THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

March 2017

Historic Houses Trust of NSW, incorporating Sydney Living Museums, cares for significant historic places, buildings, landscapes and collections. It is a statutory authority of, and principally funded by, the New South Wales State Government. Report Register The following report register documents the development and issue of the report entitled The Mint—Conservation Managment Plan—Volume 1: The Report undertaken by GML Heritage Pty Ltd in accordance with its quality management system.

Job No. Issue No. Notes/Description Issue Date 16-0272 1 Draft Report November 2016 16-0272 2 Revised Draft Report December 2016 16-0272 3 Final Report February 2017 16-0272 4 Revised Final Report March 2017

Quality Assurance GML Heritage Pty Ltd operates under a quality management system which has been certified as complying with the Australian/New Zealand Standard for quality management systems AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008. The report has been reviewed and approved for issue in accordance with the GML quality assurance policy and procedures.

Project Manager Catherine Forbes Project Director: Sharon Veale Issue No. 4 Issue No. 4 Signature: Signature:

Position: Associate Position: Chief Executive Date: 3 March 2017 Date 3 March 2017

Copyright Historical sources and reference material used in the preparation of this report are acknowledged and referenced at the end of each section and/or in figure captions. Reasonable effort has been made to identify, contact, acknowledge and obtain permission to use material from the relevant copyright owners. Unless otherwise specified or agreed, copyright in this report vests in GML Heritage Pty Ltd (‘GML’) and in the owners of any pre-existing historic source or reference material. Moral Rights GML asserts its Moral Rights in this work, unless otherwise acknowledged, in accordance with the (Commonwealth) Copyright (Moral Rights) Amendment Act 2000. GML’s moral rights include the attribution of authorship, the right not to have the work falsely attributed and the right to integrity of authorship. Right to Use GML grants to the client for this project (and the client’s successors in title) an irrevocable royalty-free right to reproduce or use the material from this report, except where such use infringes the copyright and/or Moral Rights of GML or third parties. THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...... i Summary Statement of Significance ...... i Document Structure ...... ii

1.0 Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Project Background ...... 1 1.2 Definition of the Site ...... 1 1.3 Study Area Boundary ...... 1 1.3.1 Heritage Listings ...... 4 1.4 Methodology ...... 5 1.5 Limitations of the Study ...... 5 1.6 Key Reference Material ...... 6 1.6.1 Authorship ...... 7 1.6.2 Acknowledgements ...... 7 1.7 Endnotes ...... 8

2.0 History of the Place ...... 9 2.1 Introduction ...... 9 2.2 General Hospital to Sydney Infirmary & Dispensary ...... 9 2.2.1 ‘Sidney Slaughter House’: Rum Hospital south wing, 1811–1842 ...... 9 2.2.2 For the poor emigrant: Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary, 1842-1848 ...... 22 2.3 The Royal Mint ...... 28 2.3.1 An Economical Conversion: The Mint, 1854–1893 ...... 28 2.3.2 A Complete Renovation: The Mint Refurbished, 1893–1897 ...... 45 2.3.3 Grand Plans for Macquarie Street, 1859–1909 ...... 48 2.3.4 Not Worth its Weight? The Mint in Decline, 1900–1927 ...... 50 2.4 A Temporary Solution: Law Courts and Government Offices, 1927–1980 ...... 51 2.5 Restoration, Archaeology and Adaptive Reuse...... 56 2.5.1 Partial Restoration, Archaeology and the Mint Museum 1980–1997 ...... 56 2.5.2 A New Headquarters for the Historic Houses Trust, 1997–2004 ...... 58 2.5.3 Connecting the Past and the Present: A Novel Approach ...... 59 2.5.4 Developing a Dialogue: Design, Investigation, Adaptation and Renovation ...... 59 2.5.5 Establishing a CBD Landmark ...... 61 2.6 Becoming Sydney Living Museums ...... 62 2.7 Phases of Development—Summary Diagrams ...... 63

3.0 The Mint Today—Physical Analysis ...... 66 3.1 Site Investigations ...... 66 3.2 Site Description ...... 66 3.2.1 Composition and Layout of the Site—Building Complex ...... 66 3.2.2 Boundary Walls ...... 68 3.2.3 Landscape Setting ...... 70

