| Photographs: | None |
|---|---|
| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Registered (26/10/1999) |
| Place ID: | 101408 |
| Place File No: | 1/13/032/0023 |
| Statement of Significance: |
|---|
|
The former Army Reserve Drill Hall at the Gladesville Army Depot site,
is important for its associations with the development of the citizens militia forces and the construction
of such drill halls in colonial NSW and the Gladesville/Hunters Hill locality in particular.
The site is representative of the evolution of Army reserve training depots and subsequent multi-purpose depots.
The Hall is also significant because of its subsequent use as a focal point for community events and social activity, and Commonwealth Army Reserve activities and training for overseas conflicts dating from the 1890s until 1995. (Criterion A.4.)
Theme:
7.1 Governing Australia as a province of the British Empire. The former Gladesville Drill Hall (originally known as the Militia Orderly Rooms) is significant because it is one of the few pre-federation, that is colonial (c. 1900), timber drill hall establishments remaining in Sydney. The Drill Hall design and timber construction is characteristic of the late Colonial period, from 1884 to 1901, which was the era of the citizens militia. It predates the surge of drill hall buildings of the second decade leading up to and during WW1. Comparative colonial drill halls in NSW in the 1990s are uncommon due to changing Defence requirements. (Criterion B.2). The Gladesville Drill Hall is important in demonstrating the work of the NSW Government Architects Branch at the turn of the century. Construction is based on one of only two designs by the Architects Branch in the late colonial period. The rectangular Drill Hall has quality finishes including timber double hung, multi-paned sash windows and highlights, and finely moulded and detailed architraves to the windows and main entrance door. The Drill Hall is a well preserved example of a timber clad, turn of the century building representative of the design of the period. Details in the windows, cladding and trusses are of special interest. (Criterion D.2). The Drill Hall is important for its considerable social value for the Ryde/Gladesville/Hunters Hill communities. The Drill Hall has been used as a venue for celebratory social activities for marking prominent occasions in the district. Four years after the erection of the Drill Hall, the local council successfully appealed against the demolition of the Hall on the basis of its importance to the community of the district and its aim in fulfilling defence training purposes. Other than accommodating K Company, when first constructed, the Gladesville Drill Hall has been host to a number of other companies, battalions and regiments continually between 1900 and 1995. (Criterion G.1). Indigenous values of national estate significance may exist in this place. As yet, these values have not been identified, documented or assessed. |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
|
The Gladesville Drill Hall occupies a former Army Reserve
Depot site on the corner of Monash Road and Ryde Road, Gladesville, NSW. The overall site, as at early 1998,
contained six free standing buildings comprising the drill hall, a officers
mess, a ladies toilet block, a utilitarian building, and two modern aluminium
clad garages with a carport. The
site also had an outdoor barbeque area, and a flagpole. The only building remaining as at August
1998 is the former Drill Hall. All
others have been demolished. The former Drill Hall is rectangular in design with a skillion extension to the west at the rear. The design and construction of the Drill Hall is a timber structure sixty feet by thirty feet on a concrete foundation. The interior of the building hall is double storey in size. Originally the interior contained an open drill hall space along with three offices, each ten feet by ten feet. These offices no longer exist. The interior retains its original braced post and beam wall structure, which carries a classic timber post trust. The floors are generally 100 x 25 mm T&G hardwood boards with an under floor space of approximately 300-350 mm. Floors are covered with linoleum throughout, although some rooms are carpeted. Modern partitioning has been used to fill in the interior open space which reduces the significance of the original internal space purpose and disguises its intention. The gabled roof is covered with corrugated galvanised iron sheets. The exterior of the hall still demonstrates the timber double hung, multi-paned sash windows with highlights. Windows, doors and their frames are all timber. The windows and main door have moulded architraves. Timber moulded decoration is concentrated at the northern elevation where the main entrance is. External surfaces are painted timber weatherboard. Internal walls are partially lined with a timber look panelling or are lined with plasterboard. The skillion extension, built soon after the original construction but at an unknown date, apparently is similar in fabric and design to the original colonial Drill Hall finish. The skillion extension originally rested on sandstone piers. Most of the sandstone piers remain, however some have been replaced by brick possibly due to the degradation of the sandstone. The remaining sandstone piers have moisture penetration and do not have ant caps or damp proof course. There is a water storage tank located next to the skillion extension. Alterations to the building include a modern entrance roller door, which replaced the original main timber doors (in the north wall) that would have traditionally been ledged, braced and sheeted. A concrete ramp has been built to the new sliding door threshold, and this concrete platform is extended into the building interior. On the south elevation there has been an insertion of aluminium highlight windows and a flush fire exit door; and to the east the fabric shows the evidence of a former window that has been filled in and replaced with a door to the men s toilet. A consequential addition is the insertion of louvred windows on the south east elevation at the men’s toilet. The landscape of the former Army Depot is largely open with concrete and bitumen paths with sloping grass areas. There is a perimeter tree planting along the boundary to Ryde Road consisting of mature Eucalypt trees and Cyprus Pines. The Drill Hall entrance is flanked by two palm trees and a boulder. |
