| Photographs: | |
|---|---|
| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Registered (18/04/1989) |
| Place ID: | 13389 |
| Place File No: | 8/01/000/0094 |
| Statement of Significance: |
|---|
| The Parade Grounds are important in having associations with the development of the Royal Military College at Duntroon, as the buildings were the result of efforts to re-establish Duntroon as a military college for Australia (Criterion A.4). As a dense cluster of structures with shared architectural details, form and colour, the buildings act as a backdrop to enclose the Parade Grounds and form a ceremonial and aesthetic heart for the campus (Criteria E.1 and H.1). As a rare example of a fully functional and often used miliary Parade Ground in Australia, the Parade Grounds are a direct result of military customs and techniques that have been formed from years of tradition (Criterion D.2). |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
|
Two storey buildings of brick and roughcast. Painted white with red terracotta roof tiles. Built in 1936 except CSC Barracks which were built in 1939. 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 area generally occupies the land north-west of Duntroon House and garden. Background: In 1910 the Government of Australia instructed Colonel William Throsby Bridges to investigate military colleges overseas with a view of setting up a college suited to Australian requirements. Colonel Bridges' recommendation for a college was accepted and he was given the task of founding the new college. On 30 May 1910 he was appointed as its first Commandant, with the rank of Brigadier General. On 1 July 1910 Duntroon was selected as the site for the college and on 1 October 1910 it was officially approved whereupon a lease of the Campbell homestead and 374 acres was obtained. By the time the college was opened by the Governor General, Lord Dudley, on 27 June 1911 many buildings were in the course of erection. The sites for the quarters for officers were chosen so that they would be conveniently situated when the permanent buildings were to be erected. Many of the early classrooms and other buildings erected from this period were considered temporary but the quarters for officers were to be part of the permanent college. 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'. Duntroon opened for students on 1 February 1937 and was officially reopened 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. This permanent accommodation consisted of buildings around the newly revised and developed parade ground (Buildings A26, A28, A30 to A34). The blocks for the cadets, two storey 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 formerly occupied by fibrocement 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. During 1935-36 specifications were drawn up for two new brick barracks and planning of a further two blocks, each housing twenty-four 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 Honourable 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 received it on 23 June 1936. A31 and A32 became known unofficially as Ack Block and Beer Block respectively. During 1937 part of the Infirmary was occupied as cadets' barracks, nicknamed Siberia. The following year saw the completion of A28 also known as Cork Block. 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'. 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. Description of place: A crescent shaped complex of white rough cast buildings with red terracotta roofs. The Chief of Staff Cadets Headquarters (A26) is the southern most component of the complex and is oriented to the north-east. Two Chief of Staff Cadets Barrack Block (A31, A32) face the Parade Ground from the north-west. The north-east boundary of the grounds is marked by the Classroom Block (A33) which holds a clock in the center 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. |
| History: Not Available |
| Condition and Integrity: |
|
Preserve external fabric. Restore buildings by removing minor excrescences. Restrict buildings within area and within visual intrusion of spaces seen from parade ground. A site inspection revealed the buildings surrounding the Parade Ground to be in good condition. Building A26, currently used as a museum, will be returned to a more useful purpose after renovations are completed. The Mess, A30, has been refurbished with a large new addition attached the rear. Other buildings used as dormitories are well used and maintained. (18 August 1995) |
| Location: |
| Harrison Road, comprising parade ground and Assets Nos A26, A28, A30 to A34, Duntroon, Campbell. |
| Bibliography: |
|
Royal Military College of Australia Duntroon, Conservation and Management Plan, Volume 1. May 1986 by Philip Cox and Partners Pty Ltd for Department of Housing and Construction. AHC File number 8/01/000/0094 |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 02:21:59 2010