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| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Registered (18/04/1989) |
| Place ID: | 13375 |
| Place File No: | 8/01/000/0080 |
| Statement of Significance: |
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The Royal Military College Duntroon Conservation Area is the core of an institutional landscape.
It is set in tiers on the eastern slopes of Mount Pleasant providing the setting for military ceremonies, parades, social, commemorative, religious, teaching and some residential functions of the institution.
It contains a richness of features associated with military college functions as follows: the Parade Ground with its flagpole and memorial stones; Duntroon House and Garden; residential buildings from stages of development spanning over 170 years and reflecting military hierarchy; the Chapel precinct with the ANZAC Chapel of St Paul and the Changi Chapel; and the garden matrix of the area including Duntroon House Garden, specific historic trees, and the gardens of the residences. (Criterion A3) RMC Duntroon has historical significance as Australia's first military college since Federation and as Canberra's first major institution. It displays the RMC Duntroon's major stages of the development that led to it becoming Australia's leading military college. The Campbell estate buildings adapted for college use, along with the officer's residences in Harrision and Parnell Streets remain from the first development era. A second development stage, when RMC Duntroon was re-established in 1937, is demonstrated by the Parade Ground and Associated Buildings. Later period features of the campus such as the memorial stones and Changi Chapel demonstrate the significant role Duntroon graduates and Australia have played in major wars. (Criterion A4) Australian Historic Theme: 4.3 Developing Institutions, 7.4 Federating Australia, 7.7 Defending Australia The conservation area is significant for retaining the major features of the Duntroon pastoral property homestead block being Duntroon House, Duntroon Garden, the Gatehouses and the Apiary. Along with the Duntroon Woolshed, Blundells Cottage, Majura Homestead and Mugga Mugga Homestead, they are part of a group of extant features that are evidence of the Campbell Estate pastoral property important in the region prior to Federation and acquired along with other local properties for the Federal Capital. (refer RNE No. 13255 Duntroon House and Gardens) (Criterion A.4). Australian Historic Theme: 3.5 Developing Primary Production The conservation area reflects the pattern of a British style military institution with its formal areas and hierarchy of residences. Architecturally, the complex has predominantly 'picturesque' characteristics exemplified in the Victorian Gothic Revival wing of Duntroon House, the gatehouses, and in features of the more modern buildings. In addition there are notable buildings dating from the establishment of the College in 1911 reflecting Federal Capital style architecture. (Criteria D2). The conservation area demonstrates the successful adaptations of the pastoral property homestead complex to the military college campus. The stylistic expression of many of the campus buildings has characteristics that reflect the form and style of Duntroon House, which is a focal feature of the landscape. The conservation area has design merit for its array of buildings of period styles, their stylistic grouping, their spatial arrangement and the hard and soft landscaping that unifies the features. (Criterion F1). The conservation area in its campus setting has aesthetic significance due to the patterns of architecture and architectural groupings, their hillside setting with its bushland backdrop, the focal feature of the picturesque Duntroon House, the formality of the Parade Ground with its flagpole, and the qualities of historic garden features including their many aged trees that are interspersed throughout the area. The garden settings of the residences and the streetscapes within the conservation area of Robert Campbell Drive, Parnell Road and Harrison Road contribute to the aesthetic significance. RMC Duntroon is valued as a heritage landmark feature of Canberra. (Criteria E1). RMC Duntroon is valued by its graduates, staff and the general Canberra community. Many graduates return to be married in ANZAC Chapel. The flagpole memorials commemorate graduates who died in service in four wars. Changi Chapel is appreciated as a most poignant memorial to Prisoners of War. Canberra citizens value the conservation area and visit it for military performances and open days. (Criterion G1) RMC Duntroon has significance for its association with the district's pastoral pioneers, the Campbell family, and notable military officers such as Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges. (Criterion H1) |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
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The conservation area is an institutional landscape consisting of an array of buildings from stages of development spanning over 170 years. Features dating from the Campbell family estate are Duntroon House and gardens (including historic trees), the gate lodges and the apple shed.
Features constructed in the early era of the Royal Military College (RMC) are the hospital and principal residences in the conservation area.
Features established in the pre and World War II RMC era consist of the cadet accommodation, educational buildings around the parade ground, the parade ground and the married quarters.