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3.3 Urban Context ...... 71 3.3.1 Macquarie Street (Eastern Precinct) ...... 71 3.3.2 Hospital Road and The Domain ...... 72 3.3.3 Hyde Park Barracks and St James Church ...... 74 3.3.4 Sydney Hospital ...... 75 3.3.5 Significant Views ...... 76 3.4 Building Plans ...... 80 3.5 The Former Rum Hospital Building ...... 82 3.5.1 Architectural Style and Features ...... 82 3.5.2 Internal Layout ...... 83 3.5.3 Construction ...... 84 3.5.4 Spaces ...... 87 3.5.5 Finishes ...... 88 3.5.6 Ground Floor Spaces ...... 89 3.5.7 First Floor Spaces ...... 98 3.6 The Royal Mint Factory Buildings ...... 105 3.6.1 Architectural Character and Layout of Factory Buildings ...... 106 3.6.2 Construction, Finishes and Features of Factory Buildings...... 106 3.6.3 Former Mint Superintendent’s Office (Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre) ...... 107 3.6.4 Former Coining Room (SLM General Office) ...... 110 3.6.5 Former Engine Room (SLM Reception and Offices) ...... 113 3.6.6 South Wing—Former Workshops and Former Deputy Mint Superintendent’s Library (SLM Directorate Offices and Dorothea Mackellar Room) ...... 114 3.6.7 Former Coal Store (Store and Offices) ...... 117 3.7 New Buildings ...... 119 3.7.1 Form, Construction and Layout ...... 119 3.7.2 Connections between Old and New ...... 120 3.7.3 Public Entrance and Foyer ...... 120 3.7.4 Auditorium and Library Storage ...... 121 3.7.5 Auditorium Services ...... 123 3.7.6 Eastern Offices and Stair ...... 124 3.8 Gatehouse ...... 125 3.9 Weatherboard Sheds ...... 128 3.10 Archaeology ...... 128 3.11 Movable Heritage ...... 132 3.11.1 Building Artefacts ...... 132 3.11.2 Archaeological Artefacts ...... 132 3.11.3 Machinery from the Royal Mint ...... 132 3.11.4 Social History...... 133 3.11.5 Archival Records ...... 133 3.11.6 Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection ...... 133 3.12 Site Interpretation ...... 134 3.13 Endnotes ...... 135

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4.0 Heritage Significance ...... 136 4.1 Background ...... 136 4.2 Discussion of Significance ...... 136 4.2.1 Historic Significance...... 136 4.2.2 Aesthetic Significance...... 140 4.2.3 Social Significance ...... 142 4.2.4 Technological and Research Significance ...... 143 4.3 National Heritage Significance ...... 145 4.4 State Heritage Significance ...... 147 4.5 Local Heritage Significance...... 152 4.6 Comparative Analysis ...... 155 4.6.1 Introduction ...... 155 4.6.2 Australian Heritage Sites Incorporating Contemporary Architecture/Adaptive Re-use ...... 155 4.6.3 Australian Mint Buildings ...... 157 4.6.4 Colonial Military Barracks/Hospital Buildings ...... 159 4.6.5 Military/Colonial Government Compounds ...... 162 4.7 State Historical Themes ...... 163 4.8 Revised Summary Statement of Significance ...... 165 4.9 Gradings of Significance ...... 167 4.9.1 Significance Grading of Structures ...... 168 4.9.2 Significance Grading of External Spaces ...... 169 4.9.3 Significance Grading of Internal Spaces ...... 169 4.10 Endnotes ...... 172

5.0 Constraints, Issues and Opportunities ...... 173 5.1 Background ...... 173 5.2 Constraints Arising from Significance ...... 173 5.3 Statutory Listings ...... 173 5.3.1 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 ...... 174 5.3.2 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 ...... 176 5.3.3 The Heritage Act 1977 ...... 177 5.3.4 Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 ...... 179 5.3.5 Historic Houses Act 1980 ...... 184 5.3.6 Non-Statutory Listings ...... 185 5.3.7 Macquarie Street East Strategic Framework ...... 186 5.4 Sydney Living Museums Management ...... 187 5.4.1 SLM Business Plan 2015–2016 ...... 187 5.4.2 Story of Sydney ...... 188 5.5 Curtilage and Setting ...... 188 5.6 Current Use of the Site ...... 190 5.6.1 Constraints on Use ...... 191 5.6.2 Issues relating to Current Use ...... 192 5.6.3 Use related Opportunities ...... 193

