storey buildings 1965-8 - 9 hole golf course developed on the site- below Pringle Park ( the playing �eld below the make wards inthe western part of the site) 1989 - 4 X16 bed treatment single storey units established in the western part of the site 2004 - 3 new units were established - a new Admissions Unit inside the Main Gate on the northwest side of theCrescent, a Short Stay Unit on the south west side of the Crescent near the ChapelFurther information:LEP - State signi�cantCurrent use:Mental Health Services, Welfare Services, Sporting activitiesFormer use:Aboriginal land, farm, Hospital, Mental Health Services

HistoryHistorical notes:At the turn of the nineteenth century, institutions for the mentally ill were fast becoming overcrowded. Inresponse to this pressure and the demand for treatment of rural based mentally ill patients, Frederic NortonManning, Inspector General for the Insane, proposed that a number of hospitals for the mentally ill be

bli h d i l U d hi id K P hi i H i l b il i G lb i 1897 I



established in rural areas. Under his guidance, Kenmore Psychiatric Hospital was built in Goulburn in 1897. In1898 Eric Sinclair took over from Manning and continued the work of developing rural based psychiatrichospitals with the hospital at Morisset completed in 1910.

In 1889, 640 acres south of Orange was secured and dedicated for the future development of a Mental Hospitalyet it was not until 1909 that a general site plan for the Mental Hospital at Orange was developed by GovernmentArchitect Walter Liberty Vernon.

Walter Liberty Vernon (1846-1914) was both architect and soldier. Born in England, he ran successful practices inHastings and London and had estimable connections in artistic and architectural circles. In 1883 he had arecurrence of bronchitic asthma and was advised to leave the damp of England. He and his wife sailed to NewSouth Wales. Before leaving, he gained a commission to build new premesis for Merrrs David Jones and Co., inSydney's George Street. In 1890 he was appointed Government Architect - the �rst to hold that title - in the newlyreorganised branch of the Public Works Department. He saw his role as building 'monuments to art'. His majorbuildings, such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales (1904-6) are large in scale, �nely wrought in sandstone, andmaintaining the classical tradition. Among others are the Mitchell Wing of the State Library, Fisher Library at theUniversity of Sydney and Central Railway Station. He also added to a number of buildings designed by hispredecessors, including Customs House, the GPO and Chief Secretary's Building - with changes which did notmeet with the approval of his immediate precedessor, James Barnet who, nine years after his resignation,denounced Vernon's additions in an essay and documentation of his own works. In England, Vernon haddelighted his clients with buildings in the fashionable Queen Anne style. In NSW, a number of British trainedarchitects whow were proponents of hte Arts and Crafts style joined his of�ce and under their in�uence, Vernonchanged his approach to suburban projects. Buildings such as the Darlinghurst First Station (Federation Freestyle, 1910) took on the sacale and character of their surroundings. Under Vernon's leadership, an impressive arrayof buildings was produced which were distinguished by interesting brickwork and careful climaticconsiderations, by shady verandahs, sheltered courtyards and provision for cross-�ow ventilation. Examples arecourthouses in Parkes (1904), Wellington (1912) and Bourke, Lands Of�ces in Dubbo (1897) and Orange (1904) andthe Post Of�ce in Wellington (1904)(Le Sueur, 2016, 7).

The north-eastern buildings within (today's) Riverside or Bloom�eld North precinct were designed in 1910,approved for construction in 1922 as the First World War intervened (Scobie, 2015, 7).

The construction of the hospital was further delayed until 1923, when work on the �rst of the hospital buildingsbegan. This was the upper precinct (ibid, 2015, 7).

The construction of the hospital building was assisted by patients as well as local carpenters, labourers andcraftsmen. The patients had been transferred from the mental hospital at Gladesville and in 1923 the Orange andDistrict Illustrated Times noted that many of those patients were discharged due to the improvement of theircondition through the work. By October 1925 the Admissions and Convalescent Sections on the eastern part ofthe site had been completed and accommodated 270 patients from other overcrowded institutions. The of�cialopening by Acting Inspector for the Insane, Dr W.A. Couttie was held in November 1925. Between 1925 and 1931the wards, Administration, service buildings workshops, kitchen, Recreation Hall and Nurses Home and staffaccommodation were constructed on the western part of the site.

The hospital was built to facilitate the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century theories of thetreatment of the mentally ill propounded by Frederick Norton Manning and later developed by Eric Sinclair.Manning championed a shift from seeing institutions for the mentally ill as asylums or places of con�nement tobeing places for the treatment of the patient's illness where the architecture and setting of the hospital wasintegral to patients treatment. During his term as Director General for the Insane he worked to further eliminatethe stigma of mental illness by ensuring that medical practitioners alone were responsible for schedulingmentally ill patients. Doctors were charged with the administration of the hospitals and the treatment ofpatients.

