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| Aerial view of the court House in 1972 |
By the early 1890s Katoomba had
become, through coal and tourism, a town with a future. Municipal status had
been granted in 1889 and the possibilities of continued growth held promise of
glittering prizes for local commerce.
Civic pride flowered in the hearts
of the town's citizens and men prominent in local affairs began to seek
expression of Katoomba's new prestige through the erection of appropriate
public buildings.
A new brick post office was erected
in the Bathurst Road in 1887 while, in 1891, a substantial timber railway
station replaced its earlier counterpart at the gateway to the town. A year
later, in 1892, a deputation of aldermen travelled to Sydney to argue for the
construction of a court house at Katoomba.
Three years later, on Saturday 4 May
1895, a large crowd of locals and visitors gathered by the Bathurst Road on the
Sydney side of Katoomba. They watched as the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Frederick
Darley, accepted a silver, ebony-handled trowel and mallet of lignum vitae and
proceeded ceremonially to lay the foundation stone of the latest jewel in
Katoomba's crown. The new court house, said the Mountaineer newspaper, would be a building whose "outward appearance
will delight those with architectural tastes, while its inner compartments will
be a terror to evil doers".
In his speech Sir Frederick
acknowledged that he was no stranger to Katoomba, declaring that the last seven
years he had spent at Lilianfels, his country retreat on the cliffs at Echo
Point, had been the happiest of his life. He had watched the town grow from a
village, huddled around one main road and a few bridle paths, into a
municipality with the potential to become the playground of Australia. He had
no doubt that Katoomba would prosper and praised the energy of her leading citizens.
All who spoke, both at the ceremony
and at the "capital lunch" which followed in the Carrington, echoed
these sentiments. And, as the building took shape over the ensuing months, the
quality and style of its construction seemed to personify this prevailing
spirit of optimism.
The stone used for its outer walls
was a "perfectly white" freestone quarried locally, within a mile of
the building site. It was claimed by one of the contractors that "he had
never met its equal". Internally, the story was the same. The walls were
finished in smoke coloured plaster, the ceiling curved and paneled with heavy
cedar moldings. The acoustic properties were especially commented upon as was
the large semicircular, lead-lighted front window through which a softened light
suffused the court room. When the building was opened for business on 19
February 1896 the presiding magistrate declared it to be "one of the most
comfortable and elegant in the colony".
At the laying of the foundation
stone several dignitaries had expressed the hope that, while the court house
was a credit to the district, it would be little, if ever, used. Throughout the
first day of business, in these admired and civilized surroundings, such
fanciful expectations were grounded by reality. A succession of flawed humanity
stood before the bench charged with everything from drunkenness and obscene
language to assault and robbery. Later, by 1926, business was such that the
building had to be enlarged.
The civic optimists were soon
reminded that not all Katoomba's citizens shared their faith. The court house
served other functions than the mere provision of "an architectural
ornament to the town".
Ref: The Court House, Katoomba, in:
Historic Blue Mountains, 1987 by John Low
