Former Crown Land Office, 4 Napier Street, ST ARNAUD
4 Napier Street ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
The Tourist Information Centre, 4 Napier Street, St. Arnaud, is a substantially intact example of a former CrownLand Office building and is in good condition. This building was constructed in 1876-77, and symbolises the important role of land settlement in the St. Arnaud area after the Land Act was passed in 1869. It also has significance as being one of an unusual grouping of former government and civic 19th and early 20th century buildings in a predominantly Victorian town, of which many (including this building) are visually linked to the Queen Mary gardens.
The Tourist Information Centre (former Crown Land Office) building is architecturally significant at a STATE level. It demonstrates original design qualities of a rudimentary Victorian Italianate style. These qualities include the hipped roof form that traverses the site, together with a gable roof form and a side hipped verandah porch that both project towards the street frontage. Other intact qualities include the unpainted brick wall construction, slate roof, unpainted brick chimneys with corbelled tops, modest eaves, window arches, oculus ventilator, bevelled timber bargeboards, timber framed double casement windows (with fanlights above), unpainted stone plinth and the decorative features (yellow brick voussoirs, stringcoursing and architraves). The treed and lawned landscape and open spaces to the side of the building also contribute to its significance.
The Tourist Information Centre (former Crown Land Office) building is historically significant at a STATE level. It is associated with land settlement in the St. Arnaud area from 1877, resulting from the passing of the Land Act in 1869. It is also associated with the 19th century architectural branch of the Victorian Public Works Department and the Clerk of Works, John Moore.
Overall, the Tourist Information Centre (former Crown Land Office) building is of STATE significance.
-
-
Former Crown Land Office, 4 Napier Street, ST ARNAUD - Physical Description 1
The former Land Office building, now Tourist Information Centreat 4 Napier Street, St. Arnaud, has a front setback of approximately 3 metres. The building is surrounded by an open landscape of trees and lawns, with a gravel driveway along one side. The former Land Office forms part of an unusual grouping of government and civic buildings in a Victorian town. The inter-relationship of the components of the group is dependent on their common relationship to the Queen Mary gardens.
The single storey, unpainted red brick, rudimentary Victorian Italianate styled building is characterised by a hipped roof form that traverses the site, together with a gable roof form and a side hipped verandah porch that both project towards the street frontage. These roof forms are clad in slate. Two unpainted brick chimneys with corbelled tops adorn the roofline. Modest overhangs are a feature of the eaves.
The projecting gable is a particular feature of the design. It is characterised by the double arched windows, oculus ventilator and bevelled timber bargeboards. Other decorative features of the design include the yellow brick voussoirs about the arched windows, yellow brick stringcoursing, and yellow brick window architraves. The timber framed double casement windows (with fanlights above) are early, as is the unpainted stone plinth.
The interior ceiling and walls are plastered. There is a small opening in the one wall which allows for conversational intercourse between the Drawing Room and the District Surveyor's Room on the one side, and the Chief Clerks room and Inquiry Room on the other side. There is a central hall which has a semi-circular arch with moulded brackets.
Heritage Study and Grading
Northern Grampians - Shire of Northern Grampians - Stage 2 Heritage Study
Author: Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe, Phil Taylor
Year: 2004
Grading: State
-
-
-
-
-
CROWN LAND OFFICEVictorian Heritage Register H1530
-
ST ARNAUD RAILWAY STATIONVictorian Heritage Register H1594
-
LORD NELSON TAILINGS DUMPVictorian Heritage Inventory
-
-