| Photographs: | |
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| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Registered (21/10/1980) |
| Place ID: | 2171 |
| Place File No: | 1/12/036/0369 |
| Statement of Significance: |
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The Garden Island Precinct is historically highly significant.
It is associated with the earliest days of British settlement in Australia and provided a sorely needed fresh vegetable supply for several years.
The island's development as a naval base paralleled the development of NSW and of Australia more widely.
The precinct took shape during the major phase of nineteenth century development of Garden Island as a key naval station and headquarters for the Royal Navy in Australia.
From the early decades of the twentieth century, Garden Island has functioned as the Royal Australian Navy's major fleet base and ship-refitting dockyard, and the island remains in use by the RAN.
Consequently, the precinct has a direct connection with an extensive period of naval activity in Australia, and is a place that is central to the story of Australia's naval history.
The continuing original use of many buildings is important.
The precinct is closely associated with Australia's naval participation in world conflicts and other wars during the twentieth century. (Criterion A.4) The precinct has a number of aspects that are either rare or of exceptional interest. In particular, as most of the original naval station buildings remain, the precinct represents a very rare unified group of fine nineteenth century naval buildings which may be unsurpassed even in world terms. Further, many individual elements have rarity value. These include the 1788 carvings, the chapel furnishings and fittings, the naval gardens, the carpentry work evidenced at the Boatshed, the hoist system in Building 89, the Cameron Steam Hammer, the Chain and Cable Testing Machine, and the clock mechanism in the Office Building; also, the Oil Tank is believed to have been the first of its kind. The distance of the Boatshed and Slipway from the present waterline is of exceptional interest for reflecting land reclamation work in the past. (Criterion B.2) The precinct contains a number of naval buildings which are important as examples of their type. Included are the Barracks and Kitchen, the Rigging Shed, the Engineers Shop, the Spar Shed, the Residences, the Naval and Victualling Stores, the Office Building, the Chain and Anchor Store, and the Boatshed. Further, many buildings are important for reflecting the major characteristics of various architectural styles, principally Victorian Georgian, Victorian Italianate, Federation Queen Anne, Federation Free Style and other Federation era styles. (Criterion D.2) The precinct is significant for its association with NSW Colonial Architect James Barnet. Barnet, using Admiralty plans as a basis, designed many of the buildings in the precinct, and played a seminal role in NSW architectural development for more than two decades in the important late nineteenth century period. (Criterion H.1) Of further importance is the social significance that the precinct has for past and present service personnel, and for Sydneysiders who pass the island regularly either as commuters or on board leisure craft. (Criterion G.1) Finally, the precinct has strong aesthetic values. It has a pervasive late nineteenth century flavour, one created through buildings of distinctive styles, many of which share similar materials (stuccoed brickwork imitating ashlar stonework, for example). There is a strongly industrial atmosphere, created through the buildings themselves and the spaces between and around them, and the maritime nature of the precinct is emphasised by wharves and cranes. Many of the buildings and other built features are prominently sited and can easily be seen from the water, thus making the precinct a prominent harbourside feature. The island is not without visual contrast either, and the northern end with its hill and gardens and tennis courts provides a foil for the more closely developed, more obviously industrial, areas further south. (Criterion E.1) |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
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HISTORY In February 1788, only a month after the arrival of the First Fleet, an island in Sydney Harbour was selected as the site for a garden to supply badly needed vegetables for the crew of HMS Sirius. Three sets of initials, carved by marines and convicts into the island's sandstone and dated 1788, remain today. Soon the island became known as Garden Island, and it was allocated to various ships over the next few years. A hut and later a house were built on the island. A small gun battery was also mounted on the island by 1799. By the early 1800s vegetable supplies from other gardens around Sydney made the island garden redundant. Garden Island became part of the Domain (administratively) for a short period and was a spot for picnickers. In the 1820s Judge Advocate Ellis Bent was buried on the island, as was Major John Ovens; their tomb was moved to North Sydney in the 1870s once naval development commenced on the island. The island was used also during this