About Us
Central Coast Conservatorium of Music is located in the heart of Gosford CBD in an historic former police station and courthouse dating back to 1849 – it is understood to be the oldest public building on the Coast.
From courthouse to music school
The Gosford Courthouse was designed by colonial architect Mortimer Lewis in the mid-19th Century. At the time the building consisted of “a courthouse, clerk’s room, magistrate’s room, two cells, a constable’s room and a yard”.
Significant alterations, designed by architect James Barnet, were made to the original building in the 1880s and included a new courtroom across the north end of the 1849 structure (now Robert Knox Hall) – similar in design to other courtrooms in regional NSW towns at the time – and a lean-to verandah. It is understood the stone walls, steps and iron railings leading to Mann Street also date from this period.
The building continued to be used as a courthouse and police station until the late 1970s.
Robert Knox legacy
In 1981, the late Robert Knox – a clarinetist and co-founder of the Gosford Orchestral and Choral Society, and fellow Central Coast resident Tudor Davies held a public meeting in Gosford City Council Chambers to look at establishing a Music Centre as part of the NSW Conservatorium of Music. “The ongoing difficulty of finding suitable musicians was a constant problem,” Robert wrote in 2007.
“The young talented students mostly had to travel to Sydney or Newcastle for lessons which would eventually result in their staying in these centres and would be lost to the Central Coast.”
At the meeting, it was decided there was a desperate need for the establishment of a Regional Music Centre. Tudor Davies was appointed to Chair the Board and Robert Knox was appointed as Director. In March 1983 the Music Centre began teaching out of a vacated plumbing workshop in the old Gosford Primary School building.
“We started with nine teachers – some of national and international reputation – Cedric Ashton, cello and bass; Ronald Dowd, vocal; Don Andrews, guitar – and others of high standing,” said Robert.
By the end of the year there were just under 100 students enrolled. Within two years numbers had grown to 200 students and 15 teachers.
‘Instead of filling the building with dead things, we would fill it with live musicians’
“With our continued growth it was obvious we were going to need more space,” recalled Robert. After being forced to move out of the old public school to make way for TAFE – only using some of the building in after-school hours – Robert first secured the use of the old cottage on Georgiana Terrace at the back of the old Courthouse and Police Station.
A concentrated and determined program was then set in place to obtain a permanent home for the Music Centre – with Robert lobbying fiercely to turn the Police Station and Courthouse – initially earmarked by the Mayor of Gosford for use as a museum – into a music conservatorium.
“While this may be commendable, it was felt that the conservatorium’s need was greater. This point of view may be debatable but instead of filling the building with dead things, we would fill it with live musicians, young and old, to learn and perform beautiful music,” he wrote.
Robert was successful and eventually in 1987 the Music Centre was given occupancy of the building. In 1993 the Association was incorporated and renamed Central Coast Conservatorium of Music.
Later the courtroom, which by then was being used regularly as a performance hall and rehearsal space for the Conservatorium, was renamed ‘Robert Knox Hall’ in honour of the organisation’s founder.
$2.4 million renovation and upgrade
Central Coast Con underwent a major renovation in 2022, including upgrades to Robert Knox Hall. Formerly a courtroom in the old Gosford Court House and Police Station Robert Knox Hall is part of the building at 45 Mann Street, Gosford.
In 2023, as CCCM celebrated its 40th Anniversary, work was completed on the upgrade of the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music premises to customise our teaching and performance spaces for students and audiences.
The extensive 3-year $2.4million renovation and upgrade project on our historic premises at 45 Mann Street – with Central Coast-based Fabric Architecture and construction company Buterin L’Estrange and the support of the NSW State Government – included an upgrade of Robert Knox Hall and refurbishment of some of our older buildings and classrooms.
Stage 1 of the renovations included the transformation of Robert Knox Hall with the installation of fixed tiered seating, including disability seating, for 77 people.
The sensitive refurbishment also included the transformation of the interior structure of the building with an impressive entrance and lobby area, upgrades to the building’s teaching and rehearsal spaces as well as new bathrooms and administration areas and improved disabled access from the rear of the Conservatorium building on Georgiana Terrace.
The building was also given new roofing and flooring in some areas as well as interior upgrades, while the sandstone wall at the Mann St entrance was painstakingly restored. Alterations were also made to the covered sandstone Courtyard (a former police station exercise yard) and light-filled studio spaces (former cells).