Sinclair further developed Manning's ideas infusing them with the newer 'scienti�c' theories on Mental Illnesssuch as the germ theory of mental illness which maintained that mental illness was most responsive totreatment in its early stages. This theory emphasised the bene�ts of quarantining 'curable' patients from thosewith more intractable forms of illness.

The design of Bloom�eld ensures patients perceived to be able to be rehabilitated were accommodated in theeastern area of the site in the Admissions Ward, completed in 1923 and the Convalescent Wards which were�nished by 1924. The initial building programme was only completed in 1925. The Government Architect in this period was GeorgeMcRae (1912-1923). The upper precinct adopted the symmetrical layout as a master plan in the form of an axis



with lateral wings in sympathy with the site's topography. The Male Wards were located to the left or north-westof the main axis and the matching Female Wards to the right or south-east of the axis. Administration andmanagement used the lower Riverside precinct for admissions and classi�cation of patients and treatment ofthose expected to recover in a relatively short period. Those with little hope of recovery were regarded as long-term patients and accommodated in the upper Bloom�eld South precinct, according to their gender and illness.The upper precinct's construction commenced in 1922, with the majority of buildings completed by 1935 (ibid,2015, 7).

Patients suffering more debilitating and profound disturbance were accommodated in the nine wards spanningthe north-south ridge in the western part of the site (completed between 1927 and 1931).The eastern and westernareas were separated by landscaped gardens and playing �elds. In each of these areas further separation ofpatients was accommodated with wards for men and women, separate wards for female and male sick andin�rm, and for men and women considered 'quiet and industrious' and those with more challenging andentrenched behaviours - the 'violent and noisy ' wards. All the buildings and wards at the hospital werespeci�cally designed to re�ect the proportions and style of domestic architecture to ally the impression of beingan institution of con�nement.

The setting in which patients were treated was considered to be of utmost importance and much attention waspaid to the planting of both formal gardens and of parklands across the hospital property. Wards were built totake advantage of light and ensure easy access to fresh air. The hospital was planned to be a virtually selfsustainable community with patients growing vegetables and fruit and in earlier times tending the dairy andpiggery.

Like all patients experiencing mental illness, patients at Bloom�eld, were committed by law to receive treatmentat a metal hospital. In 1900 the classi�cation of those who were able to be committed was expanded to includealcoholics and inebriates with serious behavioural problems. Bloom�eld was the �rst hospital to be licensed totreat these patients.

In the 1930s new psychiatric treatments for the mentally ill such as hypnosis, use of bromides, fever therapy,coma therapy and leucotomy were being implemented in the state's hospitals. Bloom�eld was well equipped tokeep abreast with these new therapies having a purpose built operating theatre included in the schedule ofhospital building completed by 1931.

Recreational and occupational therapy developed as important forms of treatment at Bloom�eld from 1929 andthe value of sporting activity was recognised from early on. The �rst cricket pitch was established near the mostnorthern entrance to the side. During the 1930s this pitch and adjoining area ( 96 acres in total) was redevelopedas Bloom�eld Aerodrome. A second pitch, located on land between t he eastern and western part of the site wasdeveloped in 1928. This Cricket Ground became a focal point for patients, staff and visitors over the years.

An important addition to the hospital was the construction of two TB Wards in 1934. These Wards were built inresponse to a decade or more of measures put in place to control the epidemic spread of TB. The Women's TBWard was located at the eastern end of the Convalescent Section and the Male TB Ward was located at the endof the Male Wards in the western part of the site. Both wards had north-east facing airing yards consideredessential to the design of such wards at the time. The wards were unusual in that they were two of the fewattached to Mental Hospitals and as such posed the architectural challenge of ensuring patients remainedcon�ned and isolated from the broader population while still providing access the therapeutic effects of sunlightand fresh air.

The majority of the buildings were created in the period up to 1935 (ibid, 2015, 7).

The War years saw characteristic shortages at the hospital including the dearth of male staff members. This wascoupled with an in�ux of patients from Kenmore which was used for military purposes and resulted inovercrowding for the patients and an increasing workload for the mainly female staff. Overcrowding remained adif�culty after the war and there was little progress in the development of effective treatments or theimprovement of facilities at the Orange Mental Hospital.

