Stables at rear of Police Station

Item details


Name of item:	Stables at rear of Police Station
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Defence
Category:	Barracks & housing
Location:	Lat: -33.6051799415 Long: 150.8250695390
Primary address:	32-34 Bridge Street, Windsor, NSW 2756
Parish:	St Matthew
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Hawkesbury
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	10	10	DP	759096
LOT	11	10	DP	759096

Boundary:

See Curtilage Map

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
32-34 Bridge Street	Windsor	Hawkesbury	St Matthew	Cumberland	Primary Address
Court Street	Windsor	Hawkesbury	St Matthew	Cumberland	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
NSW Police Force	State Government	27 Jan 99

Statement of significance:


	The Windsor Police Station Stables originally a military barracks building, remains as a part of an important outpost of the earliest colonial government provision of law and order. It forms an important element in the Windsor Police precinct.
	Date significance updated: 24 Nov 00
	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


Builder/Maker:	Major Barney
Construction years:	1836-
Physical description:	A two storey building designed in the colonial Georgian style. Sandstock brick exterior.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The arched openings to the ground floor and windows have been mutilated. No evidence of an archaeological assessment, but the remains of the Windsor Military Barracks (c1818) deserved investigation.
	Date condition updated:24 Nov 00
Modifications and dates:	1818 - 1820: Windsor Military Barracks established 1830 - 1840: Additions 1836: Present building constructed.
Further information:	A Conservation Plan is required before any works are proposed. Any proposed works should respect the existing building fabric, including the interior.


Current use:	Police Station
Former use:	Military Barracks

History

Historical notes:

INDIGENOUS OCCUPATION
The lower Hawkesbury was home to the Dharug people. The proximity to the Nepean River and South Creek qualifies it as a key area for food resources for indigenous groups (Proudfoot, 1987).
The Dharug and Darkinjung people called the river Deerubbin and it was a vital source of food and transport (Nichols, 2010).

NON-INDIGENOUS OCCUPATION
Governor Arthur Phillip explored the local area in search of suitable agricultural land in 1789 and discovered and named the Hawkesbury River after Baron Hawkesbury. This region played a significant role in the early development of the colony with European settlers established here by 1794. Situated on fertile floodplains and well known for its abundant agriculture, Green Hills (as it was originally called) supported the colony through desperate times. However, frequent flooding meant that the farmers along the riverbanks were often ruined.

1794: The study area covering allotments at 23 through to 39 North Street, Windsor, is located on land first alienated for European purposes in a grant made by Francis Grose of thirty acres to Samuel Wilcox, who named it Wilcox Farm. It is likely that land clearance and agricultural activities as well as some building works took place during this period and during the subsequent of occupation;

early 19th century: Former Wilcox Farm was incorporated into a larger holding of 1500 acres known as Peninsula Farm.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie replaced Governor Bligh, taking up duty on 1/1/1810. Under his influence the colony propsered. His vision was for a free community, working in conjunction with the penal colony. He implemented an unrivalled public works program, completing 265 public buildings, establishing new public amenities and improving existing services such as roads. Under his leadership Hawkesbury district thrived. He visited the district on his first tour and recorded in his journal on 6/12/1810: 'After dinner I chrestened the new townships...I gave the name of Windsor to the town intended to be erected in the district of the Green Hills...the township in the Richmond district I have named Richmond...' the district reminded Macquarie of those towns in England, whilst Castlereagh, Pitt Town and Wilberforce were named after English statesmen. These are often referred to as Macquarie's Five Towns. Their localities, chiefly Windsor and Richmond, became more permanent with streets, town square and public buildings.

Macquarie also appointed local men in positions of authority. In 1810 a group of settlers sent a letter to him congratulating him on his leadership and improvements. It was published in the Sydney Gazette with his reply. He was 'much pleased with the sentiments' of the letter and assured them that the Haweksbury would 'always be an object of the greatest interest' to him (Nichols, 2010).

In marking out the towns of Windsor and Richmond in 1810, Governor Macquarie was acting on instructions from London. All of the Governors who held office between 1789 and 1822, from Phillip to Brisbane, recieved the same Letter of Instruction regarding the disposal of the 'waste lands of the Crown' that Britain claimed as her own. This included directives for the formation of towns and thus the extension of British civilisation to its Antipodean outpost (Proudfoot 1987, 7-9).

The remains of the Windsor Military Barracks which comprise some ruins, walling and buildings constructed between c1818 and occupied by 1820 with additions in the 1830s and 1840s. This building was constructed in 1836 by Major Barney and used as the Mounted Police Barracks.

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	Creating landmark structures and places in regional settings-
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.	(none)-
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.	Developing roles for government - building and operating public infrastructure-
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.	Providing public offices and buildings-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	(none)-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	Policing and enforcing the law-

Recommended management:


	Further investigation needed.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) OF THE HERITAGE ACT 1977 Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977. I, the Hon James Griffin MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage, pursuant to subsection 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales do by this Order, effective at the time of publication in the New South Wales Government Gazette: 1. revoke the order made on 9 November 2020 and published in the Government Gazette Number 318 of 13 November 2020; and 2. grant the exemptions from subsection 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 that are described in the attached Schedule. The Hon James Griffin MP Minister for Environment and Heritage Signed this 2nd day of June 2022. To view the standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977 click on the link below.	Jun 17 2022

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	01018	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register
Local Environmental Plan	1989	18 Dec 89
National Trust of Australia register	9281

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Nichols, Michelle (Local Studies Librarian)	2010	Macquarie and the Hawkesbury District

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045305
File number:	H00/00361; H99/00450 [S170]

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