New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry

Item details


Name of item:	New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry
Other name/s:	Phoenix Foundry and contents; Industrial Archaeological Site
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Manufacturing and Processing
Category:	Foundry Iron/Brass
Location:	Lat: -30.6482331386 Long: 151.5019069970
Primary address:	6 East Street, Uralla, NSW 2358
Parish:	Uralla
County:	Sandon
Local govt. area:	Uralla
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Armidale

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1		DP	1114524
LOT	2		DP	1114524

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
6 East Street	Uralla	Uralla	Uralla	Sandon	Primary Address
6 East Street	Uralla	Uralla	Uralla	Sandon	Duplicate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
	Private

Statement of significance:


	Australia's oldest operating foundry in original condition, including associated industrial objects and movable contents. By virtue of its history as an important long-standing industrial undertaking in New England, and by virtue of its ability to demonstrate industrial technologies and techniques now long gone, CA Young's Phoenix Foundry at Uralla is clearly a place of considerable significance to the State of New South Wales. (Irving and Pratten 1999)
	Date significance updated: 13 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


Construction years:	1900-1900
Physical description:	A timber industrial building. The site is listed as a heritage item in the Uralla LEP. This listing includes the movable heritage within the building, including a mass of cedar wooden patterns for iron lace casting, many of which date back to 1872.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Good.
	Date condition updated:13 Nov 00


Current use:	Foundry, Open to Public
Former use:	Foundry

History

Historical notes:

The New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry is a well established foundry and museum. It is claimed to be Australia’s oldest operating foundry, originally established in 1872. The business and its equipment moved operations to its present site in 1900. It is still operated for its original purpose.

The first iron foundry was established in Uralla by HS Goddard in 1875. It operated until 1900. At the end of 1901 the foundry was re-established on the present site by CA Young, utilising much of the equipment and many of the patterns at Goddard's works. During the Young era which effectively terminated with his son Les Young's sale of the foundry in the mid 1970s, new plant was installed, although the essential foundry practices of the 19th century were continued. Even today, some casting of metal takes place at the Uralla foundry, and the combination of simple technology, vintage plant and machinery and vernacular buildings creates a place whose evocative character is matched in very few other surviving small industrial works. (Irving and Pratten 1999)

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Industry-Activities associated with the manufacture, production and distribution of goods	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Australia's oldest operating foundry in original condition, including associated industrial objects and movable contents.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Thought to be Australia's oldest and most complete operating foundry.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Shows a traditional industrial process in operation. By virtue of its ability to demonstrate industrial technologies and techniques now long gone, CA Young's Phoenix Foundry at Uralla is clearly a place of considerable significance to the State of New South Wales.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Rare.
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.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

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	01455	17 Aug 01	127	6105
Heritage Act - Interim Heritage Order - Lapsed	24	08 Oct 99	116
Local Environmental Plan	01988	21 Oct 88	159	5520

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Arnold Wolthers, Architects and Conservation Management Planners & Associates	2002	The New England Brass & Iron Lace Foundry (6 East Street Uralla NSW): Conservation Management Plan, Vols 1 and 2
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry	View detail
Written	Irving, Robert and Pratten, Christopher	1999	CA Young's Phoenix Foundry, Uralla
Written	Phoenix Foundry		The New England Brass and Iron Lace Foundry
Tourism	Tourism NSW	2007	New England Brass And Iron Lace Foundry	View detail

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:	5045468
File number:	H98/00004 (H97/01165)

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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