Harvey, Annette P.

University of Queensland eSpace

Queensland State Archives Building
by ANNETTE P. HARVEY, B.A.
One of the principal reasons for the late start which Queens-
land made in organising and arranging its Colonial and State
Archives was the want of a suitable building for housing the
documentary materials of its history. It was not until November
1959 that the Queensland State Archives was established, and
at that stage the accommodation available for records storage
was one room only (less than 2000 square feet in area) in
the building which was originally erected as the Commissariat
Store, and which ranks with the former Windmill (now the
Observatory) as the oldest in Brisbane. The "old State Stores
Building", as the former Commissariat Store is still often called, is
in William Street, although it was originally erected to face towards
the Queen's Wharf on the Brisbane River, and, because of the
steep rise from Queen's Wharf to William Street, it was not
until the third storey was added in 1912 that direct access
from the footpath of William Street to the interior of the build-
ing was possible.
In August 1960 certain sections of the State Stores Board
which had been housed in the old State Stores Building removed
to other quarters, leaving the entire ground floor available for
Archives use. On the second floor, however, and in parts of
the first floor, officers employed by certain sections of the State
Irrigation and Water Supply Commission still occupied most of
the office space, and it was not until October 1962 that these
personnel were transferred to other accommodation. A further
year elapsed before the entire building was available for Archives
purposes, for the Public Library had used one room, of about
1800 square feet, for the accommodation of sets of Queensland
country, interstate and overseas newspapers, and these were
not removed from the premises until late in 1963.
Queellslalld Heritage Page Twellty-se\·ell
In August 1964 the Royal Society of Tasmania offered to
donate to the Queensland State Archives certain old plans of
buildings which constituted the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement.
These old plans (54 in number) had been held by the Royal
Society in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, for
a number of years, and information was not available as to how
they had reached that institution. The offer to donate this
material was accepted enthusiastically, and since they reached
the Archives they have provided us with much useful information
about the lay-out of the convict settlement, and the structural
details of its buildings. Most of them were drawn in 1837 and
1838 by one George Browne, who sometimes signed himself
George Browne junior. For the most part, they are plans of
buildings which were already erected at the time the plans
were drawn. In other words, Browne's work was that of a
building surveyor, rather than that of an architect. We are at
present trying to discover more about Browne, and have had
some assistance from the staff of the Mitchell Library in Sydney.
They are not works of art, nor are they outstanding as examples
of draftsmanship, but they give useful and detailed information
which is often so difficult to secure about buildings which have
now been demolished. The only building of all those represented
amongst these 54 plans that has not now been demolished (or
so severely remodelled as to make the original fabric unrecog-
nisable) is the Commissariat Store, now the State Archives
building. Parts of some of the plans, elevations and sections of
this building are reproduced to illustrate this article.
he states that the roof of the Commissariat Store was badly
constructed. It was composed almost entirely of blue gum and
shingled with iron bark. '
The original beams supporting the first storey are still in
position. Each thirty foot bearer is approximately 12" by 12"
and has been hewn with a tool such as an adze or a broad-axe:
Hand-made nails are still in evidence in the flooring.
Various publications have stated that the building was used
as a place of correction or detention in the later convict period.
However, no positive evidence to substantiate this is available.
From what little evidence we have, it seems clear that the
building was used as a store. On one of the Moreton Bay plans
dated 1838, for instance, information is given as to the use to
which various parts of the first floor were put: the south-
eastern end of the floor was used as an Engineer's Store, and
the north-eastern end as a Clothing Store, with the centre
marked as "Commissariat". This does not, of course, account
for the ground floor, but it would seem unlikely that a building
which would have to provide maximum security against illegal
entry would also provide accommodation for felons many of
whom had been sent to this part of the world because they
had been apprehended for offences against property.
In 1839, the penal settlement at Moreton Bay was closed
down and the felons were withdrawn. In the early 1840s, the
district of Moreton Bay was gradually opened to free settlement.
There is no evidence to suggest that the civilian government
of the district would have required a Commissariat Store, and
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Elevation of the Commissariat Store 1838. 20 feet to the inch
Various sources1 state that the building was begun in the
latter part of 1824. A note on one of the Moreton Bay plans2
reads:-
This building was built in 1829 was Intended for Commst
Store and has been occupied as such . . .
This is the earliest reference we have been able to locate, and
it agrees with the inscription (1829, beneath a royal cypher)
on the river side of the building, still clearly visible to-day.3
Those references are not necessarily inconsistent with the state-
ment that construction was begun late in 1824, for in those
early stages in the establishment of the penal settlement con-
struction would have been started on numerous projects, and
unless the Commissariat Store had been very high indeed in
the list of priorities, it may well have taken four or five years
before construction was completed.
The building and its retaining walls were constructed wholly
by convict labour.4 The walls are of hammer-dressed coarse
freesto~e, and the. corner stones are of Brisbane tuff or porphyry.