Features of the post World War II era consist of the annex to the Physics Laboratory, the Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul, and the Changi Chapel. (The Duntroon Conservation Area is part of greater RMC Duntroon campus. Other features in the campus of significance are Duntroon Diary and General Bridges Grave. The entire campus requires review and assessment for its heritage value. The landscape features of the Ceremonial Drive, Mt Peasant summit, No.1 Oval and surrounds, Fairbairn Avenue south of the Gun Gates, and Morsehead Drive have been identified as having potential heritage significance). History of the Campbell Estate The first white men to enter the area of the Limestone Plains were Joseph Wild, James Vaughan and Charles Throsby Smith. The party camped near the present day site of Duntroon on 7 December 1820. Duntroon's infancy is attributed to a leading Sydney merchant of the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, Robert Campbell. Campbell was a descendant of a younger branch of the Campbells of Duntroon Castle in Argyllshire, Scotland. Curiously, Robert Campbell, the first owner of the property on which Australia's first Staff Cadets were to be trained nearly eighty-six years later, is referred to as a Cadet of Duntroon on his memorial tablet, dated 1846, in St Phillip's Church, Sydney. He is also remembered today for warehouses on Sydney Cove which he established in association with his import business. In compensation for the loss of his ship Sydney while it was on government service, Campbell was (after an eighteen year wait) awarded a land grant of 4,000 acres at Limestone Plains in 1825 which he took up and had James Ainslie (his shepherd) settle there. The grant originally known as Pialligo was supplemented with a purchase grant in 1827 and additional grants in 1830 and 1832. Although Robert Campbell continued to live in Sydney he authorised the construction of the first substantial homestead at Duntroon in 1833. The one storey Georgian structure was known as Limestone Cottage. Convict and non-convict masons reportedly trecked for three weeks from Sydney before constructing the building from local stone. The cottage was situated on a small flat terrace, looking across the Molonglo River to the south-east. It was almost symmetrical about a central hall, with a verandah wrapping around three sides of the house. A separate kitchen and servants' room were built approximately 16ft (4.5m) to the rear of the house. Both buildings were constructed of random bond stone, the external walls being about 560mm thick, while the interior walls are about 350mm thick. The original homestead had a shingle roof pitched at about 27 degrees, with a U-shaped ridge about a central valley gutter to the rear. The angle of the verandah roof has been changed several times during its lifetime. Dr John Lhotsky, a Polish scientist who lead an expedition to the Snowy Mountains (the Snowies), passed through the area in 1834 and wrote of Limestone Cottage in his diary. He described it as 'a clean, romantic little house, overhung with vines' and '...the last one with window panes and such like comforts, as it were at the end of the world'. Campbell's influence in the district was substantial. An outstation at Mugga Mugga was established from 1838 and St John's Church and Schoolhouse Reid owe their inception to him. Charles Campbell, the third son of Robert Campbell managed the property from 1835 to 1854, although the ownership of Duntroon passed to the fourth son, George, on the death of their father in 1846. Robert Campbell in fact died in the gardens in 1846. In the same year the house became known as Duntroon after the family castle in Scotland. In 1854 George Campbell married Marianne Collinson Close of Morpeth, New South Wales and took up residence at Duntroon. Marianne took a great interest in the house and was responsible for changing it from a small cottage to a fashionable country house. She also commenced the development of the garden in 1854. She designed the two storey Victorian Gothic extension to the house in 1862, as well as many of the cottages and outbuildings on the property. Many of the picturesque outbuildings, designed in the Victorian Gothic style that characterise the Duntroon campus today, date from this period of improvement. These are contained in her household book and appear to be drawn from J C Loudon's Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm and Villa Architecture (seven editions from 1833 to 1869). Alberto Dias Soares, a former architect and engineer came to Queanbeyan as Anglican Minister in 1861. He was familiar with the Victorial Revivial style and it is concluded that he advised Marianne on building construction and engineering details (Charlton 1998) (Kerr and Broadbent1980). The 1862 extensions to the homestead include bedrooms, nurseries, breakfast room, morning room, servants' hall and a cellar. A study and library were provided for George Campbell and at the rear of the house a conservatory was built. The extensions were brick and stone and both stonework and carved bargeboard indicate an increasing level of affluence and skills available in the local region. Other improvements at that time includes stables and two gatehouses. In 1876 a number of changes were made to Duntroon house. The dining room was enlarged by removing a wall