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Cowwarr Butter Factory Co Ltd

Location Main Road,, COWWARR VIC 3857 - Property No B6078 File Number B6078 Level State

[1/1] B6078 Cowwarr Butter Factory

Statement of Significance

The Cowwarr Butter Factory Company Limited began operations in 1893 but the present building was erected in 1918 on a new site close to the railway line on the main road to Walhalla. It ceased operations as a butter factory in 1959. The decorative Chateau style of the building and its large chimney are substantial reminders of the importance of such a major industry in a small country town.
The extensive use of trimmings and special design indicate that local shareholders in the cooperative thought the industry of sufficirent importance to spend a great deal of money more than necessary to make their buildings attractive as well as functional. The reinforced slab ceiling and pise walls are rare in such an industrial building and unusual for that period. Although the building has undergone some renovations and is now an art gallery and private home, these do not detract from its social and historic importance. The evidence of railway access and accompanying small station are also significant. It is a splended example of the success of recycling industrial buildings.
Classified: 16/10/1989