Tamworth Post Office

Item details


Name of item:	Tamworth Post Office
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Postal and Telecommunications
Category:	Post Office
Location:	Lat: -31.0917564624 Long: 150.9312737680
Primary address:	Fitzroy Street, Tamworth, NSW 2340
Local govt. area:	Tamworth Regional
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Tamworth

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1		DP	773787

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Fitzroy Street	Tamworth	Tamworth Regional			Primary Address
Peel Street	Tamworth	Tamworth Regional			Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Australia Post	Federal Government

Statement of significance:


	Tamworth Post Office is significant at a State level for its historical associations, aesthetic qualities and social meaning. Tamworth Post Office is also associated with the early development of the town, as it is linked with the original postal services established in 1840. The form and scale of Tamworth Post Office reflects the building boom in the town in the early 1880s. Tamworth Post Office provides evidence of the changing nature of postal and telecommunications practices in NSW, and is important for housing the first automatic telephone exchange in a country post office apart from Canberra. As such, Tamworth Post Office provides a valuable insight into the development of communications services in NSW. Tamworth Post Office is aesthetically significant because it is a fine example of the Victorian Italianate style with Free Classical influence on the clock tower, and makes an important aesthetic contribution to the civic precinct in Tamworth. Tamworth Post Office is also associated with the Colonial Architect's Office under James Barnet, a key practitioner of the Victorian Italianate style of architecture. Tamworth Post Office has potential to yield information regarding late nineteenth-century clock tower mechanisms and archaeological information about the previous use of the site. Tamworth Post Office is also considered to be significant to the Tamworth community's sense of place.
	Date significance updated: 03 Aug 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


