| Photographs: | |
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| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Registered (21/03/1978) |
| Place ID: | 2022 |
| Place File No: | 1/12/036/0231 |
| Statement of Significance: |
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Dating from the 1880s, Building VB60 (the former School of Military Engineering) and Building VB62 have historical significance for their direct association with Victoria Barracks for well over a century.
Victoria Barracks has been the principal military establishment in NSW since its founding, and the buildings are consequently associated with a lengthy span of the military history of NSW. They also reflect defence requirements following the departure of British garrison regiments and the need for NSW to be more militarily self-sufficient. (Criterion A.4) The two structures are important examples of colonial military buildings of the later nineteenth century. (Criterion D.2) Constructed of sandstone, the solid buildings contribute to the visual amenity and aesthetic values of the Victoria Barracks precinct. (Criterion E.1) |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
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History The former School of Military Engineering and the possible former Drill Hall represent a significant group within the Victoria Barracks precinct. Victoria Barracks superseded the old barracks in George Street. By 1836 the old barracks were in a poor state and needed to be replaced. A new site, located high on a ridgeline south-east of the centre of Sydney Town, was chosen and it had a commanding outlook, useful from a military perspective. Work on the new Victoria Barracks complex began in February 1841. The bulk of the workforce was convict, although there were also free tradesmen. Local sandstone was the major building material. Building 60 was constructed in 1880 as the School of Military Engineering, and it was opened on September 28 that year by Colonel Peter Scratchley who played a profound role in the organisation and design of Australia's defences at that time. As built, the building consisted of a workshop and modelling rooms, storerooms, an armoury, officers' quarters and a dressing room. Building 62 was probably erected in 1880 and is thought to have been built as a drill and musketry hall. Victoria Barracks accommodated the various British garrison regiments serving in NSW. A succession of these units used the barracks until 1870 when British troops were withdrawn from the colony. A permanent military force was then raised. During the twentieth century Victoria Barracks continued to be the army headquarters for NSW, and this of course included the period of the First and Second World Wars and other very significant conflicts. The two buildings have fulfilled different functions over the decades. In 1892 the Engineers moved to Moore Park, and Building 60 was used for other purposes. By 1983 it was being used as the Sergeants' Mess Accommodation. Building 62, by 1906, was being used as a storeroom. In the mid 1950s it was converted to a mess hall and in the 1980s was functioning as the Sergeants' Mess. Description Building 60 is a single storey sandstone building with a gabled-hipped roof which is clad with corrugated steel. Windows are double-hung, and the doors have fanlights. Building 62 is also a single storey sandstone building, with a gabled-hipped roof clad with asbestos cement. There are brick additions. Windows are double-hung, and the extensions also have louvred windows. There is a 2.134m high fence. |
| History: Not Available |
| Condition and Integrity: |
| Various changes have been made to both buildings. Included, for Building 60, were the addition of a verandah and extra rooms (the verandah was removed later), and the re-roofing, firstly in the 1930s, with asbestos cement and then, in the 1970s, with corrugated steel. Building 62 was re-roofed with corrugated asbestos cement in the 1930s and then in about 1955 extensive stone and brick additions were erected when the building was converted into a mess hall. Although altered, the buildings retain a good level of integrity. Victoria Barracks remains in use by the army. (December 2001) |
| Location: |
| Part of Victoria Barracks Precinct, Oxford Street, Paddington. |
| Bibliography: |
|
Clive Lucas & Partners Pty Ltd, "Department of Defence (Army), Victoria Barracks, Paddington, Sydney: Conservation analysis, conservation and development guidelines", for the Department of Housing and Construction, November 1983. Eric Martin and Associates, "Victoria Barracks, Sydney NSW, Conservation & Management Plan for 12 Residences', for the Defence Housing Authority, April 2001. National Trust of Australia (NSW), file. |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 02:24:28 2010