between the original dining room and one of the original bedrooms (later used as an ante room). The pantry wall was removed and the pantry, together with the existing store room, converted into a servery. A more spacious drawing room was created by removing the fireplace wall between the original drawing room and an original bedroom. Further alterations were made to the servants' quarters, a common room and separate store were added and a day nursery and guest rooms were added upstairs. The greenhouse was replaced with a conservatory and a potting shed. The conservatory had an unusual conical glass roof. The new wing was altered slightly in 1876 on the western side. Steps were built in front of the library bay window, leading to the gardens. In addition new awnings were provided to the north and south of the library. These awnings were slightly higher than the earlier awnings and supported by cast iron columns. A cottage (Blundells) was built further down the river for the estate's head ploughman (RNE 13324). A portion of 111 acres of the estate was set aside as Glebe land for the rector of St John's in 1864 (RNE 13265). Majura House (RNE 13406) and Mugga Mugga Homestead (RNE 17326) were part of the Campbell Estate George and Marianne Campbell went to live in England in 1876 while their children were being educated. George died in England in 1881 and Marianne returned to live at Duntroon until her death in 1903. There were very few changes to the external appearance of the building after 1876. All windows and French doors originally had shutters. Perhaps the most noticable was the corrugated iron roof, although some of the original timber shingles remain on it. The history of the roofing at Duntroon is quite interesting as it represents developing roofing technologies. After the death of Marianne, in 1903, the old home was broken up. A sale of plant and furniture items took place at Duntroon on 31 October 1906 and the house was left vacant until the Royal Military College development commenced in 1910. A plan of the Duntroon Estate as it stood at the end of the Campbell era shows the house at the centre of a collection of outbuildings of various sizes. A winding drive extends north east of the house past a maze to a barn and lodge. Clockwise from the east of the house is found a fish pond, then a summerhouse with an Apple House and a cottage south of the house. Continuing in a clockwise motion around the house is located the Manager's residence, kitchen garden and stables. The hay shed is to the west, then the poultry house, a cottage and stable with coach-house. Finally, to the north of the house are the tennis courts, an aviary and wild garden. R.M.C.Duntroon: The history of the Royal Military College commenced from the Federation of the six Australian Colonies in January 1901. On 7 April 1902 the first commander of the Australian Military Forces, major General Sir Edward Hutton recommended that a military college be established along the lines of the United states Military Academy at West Point, the Royal Military College Kingston in Canada and of the Great Public Schools of England. Duntroon was the first of all the Australian military colleges and was the first established in Canberra being opened on 27 June 1911. Duntroon House needed renovating throughout. It provided single quarters for officers, the officers mess and ante-room with kitchen and servants' quarters, offices for the Commandant, the Director of Military Art, the adjuntant, accountant and clerks and a room for the college library. The old stables were altered and extended to house the electric light and refrigerating plants and the laundry. The barn was used for storing vehicles and forage. The college initially consisted of permanent residences for staff, with size and style reflecting the rank of the occupant. Teaching and barrack buildings were considered temporary structures of fibro and timber. The theory of these buildings was that they were shells to contain fittings and furniture that could be subsequently used in permanent buildings and the barracks. Once they were no longer needed, the temporary structures could be shifted to the capital site and used for workmen, offices or other suitable purposes. This however did not eventuate. From 1911 there was a need to aquire additional land to that originally leased. This was finally resolved in 1912 when the Commonwealth Gazette No. 49 of 27 July 1912 gave details of land aquired, which included Duntroon. Very few buildings from this initial phase (to mid 1912) remain today. The desire to have the College commence as quickly as possible was a reason why the buildings were of a temporary nature. However after the aquisition of the land, development of a more permanent Duntroon commenced. Several buildings of this period remain today. Four officers quarters (1-4 Parnell Road) were completed by 1912. The residence for the Director of Military Art (1 Parnell Rd.) and Director of Drill (2 Parnell Rd.) were completed in June 1912. The Professor of Physics' house (3 Parnell Rd.) was completed in October 1912 and the Professor of Mathemetics (4 Parnell Rd.) in March of 1913. The houses at 1 and 2 Parnell Road are architecturally similar, as are the residences at 3 and 4 Parnell Road. The site for the four Parnell Road houses was chosen so that they would be conveniently situated when