Designer/Maker:	Designed by the Colonial Architect’s Office under James Barnet.
Builder/Maker:	WC Cains of Sydney.
Physical description:	The Tamworth Post Office is a two-storey Victorian Italianate building constructed in ashlar pattern rendered brickwork, with a four-storey corner clock tower. The building is painted an apricot colour with off-white detailing and dark green window and door frames. It has a predominantly hipped corrugated iron roof behind a balustraded parapet wall that encloses the building and it is punctuated at the centre of the front-hipped roof by a rendered and painted chimney. The tower is capped by a cast concrete cupola with iron finial at the apex, housing the striking hour bell, and it retains four clock faces to the level below. It is the dominant feature of the building and streetscape and is accessed internally via an elegant cast iron spiral stair and fixed timber ladder leading up to the clock mechanism at the third-floor level from the first-floor level. Paired narrow sash windows beneath each face light the level below. There are three arcaded and balustraded facades fronting Peel and Fitzroy Streets and the laneway to the north. The two storey arcades comprise solid masonry elements and round arches to the ground floor with a wrought iron balustrade, and round arches supported by slender classical concrete columns to the first floor with a masonry balustrade. There is a timber boarded soffit and asphalt lined floor to the first floor verandah and a shallow barrel vaulted plaster soffit with moulded cornice and concrete tiled floor to the ground floor verandah. There is a textured soffit to the western end addition of the southern ground floor verandah. The main addition to the Post Office is the 1966 Telephone Exchange western addition fronting Fitzroy Street, in sympathetic style and scale to the original building, comprising the western six arched bays. Roofing to this area could not be seen behind the parapet, but is presumably hipped similar to the original. Fenestration of Tamworth Post Office is regular, with windows and doors spaced between arches of the verandahs. To the ground floor original section of the building fronting Peel Street, there are two pairs of French doors at the centre, with fanlight and arched window over each and paired, side hung windows either side with arched fanlights over, of matching proportions to the doors. The 1966 addition to Fitzroy Street has modern automatic sliding glass doors to the Post Office and modern shop windows either side. The first-floor openings comprise French doors and modern flush doors to the original openings fronting Peel Street and to the eastern end fronting Fitzroy Street. There are false doors and smaller windows to the extension at the western end addition of the Fitzroy Street facade, all located at regular intervals between arched bays. All openings are square cut and simply detailed. The ground floor of Tamworth Post Office comprises three main areas, including the large carpeted public retail area fronting Fitzroy Street to the west and the narrow, tiled public post boxes area on the northern side. The carpeted post office storage and sorting areas are combined with offices at the centre and there is a large, open, carpeted commercial premises fronting Peel Street, separate from the post office, with a grey/blue colour scheme. The ground floor Australia Post retail area to the western end fronting Fitzroy Street has the standard Australia Post fitout of display wall panelling, laminated counters and carpet in the grey colour scheme. Ceilings to the ground floor are predominantly false without a cornice and set back from the outer wall fabric, or plasterboard with a coved cornice. Air conditioning vents and ducting are located throughout. Lighting consists of fluorescent tubes and large pendant lights to the verandahs. Architraves to the ground floor appear to be original, to the original section of building fronting Peel Street and there does not appear to be any original skirting material retained. Internal doors to the largely partitioned spaces are modern. Windows to the northern wall of the commercial space have been mostly blocked, with small arched windows remaining high in the wall. The ground floor has a series of plasterboard partitioned offices to the western side of the building occupied by the Post Office, as well as a small plasterboard office within the eastern commercial space. There is original rendered masonry wall fabric to the post office and commercial space, while the 1966 addition southern wall is a stud wall with ashlar patterned sheet lining to the exterior facade. There is one chimney breast evident to the ground floor centre of the commercial space that has been bricked in. The later terrazzo stair to the first floor has a simple steel balustrade and is located at the start of the 1966 addition. It can be accessed from the Post Office, exterior and the commercial space. The first floor of Tamworth Post Office comprises the concrete and vinyl tiled former telephone exchange, tiled staff amenities and carpeted lunch room, storage and former offices, the front ‘meeting’ room having sheet vinyl flooring. Excepting the staff amenities and lunchroom, the upper floor is currently vacant. Ceilings to the first floor are as for the ground floor, being suspended ceilings without cornices and later plasterboard with coved cornices. Air conditioning vents are located within the ceilings and there are banks of fluorescent lighting to the spaces, with pendant lights to the verandah. Some original architraves are retained to the first floor original section of building; however, the rest of the first floor has modern architraves and there is a plain black modern skirting strip to the entire floor. Some of the verandah doors are original and are fixed closed, with non-original louvred fanlights. Useable doors to the verandah are modern, as are all internal doors. Walls to the first floor are rendered brick and asbestos cement sheet partitioning, with some timber and glass partitioning to the southwestern corner of the original section of building. A bricked in fireplace is located within the front ‘meeting’ room and there are some air conditioning units fixed to walls. Signage to the building comprises Tamworth Post Office 2340 lettering across the eastern facade below the balustraded parapet and a standard Australia Post sign to the southern facade. There are smaller signs attached to the ground floor Peel Street facade related to the commercial premises and temporary Australia Post banners are currently located below the street fronting clock faces. Tamworth Post Office, with its prominent clock tower, is a landmark feature in the streetscape of Tamworth’s Civic Centre. The building is set within a predominantly two-storey modern and historic streetscape. To the west of the Post Office is the three-storey c1960s–70s Telstra building abutting the Post Office addition and to the north, with a narrow laneway between, is the two-storey, classically-influenced Commonwealth Bank. The Post Office site complex is fully developed, and there are no smaller associated outbuildings or structures remaining. The hard street edges of Tamworth’s Civic Precinct have been softened with landscaping including large palm trees, one located at the front corner of the Post Office, flower beds, cast iron bollards, pedestrian islands and crossings, and sympathetic ‘heritage’ street lighting.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Tamworth Post Office is in very good condition. There is some archaeological potential.
	Date condition updated:03 Aug 00
Modifications and dates:	Historic photographs and plans indicate that the original 1886 building comprised the corner tower, four arched bays west and seven bays to the north of the main body of the building. Records report that the clock faces were not installed until later in 1886. Extensions were undertaken in 1966 to the Fitzroy Street facade to accommodate a telephone exchange and additional mail box facilities. These additions were extensive, but constructed in a sympathetic style and continue the essential architectural elements of the original building. The original Peel Street facade and the corner tower appear to remain as originally constructed. Extensive internal modifications have occurred over time, including the relocation of the Post Office to the rear addition ground floor and the creation of the isolated commercial premises at the front of the building, possibly during the 1986 alterations. Australia Post fitout and colour scheme to the retail area was installed c1990s.
Further information:	A notable feature of Tamworth Post Office is the entire clock mechanism on the third level of the tower. It is intact, appears in excellent condition and remains manually operated, with a striking hour bell located on the level above. Tamworth Post Office is generally in very good condition, particularly regarding the exterior. Much of the original fabric to the interior has been removed or altered; however, the current fabric appears to be in good condition. There is some archaeological potential of the site, regarding the underfloor area of the building, in particular the extensions of the building to the west. Extensive works have occurred within the site since original construction.


