Dungog Courthouse and Residence

Item details


Name of item:	Dungog Courthouse and Residence
Other name/s:	Dungog Police Barracks
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Law Enforcement
Category:	Courthouse
Primary address:	Lord Street, Dungog, NSW 2420
Local govt. area:	Dungog
Hectares (approx):	0.02367

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Lord Street	Dungog	Dungog			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Attorney Generals Department - Department of Communities and Justice	State Government

Statement of significance:


	Dungog Courthouse has been associated with the provision of law and justice in the town and broader region since 1849 and housed the town's mounted police barracks before being converted for use as a courthouse. Dungog Courthouse and Residence is associated with Colonial Architects Mortimer Lewis and James Barnet and is a good example of mid-nineteenth-century country courthouses in New South Wales. The courthouse is significant for its ability to demonstrate the development of Dungog, with the building adapted to accommodate new uses throughout its history.
	Date significance updated: 25 Oct 10
	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:	M Lewis, J Barnet
Builder/Maker:	Richard Davey (1864 alterations)
Construction years:	1849-1864
Physical description:	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is a small building with fabric that dates from several Victorian periods, although the overall appearance of the building is Victorian Italianate. Features include large grouped openings which light the court room, rendered chimneys and convex roofed verandahs.The court room interior features cedar joinery and furniture which is in a good and intact condition. (Schwager Brooks 1993) The residence is located in the western wing of the building. The ground floor is now used as offices and the first floor is unused. Construction: The Dungog Court House and Residence is constructed in rendered brick, with timber posted verandahs and corrugated iron clad roofs. Interior materials: Timber joinery Exterior materials: Rendered brick, corrugated iron, timber (Schwager Brooks 1993)
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Good. (January 2007)
	Date condition updated:11 Aug 10
Modifications and dates:	Court room additions designed by J Barnet. (1864) Restoration by Cox Tanner Architects. (c1980)


Current use:	Courthouse
Former use:	Mounted Police Barracks

History

Historical notes:

Dungog Courthouse was completed in 1849 to a design by Colonial Architect Moritmer Lewis. The building underwent major additions designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet in 1864.

Dungog Courthouse and Residence was originally the town's Mounted Police Barracks, a two-storey brick building constructed for £700. In 1849, Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis was responsible for designing of alterations to the barracks to convert it into a courthouse. The alterations were made at a cost of £150. Three years after these alterations took place, the verandah of the courthouse fell in and needed to be repaired.

Colonial Architect James Barnet designed additions in 1864 to the building to accommodate a new courtroom. These alterations were carried out by Mr Richard Davey, a local builder, who was awarded the tender for the project in 1862.

At times, the courthouse functioned as a town hall for the Dungog community. Public meetings were hosted there to petition the NSW Legislative Assembly, for example for the construction of a bridge. The courthouse was also used to host public meetings to petition for the establishment of a District Court in Dungog.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	Administration of justice-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	Police-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Dungog Courthouse has been associated with the provision of law and justice in the town and broader region since 1849. The building housed the mounted police barracks before being converted for use as a courthouse. The courthouse is significant for its ability to demonstrate the development of Dungog, with the building adapted to accommodate new uses throughout its history.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is associated with two Colonial Architects: Mortimer Lewis, Colonial Architect of New South Wales from 1835-1849, and James Barnet, Colonial Architect of New South Wales from 1862-1890.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is a modest country courthouse of Victorian Italianate appearance. The building features include large grouped openings which light the courtroom, rendered chimneys and convex-roofed verandahs.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is likely to have significance for the local community as a long-standing civic institution of the town.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is one of the few remaining examples of a public building designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis, though later modified.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Dungog Courthouse and Residence is a good, representative example of mid-nineteenth century country courthouses in NSW.
Integrity/Intactness:	Dungog Courthouse has a moderate level of integrity and intactness.
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
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written		1864	The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893), Thursday 28 January 1864
Written		1863	The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893), Thursday 16 April 1863
Written		1862	The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893), Saturday 6 December 1862
Written		1852	The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893), Wednesday 29 December 1852
Written	NSW Department of Commerce	2007	Condition Assessments GAP Analysis Court House Report: Dungog
Written	Schwager Brooks and Partners Pty Ltd	1993	Department of Courts Administration: Preliminary Heritage and Conservation Register

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

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	State Government
Database number:	3080053

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