the permanent buildings were to be erected as during the early occupation of Duntroon many temporary buildings were constructed. The houses are a unified group attractively set in large grounds with a pleasant streetscape. The group was the first detached residences constructed for the RMC at Duntroon and have been the residences of principal officers of the college or of the army. The quartermaster's house was completed in September 1912,the Commandants house in 1912. World War I interrupted the building program but Duntroon provided a vital role in training troops for the war. The College was connected to the Canberra Power House in August 1915. After the war development was slow, with an administrative block being completed and handed over by the Works and Railways Department on 10 March 1918. A 1928-29 Report states that "Buildings which were thrown together hurriedly to meet the sudden decision to open the College in 1911" were in poor condition by the "savages of white ants and borers" and with Canberra's climate their "construction is unsuitable". At the onset of the depression in 1930, the college was transferred to Victoria Barracks in Sydney. In 1936 it was resolved to bring the college back to Duntroon. During 1935-36 specifications were drawn up for two new brick barracks and planning of a further two blocks, each housing 24 cadets. A30, a31 and a32 were constructed during 1936 and on 27 June 1936 the foundation stone of the new barracks was laid by the Hon. Sir Archdale Parkhill, Minister of State for Defence. The granite foundation stone had to be removed for engraving, the Minister's title was omitted initially, as he had only recieved it on 23 June 1936. A31 and a32 became known unofficially as "Ack" Block and "Beer" Block respectively. During 1937 part of the hospital was occupied as cadets' barracks, nicknamed "Siberia". The following year saw the completion of a28 also known as "Cork" Block. Duntroon was officially re opened for students on 1 February 1937 by His Excellency the Governor General on 19 October 1937. It was stated that the cadets were "now well established in permanent instead of temporary buildings". The reopening on 19 October 1937 saw a new parade ground and impressive buildings around them reflecting Canberra's Federal Architecture. These are two storey buildings of brick and roughcast built in 1936 except Chief of Staff Cadets Barracks which were built in 1939. The Parade Ground and associated buildings occupies the land northwest of Duntroon House and Garden. This group includes those buildings constructed in 1936-39 as part of the re-establishment of the Royal Military College at Duntroon. The 1936 Annual Report states that the "erection of new buildings and repair of existing buildings at Duntroon was commenced at the beginning of the year and is progressing satisfactorily." This included permanent accomodation buildings around the newly revised and developed parade ground (Buildings a26, a28, a30- a34). The blocks for the cadets, two storeyed buildings of brick and rough cast, were well designed and equipped. On the western side of the parade ground were the cadets' mess rooms with recreational rooms on the terraces formally occupied by fibro cement quarters of the cadets. The northern side held classrooms, the library and the physics and chemistry laboratories and on the southern side were the administration offices. A new block of barracks was constructed in 1940 and in 1943 additional temporary buildings for staff school purposes were added. The 1944 Annual Report states that "many of the wooden buildings erected as temporary structures at the foundation of the College in 1911 or shortly after have practically reached the end of their useful life and require replacement". When the nation was building up for World War II staff housing was constructed. The Married Quarters (1 Fraser Road) (outside the conservation area), constructed in 1940 remains as an example of that type of accommodation. During World War II Duntroon Military College performed a vital role in training troops. After the war some of the barrack accommodation was converted and in 1948 an annex was added to the Physics Laboratory and further alterations to other buildings occurred to provide barrack and messing accommodation. The Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul was constructed in 1966. In the early years religious services were held in temporary places of worship such as classrooms. In 1958 the then Commandant decided on the need for permanent chapels and established a committee for this purpose. The Royal Australian Engineers undertook the works. The Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul constructed in Late Twentieth Century Ecclesiastical style is the first Australian Army chapel to contain two naves for separate worship and is considered the focus of the Christian Ministry to the Australian Defence Force (refer RNE 013390). The Changi Chapel was reconstructed near the ANZAC Chapel in 1987. The Chapel evolved over an extended period in 1944 when prisoners of war from the 8th Division AIF were interned in the Changi Gaol Camp from 1943 onwards. The chapel utilised found materials and was used as a place of worship until the end of the war. The Chapel was dismantled by a working party of surrendered Japanese personnel and crated to Australia in 