| History: |
|
The Army Reserve Depot site in the nineteenth century was
originally a vacant site and part of the Field of Mars Common. When the area was subdivided in August
1885 for the Eltham residential estate, the depot land was withheld from sale. At this same time the first citizens
militia was formed in the district and was called the Hunters Hill Reserve. The site was originally an open space
for the use of a drill area and tentage accommodation for both the NSW Mounted
Rifles and the colonial volunteers and possibly the Sudan and Boer War
contingents thus making the area a site of significance for colonial defence
purposes. By 1900, the Hunters Hill Reserve had become the K Company, 1st Australian Regiment and it was for this group that the Gladesville Drill Hall was built over a period of five months at a cost of over five hundred pounds. It was constructed by a contractor, Mr Neely of Chatswood, based on a standard design for the era developed by the NSW Government Architects Branch. The Hall was opened on 13 July 1900 and a Grand Military Ball was held at the site in honour of the occasion. The ball was written up in the local press of the day as being a prominent social and important occasion for the area. The Drill Hall, then known as the Militia Orderly Rooms, was used subsequently as a venue for celebratory activities for marking other prominent occasions in the district. Four years after the erection of the Drill Hall, the local council successfully appealed against the demolition of the Hall on the basis of its importance to the community of the district and its aim in fulfilling defence training purposes. Between 1900 and 1904, the Drill Hall was occupied by the K Company. From 1904 till 1914, the site was host to both the F Company 1st Australian Regiment and the cadets of St Joseph's College, which were part of the 19th Battalion, 5th North Sydney Brigade. Between 1914 and WWI the site was occupied by the 18th Battalion which included a machine gun company, and continued to be used by the St Joseph's College cadets. From, or about, WWI until 1941, the Drill Hall was the headquarters for the 19th Battalion. Between 1941 and 1951, the Gladesville Drill Hall was used by the 35th Battalion, which included a machine gun company. From 1951 until 1970 the Drill Hall was host to the 2nd Division Provost Company. The last Army unit to utilise the site was the 4th Engineers Regiment between 1970 and 1995. The 4th Engineers subsequently relocated to the Dundas Depot. Alterations to the building include a modern entrance roller door which replaced timber doors; a concrete ramp has been built to the new sliding door threshold, and this concrete platform is extended into the building interior; the insertion of aluminium highlight windows on the south elevation; a flush fire exit door; and to the east the fabric shows the evidence of a former window that has been filled in and replaced with a door to the men’s toilet. A consequential addition of the location of the men’s toilet is the insertion of louvred windows to the toilets on the south-east elevation. The present interior space does not reflect the original design space. It has been filled in with modern partition for office space. A skillion extension appears to have been added soon after the hall was built. Therefore, between 1900 and 1995, there has been a continuous history of use of the Gladesville Drill Hall for defence related purposes. Initially used by the NSW colonial volunteer citizens militia, after Federation, the site has had a continuous use by the St Joseph's College cadets (until WW1), and concurrently the Commonwealth Army Reserve units until 1995. In the late 1980s and the 1990s, the Army and the Army Headquarters 2nd Military District re-evaluated the number and existing locations of Army Reserve Depots. It was determined that many were inadequate to meet modern standards and in a number of cases were inappropriately located within current demographic structure for Sydney and NSW. The Defence Department currently, as at August 1998, intends to dispose of the property. |
| Condition and Integrity: |
| The exterior of the Gladesville Drill Hall is largely intact, and contains original material dating back to 1900. The gabled roof has retained its original corrugated metal sheets. Replacement piers have occurred due the degradation of the sandstone and these are made out of brick. The remaining sandstone piers have moisture penetration and do not possess ant caps or damp proof course. The building is structurally sound although the overall condition is from fair to poor. The building shows evidence of age, rotting, cracks in fabric, buckled lining, peeling paintwork, and hinges out of alignment. The cyprus pines on the depot site are in poor condition. (September 1998). |
| Location: |
| 144 Ryde Road, Gladesville, corner of Monash and Ryde Roads. |
| Bibliography: |
|
Otto Cserhalmi and Partners Pty Ltd, ÒHeritage Assessment of the Army Reserve Depot GladesvilleÓ, Glebe, NSW, 1996 Peter Freeman Pty Ltd, ÒFormer Army Reserve Training Depot, Gladesville, Sydney, Heritage AssessmentÓ, June 1998 Peter Freeman Pty Ltd, ÒReport in Support of Section 30 Referral, Adaptive Re-use Proposal, Former Army Drill Hall, Gladesville NSWÓ, August 1998 |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 00:51:09 2010