Current use:	Post office
Former use:	Aboriginal land, town lot

History

Historical notes:

Background
The first official postal service in Australia was established in April 1809, when Sydney merchant Isaac Nichols was appointed as the first Postmaster in the colony of NSW. Prior to this, mail had been distributed directly by the captain of the ship on which the mail arrived; however, this system was neither reliable nor secure.

In 1825 the colonial administration was empowered to establish a Postmaster General's Department, which had previously been administered from Britain.

In 1828 the first post offices outside of Sydney were established, with offices in Bathurst, Campbelltown, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith and Windsor. By 1839 there were forty post offices in the colony, with more opening as settlement spread. The advance of postal services was further increased as the railway network began to be established throughout NSW from the 1860s. Also, in 1863, the Postmaster General WH Christie noted that accommodation facilities for postmasters in some post offices was quite limited, and stated that it was a matter of importance that 'post masters should reside and sleep under the same roof as the office'.

The appointment of James Barnet as Acting Colonial Architect in 1862 coincided with a considerable increase in funding to the public works program. Between 1865 and 1890 the Colonial Architects Office was responsible for the building and maintenance of 169 post offices and telegraph offices in NSW. The post offices constructed during this period were designed in a variety of architectural styles, as Barnet argued that the local parliamentary representatives always preferred 'different patterns'.

James Johnstone Barnet (1827-1904) was made acting Colonial Architect in 1862 and appointed Colonial Architect from 1865-90. He was born in Scotland and studied in London under Charles Richardson, RIBA and William Dyce, Professor of Fine Arts at King's College, London. He was strongly influenced by CHarles Robert Cockerell, leading classical tehorist at the time and by the fine arts, particularly works of painters Claude Lorrain and JRM Turner. He arrived in Sydney in 1854 and worked as a self-employed builder. He served as Edmund Blacket's clerk of works on the founcations of the Randwick (Destitute Childrens') Asylum. Blacket then appointed Barnet as clerk-of-works on the Great Hall at Sydney University. By 1859 he was appointed second clerk of works at the Colonial Architect's Office and in 1861 was Acting Colonial Architect. Thus began a long career. He dominated public architecture in NSW, as the longest-serving Colonial Architect in Australian history. Until he resigned in 1890 his office undertook some 12,000 works, Barnet himself designing almost 1000. They included those edifices so vital to promoting communication, the law and safe sea arrivals in colonial Australia. Altogether there were 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police buildings, 110 lockups and 20 lighthouses, including the present Macquarie LIghthouse on South Head, which replaced the earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. Barnet's vision for SYdney is most clearly seen in the Customs House at Circular Quay, the General Post Office in Martin Place and the Lands Department and Colonial Secretary's Office in Bridge Street. There he applied the classicism he had absorbed in London, with a theatricality which came from his knowledge of art (Le Sueur, 2016, 6).

The construction of new post offices continued throughout the Depression years under the leadership of Walter Liberty Vernon, who retained office from 1890 to 1911. While twenty-seven post offices were built between 1892 and 1895, funding to the Government Architect's Office was cut from 1893 to 1895, causing Vernon to postpone a number of projects.

James Johnstone Barnet (1827-1904) was made acting Colonial Architect in 1862 and appointed Colonial Architect from 1865-90. He was born in Scotland and studied in London under Charles Richardson, RIBA and William Dyce, Professor of Fine Arts at King's College, London. He was strongly influenced by Charles Robert Cockerell, leading classical theorist at the time and by the fine arts, particularly works of painters Claude Lorrain and JRM Turner. He arrived in Sydney in 1854 and worked as a self-employed builder. He served as Edmund Blacket's clerk of works on the foundations of the Randwick (Destitute Childrens') Asylum. Blacket then appointed Barnet as clerk-of-works on the Great Hall at Sydney University. By 1859 he was appointed second clerk of works at the Colonial Architect's Office and in 1861 was Acting Colonial Architect. Thus began a long career. He dominated public architecture in NSW, as the longest-serving Colonial Architect in Australian history. Until he resigned in 1890 his office undertook some 12,000 works, Barnet himself designing almost 1000. They included those edifices so vital to promoting communication, the law and safe sea arrivals in colonial Australia. Altogether there were 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police buildings, 110 lockups and 20 lighthouses, including the present Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, which replaced the earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. Barnet's vision for Sydney is most clearly seen in the Customs House at Circular Quay, the General Post Office in Martin Place and the Lands Department and Colonial Secretary's Office in Bridge Street. There he applied the classicism he had absorbed in London, with a theatricality which came from his knowledge of art (Le Sueur, 2016, 6).