1947, with the intention that the Chapel be reconstructed as a fitting memorial for Prisoners of War. The crates containing the Chapel were stored in the Australian War Memorial for forty years. Reconstruction work was undertaken by the Royal Australian Engineer Corps in 1987. The Chapel was dedicated as a National Memorial to all Australian Prisoners of War on 15 August 1988 (refer RNE 183740). In the 1980s, the Australian Defence Force Academy was established just north of Duntroon and major architectural redevelopment commenced on Duntroon. The gymnasium, a 1920s structure was demolished and new buildings integrated. A new masterplan for Duntroon was adopted in the 1990's which lead to numerous changes including a new entry to the College off Moreshead Drive. In 1996 Duntroon House was extended and refurbished. The extension consisted of a new Dining Room and accommodation which was designed by Philip Cox and Partners. The Parnell Road Residences including the Commandants House were refurbished in 2000-2001. The post war residences on the east end of the college were substantially replaced in 2000-2001. RMC Duntroon is often open to the public for military performances and during heritage week. These occasions are most popular with Canberra citizens. Physical Description Duntroon House (RNE 13255): The house consists of a stuccoed, rubble stone, homestead constructed in the Old Colonial Georgian style with verandahs on three sides. It has a two storey stone extension constructed in the Victorian Rustic Gothic style in 1862. The former servants quarters are beyond the small courtyard. The house contains interior detailing of vaulted ceilings and papier-mache ceiling rose in the main bedroom. A moveable heritage item, a four poster bed belonging to the Campbells is in the bedroom. The building has been conserved and cared for by RMC Duntroon. It is used as an officer's mess and has provided a focus for all Duntroon officers. It has a number of army items on display that are now of importance. Duntroon House and Garden (RNE 13255): The garden is generally of the Victorian style and includes many mature trees, a maze, a wild garden and the remains of the 1875 conservatory. On the lawns in the front of Duntroon House are two Canary Island Date Palms (PHOENIX CANARIENSIS). These species is not common in Canberra and the trees are a major feature of the grounds and by far the oldest in the ACT. To the left of Duntroon House was the English Oak (QUERCUS ROBUR) planted n 1861 to commemorate the birth of Frederick Arthur Campbell. It later became known as 'Fred's Tree'. It fell over int eh mid 1990s and seeds from it have been used to replant a tree in the gardens. Close to the Apple Shed is a large spreading Pepper Tree (SHINUS Areira). The Cork Oak Tree (QUERCUS SUBER) dates from this period of estate development in the early 1860s and is now 10mhigh with a girth of 2.65m. The tree was probably planted by George and Marianne Campbell, as it marked the limit of the Duntroon garden. Along with acorns from Spain, it also provided acorns for the establishment of cork oak plantations in Canberra in the first quarter of this century (the plantations were designed to assess the potential for growing commercial cork in Canberra and cork is still periodically harvested from there). The tree remains today as a living reminder of the Campbells and documents the development of the vast Duntroon Estate in the mid-nineteenth century. Apple shed ( RNE 13378,Asset C58): The Duntroon Apiary, or Apple Shed, also dates from this period of expansion. The small simple stone Victorian Rustic Gothic structure has a corrugated metal roof and weatherboarded gable ends and detailed barge boards. The building was used as an apple shed and garden shed associated with the adjacent Duntroon Gardens. Today, this small pleasant early Victorian apple shed is one of the few landscape elements reflecting the original rural atmosphere of Duntroon prior to the development of the College. Gatehouses (RNE 13376; Assets C8, RNE 13377; B5): The stone Victorian Gothic style gatehouses were important as they visually defined the boundaries of the Duntroon garden and related architecturally to the main house. The original structure at 3 Plant Road holds the southern boundary and is constructed of stone and was cruciform in plan. The building, at Number 2 Robert Campbell Road, originally held a similar cruciform plan as it was at the northern boundary of the house paddock. The steep gabled roofs meet in the middle if the cross, where a chimney emerges. Other visual elements include raking eaves and a corrugated iron roof. Timber additions with weatherboard cladding have since been made to the original structure in 1913 and 1933 to accommodate RMC teaching staff. Sympathetic timber additions are contained to one side of the structure, where various living and bedrooms were added. Original Gothic details survive and additions continue the language used in original structure Quartermasters House (RNE 13385, Asset C7): The residence at 2 Plant Road was constructed in 1912 for the quartermaster. It differs slightly from other houses within the College since it is somewhat larger and features a small verandah in an octagonal shape. The house also differs from other Parnell Road houses through its plan and its masonry construction, which is commensurate with