Holbrook Courthouse and Residence

Item details


Name of item:	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Law Enforcement
Category:	Courthouse
Primary address:	Albury Street, Holbrook, NSW 2644
Local govt. area:	Greater Hume
Hectares (approx):	0.01

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Albury Street	Holbrook	Greater Hume			Primary Address

Owner/s

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

Statement of significance:


	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence is a modest and attractive public building without a uniform architectural style. The building features Art Nouveau influences in its front façade and Victorian Regency styles elsewhere. The courthouse and residence is one of the oldest public buildings remaining in the town and has been associated with the provision of justice in Holbrook since 1873.
	Date significance updated: 04 May 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:	J Barnet
Builder/Maker:	W Frost (1899 additions)
Construction years:	1872-1873
Physical description:	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence was originally built as a simple single-storey Victorian cottage. A major two-storey addition was made to half of the front elelvation with Art Nouveau influences evident in the curved verandah timber detailing. Internal alterations were made to accommodate a courtroom. (Schwager Brooks 1993) An early outbuilding is located at the rear of the courthouse and currently contains a meeting room and meal room. Other accommodation: general office, Magistrates Chamber, legal room, 2 bed residence. Construction: Holbrook Courthouse and Residence is constructed in face brick with some rendered detailing. The hipped roofs are clad in corrugated iron sheeting. (Schwager Brooks 1993) Interior materials: Timber Exterior materials: Brick, corrugated iron.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Good. (March 2007)
	Date condition updated:04 May 10
Modifications and dates:	Substantial alterations and additions during the nineteenth century.


Current use:	Courthouse and Residence
Former use:	Courthouse and Post and Telegraph Office

History

Historical notes:

Holbrook Courthouse was completed in 1873 to a design by Colonial Architect James Barnet.

A travelling reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald in 1872 described the sites of Germanton, including the post office and telegraph station. He also described the combined courthouse and police station:

'A more miserable shanty I have rarely met, yet within its walls are a Police Court, a lock-up and police quarters. Fancy a court-room; not 12 feet square, where as many as thirteen cases a day often present themselves-three JPs are presiding, witnesses, deposition clerk, tee., rather a close pack; fortunately 'justice is blind' or she never would find her way to such a miserable abode.'

A combined post office and courthouse was constructed in 1873, designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet. As well as court hearings, it was used for a number of civic functions, including for the elections of the Member for Hume and for meetings of the railway committee and the land board. Alterations were made to the building in 1899 by W Frost from Bowral.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Communication-Activities relating to the creation and conveyance of information	Postal services-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	-
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	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	Administration of justice-
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]	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence has been associated with the provision of law and justice in the town since 1873 and also with the town's postal and telegraph service. The courthouse and residence is one of the oldest public buildings remaining in the town
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence is associated with James Barnet, Colonial Architect of New South Wales from 1862-1890 and Walter Liberty Vernon, Government Architect of New South Wales from 1890-1911, but is not a good example of the work of either architect.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence is a modest and attractive public building without a uniform architectural style. The building features Art Nouveau influences in its front façade and Victorian Regency styles elsewhere.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Holbrook Courthouse and Residence is likely to have significance for the local community as a long-standing civic institution of the town.
Integrity/Intactness:	Moderately intact with a moderate level of integrity.
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		1899	The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 25 July 1899
Written		1890	The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 25 September 1890
Written		1889	The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 29 January 1889
Written		1888	The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 28 March 1888
Written		1872	The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 26 December 1872
Written	NSW Department of Commerce	2007	Condition Assessments GAP Analysis Court House Report: Holbrook
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:	3080069

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