time as a convalescent and quarantine depot. In 1856 the NSW Government suggested that Garden Island be used as naval base by the Imperial authorities (the northern end though was to be kept for defence use by the army). Royal Navy occupation began in the late 1850s. In 1865 the south of the island was officially dedicated to the Admiralty, and in 1866 the rest of the island was dedicated to the Admiralty as well. Garden Island was now destined to become the headquarters of the Royal Navy in Australia. The major period of development of the naval station took place from 1883 to 1896. The first task was to level the southern hill on the island, and construction of wharves and buildings followed, slowly to the late 1880s and then with greater speed. By the early 1890s Garden Island had quite an industrial appearance. Electricity arrived in 1896 and the station was completed that year and handed over to the Admiralty. Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government took responsibility for defence. The Royal Australian Navy was formed in 1911 and from 1913 the Commonwealth had the use of Garden Island. The island became the RAN's main fleet base and principal ship-refitting dockyard. The period of the First World War saw much activity at the island, the work relating to the fitting out and arming of transports and troopships. A total of 852 ships was serviced, and 3,000 men employed. Garden Island treated ships from allied fleets as well as RAN vessels. The inter-war period witnessed, initially, reconditioning of merchant ships and, later, expansion of wharves at the island. From 1922 to 1929, in a long-running court case, NSW challenged the Commonwealth's claim to ownership of the island and won. Later, during the Second World War, the Commonwealth acquired the island. During the Second World War many ships were refitted at the island, and defensive weapons were mounted on the island (some of the weapons' foundations remain). The major undertaking was the construction of the Captain Cook Graving Dock which began in 1940 and was completed five years later; it was a huge engineering project for Australia at that time, and as well as connecting the island to Potts Point it made Garden Island one of the most important naval bases in the southern hemisphere. The major incident at Garden Island during the war was when, during the May 1942 Japanese midget submarine raid, torpedoes were fired at USS Chicago moored at the island, and one hit the vessel HMAS Kuttabul, killing 19 men. (The naval base of which Garden Island is a part has since been named HMAS Kuttabul.) After the war few new buildings were erected. During the 1980s a modernisation program got underway. The island is still used by Defence and continues to service the RAN. BUILDING HISTORY The core of the registered area consists of buildings erected during the main nineteenth century construction phase, and most of them are separately listed on the RNE. These include Buildings 31 and 32 (RNE 2172), a Barracks and Kitchen, erected 1887-89. Like many of the core buildings, the Kitchen and Barracks were designed by NSW Colonial Architect James Barnet, using Admiralty plans as a basis; Barnet played a seminal role in NSW architecture over 25 years. The barracks later also served as a hospital, then became offices, and finally the two buildings became home to a museum which they remain. Building 37 (RNE 2173) was built 1886-87 as a Rigging Shed, with a sail loft on the upper floor. Barnet was again the architect. In 1902 part of the upper floor was converted into a chapel and today it is the RAN's oldest church. Building 95 was built as the Engineers Shop 1889-91, designed by Barnet. An extension housing a foundry and other works was added in 1892. The building has retained its workshop function. Building 99 was erected as a Spar Shed and Dining Room at the same time as Building 95 and is used as a workshop today (both buildings RNE 2178). Buildings 16-20 (RNE 2175) were built as Residences in 1894-95 (three residences in one building, two in the other). The buildings have remained in use as residences throughout their life. Building 89 (RNE 2179) was erected in 1891-94 as the Naval and Victualling Stores. Barnet, again using Admiralty plans, was the designer. The building has since been converted to office use. Building 27 (RNE 2180) was constructed during 1894-95 as the Office Building. It has been the main administration centre for the island, and its office function continues. Building 88 (RNE 2181) was erected during 1889-91 as the Chain and Anchor Store, again designed by Barnet with Admiralty plans. By the early 1990s it was the sheet metal workshop. Other buildings not separately listed include Buildings 21 and 22, built as Overseers' Cottages in 1885-86 and designed by Barnet. These are now the oldest extant buildings on the island and are still in residential use. Building 9 was erected as an additional Office Building in 1895-96 and retains the office function. The Boatshed (Building 25) dates from 1896 and was prefabricated in England; a slipway was built nearby. A provisions pit, excavated for the secure storage of food and supplies, dates from 1885. The Tennis Court Pavilion dates from about 1907 and, with