Baker's Creek Mine - chimney

Item details


Name of item:	Baker's Creek Mine - chimney
Primary address:	132B Brackin Street, Hillgrove, NSW 2350
Local govt. area:	Armidale Regional

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
132B Brackin Street	Hillgrove	Armidale Regional			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	Historically significant at a regional level for its importance in the expansion of gold mining operations and for its relative success in comparison to other gold mines in the state. It is of scientific significance regionally for its potential as one of only two of its type remaining, to reveal information which could contribute to an understanding of the difficulties and changes in mining techniques in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Baker's Creek Gold Mine Company
Builder/Maker:	Baker's Creek Gold Mine Company
Construction years:	1888-
Physical description:	Building Materials: Brick
Further information:	1930's corrugated iron shed adjacent.

History

Historical notes:

Hillgrove mines were located in gorge country on land originally devoted to pastoral activities, however in 1877, Havershed Bros and Thomas discovered an antimony lode on the western side of the Baker's Creek Gorge. The rugged terrain, with gorges more than 500m deep, caused costly mining and transport problems throughout the duration of the Hillgrove mines. The Hillgrove Proprietary Mines was formed in 1898. Peak production of the Hillgrove goldfields was in 1896 with 28,501 ounces won. The Hillgrove mines were the first in NSW to be offered the benefits of hydroelectricity with Baker's Creek Mine first lit in 1895. Mr. George Smith discovered the outcrop of the Big Reef in the Baker's Creek in 1887 which was later to become one of the most successful mines in the state. This mine was served by a tramway (opened 1889) which descended 810m to the mine entrance at the bottom of the gorge. A winch house operated trolleys which conveyed ore to the top and miners to and from the mine (the tram carried as many as 1,000 passengers each 24 hour period). Mr. Pleitner was the first Mine Manager. In May 1921, mining finally ceased and the total gold yield up to 1913 was 20.32 tonnes, with more than $1.6 million worth of gold extracted.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	REGIONAL
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Armidale Dumaresq Local Environmental Plan 2012	I200	30 Nov 12
Heritage study		HILL/R003

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Dumaresq Heritage Study	1997	HILL/R003	EJE	EJE	No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written			"Tramways Down the Gorge: The Story of Hillgrove, 1887-1921", Ross Mainwaring, October 1986. "Armidale - A Cathedral City of Education and the Arts", Tony Barker, 1980.

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1010513

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