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5.7 Integrity and Authenticity ...... 194 5.7.1 Rum Hospital ...... 194 5.7.2 Royal Mint Factory Buildings ...... 195 5.7.3 Gatehouse ...... 195 5.7.4 Archaeology ...... 196 5.8 Potential for Change ...... 196 5.8.1 SLM Office Fitout ...... 196 5.8.2 Lift Access ...... 196 5.8.3 Public Toilets ...... 198 5.8.4 New Buildings on The Mint Site ...... 198 5.8.5 New Buildings to the East of the Study Area ...... 198 5.8.6 New Uses for The Mint Site ...... 199 5.9 Interpretation and Public Engagement ...... 200 5.9.1 On-site interpretation ...... 200 5.9.2 Untold Stories ...... 201 5.9.3 Offsite Interpretation ...... 202 5.10 Condition...... 202 5.10.1 Generally ...... 202 5.10.2 Leaking Roof ...... 202 5.10.3 Rising Damp ...... 203 5.10.4 Verandah Columns ...... 203 5.11 Maintenance ...... 203 5.12 Sustainability ...... 203 5.12.1 Re-use and Retention of Fabric ...... 204 5.12.2 Ventilation, Heating and Light ...... 204 5.13 Hazards and Risks ...... 205 5.13.1 Fire ...... 205 5.13.2 Leaks ...... 205 5.13.3 Storms ...... 205 5.13.4 Earthquake ...... 205 5.13.5 Public Protests ...... 206 5.14 Endnotes ...... 206

6.0 Conservation Policies ...... 207 6.1 Introduction ...... 207 6.2 Conservation Principles ...... 207 6.3 General Policies ...... 208 6.3.1 Basis of Approach ...... 208 6.3.2 Adoption and Review of Policies...... 210 6.3.3 Managing Change...... 211 6.3.4 Conservation Advice ...... 211 6.3.5 Contents, Documents and Research ...... 212 6.3.6 Future Use of the Place ...... 214

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6.3.7 Public Access ...... 216 6.3.8 Existing and New Fabric and Spaces ...... 216 6.3.9 The Urban Context ...... 218 6.3.10 The Setting and Views ...... 219 6.3.11 Subsurface Remains and Archaeology ...... 219 6.3.12 Interpretation ...... 221 6.3.13 Review of Heritage Listings...... 222 6.4 Policies for Specific Elements ...... 223 6.4.1 Compound Walls ...... 223 6.4.2 Site Configuration ...... 224 6.4.3 The Rum Hospital Building ...... 225 6.4.4 The Royal Mint Factory Buildings ...... 231 6.4.5 The Gatehouse ...... 238 6.4.6 New (2004) Buildings ...... 239 6.5 Other General Policies ...... 242 6.5.1 Sustainability ...... 242 6.5.2 Maintenance ...... 242 6.5.3 Disaster Risk Management ...... 243 6.6 Endnotes ...... 243

7.0 Implementation Plan ...... 244 7.1 Implementing Conservation Policies at The Mint ...... 244

8.0 Appendices ...... 247 Appendix A Current State Heritage Register Curtilage for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks Appendix B Historical Chronology of The Mint Site, Prepared by Fiona Starr and Elisha Long

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The Mint—Conservation Management Plan, March 2017 THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Executive Summary

This Conservation Management Plan (CMP) has been prepared to provide a framework for the care and management of The Mint. It centres on providing an up to date and usable document for Sydney Living Museums and the site’s managers to ensure conservation of the place into the future.

This CMP establishes the significance of the place based on historical and documentary evidence and an analysis of its physical attributes. It plays the valuable role of aggregating information and research that has previously existed within the various reports and studies that have been conducted throughout the site’s history.

Summary Statement of Significance

This summary statement of significance encapsulates the various heritage assessments undertaken for the Mint, providing a summary overview of its diverse heritage values.