Following Federation in 1901, the Commonwealth Government took over responsibility for post, telegraph and telephone offices, with the Department of Home Affairs Works Division being made responsible for post office construction. In 1916 construction was transferred to the Department of Works and Railways, with the Department of the Interior responsible during World War II.

On 22 December 1975 the Postmaster General's Department was abolished and replaced by the Post and Telecommunications Department, with Telecom and Australia Post being created. In 1989, the Australian Postal Corporation Act established Australia Post as a self-funding entity, which heralded a new direction in property management, including a move towards smaller, shop-front style post offices away from the larger more traditional buildings.

For much of its history, the post office has been responsible for a wide variety of community services including mail distribution, as agencies for the Commonwealth Savings Bank, electoral enrolments, and the provision of telegraph and telephone services. The town post office served as a focal point for the community, most often built in a prominent position in the center of town close to other public buildings, creating a nucleus of civic buildings and community pride.

Tamworth Post Office
Europeans first crossed the Peel River Valley and Tamworth district in 1818, when John Oxley explored the area during his second expedition north from Bathurst. Despite his favourable assessment of the areas' rich grazing land it was another nine years before the first pastoralists began to settle in the district. In 1832 the Australian Agricultural Company (AA Co) took up two large plots of land in exchange for land they already held in Port Stephens. One of these plots equalling 313,298 acres (121,410 hectares) included the site that would be selected for the settlement of Tamworth. In July 1834 the first buildings were erected by the AA Co to house their employees, their stores and their two hundred assigned convicts. The site chosen was in what is now Ebsworth Street.

Initially the AA Co provided all the essential community services including doctor, hospital and school; however, by the close of the 1830s, several shops and hotels had been built privately to service the Company's employees. This constituted the beginning of the township of Tamworth.

In November 1835, James White opened a store on the east side of the river in what is now Peel Street. His was the first building on the east side. White traded for eighteen months before selling the business to Richard Stubbs and his partner JJC Irving. In 1839 they too sold the store, this time to Thomas Byrne, who in 1840 became Tamworth's first Postmaster.

In 1847 the AA Co Commissioner, Phillip Parker King, suggested to the Commissioner for Crown Lands, Roderick Mitchell, that Tamworth be laid out as a town. Surveyor John Gorman submitted his plan for a Tamworth Reserve on 31 July 1849, after which Sir Thomas Mitchell, Roderick's father, began laying out the design for the town and named its original streets. The first sale of building blocks in the Government town took place in July 1850, with most of the land being sold by 1853. However, the town was slow to develop, with only 600 residents by the end of the 1850s.

Tamworth continued to grow steadily through the 1860s. In 1861 the telegraph line was extended to Tamworth with a new telegraph office being built in 1866. Within this office a room was set aside for use as a post office but soon proved to be too small. Following agitation from the local residents, (Pounds)1,000 was set aside in 1876 for the construction of an extension. Despite objections from the Postmaster as to the positioning of the new extension, close to a stable, water closets and cowyard, the room was completed in October 1881. Measuring 20ft x 25ft at a cost of (Pounds)345, the room was only a temporary measure and was soon viewed as too small to operate effectively. In March 1881, before the new extension was even completed, a public meeting produced a petition from Tamworth residents calling for the erection of a new Post and Telegraph Office to replace the 1866 building and extensions.

The railway was extended to East Tamworth in 1882, which initiated a building boom as a newfound confidence settled over the town. Also in 1882, (Pounds)4,000 was assigned and plans were commenced for a new office. The tender was awarded in November 1883 to J Conlon for a cost of (Pounds)4,845. Still deemed too small, two further land purchases in late 1883 were made to accommodate the planned building, which included a colonnade to both Peel and Fitzroy Streets. The Colonial Architect's Office drew up the final plans in 1884 with the tender for construction going to WC Cains from Sydney for (Pounds)6,859. The Hon J Norton, Postmaster General, laid the foundation stone on 23 January 1886 and the new building was occupied by the Post Office on 31 May 1886. The clock was not ready for installation at the official opening but was installed late in 1886.

In December 1870 the Post Office and Telegraph Office were combined while in December 1871 a branch of the Government Savings Bank was opened in the Post Office. In February 1900 the Telephone Exchange was opened, with 80 subscribers by 1902. The exchange went automatic in March 1939, the first country automatic exchange apart from Canberra.