Accor~m~ to .K~lgh~,5 some good workmanship is displayed in
the bUlld~ng, mdl~atmg that there were skilled artisans amongst
the convicts. Kmght states, however, that the lieutenant who
was foreman of works in Moreton Bay at the time had little
acquaintance with architecture and partly-erected buildings often
had to be pulled down. As an example of this type of failure,
it is probable that the building served merely as a Colonial
Store. However, evidence on this point is lacking. The first
evidence we have found of its being used for any other purpose
is in May 1856. By that date, an' Immigration Depot had been
established in Brisbane on the city block bounded by Elizabeth,
George, Queen and William Streets (now the site of the Treasury
Building). In order to establish this depot, old buildings erected
as military barracks and a guard house had been converted,
but these had apparently proved inadequate. In a letter dated
29 May 1856,6 a reference is made to the fact that when the
Immigration Depot was full, some of the immigrants were lodged
in the old Commissariat Store. The letter goes on to state,
with reference to the Commissariat Store:-
This building is situate in a deep excavation on the river
bank, and has never been fitted up as a Depot. The windows
have neither sashes nor shutters, being merely the usual
grated store-windows - there are no conveniences for
cooking eating or washing - the privies, roughly built
of slabs and undrained, are not even sufficient for the
purposes of decency - and the whole place is totally
unfit for human habitation.
New Immigration Barracks were completed in October 1857,
on the same site as the old military barracks and guard house
Page Twenty-eight Queensland Heritage
Plan of the ground floor of the Commissariat Store 1838. 20 feet
to the inch
20 feet toPlan of the first floor of the Commissariat Store 1838.
the inch
discover the exact date, either of its first being used as such,
or of its ceasing to be so used.
There is a report on the Immigration Depot12 dated 24 Jan
1884, and the building referred to is definitely the old Com-
missariat Store. A letter dated 21 Jan 188613 seems to refer
to the fact that the Colonial Stores used the building at that
time. A map published in 188414 shows that the Immigration
Depot occupied the land where the old Commissariat Store
stood, but in smaller print at the edge of the same site the
word "Stores" appears on this map. At this period, there was
a cottage at the southern corner of the site, and this cottage,
in a letter dated 16 Jul 1886,15 is referred to as the Storeman's
cottage. The cottage was later removed to vacant land (the
"Museum Reserve") between what is now the Public Library
and the old Commissariat Store, to make way for the erection
of a brick wing, forming a right angle with the original stone
structure. This brick wing was at first of one storey only. It
extends from the original stone structure right to the boundary
of the site on the Queen's Wharf Road side. On the opposite
side of this Queen's Wharf Road frontage (i.e. on the western
corner of the site) there stood some stables. In a fire which
occurred on 9 Aug 188816 these stables and another shed were
destroyed, but the main building was untouched. In October
1888 a request was made that a fireproof strongroom be built
in order to provide safe accommodation for the books and
records of the Stores. Tenders were called for the construction
of this safe on 23 Jan 1889.17 It is still in existence.
The original stone retaining wall can still be seen, but it
was not extended to the full height of the William Street foot-
path. Therefore, in March 1890, a contract for £531/14/6 was let
for the construction of a concrete retaining walP8 In May
1890, the Colonial Architect reported that the pitch of the
roof was too flat to keep the water out.19 He recommended that
the roof be reconstructed, and this work was completed by the
beginning of June of that year.20 It has often been stated that
the original roof is still on the building, but the references
given above show that this is not so. Many articles of furniture
and some fixtures were washed away from the Stores building
in the floods of 1893.21
The original stone building is set about 15 feet out from
the stone and concrete retaining wall, and up to 1895 this space
had been the site of the saddlery.22 However, this shed was
considered unsuitable, and in 1895 it was demolished, and a new
wooden building erected in its place.23 At the time of writing
(April 1965) this 1895 building, thoroughly infested with ter-
mites, has at last been demolished, and the foundations of the
original saddlery can once more be seen.
A second storey was added to the brick wing of the building
in 1900. On 27 November of that year it was reported24 that
this work was completed. Access to the main building from
the upper floor of the brick wing was gained by converting a
window of the original structure into a door.
I
1
I
,'J I,
,,'
It has proved impossible, so far, for us to discover the exact
date when the building was used as the Immigration Depot (as
distinct from a mere overflow depot). We believe that it was
so used for a decade, or perhaps two decades, and we know
that the new Immigration Depot was constructed at Kangaroo
Point in the late 1880s, the building (called Yungaba, and still
in use for this purpose to-day) apparently being ready for
occupation in October or November, 1887.11 All of the evidence
points to the old Commissariat Store having been used as the
Immigration Depot in the 1870s and up to the end of 1887,
but, despite a careful search of government records, we cannot
mentioned above, and there was therefore no further need for
the old Commissariat Store to serve as an overflow immigration
depot. The Government Resident suggested7 therefore, in a letter
to the Clerk of Works, that the building, together with the Gov-
ernment Wharf in front of it, should be let as a store. We have
not located any evidence to show that this suggestion was
acted upon.
