After two years of exploring decaying architecture in and around Adelaide, Churches by far evoke an eerie conflicted feeling. Sleazy College was no different.
This chapel and hall built in the late 1800s serviced many surrounding buildings over the years; originally it formed part of a boys home, then later becoming an orphanage, a school, a college and finally a hostel.
Outliving its usefulness they now sit in ruin, doubtfully to be restored, more than likely destroyed.
Originally overgrown with vegetation, The Tree House was cleared a few months back revealing a beautiful Victorian Bluestone Cottage.
Typical of a late 1800 Adelaide building, it was built with bluestone with brick quoins around the external wall corners. The front door centered with a passageway all the way to the rear of the house. Rooms came off this passage way, with a large kitchen at the rear extending the full width of the cottage. Surprisingly though, this cottage extended underground with not 1 but 3 cellar rooms.
In their infinite wisdom, the Norwood, Payneham And St Peters Council have recently overturned its Local Heritage Listing allowing a hideous mixed-use building (comprising 54 apartments; 8 serviced apartments; a shop and 5 commercial offices) to be built.
Before its inevitable fate, let us take you inside The Tree House…
We’ve been exploring this little gem for 12 months now. Bats Palace was originally a stately residence. Prior to the mid 1900’s it had been a youth hostel before being converted to a nursing home. With government support and subsidies the facility was expanded from its original 23 beds to 38. Extensions were built in the late 1960’s adding another 17.
In the late 1990’s, the governments funding changed, and the added high cost of its bed-ridden residents resulted in the nursing home closing down. It’s sat disused since then — each day becoming more and more dilapidated. Parts of the ceiling structure have collapsed and fallen to the floor, including the pink batts from which Bats Palace owes its name…