The Mint has been assessed as being of outstanding cultural significance to the state of New South Wales for its association with the formative phases of NSW history, including the development of the colony under Governor Macquarie and its increasing wealth and status as it moved towards independence from the mid to late nineteenth century.

First established as a direct response to the harshness of the convict regime, the site stands as witness to a violent colonial history of discipline, punishment and incarceration, closely linking it to Hyde Park Barracks and the group of Australian UNESCO World Heritage listed convict sites. Along with Hyde Park Barracks, the Rum Hospital complex, pat of which occupies the site, formed part of an administrative and institutional hub for the penal colony of NSW in its expansion and consolidation years under Lachlan Macquarie. As one of the earliest efforts to provide healthcare and medical attention for the poor, the site has gone on to play a part in the development and rollout of numerous Government initiatives including accessible quality healthcare, social welfare programs and the distribution of housing. Over its 200 years of public use the site has played host to thousands of people who throughout the phases of its development have lived, worked, trained and convalesced onsite, exhibiting a diversity of use and associations which add to its social value.

The Rum Hospital Building has exceptional significance as part of Governor Macquarie’s grand design for the colony in the 1810s. In its form and detailing the building reflects both the vision of Governor Macquarie for the character of the new colony and the variety of architectural influences available to the new colony. The Rum Hospital Building contains highly significant interiors that feature very high quality nineteenth century finishes, reflecting the significance of the building and its function as the public face of the Royal Mint, a place of substantial importance within the colony, and arguably the British Empire. As one of the oldest surviving colonial buildings in central Sydney

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the Rum Hospital building provides important and rare evidence of building forms and techniques from the convict period of Sydney's history.

The site provides important evidence of early architecture and building techniques from both the early colonial period and mid to late nineteenth century and demonstrates the adaptation and use in Australia of architectural forms from late eighteenth century.

The Royal Mint’s role as a coining factory and gold processing site held important implications for the economic and commercial development of NSW, as well as for the colony’s perception of its own value, identity and role within the empire. Both the main building and remains of the coining factory structures are exceptionally significant as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside London and reflect the importance and wealth of the colony in the mid nineteenth century as it moved towards independence. The coining factory buildings also provide uncommon evidence within the city centre of a manufacturing activity from the mid nineteenth century, as well as providing early examples of the use of cast iron as a structural material.

The site, and the main Rum Hospital building in particular, is a major and enduring element in the streetscape of Macquarie Street Precinct and has important visual and symbolic relationships with adjacent public buildings. As a host to multiple NSW Government agencies and departments over its 200 years of establishment, The Mint is closely associated with government administration and operations both directly and indirectly.

The architectural qualities of the site, both contemporary and historic, constitute a considerable creative achievement and make a rare and valuable contribution to the cultural life of the state. The pursuit of both architectural and conservation excellence by the Historic Houses Trust (now Sydney Living Museums) and the efforts made to reveal and understand the multiple layers of significance and meaning at the site have secured the importance of the place within the urban fabric of Sydney.

Document Structure

1.0 Introduction—this section provides the background, context and methodology for the report.

2.0 History of the Place—this section discusses the history of the place from convict hosptial, to Royal Mint, to government offices, to museum and then to use as the head office of Sydney Living Museums. It reviews the documentary evidence and establishes the historic significance of the place.

3.0 The Mint Today—Physical Analysis—this section provides a detailed description of the place, its configuration, fabric and setting, and analysies the surviving physical evidence for the various stages of development on the site.

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4.0 Heritage Significance—this section discusses the historic, aesthetic, social and technological significance of the place, and how it fits within the state and national themes for heritage places in New South Wales and Australia.

5.0 Constraints, Issues and Opportunities—this section identifies the constraints arising from the significance of the place and the statutory controls governing the conservation and development of the site; issues associated with the condition, management and use of the place; and opportunities for interpretation of the place’s significance as well as potential for change.

6.0 Conservation Policies—this section sets out policies for the conservation and management of the place, including management of potential changes to the use and fabric of the place, to ensure that the heritage values of the place are maintained.

