ABOUT THE ARMIDALE TEACHERS' COLLEGE
Built from 1928 – 1930, the heritage-listed Armidale Teachers’ College is an impressive building surrounded by formal gardens high on a hill overlooking the city of Armidale.
The College was built to train school teachers for country service and played an important part in the establishment of the University of New England.
The building has social and cultural significance to many thousands of teaching, nursing, and other adult education students who graduated from the College, as well as the many academic and administrative staff who have worked there since 1929.
Many of the building’s heritage features remain intact, featuring Australian timbers, terrazzo stairs and parquetry floors, and a commanding foyer and staircase leading to the first-floor auditorium.
HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE
1859
Site selected for Armidale Gaol
1860
Building of Gaol commenced
1863
Goal proclaimed; first prisoners admitted
1920
Gaol disestablished
1928
Armidale Teachers’ College inaugurated
1929
Gaol demolished; foundations of the College laid
1930
Armidale Teachers’ College building completed
1971
Teachers’ College became Armidale College of Advanced Education
1988
College amalgamated with the University of New England
1997
Friends of the Old Teachers’ College constituted
2004
New England Conservatorium of Music established in the building
2021
Re-imagining project begins
RE-IMAGINING
Over the next year, the New England Conservatorium of Music and Friends of the Old Teachers’ College will open an exciting new chapter, re-imagining the historic Teachers’ College as a thriving community hub.
Joined by a consortium of local cultural institutions, our shared objectives are to maximise community engagement, attract visitors to the region, and increase connections with neighboring cultural infrastructure.
