FORMER BENDIGO FIRE STATION
58 VIEW STREET BENDIGO, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
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Statement of Significance
The Former Bendigo Fire Station was constructed in 1898-9 to the design of prominent local architect, William Beebe. The building was the first fire station in Bendigo built under the provisions of the Fire Brigades Act 1890, which saw several private and volunteer fire brigades in Bendigo amalgamated under the auspices of the Country Fire Authority, constituted under the 1890 Act. The Bendigo Fire Station was constructed to house accommodation for the fire brigade as well as a residence. The two storeyed face brick building has contrasting stucco detailing and is a fine example of the work of the architect, William Beebe who is associated with several prominent and distinctive Bendigo buildings in a red brick Queen Anne revival style characteristic of the fire station.
The Former Bendigo Fire Station is of historical and architectural importance to the State of Victoria.
The Former Fire Station has historical importance as an intact example of a turn-of-the-century fire station, the design of which provides a good understanding of the early use of the building. The building is a rare surviving example of a regional fire station built as a result of the formation of the Country Fire Authority constituted by the Fire Brigades Act 1890.
The building has architectural importance as a well composed and interesting example of Queen Anne revival architecture designed by local architect, William Beebe.
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FORMER BENDIGO FIRE STATION - History
Contextual History:History of Place:
The former Bendigo Fire Station was constructed in 1899 as the first large fire station in the city, concentrating the activity of four previously disparate fire service outlets. The building was designed by prominent local architect, William Beebe.
Fire services in Bendigo, then known as Sandhurst, were established in 1855, a month before Bendigo was declared a municipal district on 24 April 1855, and following a large fire at the Criterion Hotel. A large ball was held to raise funds for the formation of a fire engine and this arrived in Bendigo in August 1855. Inadequacies of the water supply meant that deep wells were sunk to counteract this in the following months. In 1858 the citizens of High Street, formed another Brigade and soon after the Temperance Society formed their own brigade and established a base in View Street. By the 1870s there were three volunteer fire brigades in Bendigo, now known as Sandhurst, who responded to calls from the tower of the adjacent Camp Hill State School located at the rear of Rosalind Park.
By 1895 the local fire brigades came under the control of the Country Fire Brigades Board set up under the Country Fire Brigades Act. This required that three bodies, the State and local governments along with local insurance companies funded the maintenance of the local fire brigades. In 1895 there were five fire brigades operating in Bendigo using the tower at the Camp Hill State School on the hill adjacent to Rosalind Park used as a look out.
This method of fire control continued until the introduction of the Fire Brigades Act (1899) when the various services were amalgamated and a new building constructed on View Street to house them. This housed the newly formed ‘Bendigo Fire Brigade’ and was a fine modern building with many innovative features including automatic opening bolts on the front doors. The new fire station was constructed on land already used by one of the earlier fire stations, seen in may early photographs as an gabled roofed timber slab building. The proximity of the look out tower and the location near the apex of a hill may have lead to the selection of the property on View Street for the newly amalgamated fire station.
The new fire station was designed by William Beebe, who was responsible for many prominent Bendigo buildings many of which have characteristic elements indicating their design authorship. Beebe employed a variation of the Arts and Crafts style popular in England and America from the 1870s and manifested in various forms including the Queen Anne revival style, influenced by the work of Richard Norman Shaw.
In 1990 the building was leased by the Bendigo City Council to the Bendigo Regional Arts Program who also lease the adjacent former Masonic Hall.FORMER BENDIGO FIRE STATION - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
(Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under
Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)
INTERIOR DECORATIVE SCHEMES
Interior painting to walls and ceilings in all areas, provided the preparation
work does not remove evidence of the building's original paint or other
decorative scheme.
Removal or installation of flexible floor coverings such as carpets and
linoleum.
Installation of curtain tracks, rods, blinds and other window dressings.
REFURBISHMENT OF TOILETS AND KITCHENS
Refurbishment of toilet and kitchens including removal of existing sanitary
fixtures and associated piping, mirrors and wall and floor coverings, and
installation of new fixtures and wall and flor coverings.
Removal of existing kitchen benches and fixtures and floor coverings and
installation of new kitchen benches and fixtures including associated plumbing
and wiring.
RE-WIRING
Re-wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed and any original
light switches, pull cords or GPOs are retained in situ.
HANGING OF PAINTINGS, MIRRORS AND OTHER WALL MOUNTED ART WORK
Installation of hooks, nails and other devices for the hanging of paintings,
mirrors and other wall mounted works of art.
INSTALLATION OF INSULATION
Installation of bulk insulation in the ceiling space.
INSTALLATION OF SMOKE DETECTORS
Installation of smoke detectors.
INSTALLATION OF DAMP PROOF COURSES
Installation of damp -proofing by a method approved by Heritage Victoria.
THEATRICAL INSTALLATIONS
Temporary installation of theatrical scenery. properties and technical
equipment using the existing theatrical infrastructure provided such
installation does not affect the fabric or fixtures of the building interior.
TEMPORARY SIGNAGE
Temporary installation on the exterior of the building of banners and signage
for events at Bendigo Regional Arts Centre provided such installation does not
irreversibly affect the building fabric.
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