During the 1950s new behaviour stabilising drug treatments such as largactil and lithium and the provision ofcommunity care to patients were implemented to reduce the demand for mental hospital accommodation.Never the less Bloom�eld, as Orange Mental Hospital was renamed in 1954, remained a large hospital with aroutine of therapeutic treatments and activities. The emphasis creating links with the local community throughsporting and cultural activities was continued at this time with the establishment of a Dramatic Society whichinvolved patients and staff in regular productions. Performances were attended by those associated with thehospital and members of the wider Orange Community. The Society was the precursor to the recently formed,



semi-professional Orange Theatre Company.

During the 1960s another incentive to promote patient integration into the community was the establishment ofa Bloom�eld Branch of the Country Women's Association. Patients belonging to the Branch to participate inchoral and drama performance and various fund raising activities. In 1965 a nine hole golf course was establishedon the site, a third sporting �eld Pringle Park was established just below the Male Wards and a new laundrycomplex servicing the Central West area hospitals was built .

In 1983 the Richmond Report recommended a major overhaul of the operation of Mental Health Services whichfocused on separating services for the mentally ill and those with developmental disability and the rehabilitationthose with mental illness back into the community with the support of community services. In the mid 1980s theAdmission and Convalescent Sections of Bloom�eld were 'removed from Bloom�eld and consolidated as theRiverside Centre'. (2004, NSW Government Architects Of�ce. Preliminary Heritage Assessment). Also around thistime an acclaimed clinical community rehabilitation scheme was piloted out of Bloom�eld. This program, heelite Housing Integrated Program Support ( SHIPS) still operating in Bathurst and Orange.

In 1986 Bloom�eld came under the administration of the Central West Health Services and the program ofdeinstitutionalisation continued, reducing the number of beds available at Bloom�eld to 274 and it number ofpatients to 197 in 1989. A review of the hospital's operations in 1989 recommended that the two storey wardblocks be decommissioned. The wards treating those with dementia were also earmarked for closure in thisreport. In the early 1990s a new Admissions unit was built, a Short Stay Unit was built and an Aged Care Unit wasalso built.

In 2005 the site was considered for redevelopment which will integrate a new Base Hospital for Orange into theMental Health Services operating from the site.

In April 2009, the Government approved rezoning of 171 hectares of land at Bloom�eld to provide land for futureurban residential and commercial developments. The land was identi�ed because of its proximity toemployment uses such as the Bloom�eld Hospital and a new private hospital. The rezoning permits a range ofnew land uses, including: nearly 93 hectares zoned for special activities for the continued operation of theOrange Agricultural Institute; nearly 68 hectares zoned for low density residential development, with thecapacity to yield around 800 dwellings; over 11 hectares across two tracts of land zoned for a range of usesservicing the adjacent medical, recreational, residential and industrial precincts (DoPlanning Annual Report, 63:accessed 16/12/2009).

From 2011 till 2016 part of site has been in�lled and developed for community care facility for cancer patients. A60 bed unit for Mission Australia is part of this. In 2018-19 Community Greening project (an outreach program ofthe Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney) created a therapeutic courtyard garden as part of this facility (Docking, 2019).The Audley Clinic has been adaptively re-used for educational purposes. A 20-unit family accommodationdevelopment has occurred for Ronald McDonald House on site.

Historic themesAustralian theme(abbrev)

New South Wales theme Local theme

1. Environment-Tracingthe evolution of acontinent's specialenvironments

Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings thatsupport human life and in�uence or shape human cultures.

Gardens-



Other open space-



Changing the environment-



Cultural: Plains and plateauxsupporting humanactivities-


Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans,human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings

Landscapes of institutions -productive and ornamental-


Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences Developing local landmarks-

/




Health-Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promotingor maintaining the well being of humans

Operating public hospitals-


Health-Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promotingor maintaining the well being of humans

Caring for the sick inhospitals-

4. Settlement-Buildingsettlements, towns andcities

Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urbanfunctions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages

Developing private towns-

7. Governing-GoverningGovernment and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions,the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principledand corrupt activities.

State government-


Developing roles forgovernment - administeringa public health system-


Developing roles forgovernment - building andoperating publicinfrastructure-

7. Governing-GoverningWelfare-Activities and process associated with the provision of social services by the state orphilanthropic organisations

Hospital-

8. Culture-Developingcultural institutionsand ways of life

Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic,architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with theproduction and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired suchcreative activities.

