| Photographs: | None |
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| List: | Register of the National Estate |
| Class: | Historic |
| Legal Status: | Destroyed |
| Place ID: | 101658 |
| Place File No: | 8/01/000/0504 |
| Statement of Significance: |
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The Married Quarters, consisting of the cottage and garage in the garden block setting, were built following the re-opening of the College at Duntroon in 1937 after transfer of the College to the Victoria Barracks, Sydney, during the depression of 1930s.
It represents an important phase in the evolution of RMC Duntroon and contributes to the layers of history represented in Duntroon's military college housing.
(Historic Theme:7.6 Developing administrative structures and authorities) (Criterion A 4) As the only predominantly intact example of 1940s military college housing for married staff, the Married Quarters is important for its ability to demonstrate characteristics of military college housing built for lower ranked married staff during the 1940s. Despite being of modest design, the Married Quarters are of interest as a relatively intact 1940s fibro and weatherboard cottage, interiors and garage (Criterion D.2). |
| Official Values: Not Available |
| Description: |
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HISTORY The Married Quarters were built in 1940 to house married officers working at the Royal Military College, Duntroon following the re-opening of the College at Duntroon in 1937 which happened after the transfer of the College to the Victoria Barracks, Sydney, with the depression in 1930. 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 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 adjunct, accountant and clerks and a room for the college library. 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. From 1911 there was a need to acquire 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 acquired, 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 explains why the buildings were of a temporary nature. However after the acquisition of the land, development of a more permanent Duntroon commenced. Several buildings of this period remain today. These include four officer's quarters, the quartermaster's house, and the Commandant's house. In 1913 the residence for the Professor of Modern Languages and four Captain's residences were built. With World War I the building program was interrupted and 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. 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. The reopening on 19 October 1937 saw a new parade ground and impressive buildings around it 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 grounds and associated buildings included cadets' mess rooms, cadets barracks, classrooms, the library and the physics and chemistry laboratories and administration offices. 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". During 1937 part of the hospital was occupied as cadets' barracks. A new block of barracks was constructed in 1940 and in 1943 additional temporary buildings for staff school purposes were added. The Married Quarters were built in 1940 in an area that was once part of the grounds of Duntroon House. The mature elms in the garden probably relate to the Duntroon House association. During the 1990s a new masterplan was implemented involving many changes to Duntroon site. Major work was undertaken in the conservation area, at Nos. 1 and 2 Parnell Road and at Bridges House during 1999 and 2000. This included work to outbuildings and gardens. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The Married Quarters consists of a 5-bedroom double fronted cottage and garage in a garden setting. The dwelling was constructed in the 1940s. Originally a three bedroom cottage, it was extended with another bedroom added at the rear and part of the front porch area enclosed to form another room. The cottage and garage externally has timber cladding to sill height with fibro sheeting above. The cottage has a hipped roof sheeted with corrugated iron. Historic features of the cottage are double hung, four paned, timber framed sash windows, picture rails and dado rails throughout the house, a brick chimney in the front of the house proud of the walls. There has been little alteration to the house internally and the original fuel stove in the kitchen remains. The garage is also an intact example of the period although there is a lean-to addition. Landscape features include two large elms possibly dating from pre-1911 which dominate the landscape, several other small trees and shrubs, a number of early concrete paths behind the garage (which possibly led to a vegetable garden), and an early concrete path leading to the north-eastern corner of the block. A small pergola is attached to the cottage at the back entrance. The housing types in Duntroon illustrate the layers of history of military staff housing. The four examples of Captains Quarters on Harrison Road and the Quarter Master's Residence on Plant Road survive, have been well conserved and remain in use for accommodation. Being built in 1912, they represent the pre World War I military college housing. Within the group of married quarters housing for lower military ranks, constructed in the 1940s period, one other cottage remains. Although retaining its original porch entry, it has been re-roofed, and has a second garage in the garden space so that its integrity as a period example has been compromised. |
| History: Not Available |
| Condition and Integrity: |
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November 2001: The building is in good condition. 2003 – Demolished. |
| Location: |
| Corner Fraser and Legge Roads, Duntroon. |
| Bibliography: Not Available |
Report Produced: Wed Feb 10 02:24:18 2010