GUYRAA School of Arts was built in Sandon Street, Guyra in about 1893, on a block of land officially designated as "Allotment 9 of Section 15" in South Guyra. There are no known photographs of the wooden building nor any details of its size or facilities, except that it contained a hall with a stage. The building ceased to be used as a School of Arts in 1920 when the Guyra Soldiers' Memorial Hall was built in Bradley Street. It is not known to what purpose the building was put after that time or how long it survived. No trace of it remains and the site is now occupied by a commercial welding works. Its StoryVery little is known about the Guyra School of Arts or the services it provided to the community, other than the fact that because it was located next to the first Anglican Church in Guyra, it was used occasionally by the church from 1894 until at least 1914 for some of its larger services and functions. Church records for November 1894 state, for instance, that "the 7.30 service was held in the new School of Arts Building near the church". Again, on 22 February 1896, the records state: "Owing to the smallness of the present church, the services were held in the School of Arts. An altar with gradine and ornaments together with altar rails erected on the platform gave the building quite an ecclesiastical appearance." There is an undated reference also, from the Guyra Argus, which tells of a farewell to a departing clergyman, The Rev. Greville, which was held "at the School of Arts South Guyra". The only other known use of the School of Arts was that it provided the town with an early library and reading service. The School of Arts Library was transferred to the Soldiers' Memorial Hall when it was opened in 1920, and continued to operate from there until a new Town Library was opened, diagonally opposite the Memorial Hall, in 1956. Its Later Use
As mentioned above, the Guyra School of Arts operated only from 1894 until 1920. It would seem that its demise was, more than anything else, a result of the way in which the township of Guyra developed. The School of Arts was located in what is now known as South Guyra whereas the present business and community service area of the town, centred on Bradley Street, is located some distance away. When the Soldiers' Memorial Hall was built in Bradley Street, it would have taken over the previous community hall function of the School of Arts. It was logical, therefore, that it should also have taken over its library and reading services, thereby making the original building virtually redundant. The Soldiers' Memorial Hall is still in use in Guyra although only as a meeting venue for two groups; the RSL itself, and the Guyra Senior Citizens Group. Its Significance to the CommunityNot enough is known about the Guyra School of Arts to comment on its significance to the community but it would be reasonable to speculate that from is opening in 1894 until at least the beginning of the First World War, it would have served as perhaps the town's main venue for community meetings and functions. At the same time, it appears to have offered a valuable library and reading service. As the demography of the town changed, the School of Arts could no longer claim a central location and its functions were taken over in 1920 by a new, more modern hall more centrally located in the developing part of the town.
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