Adaptation of overseasdesign for local use-

9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases oflife

Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identi�able individuals, families and communalgroups

Associations with GeorgeMcRae, architect-


Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identi�able individuals, families and communalgroups

Associations with WalterLiberty Vernon, GovernmentArchitect 1890-1911, privatearchitect-


Bloom�eld Hospital is of historic signi�cance to the development of NSW as it was one of only three dedicatedmental hospitals built in rural NSW. It has been continuously used as a mental hospital and its designdemonstrates the evolution of mental health treatment overtime. Its design and setting clearly demonstrate the'enlightened' Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century theories on the treatment of the mentally ill.SHR Criteria b)[Associative signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital is strongly associated with Frederic Norton Manning, Director General for the Insane (1876 to1898) who proposed the construction of the hospital in Orange during his incumbency. Manning was achampion of a more compassionate and enlightened treatment of the mentally ill. The detailed design andconstruction of the hospital was undertaken by Eric Sinclair another signi�cant �gure in the humanisation oftreatment of the mentally ill and in pioneering new treatments. The initial sit layout was developed by WalterLiberty Vernon and followed through by his successors in the role of Government Architect.SHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital in its landscape setting is of high aesthetic signi�cance as for its landmark qualities withinthe Orange area. These qualities derive from its distinctive tree cover, its ensemble of buildings, gardens andlandscape features. The domestic scale of the buildings and their village like layout in the park like setting are anoutstanding and intact example of a hospital speci�cally designed to promote recovery and rehabilitation of thementally ill. Bloom�eld was the last of a series of dedicated mental hospitals designed along these lines in theNineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and has special and enduring aesthetic values.SHR Criteria d)[Social signi�cance]

Bloom�eld Hospital has a strong association with past and present patients and staff many of whom came fromall over NSW. Bloom�eld has been home to many of these people who spent extended periods of their life there.SHR Criteria e)[Research potential]

The built form, layout, landscape setting of Bloom�eld Hospital provides evidence of and insight into theevolution of mental health treatment and underpinning theories from the late Nineteenth Century to thepresent day. Its research value is heightened by the level of integrity and intactness of its original form andlayout.SHR Criteria f)[Rarity]

Bloom�eld Hospital is the last of a series of major, purpose built mental hospitals set in a park like setting. Itcontinues to be used as a mental health facility and so provides a rare 'living' demonstration of the changes tothe treatment of the mentally ill from the Nineteenth Century to the present.



t e t eat e t o t e e ta y o t e etee t Ce tu y to t e p ese t.

It is likely that Bloom�eld's operating theatre was a unique addition to mental hospital. Its constructioncoincided with the pioneering years of psycho surgery in NSW and Australia. It is also likely that the inclusion inthe hospital complex of purpose built TB wards for mentally ill patients was also uncommon.SHR Criteria g)[Representativeness]

Bloom�eld Hospital, its built form, layout and setting, provides an outstanding example of the principalcharacteristics of an early Twentieth Century mental hospital designed as a holistic therapeutic environment.Integrity/Intactness:The Bloom�eld hospital retain most of its original buildings and signi�cant layout elements. While some of theformal ward gardens are no longer in tact the plantings of many of the trees and shrubs throughout the siteremain retaining the park like quality of the grounds.Assessment criteria:Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of signi�cance.Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /ExemptionsSectionof act

Description Title CommentsActiondate

57(2) Exemption toallow work

StandardExemptions

SCHEDULE OF STANDARD EXEMPTIONS HERITAGE ACT 1977 Notice of Order Under Section 57 (2) of the Heritage Act 1977

I, the Minister for Planning, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on therecommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, do by this Order:

1. revoke the Schedule of Exemptions to subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act made under subsection 57(2)and published in the Government Gazette on 22 February 2008; and

2. grant standard exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977, described in the Scheduleattached.

FRANK SARTOR Minister for Planning Sydney, 11 July 2008

To view the schedule click on the Standard Exemptions for Works Requiring Heritage Council Approvallink below.

Sep 52008

Standard exemptions for works requiring Heritage Council approval

ListingsHeritage Listing Listing Title Listing Number Gazette Date Gazette Number Gazette PageHeritage Act - State Heritage Register 01745 10 Mar 06 32 1349

Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Local Environmental Plan 12 May 00

National Trust of Australia register NTA (NSW) Country Register 4666 23 Jul 73

Study detailsTitle Year Number Author Inspected by Guidelines usedOrange Heritage Study 1986 M28 L4 Orange City Council No

References, internet links & imagesType Author Year Title

InternetLinks

WrittenDocking, Elizabeth 2019 Growing Communities

WrittenGovernment Architect's Of�ce, NSW Department ofCommerce

2013 Bloom�eld Hospital Site Orange - Heritage ManagementStrategy

WrittenLe Sueur, Angela 2016 Government Architects - part 2

WrittenNSW Government Architect's Of�ce, NSW Public Works 2014 Orange Health Service - Bloom�eld Campus Master Plan

