Institute, Port Wakefield

The Port Wakefield Institute was established in 1878 and its purpose-built building was completed in 1880. This comprised a library, a public reading room and a subscriber's reading room. It is considered 'the finest public building erected in Port Wakefield during the town's heyday...' (Survey of the heritage...p. 398) It is built of calcrete with rendered quoins and is double-fronted with added gables to the west and east walls. The gables have scalloped barge boards and finials at the ridges.

The building was renovated in 1946 and occupied by the Port Wakefield District Council. This council has now merged with the District Council of Blyth-Snowtown to form the Wakefield Regional Council, and is based in Balaklava.

Institutes were established as informal educational establishments and began in the United Kingdom in 1823. When South Australia was founded it already had in place the South Australian Literary and Scientific Association which was a subscription library for members. By the mid 1850s the South Australian governent was offering subsidies to local institutes provided that the public was given access to the collection for reference purposes. In 1859 a circulating box system greatly added to the bookstock of the smaller institutes. The last institute was dissolved in 1989, but many institute buildings continue their role as community centres.

Donovan, P. F. Port Wakefield and district, a history: commemorating a century of local government [Port Wakefield, S. Aust.]: Port Wakefield District Council, 1978

Survey of the heritage of eight Lower North towns: Angaston, Auburn, Burra, Clare, Kapunda, Port Wakefield, Saddleworth, Tanunda prepared for the State Heritage Branch by Rob Linn, Jane Linn and Chris Lane of Historical Consultants and John Gratton and Alistair Tuttle of Hames Sharley Australia [Adelaide]: Dept. of Environment and Planning, 1990

Talbot, Michael, A chance to read: a history of the institutes movement in South Australia written for the Institutes Association of South Australia by M.R. Talbot Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia, 1992