the quartermaster's higher ranking. Other features of 2 Parnell Road are the front bay window, folded rib decking roof, rendered concrete and complex roofline of gables. The interior contains six rooms arranged around a central hallway, with a back hall to the kitchen, pantry, laundry and bathroom. a verandah stretches across the back of the structure, with access to the kitchen. Residence, 4 Robert Campbell Road (RNE 13386, Asset B7): The residence at 4 Robert Campbell Road was built in 1913 for the Professor of Modern Languages. Constructed of timber, the one storey weatherboard house is covered with a corrugated iron roof. The front facade is marked by two gables flanking a recessed front verandah. Both gable ends contain large four unit casement windows topped by transomes. Commandants House (RN 13380, Asset B9): The Commandant's House is oriented away from Campbell Road, instead it overlooks the golf course located to the southeast. The most prominent feature of the white, rendered house is the wide porch located on the south-eastern facade, which consists of paired Doric columns supporting a low pitched roof. The second floor of the porch holds a terrace is partly recessed into the front facade. Topped by a hipped roof of folded rib decking, the building relates well with other structures of its' time on the campus and presents the most impressive image for its' distinguished inhabitant. The front door is centred in the symmetrical front facade, which has a slightly projecting midsection. From the front verandah, access to the house may be made by way of the front door into the Drawing Room, or by two flanking doors which lead to the Dining Room on the left or the Study to the right. The fireplace in the Drawing Room is aligned with the front door and is flanked by doors that lead to the Entrance Hall. The left portion of this hall enters the Dining Room, while the right portion culminates at another access to the exterior. A fireplace in the hall faces an extension which contains the stairs and access to extra bedrooms and a bath. The kitchen is located to the left beyond a back stairway, storage areas and a rear porch. The kitchen also holds a laundry room, as well as a Dining Alcove. The second floor holds a Master Bedroom with two dressing rooms and a bathroom, another bedroom with an adjacent bath and sitting area and three bedrooms with built in wardrobes and a bathroom. The upper central hall accesses a large terrace area which is located over the porch and the Drawing Room. Residences, 1-4 Harrison Road (RNE 13387, Assets B1-B4): The group of four timber framed residences located on the northern end of the College site were constructed for Captains and were commenced in July, 1912 and completed in January- March, 1913. Their original form is captured in a photograph taken in 1914, which shows the four one story houses of identical appearance painted a dark colour, with a darker trim and very light casement sashes, porch columns and rafters. A fifth house was proposed in 1914 on the southern end but it was never built. The houses were originally identical in plan (though No. 1, Building B1 was extended in two stages with the later stage ca. 1969) and constructed of a timber frame on timber subfloor structure and lined with horizontal timber weatherboards externally and plaster internally (probably on a hessian backing and lightly reinforced with hair). It is said that the timber used is Canadian Redwood. Ceilings were probably plaster originally and the roof was corrugated galvanised iron. The two sets of chimneys for four fireplaces were brick on a brick foundation. Bathrooms are concrete slab on fill. Parade Grounds and Associated Buildings (RNE 13389) Asset numbers considered as part of this group are: A26 (Chief of Staff Cadets Headquarters), A28 (Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block), A30 (Chief of Staff Cadets Mess and Kitchen), A31 (Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block), A32 (Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block), A33 (Classroom Block), A34 (Chemistry Block). The group forms a crescent shaped complex of white rough caste buildings with red terra cotta roofs. Two similar buildings, the Chief of Staff Cadets Headquarters (A26) is the southern-most component of the complex and is oriented to the northeast. Two Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block (A31, A 32) face the Parade Ground from the northwest. The northeast boundary of the Grounds is marked by the Classroom Block (A33) which holds a clock in the centre of the facade. The Chemistry Block (A34) sits at an angle to the east of A33. Both the Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block and the Chief of Staff Cadets Mess and Kitchen are located behind other buildings facing the Grounds. All of the buildings are visually related, sharing proportions, massing, materials and colour. Landscaping is minimal and oriented around the base of buildings as well as around the retaining walls of the sunken Parade Ground. Further housing was built in 1940, following the re-opening of the College at Duntroon in 1937. This occurred after the transfer of the College to the Victoria Barracks, Sydney, following the depression in 1930. The Married Quarters (RNE 101658), 1 Fraser Road , within the Duntroon House and Garden listed area, consisting of a