There are certain references dated 1859 and 1860 which
suggest that the building was used as a lock-up and a police
barracks in this period, and it is probably from this particular
use of the building that some historians have gained the im-
pression that it served as a penitentiary or prison in the convict
era. Just prior to 1860, a specification was prepared8 showing
what work would be required in improving the quarters for the
constabulary at the Commissariat Stores. On 22 Feb 1860, a
report was prepared9 giving an estimate of alterations necessary
to convert the building into a lock-up.
Neverth~less, throughout the 1860s, the building, when referred
to at all, is called the Commissariat Store, the Colonial Store
or the Government Store. In the "Bread or Blood" Riots in
September 1866 the door of the building was partly broken
in with stones, though no entrance was effected. In the reference
we have10 to this incident, the building is called the Government
Store.
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Queenslund Herirag(' Page Twenty-ninc
Section of the Commissariat Store at the line A B (as shown on plan of ground floor) 1838. 10 feet to the inch
The building was still not sufficiently large, however. It was
decided, therefore, to erect an additional storey on to the main
stone structure. Tenders were called25 on 8 Aug 1912. A minute
of the Executive Council dated 4 Oct 191226 states that the
Governor-in-Council had accepted the tender of W. Kitchen for
the work, which also included some fencing. The price was
£2057. Eight new timber pillars were needed27 to support the
weight of the first floor whilst the additional storey was being
erected. The beams supporting that floor had begun to sag, but
must have been considered sound enough, tor they were not
replaced. The original beams, supported by the pillars added in
1913, can still be seen.
A letter dated 9 Sep 1909 states28 that there were two goods
lifts in the building and that both of these were "hand hoists
worked by a rope of hemp upon a groove pulley which works
a worm gear of about two to one proportion". A tender dated
17 Aug 191429 submitted by Norman Bell and Co. for the
installation of an electric goods lift was accepted. The price
was £276. This goods lift is still in operation. Although elec-
tricity was installed for the lift, gas lighting was still in use.
A request for electric lights was refused in 1924 owing to
financial stringency.30 In 1926 electric lighting was installed on
the lower floors. 31
REFERENCES
1. J. 1. Knight, In the early days (Brisbane, 1895). pp. 23. 51.
The Brisbane centenary official historical souvenir, Watson, Ferguson
& Co. (Brisbane, 1924), p. 31.
Gordon Greenwood and John Laverty, Brisbane, 1859-/959: a
history of local government (Brisbane, 1959) p. 26.
2. Plan and section of the Commissariat Stores, Moreton Bay, no. 18.
3. See Buildings in Queensland, published . . . by the State Chapter
of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Brisbane. 1959) p. 1.
4. Plan and section of the Commissariat Stores, Moreton Bay, no. 18.
5. op. cit. p. 23.
6. Q.S.A. WOK/G 1. p. 8. no. 9.
7. ibid. p. 13, no. 13.
8. Q.S.A. ARC/3.
9. Q.S.A. WOK/G 1, p. 6.
10. Brisbane Courier, 12 Sep 1866, p. 2.
11: Q.S.A. WOR/A282. Colonial Architect to Under Secretary for
Works. 6 Jan 1888.
12. Q.S.A. Colonial Secretary's Office in-letter 1529 of 1884 (COL/A383).
13. Q.S.A. Colonial Secretary's Office in-letter 557 of 1886.
14. Map of the city of Brisbane, compiled by R. H. Lawson, at a scale
of 5 chains to the inch. (Survey Office. Brisbane, 1884).
15. Q.S.A. Colonial Secretary's Office in-letter 1319 of 1886 (COL/A456).
16. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 2192 of 1888 (WOR/A334).
17. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 329 of ] 889 (WOR/A334).
18. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 558 of 1890 (WOR/A334).
19. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 1997 of 1890 (WOR/A334).
20. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 2425 of 1890 (WOR/A334).
21. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 830 of 1893 (WOR/A334).
22. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 3985 of 1895 (WOR/A644).
23. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 4239 of 1895 (WOR/A644).
24. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 8690 of 1900 (WOR/A644).
25. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 9894 of 1912 (WOR/AI] 04).
26. ibid.
27. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 556 of 1913 (WOR/AII04).
28. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 6762 of ]909 (WOR/ A644).
29. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 9720 of ] 914 (WOR/All04).
30. Q.S.A. Works Department in-Jetter 20577 of 1924 (WOR/AI104).
31. Q.S.A. Works Department in-letter 6949 of 1926 (WOR/A1l82).
Page Thirty Queensland Heritage


Queensland State Archives Building

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