the courts, shows that there was a recreational aspect to the island lifestyle. Also on the northern end of the island are naval gardens dating from about the 1880s. Retaining walls and sea walls were built in the 1880s and 1890s. Dating from the same period are the remains of the Goods Tramway built to transport light goods between wharves, stores and workshops. It was disused by the time of the Second World War. Dating from either 1919-20 or 1923 is the Gun Mounting Store which has retained gun functions as well as other uses. The Lime Store (Building 98, now Core Shop) was most likely built in 1927; it has been used as stables in the past. Built in about 1930 is the Signal Station (Building 13) which was used in connection with navigation of vessels on Sydney Harbour. Various wharves are in the precinct, including the Cruiser Wharf, built prior to 1912, the Oil Wharf dating from just before the Second World War and the Oil Tank just up the hill, built in 1916 when oil was starting to replace coal as fuel, the Gun Wharf (1920s), and the East Dock Wharf built at the same time as the Captain Cook Graving Dock. A tunnel system, with its own power supply, was excavated under the northern hill of the island during the Second World War and was modified in the 1960s-70s. DESCRIPTION In addition to the precinct's strong historical qualities, a major element of the precinct's importance is the fact that such an intact and unified collection of mainly late nineteenth century naval buildings is so rare - even by world standards. Also, buildings in the precinct reflect several styles of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods which, together with shared materials, contributes to the area's aesthetic and architectural values. The Barracks and Kitchen are designed in Victorian Georgian style and are built of stuccoed brick ruled to imitate ashlar stonework. Roofs are hipped and slate-clad. The three-storey Barracks and the single storey Kitchen have double-hung windows. A verandah stands on three sides of the Barracks. The Rigging Shed and Chapel is Victorian Italianate and two storeyed. Again, walls are stuccoed brick imitating ashlar. The hipped roof is corrugated iron-clad. There are small arched windows in recessed bays. The chapel features polished cedarwork, mosaics, memorial plaques, stained glass commemorative windows and a pulpit in the shape of a ship's bow. Building 95 is double height and built of stuccoed brick imitating ashlar, and is Victorian Italianate in style. There are recessed bays with arched windows. The hipped roof is clad with corrugated asbestos cement. Internally there are cast iron columns and iron girders. Residences 16-20 are two maisonettes in Federation Queen Anne style, with polychromatic brick walls (off-white with red string courses) and sandstone dressings. Gabled and hipped roofs are slate-clad and rafter ends are exposed. The gables have timber detailing and there are decorative turned timber posts to balconies, balustrades, valances and gables. The Naval Store is a four-storey warehouse, built of polychromatic brickwork with sandstone dressings and granite thresholds. Floors are tallowwood, supported by cast iron columns (the ground floor is asphalt). Remaining in the building are elements of the former water-operated hydraulic hoist system, including the hoists or whips, the accumulator and there are two lifts which have been electrified. This hoist system is the most intact of its type surviving in NSW. The Office Building (Building 27), is a good example of Victorian Italianate styling, with an asymmetrical clock tower (with cupola), bracketed eaves, segmental arches and other features. It is two storey and built of cream brick with sandstone dressings. The clock mechanism of pulleys and weights, and a differential turning all four sets of hands, is rare. The hipped roof is clad with tiles (originally slate). Windows are double-hung sashes and are arched. There is fine cedar joinery internally, a fine internal staircase, and etched entrance glass featuring Australian flora. Internal walls are rendered in ashlar imitation. Building 88 is single storey and utilitarian. Built of stuccoed brick imitating ashlar, the building has arched openings and recessed bays, and large doors. Flooring is concrete, and light iron trusses support the hipped roof which now has ridge vents and corrugated asbestos cement cladding. Buildings 21 and 22 are two Victorian Georgian semi-detached houses, built of stucoed brick imitating ashlar. There is a lath and plaster ceiling, a roof clad with corrugated asbestos cement, and double hung sash windows with six panes per sash. Building 9 was originally single storey (now double) and built of red brick with a central chimney and pyramidal red-tiled roof. It was originally Federation in styling, and the second storey addition is Interwar Georgian Revival. The Boatshed is Federation style, timber, has weatherboards slotted between posts, mortice and tennon joints in the frame, and window and door frames fixed at joints by wooden wedges. The building and the slipway were originally at the water's edge, but are now removed from it due to land reclamation. The slip is boarded over. The building has been extended. The