I have kept a couple of blog posts that the first owner of The Milkbar Cafe wrote. I particularly like this one about the history of the milkbar building and St John street. Its a great read.
As you know from our first post, we're pretty excited to have found a site for our cafe on an interesting strip of St John Street. Isis is into her history, so she's been doing a little research on our building and street to found our more about this dynamic part of Lauceston, the third oldest city in Australia.
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Launceston is noted as having one of the most intact early cityscapes in Australia. Its early Colonial and Victorian buildings give the city a wonderful historic character. The city has buildings which date back to 1824.' - www.launceston.tas.gov.au
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| Milkbar will be situated in the left hand side of this red coloured building. |
139 St John Street, crowned with a mortar and pestle, was the site of the first Launceston Dispensary of the Friendly Society Pharmacy. As the premises proved too small, the Pharmacy relocated down the street in November 1890, only to purchase the property in 1920. Hinman, Wright and Manser remodelled and enlarged the 139 St John Street building to create more room for the dispensary, and was re-opened on the 28th of Sept, 1921. Hence the current facade displays the year 1921.
It is know that in 1907, during the time the dispensary was occupying a different building, 139 St John Street was occupied by George Arnold & Co, who were listed as one of the first motor vehicle manufacturers in Launceston..
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| This is a photo montage I made with a wartime image of St John Street and a current image of the street. The old photo was taken of a WWI march some time between 1914 and 1919. The photographer was standing at the St John & Elizabeth street intersection, facing in a northerly direction. On the far left is the synagogue. The second building on the right is our red building, and in the far distance you can see the clock tower (the tallest building on the right hand side of the road). |
The synagogue, situated diagonally across the road was built in 1844, and is exemplary of the
Egyptian revival period of the time. At the intersection (of St John and Elizabeth) just south of Milkbar is the magnificent Princes Square; the perfect place to take a stroll or enjoy a picnic. And it looks beautiful at any time of the year. The park has a strong history of it's own; with it being the site of an early hot air balloon attempt, and also the site where two bushrangers were hanged. The decorative fountain in the centre was purchased from the Paris Exhibition in 1858, but, due to public disapproval, the half-naked nymph was replaced by a pineapple!
More information about Launceston's history in general can be found via the
Launceston Historical Society.
139 St John Street, crowned with a mortar and pestle, was the site of the first Launceston Dispensary of the Friendly Society Pharmacy. As the premises proved too small, the Pharmacy relocated down the street in November 1890, only to purchase the property in 1920. Hinman, Wright and Manser remodelled and enlarged the 139 St John Street building to create more room for the dispensary, and was re-opened on the 28th of Sept, 1921. Hence the current facade displays the year 1921.
