This building was constructed in 1842 as a Watch House. Designed by Alexander Cheyne in 1838, the Watch House served many of the functions of a modern day police station. It provided accommodation for police constables, as well as separate confinement for men & women and solitary cells. Sited on a slight rise in the land, it was ideally suited to overlook Kangaroo Bay and the developing village.
Following the inauguration of the Clarence Plains council in 1860, the Watch House served as council chambers until the construction of a purpose built town hall in 1929.The police moved to the building next door in 1930 after which Professor Miller moved the Social Institute library to the Watch House from the former Social Institute building. After World War 2, the building was renamed the Bellerive War Memorial Community Centre and continued as a library until the opening of the new Rosny Library in 1960.
In 1975, following the Tasman Bridge disaster, the old Watch House was used by the Social Welfare Department. Today, it’s used a as community arts centre and provides a space for community participation in the arts and also provides a home for the Bellerive Historical Society.
Main Text & Information Source –
Interpretive Signs at the Site