During the 1960s the first major alteration was undertaken at a cost of $160,000. This work included doubling the length of the facade in Fitzroy Street with a new colonnade constructed to the ground and first floors matching the original 1886 work. The extension increased the floor space by 65 squares.

In 1986 a further $355,200 was spent on renovations, alterations and repairs including an increase in the public space and business area and a total refurbishment of the first floor office space and reception areas.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Communication-Activities relating to the creation and conveyance of information	Post Office-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Communication-Activities relating to the creation and conveyance of information	Communicating by mail-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences	Developing local landmarks-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Victorian era offices-
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	(none)-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in offices-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in offices-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working on public infrastructure projects-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in the public service-
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.	State government-
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 - administration of land-
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 - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
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 - facilitating telecommunications-
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 - providing postal services-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Monuments-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Applying architectural design to utlilitarian structures-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (mid)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Designing structures to emphasise their important roles-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Interior design styles and periods - Victorian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian Italianate-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Developing local clubs and meeting places-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Walter Liberty Vernon, Government Architect 1890-1911, private architect-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with James Barnet, Colonial (Government) Architect 1862-90-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Tamworth Post Office is associated with the early development of the city, as it is linked with the original postal services established in 1840. The current Tamworth Post Office has been the centre of communications for Tamworth for over a century. The form and scale of Tamworth Post Office also reflects the building boom and population growth that resulted from the extension of the railway line to East Tamworth in the early 1880s. Tamworth Post Office also provides evidence of the changing nature of postal and telecommunications practices in NSW, and is important for housing the first automatic telephone exchange in a country post office apart from Canberra. As such, Tamworth Post Office provides a valuable insight into the development of communications services in NSW. Tamworth Post Office was designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, a key practitioner of the Victorian Italianate style of architecture. The Colonial Architect’s Office under Barnet designed and maintained a number of post offices across NSW between 1865 and 1890.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Tamworth Post Office is aesthetically significant because it is a fine example of the Victorian Italianate style. The clock tower also shows some Victorian Free Classical influence in the shape of the cupola. The scale, architectural style and location of the building, along with the prominent corner clock tower, also make it a focal point defining the centre of the civic precinct of Tamworth, endowing it with landmark qualities. The scale and style of the building compares with Goulburn Post Office. The 1966 sympathetic addition to the Fitzroy Street facade adds to the overall scale and style of the building, and is considered to contribute to the aesthetic significance of Tamworth Post Office. Tamworth Post Office is further distinguished by its successful combination of a corner tower and two-storey round arched arcades with terminating pavilions, comparing in these respects with Forbes and Yass Post Offices.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Tamworth Post Office is a prominent civic building and a local landmark, and has been the centre of communications for the town for over a century. It also has a long association with Tamworth’s postal services. As such, it is considered to be highly significant to the Tamworth community’s sense of place.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	A notable feature of Tamworth Post Office is the entire clock mechanism on the third level of the tower. It is intact, appears in excellent condition and remains manually operated, with a striking hour bell located on the level above. This feature is considered to have technical significance, with the potential to yield information about the original design of clocks for public buildings in the late nineteenth century. The site also has some potential to contain archaeological information relating to the previous use of the site and the evolution of the building and out-buildings associated with the use by the Post Office.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The scale, architectural style and prominence of Tamworth Post Office combine to make it a rare example of country post offices in NSW. The original clock mechanism, still in working order, is also considered to be a rare aspect of Tamworth Post Office.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Tamworth Post Office is a strong example of the Victorian Italianate style of architecture. It is part of the group of nineteenth-century post offices in NSW designed by the Colonial Architect’s Office under James Barnet.
Integrity/Intactness:	Little original internal fabric remains, excepting a few walls and the clock mechanism. The exterior is in very good condition and is intact to its original form excepting the sympathetic addition to the west, fronting Fitzroy Street. Tamworth Post Offices still retains the features which make it culturally significant, including the prominent clock tower, arcaded loggia, stucco wall finish and the cast-iron spiral staircase.
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.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

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 Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01421	22 Dec 00	168	13878

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Australia Post - Assessment of 24 Post Office	2000		Godden Mackay Logan Pty Ltd	Jennifer Armstrong	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	City Plan Heritage		Tamworth Post Office, 402A Peel Street, Tamworth : heritage impact statement
Written	James Barnet Colonial Architect	1988	Bridges and McDonald
Written	Le Sueur, Angela	2016	Colonial Architects - part 2

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:	5051286
File number:	H00/00160

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