Menu
Berowra's first Public Hall - Built by the Community
About
DetailsIn the early 1900s every village needed a community hall. A village public hall, was and still is, a social hub. It holds public functions, weddings, community meetings, hosts theatre shows or other live entertainment, religious services (for those religions that did not have their own local church) and similar activities and gatherings.
In those very early years Berowra did not have any such facility other than the St Marks church (built in 1906). However, St Marks was completely inappropriate for many of the events and functions listed above. In the first decade of the 1900s Hornsby Shire Council was formed but having just been established the Council had very little money and also had many more pressing community needs across the Shire than a public hall at Berowra.
To address this issue Berowra’s most influential residents got together and hatched a bold plan to deliver the community a public hall which was called Berowra Hall.
Berowra Investments Limited was established on 13th April in 1912. The company’s objectives were simple;
1. Find land suitable for a Public Hall in Berowra
2. Construct an Entertainment Hall in Berowra
3. Maintain the Public Hall in Berowra
There was also an intention to set up reading rooms and even a library associated with the entertainment hall. The target to be raised by Berowra Investments Limited to purchase land, build the hall and maintain the asset was £5,000. This was to be done by selling shares, to the value of £1 each, to members of the Berowra community and potentially investors.
They didn’t waste any time as just a few months later, in June 1912, the Company was already advertising for someone to build the community hall. And by November that year Berowra Hall was constructed. A huge event was held to celebrate the opening in the form of poster, plain and fancy dress masquerade ball on Friday 8th November. This well attended event was a great success and became an annual fixture for the Berowra community.
I have no doubt this was organized and driven by Ada Foster-Jones. Ada could see the enormous benefit of a community hall for the developing village that she had decided to call home with her young family. I am sure she wanted to deliver the hall by investing a considerable amount of her own money, however she did not want to do it unless she also had the greater majority of influential Berowra residents (those that could afford it) also invested in the project.
Tragically the Hall accidently burnt down on a Saturday morning which was Christmas eve 1929. Residents did manage to drag out the scorched big old piano, that Alice Huett was fond of playing, but everything else was lost as the wooden hall was quickly engulfed in the blaze and then collapsed.
This was devastating for the community and the timing could not have been worse. With the collapse of the Stock Exchange, Australia, like the rest of the world, was about to enter into a prolonged period of severe depression. Raising funds for a replacement hall was never going to be an option. At a meeting of Berowra Investments Ltd, in March 1930, it was decided to voluntarily wind up the company. The meeting was chaired by George Huett and the Secretary was Chas Woof, who became the Liquidator. Berowra Investments was finally formally wound up in 1951.
The block of land was acquired by Rex Jones’ widow, Edith Jones, who had her house built on it, where she lived when she moved up the hill from Berowra Waters.
During the 17 years the hall was up it was the centre of the Berowra Community. The men would play cards there on Friday nights, silent films were run, dances (including for fund raising for the Harbour Bridge), the locals would play music on their instruments and others would sing, bazaars, roller skating, wedding receptions, land auctions and of course the many community meetings. It also served as the centre of the post-match activities for the popular matches the Berowra Cricket Club hosted for visiting clubs, played across the road at Berowra Park.
CreatorNathan TilburyKeywordsBerowra
In those very early years Berowra did not have any such facility other than the St Marks church (built in 1906). However, St Marks was completely inappropriate for many of the events and functions listed above. In the first decade of the 1900s Hornsby Shire Council was formed but having just been established the Council had very little money and also had many more pressing community needs across the Shire than a public hall at Berowra.
To address this issue Berowra’s most influential residents got together and hatched a bold plan to deliver the community a public hall which was called Berowra Hall.
Berowra Investments Limited was established on 13th April in 1912. The company’s objectives were simple;
1. Find land suitable for a Public Hall in Berowra
2. Construct an Entertainment Hall in Berowra
3. Maintain the Public Hall in Berowra
There was also an intention to set up reading rooms and even a library associated with the entertainment hall. The target to be raised by Berowra Investments Limited to purchase land, build the hall and maintain the asset was £5,000. This was to be done by selling shares, to the value of £1 each, to members of the Berowra community and potentially investors.
They didn’t waste any time as just a few months later, in June 1912, the Company was already advertising for someone to build the community hall. And by November that year Berowra Hall was constructed. A huge event was held to celebrate the opening in the form of poster, plain and fancy dress masquerade ball on Friday 8th November. This well attended event was a great success and became an annual fixture for the Berowra community.
I have no doubt this was organized and driven by Ada Foster-Jones. Ada could see the enormous benefit of a community hall for the developing village that she had decided to call home with her young family. I am sure she wanted to deliver the hall by investing a considerable amount of her own money, however she did not want to do it unless she also had the greater majority of influential Berowra residents (those that could afford it) also invested in the project.
Tragically the Hall accidently burnt down on a Saturday morning which was Christmas eve 1929. Residents did manage to drag out the scorched big old piano, that Alice Huett was fond of playing, but everything else was lost as the wooden hall was quickly engulfed in the blaze and then collapsed.
This was devastating for the community and the timing could not have been worse. With the collapse of the Stock Exchange, Australia, like the rest of the world, was about to enter into a prolonged period of severe depression. Raising funds for a replacement hall was never going to be an option. At a meeting of Berowra Investments Ltd, in March 1930, it was decided to voluntarily wind up the company. The meeting was chaired by George Huett and the Secretary was Chas Woof, who became the Liquidator. Berowra Investments was finally formally wound up in 1951.
The block of land was acquired by Rex Jones’ widow, Edith Jones, who had her house built on it, where she lived when she moved up the hill from Berowra Waters.
During the 17 years the hall was up it was the centre of the Berowra Community. The men would play cards there on Friday nights, silent films were run, dances (including for fund raising for the Harbour Bridge), the locals would play music on their instruments and others would sing, bazaars, roller skating, wedding receptions, land auctions and of course the many community meetings. It also served as the centre of the post-match activities for the popular matches the Berowra Cricket Club hosted for visiting clubs, played across the road at Berowra Park.
CreatorNathan TilburyKeywordsBerowraRelated
CollectionNathan TilburyLocationBerowra
LocationBerowraClick on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
Nathan Tilbury, Berowra's first Public Hall - Built by the Community. Hornsby Shire, accessed 04/04/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/5093