7.0 Implementation Plan—this section provides a plan of action for implementation of the policies.

8.0 Appendices include:

Appendix A—Current State Heritage Register Curtilage for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Appendix B—Historical Chronology of The Mint Site, prepared by Fiona Starr and Elisha Long

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The Mint—Conservation Management Plan—Executive Summary, March 2017 iv THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Project Background

GML Heritage Pty Ltd (GML) has been commissioned by Sydney Living Museums (SLM) to prepare an updated Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for The Mint complex (referred to throughout this project as The Mint or the subject site). The preparation of this CMP coincides with the bicentenary of the Rum Hospital, marked by SLM in July 2016.

The Mint is one of Sydney’s preeminent cultural landmarks. The south wing of the former Rum Hospital located at the front of The Mint site, together with the hospital’s north wing (now NSW Parliament House), is one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Sydney. The complex of buildings that have developed on the Mint site have served the NSW public via various public functions for 200 years. Thus, the fabric of the site embodies a rich historic legacy. The Mint’s significance is multifaceted and continually evolving. Since the completion of the large-scale conservation and adaptive re-use project undertaken in 2004, which saw SLM take up custodianship of the site as its new CBD headquarters, The Mint has reasserted its importance within the urban form of the city and in particular the colonial precincts of Macquarie Street and Queens Square.

The previous CMP for the site comprised a working document which was coordinated and produced in house by the Historic Houses Trust (now SLM) and a multidisciplinary team of historians, archaeologists and heritage architects. The document became a successful framework for the analysis and investigations undertaken at the time in parallel with the design processes for The Mint Project. This approach was termed ‘live’ conservation planning by those involved.1 To ensure the ongoing conservation and care of the Mint, this CMP revises and updates the previous CMP with the intention of making it a modern and user friendly document, valuable to all those who make decisions at the site.

1.2 Definition of the Site

The Mint is located at 10 Macquarie Street on the eastern edge of Sydney’s CBD, and atop the prominent ridgeline upon which the street is aligned. The site is adjacent to Hyde Park Barracks to the south, Sydney Hospital to the north and the mid-twentieth century District Court building at the east. Refer to Figures 1.1 and 1.2.

1.3 Study Area Boundary

The study area for this CMP is outlined below in Figure 1.3, and includes the building known as the guard house which adjoins the Hyde Park Barracks boundary wall. This building was not included

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in the previous CMP nor was it altered or added to as part of The Mint Project by FJMT Architects. The District Court building to the rear of the site is excluded from the study.

Figure 1.1 Location plan showing The Mint in relation to the broader Sydney context. (Source: Google Earth Pro with GML overlay)

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Figure 1.2 The Mint Site boundary. (Source: Google Earth Pro with GML overlay)

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Figure 1.3 CMP Study Area boundary. (Source: FJMT with GML overlay)

1.3.1 Heritage Listings

The Mint is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (Item No. 00190), both individually and as part of the group which includes The Mint and Hyde Parks Barracks (same item number). The site was originally listed via a Permanent Conservation Order under the Heritage Act, gazetted in October 1981.

The Mint is listed as a place of local significance on the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012. The site is identified as the Former Royal Mint Building including interior, forecourt, courtyards, cartway, entrance gates, fence and archaeology, and former Police Station building (Item No. 1866).

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The Mint is also listed on the following non-statutory heritage registers:

• Australian Institute of Architects, Register of Significant Buildings in NSW (FJMT in association with Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners 2004)—Register No. 4703539;

• Register of the National Estate (lapsed) place ID 1825; and

• National Trust of Australia (NSW) Register—Item No. 6373.

The site is within the World Heritage Buffer Zone of Hyde Park Barracks.

The following summary Statement of Significance is taken from the 2002 CMP:

Built by Governor Lachlan Macquarie as an expression of the colony's progress—the predominant building in the settlement—part of The Mint survives as Australia's oldest public offices. It has retained these distinctions through 190 years and through numerous changes of uses, adaptations and additions; from General Hospital to courts to Royal Mint to public service offices to museum. Each has had a significant influence on Sydney's social history, but in particular, as the Royal Mint, it signified the wealth and rapid progress, after the discovery of gold, of the newly established state of New South Wales. Its architectural eminence has continued from being the first attempt at classical detailing in the colony to the innovative design of the extraordinary prefabricated assemblies of the coining factory, and it has remained an essential element of the historic streetscape of Sydney.

