The Ridge, Newcastle The Ridge, Newcastle The Ridge is a heritage-listed residence and former hospital at 21 Hillcrest Road, Merewether, New South Wales, Australia. It was also known as Hillcrest Hospital. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The Ridge was built in 1861 by Edward Christopher Merewether, who had arrived in Newcastle as the General Superintendent of the Australian Agricultural Company, and his wife, whose family owned two land grants in the area now known as Merewether. It was later used as a hospital by the Salvation Army but fell into disuse by the
Newcastle City Hall (Australia) the early twentieth century. In 1937 the 11 borough councils in Newcastle were amalgamated to form the City of Newcastle and the Town Hall became the legislative and administrative hub from this time. The name was changed to City Hall in honour of this event. During the war years City Hall formed an important hub for charitable and patriotic organisations as community activities of this nature burgeoned, and also hosted recruitment rallies, patriotic fundraising concerts, returned soldiers events. A request by the Anti-Conscription Committee to hold a meeting in the City Hall, on the other hand, was denied by the