Maribyrnong Field Artillery Depot
Maribyrnong, MARIBYRNONG CITY
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Statement of Significance
FORMER ROYAL AUSTRALIAN FIELD ARTILLERY BARRACKS
PART OF FORMER ORDNANCE FACTORY, WESTS ROAD MARIBYRNONG and ORDNANCE RESERVE MARIBYRNONG and WATERFORD AVENUE MARIBYRNONG
VHR Number H1098
File Number 607135
Other Names ORDNANCE FACTORY|RAFA BARRACKS
Year Construction Started 1911
Municipality Maribyrnong City
Municipality 2 Maribyrnong City
Municipality 3 Maribyrnong City
Municipality 4 Maribyrnong City
Extent of Registration
1. All of the buildings known as the former Royal Australian Field Artillery Barracks being two Barracks Blocks (B1 and B2), Kitchen (B3), Quartermaster's Store (B4), Gymnasium (B5), Orderly Room (B6), Guard House (B7), two Stable Blocks (B8 and B9), Gun Shed (B10), Commandant's House (B14), Commandant's House and Captain's Quarters outbuildings (B15), Captain's Quarters (B16), Single Officer's Quarters (B17) and Single Officer's Quarters outbuilding (B18) marked on Diagram H1098 held by the Executive Director. (Note: The Forge and Farriery (B11), Saddler's and Wheeler's Workshop (B12) and the Pharmacy and Sick Boxes (B13) were demolished in 1995.)
2. All of the land within a rectangle formed by the property boundary along Wests Road, a line perpendicular to Wests Road passing 5 metres to the north of the former stables building (B9), a line parallel to Wests Road passing 5 metres west of the former stables building (B9), and a line perpendicular to Wests Road passing 5 metres south of the former Quartermaster's Store (B4) marked L1 on Plan H1098 held by the Executive Director, being part of Lot 1 on Title Plan 3724C, part of Crown Allotment 9, Section 20, Parish of Cut Paw Paw more particularly described in Certificate of Title Volume 10054 Folio 847.
3. All of the land marked L2 on Plan H1098 held by the Executive Director, being Lots 1-3 inclusive described in Plan of Subdivision PS431085K and part of the Ordnance Reserve.
Other Listings 1 Maribyrnong City Planning Scheme
Architect/Designer Murdoch, John Smith
Architectural Style Federation/Edwardian Period (1902-c.1918) Arts and Crafts
Heritage Act Categories Heritage place
Item Group Item Category
Manufacturing and Processing Munitions/ Explosives Manufacture
Military Barracks & housing
Ordnance Store
Stables
Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The buildings that comprise the former Royal Australian Field Artillery (RAFA) Barracks of 1911 are red brick with either slate or corrugated iron roofs grouped around the former parade ground. The accommodation buildings are on the western side of the parade ground with the administration buildings to the east and the stables, gun shed and service buildings to the north. Further north are separate residences for the Commandant, Captain and Single Officers constructed in 1913. There is a consistent architecture throughout the RAFA Barracks which is an eclectic blend of elements of the Federation Free Classical and Arts and Crafts styles favoured by Commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch (1862 -1945).
How is it significant?
The former RAFA Barracks is historically, architecturally and socially significant to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The former RAFA Barracks buildings form an important, architecturally cohesive complex of early Commonwealth military buildings associated with a field artillery battery. The layout of the complex with the accommodation buildings on the western side of the former parade ground, the administration buildings to the east and the stables, gun shed and service buildings to the north, and distinctly separate quarters for the commanding officers reflects its military function.
The former Royal Australian Field Artillery Barracks is historically significant as the only field artillery depot in Victoria remaining from the pre-World War One era and as a rare example of a site which demonstrates the relationship between soldiers, horses and guns. It is also historically important for its use as a First World War training depot.
The architectural design of the RAFA Barracks buildings is significant as the work of the distinguished Commonwealth architect John Smith Murdoch whose nationally important works include Provisional Parliament House and Yarralumla Canberra, HMAS Cerberus Crib Point, RAAF Point Cook and the former High Court, 450 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. The three Arts and Crafts Bungalow style houses for the commanding officers were some of the earliest Commonwealth Government houses by Murdoch designed in a Garden Suburb manner. They were the earliest domestic designs by Murdoch in Victoria and were the forerunner to the Garden Suburb designs of many other houses by Murdoch in Australia.
The RAFA Barracks is of interest as a good example of a complex of buildings which have been adapted with minimal alteration from one significant use as a military barracks to another as administration and process buildings in a nationally important munitions factory.
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Maribyrnong Field Artillery Depot - Physical Description 1
Comprises Pre World War 1 field artillery barracks and interwar munitions factory.
Former field artillery barracks in brick.Maribyrnong Field Artillery Depot - Historical Australian Themes
Providing administrative structures and authorities - defence
Maribyrnong Field Artillery Depot - Usage/Former Usage
Some original buildings remain
Veterans Description for Public
Maribyrnong Field Artillery Depot - Veterans Description for Public
The Maribyrnong Field Artillery depot comprises of pre -First World War field artillery barracks and interwar munitions factory. It was built between 1911-12, for the Royal Australian Field Artillery battery (formerly quartered at Victoria Barracks), on an area of 104 acres near the Cordite Avenue factory. Eventually this land and the artillery buildings became part of the Ordnance Factory Maribyrnong and many of the original buildings still remain.
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PIPE MAKERS PARK COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H1503
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FORMER ROYAL AUSTRALIAN FIELD ARTILLERY BARRACKSVictorian Heritage Register H1098
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MARIBYRNONG TRAM SUBSTATIONVictorian Heritage Register H2321
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'NORWAY'Boroondara City
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1 Mitchell StreetYarra City
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