Core Shop is Federation style, double storey and built of brown brick with a tiled gable roof. There are twelve-light semi-circular arched windows on the ground floor and flat-arched casements on the first floor. There are sandstone sills to windows and doors, sandstone lintels to doors, and sandstone keystones to ground floor window arches. Retaining walls date from the early 1890s and may be found as part of the naval garden in the north of the island, and (larger in scale) below residences 16-20. They are sandstone, as are the sea wall and steps built around the northern tip of the island c.1880 and 1900 to enclose reclaimed land. The Tennis Pavilion is Federation Free Style, single storey with a hipped tiled roof and exposed rafters, and walling of weatherboard, shingles and lattice, and an open wall toward the two grassed courts which are on the northern hilltop adjacent to the Naval Gardens. The Naval Gardens are apparently one of the last known naval garden style gardens in Australia and include formal plantings. These include a fig, olive hedges, aspidistra, hydrangeas and other plantings. Later additions include railings and sandstone flower beds. Just as the gardens contribute to the island's aesthetic qualities, so do the contrasting spaces around the industrial buildings. These range from small gaps between buildings to larger spaces such as Office Square formed between the Naval Stores, Main Office and the Workshop. It is surfaced with brick pavers and some bitumen. There is also a later Memorial Garden, on Endeavour Road North, which features plaques commemorating various lost Australian ships and their companies. Separate memorials to the HMA ships Parramatta and Kuttabul are found elsewhere in the precinct; the former is the bow of the ship, and the latter is a plaqued stone monument located on the site of the sinking. The Provisions Pit is an excavation adjacent to the Barracks and Kitchen, which has now been sealed. The remains of the Goods Tramway consist of steel rail sunk into the roadway flush with the surface, and elements of the former weighbridge. On the north of the island are two six-pounder guns - one possibly from the 1799 battery - and foundations from Second World War defensive weapons. The tunnel system under the northern hill consists of five concrete-lined tunnels which intersect at a central point. Each tunnel has a number of chambers. Significant items of equipment are located in Buildings 112 and 111. These are, respectively, the Cameron Steam Hammer dating from the early twentieth century, and the Chain and Cable Testing Machine dating from 1914-24. Both reflect forms of early industrial machinery and workplaces. Both items are rare; the chain and cable machine is one of the largest installed in Australia. The signal staion, on the northern hill, is designed in Interwar Functionalist style and is a small two storey building lacking ornamentation. Windows are double-hung sashes. It is brick with a skillion roof. The wharves are a mixture of timber and concrete construction, and the Oil Wharf has rail tracks from the former crane. The Oil Tank is constructed of rivetted steel plates and sits in an excavation in the northern hill's sandstone. It is reputedly the first of its kind in Australia. There are various cranes in the precinct which serve to add to the island's industrial aesthetic. Garden Island is a visual feature of Sydney's harbourscape. Many of the late nineteenth century buildings are prominently located and may be clearly viewed from the water, thus strengthening the precinct's aesthetic values. The island has a strong presence in the harbour. Many service personnel have served at Garden Island, and huge numbers of Sydneysiders pass the island when either commuting to work on harbour ferries or enjoying the harbour in leisure craft. Thus the island - and particularly the precinct which takes in the northern (and most visible) half of the island - has considerable social significance. |
| History: Not Available |
| Condition and Integrity: |
| The condition of many of the buildings in the precinct is good, while other buildings are in fair condition. Various changes have been made to most structures (see individual listings) but the level of integrity is high. (January 2002) |
| Location: |
| About 7ha, off Cowper Wharf Roadway, comprising the whole of the former island and associated wharves and steps etc, north of the alignment of the south wall of the Rigging Shed (Asset No 37). |
| Bibliography: |
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Apperly, Richard et al, "A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture", Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1989. Eric Martin & Associates, "Garden Island: Conservation & Management Plan for 7 Residences", for Defence Housing Authority, April 2001. Martin, Eric, "HMA Naval Dockyard, Garden Island: A Building Conservation Study of the Historic Buildings", for Master of the Built Environment course, University of NSW, October 1980. Schwager Brooks and Partners, "Conservation Strategy, Heritage Inventory: Garden Island Naval Base and Dockyard, Sydney", for Department of Defence, June 1994. |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 00:51:46 2010