Kibble Park is the heart of Gosford. It's got Mann Street (the main street) at one end, the Library in it, two carparks bordering it (on top of Imperial Arcade & The Marketplace), a church on the south side (very handy for wedding photos in the park) and TAFE and the courthouse up the back corner. It's a couple of minutes walk from the railway station and one block up the hill from Mann Street, the main road. Very much the village square type thing.
That crane in the background is working on two tower blocks between Mann Street and Baker Street. Not sure if they're flats or offices or both.
There's less grass in this section and more paving but the grass was pretty bald most of the year. It was re-done just a few months ago.
It's a pleasant spot. In summer workers from the shops have their smoko (morning tea) and lunch under the trees and on winter days they warm themselves in the sunshine.
The Library is behind the tree. The Library stands on the spot where the Kibble's house was. The Library is under threat of demolition. It might be moved from the centre of town. That would be weird and inconvenient and I for one would chuck a wobbly.
William Street Mall runs from Kibble Park to Mann Street, the main street.
Those little huts are used for the local church fetes and other charity trash-and-treasure whatsits and bored teenagers huddle under them when it rains.
It was getting old and scruffy before the reno. Dear Old Things were tripping on uneven paving and so on. It's pretty generic but I have to admit it looks better.
This is on the wee hut thingy that's been put up in the park opposite the entrance to Imperial Arcade. It's got a nice summary of 19th and early 20th century Gosford.
You can see the park in the middle photo and also see how close it is to Brisbane Water.
James & Catherine Kibble. James was born in Victoria in 1858. He married Catherine Archer there and they came to Gosford in 1886.
They set up a blacksmithing business (making horseshoes & whatnot) in 1887. In 1900 they build a new smithy on the corner of Mann Street and Donnison Street, opposite the pub.
They converted an old hall behind their smithy into a house. It stood where the Gosford Library is today, at the southern side of Kibble Park.
They're looking in their forties and pretty prosperous in this photo so I'd date it at around circa 1900. That puts it at the opening of their Mann Street smithy.
It's s'posed to be 19 (66.2 Fahrenheit) today. But it's overcast and cold. No more than 12 - 14 I'd say (53 - 57 F). The last of winter sinking its fangs in. But I've got me wooly jumper on and a hot steaming cuppa hot chocolate beside the keyboard.
The Magnolia denudata are flowering. They like the last days of winter. The pink-and-white ones don't last long but they're beautiful. Them and the golden wattle are at it like mad. Beautiful.
4 comments:
Hi. Sorry it's been a while.
William Street Mall looks like a set from Star Trek - all clean, neat and brightly coloured.
I think I need some hot chocolate too. We're supposed to be in the middle of our summer (hah!) but it's only about 15 degrees, raining and windy today. Normally I love the wind and rain and normal temperatures (15-20) but I've got used to scorching sun and 30+ degrees lately. Bah!
All is forgiven.
Doesn't it but. It's only been finished for a bit. There's no chewy stuck on the posts at eye-level or speculative drawings of pink bits scratched into the seats. Yet.
I heard about your heatwave. Got to 38 up your way (100.4 Fahrenheit). Down here we call that a bit warm. But the paper said Dear Old Things were melting in the streets and a record was declared.
*clinking hot chocolates*
It almost looks like that mall isn't real (like it is one of those miniature architectural models of the real thing)!
I was thinking that too. Like the tabletop models you see in the Council offices with funny little trees made out of steel wool.
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