WrittenNSW Government Architect's Of�ce, NSW Public Works 2006Bloom�eld Hospital conservation management plan

WrittenSchwager Brooks P/L s.170 Register study


https://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/assets/Uploads/a-z-publications/s-u/Standard-Exemptions-for-Works-Requiring-Heritage-Council-Approval.pdf





Data sourceThe information for this entry comes from the following source:Name:Heritage Of�ceDatabase number:5053260File number:EF14/5087; H04/00280, 10/10989














Item detailsName of item:Sir Jack Brabham Park - Gnoo Blas CircuitType of item:LandscapeGroup/Collection:Landscape - CulturalCategory:Other - Landscape - CulturalLocation:Lat: -33.306411 Long: 149.0993Primary address:1610 Forest Road, Warrendine, NSW 2800ForestLocal govt. area:OrangeAll addressesStreet Address Suburb/town LGA Parish County Type1610 Forest RoadForest Warrendine Orange Primary Address

Statement of signi�cance:The site has historic and social value for the motor racing groups and associated history within Australia, isnamed to celebrate sir Jack Brabham and is worthy of further interpretation.Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and Stategovernment agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies asnew information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

DescriptionPhysical description:The site consists of grassed landscapes set out a sporting �elds. A sign panel describes the historic use. There areno known structures on the site. The steel pedestrian over-bridge from the site was relocated to another Parksite in central OrangePhysical condition and/orArchaeological potential:Condition: Good Integrity: NilDate condition updated:27 Feb 11Modi�cations and dates:1985 - adaptation to recreational use with all structures removed.Further information:The removal of all structures and records from the site is very regrettable as the site remains in use by variousmotoring groups and the level of site interpretation is poor and detracts from the signi�cance.

Streetscape: Level 1

HistoryHistorical notes:The Gnoo Blas racing circuit around Bloom�eld Hospital opened in January 1953. It was one of the fastest tracksof its type in Australia for many years and was constructed at the request of the Australian Sporting Car Club.Some of its earliest races were run in competition with those held at Bathurst at Easter. It was a popular circuit.Attendance at the South Paci�c Car racing Championships in January 1955 established the track as one of the






Attendance at the South Paci�c Car racing Championships in January 1955 established the track as one of the‘great international tracks’. However, this excitement was short lived. In the same year the death of a driver and aspectator prompted the refusal of the tracks licence by the NSW government. Problems were not resolvedsuf�ciently for the licence to be renewed until 1958. This came too late for the track. Attendances were down andin 1961 it closed permanently after failing to meet new government safety controls. The track was reinstated as ana recreational place in 1985.

Historic themesAustralian theme (abbrev) New South Wales theme Local theme8. Culture-Developing culturalinstitutions and ways of life

Sport-Activities associated with organised recreational and healthpromotional activities

Providing sports facilities for cityworkers and residents.-

8. Culture-Developing culturalinstitutions and ways of life

Sport-Activities associated with organised recreational and healthpromotional activities

Racetrack-


Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identi�able individuals,families and communal groups

Associations with Sir Jack Brabham -racing car driver-


The site marks one of the �rst formal competitive motor sport speed racing sites in AustraliaSHR Criteria b)[Associative signi�cance]

Sir Jack Brabham, the Australian sporting Car ClubSHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic signi�cance]

relics are likely to be located on the site despite adaptation to recreational use in 1985SHR Criteria d)[Social signi�cance]

The site is highly valued by the motor racing organisations and remains utilised for related motor eventsIntegrity/Intactness:PoorAssessment criteria:Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of signi�cance.Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:The site is worthy of further interpretation; the circuit should be clearly identi�ed with subtle signage andadditional interpretation provided.

RecommendationsManagement Category Description Date UpdatedStatutory Instrument List on a Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 27 Feb 11

Recommended Management Carry out an Archaeological Assessment 27 Feb 11

Recommended Management Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education 27 Feb 11

ListingsHeritage Listing Listing Title Listing Number Gazette Date Gazette Number Gazette PageLocal Environmental Plan Orange Local Environmental Plan 2011 I173 24 Feb 12

Study detailsTitle Year Number Author Inspected by Guidelines usedOrange community based Heritage Study 2011 2011 David Scobie Architects Pty Ltd Yes

References, internet links & imagesType Author Year Title Internet LinksWritten Holmes, Honey and Miller 2001 Orange - A Vision Splendid




Search for NSW Heritage

Documents

Transcript of Search for NSW Heritage