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The first Dunsandel Hall and Library
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TitleThe first Dunsandel Hall and Library
DescriptionMystery shrouds the early days of the Dunsandel Library and Hall.
Before Dunsandel was founded, people of the district were keen to read books, socialise and conduct religious services. The (Upper) Selwyn School and schoolhouse, built in 1871, was used for these purposes. It was not a dedicated library, as the books were simply stored in the classroom, however by mid-1873 it was called the Dunsandel District Library and had upwards of 100 volumes.
At the same time an influential committee was formed to provide a “lecture hall and reading-room at Dunsandel” and to take advantage of the offer of a Government grant of £100 (£-for-£) for building, and £25 for books if there was no other public library within nine miles. McBean, the publican, offered one of his sections, in the west subdivision, for the building, but only £76 10s was promised initially. However only 3 months later, the committee announced that they had secured the grant and called for tenders for construction in October, 1873.
Even without power tools, The Press was able to report in January 1874 that, ”The Town Hall at Dunsandel is rapidly approaching completion. When finished, it will be an ornament to this improving township. The district library will be located there, and we believe it will be used as a reading room.”
It appears that there was one building with at least two rooms and the words “library” and “hall” were used interchangeably over the years. The internal layout is a mystery.
By May 1874 “This library being now finished at a cost of £250, it is proposed to hold an entertainment there, about the beginning of June. The building is a large one for the thinly populated district in which it is situated….The place is now fitted up with cupboards for books, also a raised platform, and seats to accommodate about 150 persons comfortably”.
The entertainment for the 200 people who attended the opening was described as “of a very successful character” and included items from a singing class that had practiced in the building twice a week. As was the custom during the life of the building, dancing followed the concert with “great spirit until the small hours of morning”.
In September 1874 the library advertised that it would be open for “the distribution” of books.
In 1888 tenders were advertised for enlarging the building and in 1897 the committee could see no means of enlarging the hall but said “The whole of the building is now roofed with iron, while the outside has been painted, as also the interior of the Hall.”
In its 55 years, the building was used for numerous socials, weddings, fundraisers, concerts, dances, WW1 farewells and welcome-home functions, political meetings, club meetings, religious ceremonies, lectures, and other functions.
Many newspaper articles, in later years, stressed that the building was too small and needed to be replaced. By September 1929 the new hall was ready and tenders were called for sale for removal of the old hall.
If you are interested in two alternative accounts of the early history, please read Mackie (1979) and Singleton (2007).
Details of the people and groups that used the hall/library are presented in a further series of articles found in [1] under the heading "More Information" on the right hand side of the screen.
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date28 April 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandel
DescriptionMystery shrouds the early days of the Dunsandel Library and Hall. Before Dunsandel was founded, people of the district were keen to read books, socialise and conduct religious services. The (Upper) Selwyn School and schoolhouse, built in 1871, was used for these purposes. It was not a dedicated library, as the books were simply stored in the classroom, however by mid-1873 it was called the Dunsandel District Library and had upwards of 100 volumes.
At the same time an influential committee was formed to provide a “lecture hall and reading-room at Dunsandel” and to take advantage of the offer of a Government grant of £100 (£-for-£) for building, and £25 for books if there was no other public library within nine miles. McBean, the publican, offered one of his sections, in the west subdivision, for the building, but only £76 10s was promised initially. However only 3 months later, the committee announced that they had secured the grant and called for tenders for construction in October, 1873.
Even without power tools, The Press was able to report in January 1874 that, ”The Town Hall at Dunsandel is rapidly approaching completion. When finished, it will be an ornament to this improving township. The district library will be located there, and we believe it will be used as a reading room.”
It appears that there was one building with at least two rooms and the words “library” and “hall” were used interchangeably over the years. The internal layout is a mystery.
By May 1874 “This library being now finished at a cost of £250, it is proposed to hold an entertainment there, about the beginning of June. The building is a large one for the thinly populated district in which it is situated….The place is now fitted up with cupboards for books, also a raised platform, and seats to accommodate about 150 persons comfortably”.
The entertainment for the 200 people who attended the opening was described as “of a very successful character” and included items from a singing class that had practiced in the building twice a week. As was the custom during the life of the building, dancing followed the concert with “great spirit until the small hours of morning”.
In September 1874 the library advertised that it would be open for “the distribution” of books.
In 1888 tenders were advertised for enlarging the building and in 1897 the committee could see no means of enlarging the hall but said “The whole of the building is now roofed with iron, while the outside has been painted, as also the interior of the Hall.”
In its 55 years, the building was used for numerous socials, weddings, fundraisers, concerts, dances, WW1 farewells and welcome-home functions, political meetings, club meetings, religious ceremonies, lectures, and other functions.
Many newspaper articles, in later years, stressed that the building was too small and needed to be replaced. By September 1929 the new hall was ready and tenders were called for sale for removal of the old hall.
If you are interested in two alternative accounts of the early history, please read Mackie (1979) and Singleton (2007).
Details of the people and groups that used the hall/library are presented in a further series of articles found in [1] under the heading "More Information" on the right hand side of the screen.
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date28 April 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandelClick on the image to add
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The first Dunsandel Hall and Library (28 April 2022). Selwyn Stories, accessed 15/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5227