Setting the stone for a new hall, and a royal visit

On November 29, 1867, the burgeoning City of Melbourne experienced one of its biggest crowds in its history.

Thousands of people went to see the foundation stone laid for the new Town Hall that was to replace the original bluestone building that had stood at the Collins and Little Bourke streets corner since 1853. 

Prior to the ceremony, a contest had been held to determine the design of the new hall, and from 30 designs, architects Reed and Barnes would ultimately snatch the £160 first prize with their design that perseveres (with some modifications) to this day.

This photograph by photographer Charles Rudd (and found in a scrapbook by the State Library’s first librarian, Augustus Tulk) shows Collins St, and the balconies and roofs of neighbouring buildings, swamped with eager onlookers. 

Among them include both The Argus newspaper buildings (one of which is displaying a painting) and the Argus Hotel (to the far right of frame). Ironically, just days prior the hotel used The Argus to promote grandstand seating for the event, with “early application necessary.”

But why such a fuss for a solitary stone? Was there an appreciation for being part of the city’s history? While that would certainly be a factor, the more likely reason was the guest who laid the three-tonne stone down by derrick pulley: Prince Alfred, the fourth child of Queen Victoria, younger brother of Edward VII, and the then-Duke of Edinburgh.

The Duke was in the middle of an around-the-world trip when he visited Australia, the first British royal to visit the colony. He first stopped by South Australia on October 31, 1867, before arriving on Victorian soil at Sandridge Pier on November 25 on the HMS Galatea. After a warm reception, he was taken for a ceremony at the Treasury Gardens where 30,000 people attended.

The above photo of the Foundation Stone ceremony appears to be taken after the stone was lowered, giving scope to how packed the ceremony was. The grandstand to the left, said to be “wholly devoted to ladies” (The Argus, November 30, 1867) and holding around 2000 occupants, resembles a steep mountain of Victorians overlooking the derrick pulley that held the stone. The Duke arrived around 4pm for the 30-minute ceremony that featured multiple addresses, as well as a bottle filled with copies of the addresses, coins and newspapers from that day being buried in a cavity beneath the stone. The Duke was also handed a golden trowel, and after lowering the stone, spent that night at the William St Exhibition Building (the current Mint site) for a banquet, followed by a serenade by the Liedertafel at the Public Library. The only hitch was that the banquet was marred by “unsatisfactory” catering.

However, poor catering would be the least of the Duke’s troubles in what was at times a snake-bitten visit.

Prior to arriving in Victoria, the Galatea had already faced tragedy in South Australia when one crew member drowned, the Duke attending his funeral (Gippsland times, November 21, 1867). However, any hopes that misfortune would go away for the Victorian leg were soon dashed. 

On November 27, the Duke was scheduled to attend a large banquet (with intentions to be about the poor) at the Richmond Paddocks. However, despite initial projections of a 10,000-strong crowd, ultimately an estimated 60,000 Melburnians (some sources say around 100,000) rushed over on a hot, dusty day. The Duke arrived over an hour late, but then abandoned the banquet out of fear for his safety, prompting the hungry, irritated mob to storm the tables and drinking vessels.

Elsewhere on that same day, a painted display at the Protestant Hall near the corner of Stephen St (now Exhibition) and Little Collins St stirred controversy. It showcased William III at the Battle of Boyne, which raised the ire of Irish Catholics. As many as 3000 irate civilians protested the piece, throwing stones and jeering at its existence. Then, gunfire rang out from within the hall, resulting in the death of a youth named William Cross, and another three injured.

Tragedy then struck again when the Duke visited Bendigo. The town planned to celebrate with an elaborate fireworks display involving a wooden model of the Galatea. However, a fireworks accident resulted in three boys who were on the ship to succumb to their burns. The town barely had time to recover from the disaster when shortly afterwards another fire would destroy the newly built Albert Hall minutes before a planned ball would begin. Fortunately, no-one was hurt and with some quick improvisation the town was able to hold the ball at the local Town Hall (which was initially to be used as a supper room) later that night.

Alfred would leave for Tasmania on January 4, 1868, but misfortune was not done with him. While attending a sailors’ picnic in Clontarf, New South Wales on March 12, 1868, law clerk Henry James O’Farrell shot the Duke in the back, the first attempted assassination of any royal or political figure in Australia. O’Farrell would be captured and die in prison, but the Duke would recover and return to England in June. Despite the harrowing experience, the attempt on his life didn’t scare the Duke away from Australia and he’d return in 1869 and 1870. He would pass away in 1900, months before his mother.

Meanwhile, after the old Town Hall was destroyed in 1868, the new Town Hall was opened in 1870, with the foundation stone acting as support for the clock tower. Outside of some cosmetic changes (the portico was added in 1887), the Melbourne Town Hall has remained as both a civic centre and entertainment venue. •