timber and fibro cottage and garage in a garden block setting remains as predominantly intact example from this period. Anzac Memorial Chapel of St Paul (RNE 13390): The Late Twentieth Century Ecclesiastical style Chapel is a steel portal framed, painted brick building with a copper and tiled roof and features extensive use of timberwork. The Chapel has two naves for Catholic and Anglican/Protestant services. The basic features of the two Chapels are the same and include white painted rendered walls, timber ceilings, parquetry floors, clerestory lighting for the naves and timber pews. Each Chapel has gallery seating and a pipe organ. The crucifix for the Catholic Chapel is the work of the sculptor Tom Bass. The Chapel sits in an attractive parkland setting of lawn and trees. Changi Chapel : The reconstructed Chapel is an open structure, 12ft by 16ft, made mainly from timber, masonite and galvanised iron. The Chapel has been reconstructed on a concrete slab 20ft by 26ft, with concrete tubs, each with rosemary growing in it, at each corner of the front. In front on the left hand side is a plaque which reads, 'National Prisoner of War Memorial dedicated to the 35,000 Australian servicemen and women taken prisoner in the following wars: War in South Africa, Boer War 1899-1902; World War I 1914-1918; World War II 1939-1945; Korean War 1950-1953'. The landscape of the site is intended to symbolise the original Changi site. It is built in a grassy parkland, with the axis of the Chapel centred on existing gum trees. Buildings A39, A59, D8 and B6 within the conservation area do not contribute to the national estate significance of the area. Buildings A36 to A38, former Hospital and adjacent structure have been demolished and the area left as open landscaped area. |
| History: Not Available |
| Condition and Integrity: |
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Condition is good, integrity varies and in some cases restoration is possible and desirable. August 18, 1995: The conservation area is in good condition. Since the property is still used as a working college, there continues to be a need for the facilities to grow and adapt. Therefore, changes continue to alter the appearance of the campus. Rerouting of traffic in the campus have been done considering comments made by the Commission. Records of changes are on file at the AHC. 2001: The AHC advised RMC Duntroon (March 2000) that an upgrade of the conservation management plan for the conservation area was recommended. |
| Location: |
| Approximately 15ha, comprising the central area of the College, including Duntroon House and garden; residences B1 to B4; residences C12 and C15; apple shed C58; residence C7; former gatehouses C8 and B5; residence B7; commandants house B9 and parade ground and associated buildings A26, A28, A30 to A34. Boundary from the intersection of Ian Campbell and Harrison Roads, north-east via the latter road, but including residences B1 to B4 and grounds, to intersection with Wilton Road; then south-east via the north-east boundary of grounds of Anzac Chapel to Robert Campbell Road; then south-west via that road and Parnell Road, but including residences and grounds B9 and C12 to C15, to Plant Road; then via Knights, Fraser and Legge Roads to include the whole of the surrounds of C8 and C58; then north-west, to include building C7, but exclude C5, to Plant Road; then generally north, to include C4, to the rear of A26; then generally north and east, to include buildings A28 and A30 to A35, to the commencement point. |
| Bibliography: |
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Philip Cox & Partners Pty Ltd
(1982)
Royal Military College of Australia: Development Study Architectural Heritage. Prepared by ACT Region of Dept of Housing and Construction in association with Philip Cox and Partners PTY LTD and associated bibliography. Measured drawings of the Apple Shed have been accepted in the Marion Mahony Griffin Measured Drawing Competition and are held by the Department of Territories. AHC File number 8/01/000/0080. Philip Cox & Partners Pty Ltd (1985) Royal Military College of Australia Duntroon, Draft Conservation and Managemetn lan Volume II . Prepared for Department of Housing & Construction (ACT Region). Jea- J Easthope & Associates Pty Ltd (1997) The Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan . A report for the Office of the Chief Engineer, Royal Military College, of Australia Duntroon. Royal Military College Duntroon. The Royal Military College Duntroon Handbook. Measured drawings of the Hospital were prepared for teh Chief Engineers Duntroon prior to it being demolished. Eric Martin and Associates (2001) RMC Duntroon ACT Conserevation and Managment Plan for 13 Residences for DHA. Kerr, J. and Broadbent, J (1980) Gothick Taste in the Colony of New South Wales Charlton, K (1998) "Southern Spires, the Art and Architecture of Rev'd Canon A.D. Soares". Paper prepared for the Anglican Historical Society. "Duntroon Woolshed Trussed Rafter Roof Construction'. Report for ACT Heritage. Garnett, R. and Hyndes, D. (1992) The Heritage of the Australian Capital Territory. National Trust of Australia (ACT). A print of the original working drawings for No. 3 Parnell Road, which is similar to the others, is held by the C. E. (Act) at Duntroon. |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 02:43:29 2010