1.4 Methodology

This CMP has been prepared having regard to the methodology outlined in the NSW Heritage Manual guidelines for the preparation of Conservation Management Plans (as updated July 2002).2 It also follows the approach set out in The Conservation Plan by James Semple Kerr3 and the guidelines of the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, 2013 (the Burra Charter).4 The terminology used in this report is consistent with that used in the Burra Charter.

In preparing this document GML consulted closely with SLM and presented preliminary findings as well as the draft CMP at two project control group meetings where feedback was obtained. SLM also had input into the identification of key opportunities and constraints and the drafting of conservation policies. Due to the complex nature of the site, investigations were guided by qualified SLM staff and the fabric survey of the buildings was undertaken as a ‘walk through’ to gain a general understanding of the site’s development and did not involve detailed investigations of the fabric.

1.5 Limitations of the Study

This CMP is subject to the following limitations:

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• This report is primarily based on existing documentation due to the well documented nature of the site. Only limited new historical research has been undertaken, and the historical outline draws mostly on the information previously published as part of the 2002 CMP, which has been reviewed by SLM.

• There was no formal consultation process to assess community associations with The Mint or social significance.

• There was no formal revision of the current assessment of archaeological potential undertaken as part of the preparation of this CMP. The previous GML Archaeological Sensitivity Plan for the whole site has been included and is referred to in Section 5.0.

• The site description and analysis was prepared following inspection of the buildings and grounds, but without intervention into the building fabric. Visual observation primarily informed this analysis.

• An assessment of aboriginal cultural heritage values associated with the site has not been conducted as part of this CMP, nor has the aboriginal archaeological potential of the site been assessed.

1.6 Key Reference Material

There is a large quantity of background documentation available on The Mint. As noted in the previous CMP, archaeologists, historians, architects, curators, planners and other built environment professionals have analysed the building and its site for over three decades, producing a large body of work currently held in the SLM archives. Many of these reports are referred to throughout the CMP and have been collated in Table 1.1 for ease of reference.

Table 1.1 Key References for The Mint CMP. Reports Reviewed in the Preparation of the Mint CMP

Previous Conservation Plans: • Historic Houses Trust of NSW, The Mint Conservation and Management Plan, Version 4, April 2002 • Meredith Walker and Robert Moore Architects, Royal Mint and Hyde Park Barracks Conservation Guidelines, report prepared for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences—Vols 1, 2 and 3, May 1990

Archaeological Reports: • Godden Mackay Logan Pty Ltd, Mint Head Office Development Project—Archaeological Research Design, June 2001 • Wendy Thorp, Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Mint—Archaeologist’s Report (Final Recommendations), 1980

Architectural Reports/References: • Margaret Betteridge, ‘The Architecture and Ornamentation of the Mint’, report prepared for Historic

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Reports Reviewed in the Preparation of the Mint CMP Houses Trust, September 1983 • Griffin, R 2009 (ed), The Mint Project, Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, Sydney • Starr, F and Allen, C, 2016, ’The Mint site—Building Fabric Outline’

Primary Historical Sources: • Archive of drawings and historic images held by SLM

Secondary Historical Sources: • Starr, F 2015, ‘Rum Hospital/The Mint: A brief history’ • Starr, F 2015, ‘General Hospital & The Mint Curatorial Narrative: Part 1, Rum Hospital & Sydney Infirmary 1811-1854’

Interpretive/Museum References: • Robert Griffin, Interpretation Strategy for the Mint, report prepared for Historic Houses Trust, 2003 • Department of Public Works NSW, Restoration notes—Creating the Mint and Hyde Park Barracks Museum (date unknown).

1.6.1 Authorship

This report has been prepared by Catherine Forbes (GML Associate and Built Heritage Specialist), assisted by Emma McGirr (GML Consultant), Anisa Puri (GML Historian, who authored the additions to the historical overview) and Claire Nunez (GML Associate and Heritage Places Team Manager). Strategic advice and review of the report was provided by Claire Nunez and Sharon Veale (GML CEO).

1.6.2 Acknowledgements

GML gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the following Sydney Living Museums staff in the preparation of this report:

• Dhayani Yogesvaran (Head of Government Relations);

• Oriana Senese (Head of Strategic Projects);

• Ian Innes (Director Heritage & Collections);

• Elisha Long (Head of Heritage); and

• Fiona Starr (Curator).

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1.7 Endnotes

1 Griffin, R (ed), The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, 2009, p 37. 2 NSW Heritage Office 1996, NSW Heritage Manual—Guidelines for the preparation of Conservation Management Plans, Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Sydney. 3 Kerr, JS 2000, The Conservation Plan, fifth edition, National Trust of Australia (NSW), Sydney. 4 Australia ICOMOS Inc, The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 2013, Australia ICOMOS Inc, Burwood VIC.

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2.0 History of the Place

2.1 Introduction

This history combines the historical outline of the Mint 2002 Mint CMP, with additional contributions made by Dr Fiona Starr (SLM) in relation to the Rum Hospital era based on research conducted for the 2016 bicentenary of the hospital,1 and overview site histories provided in visitor guide brochures published by HHT.2 Dr Starr and Megan Martin (SLM) have also updated and corrected the original 2002 CMP text, which was prepared by a team led by Michael Bogle in 2001.3 GML has expanded the history to include changes to the site that have occurred since 2002, in particular the adaptation of the former Coining Factory to create the headquarters for SLM, and subsequent changes within the Rum Hospital building.

2.2 General Hospital to Sydney Infirmary & Dispensary

2.2.1 ‘Sidney Slaughter House’: Rum Hospital south wing, 1811–1842

On his appointment as Governor of New South Wales in 1810, Lachlan Macquarie quickly became aware of the colony’s deficiencies, and saw an urgent need for a new hospital to replace the make- shift, inadequate hospital that had existed since 1788 on the western shore of Sydney Cove. In his first official dispatch to Viscount Castlereagh, British Minister of the Colonies, on 8 March 1810 he stated there was: ‘… an absolute necessity for building a new hospital as soon as possible, the present one being in a most ruinous state, and very unfit for the reception of the sick…’4

Denied the finances for the construction, Macquarie brokered a deal with prominent colonial figures Garnham Blaxcell and Alexander Riley, with Colonial Surgeon D’Arcy Wentworth becoming a later party to the deal. In exchange for building a three-winged General Hospital for convicts, the trio of contractors was granted a three-year monopoly on the importation of 45,000 gallons of rum and spirits. The three-winged hospital, which quickly became known as the ‘Rum Hospital’, was built between 1811 and 1816. It was the first project in what was to become the governor’s ambitious building program, intended to transform Sydney from a penal outpost into a civilised Georgian town. Choosing an area of crown land on ‘Farm Cove Ridge’ high on the eastern side of the town, on a new

1 Starr,F. General Hospital & The Mint Curatorial Narrative, Part 1: Rum Hospital & Sydney Infirmary, 1811-1854, Sydney Living Museums, 2015. 2 Griffin, R. 10 Macquarie Street, A Guide to the Site – The Mint Offices/The Coining Factory, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 2004; M. Martin, Colonial Science & the Sydney Mint, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 2004; The Mint Visitor Guide and Site Plan, Sydney Living Museums, 2016. 3 Starr,F. Augustesen, C. Bogle, M., Cant, E., Quinlisk, M. and Teffer, N., ‘The Royal Mint, Sydney 1853-1926: A survey of Documents Associated with the Mint’, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 2001. 4 Historical Records of Australia (HRA), Series 1, vol 7, p.254.

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street named after himself, Macquarie considered the site: ‘well chosen, being an airy and Elevated Situation… in the Eastern Extremity of the Town, open to the Sea Breeze, and fronting towards Port Jackson’.5

Figure 2.1 Governor Lachlan Figure 2.2 Alexander Riley,1811, Figure 2.3 D'Arcy Wentworth Macquarie, c1805-1824 (Source: (Source: SLNSW, MIN 402) (Source: Vaucluse House SLNSW, ML37) collection, SLM V88/191).

The contract was signed on 6 November 1810 and just over one month later tenders were called for timber and quarried stone.6 By March 1811 work was ready to begin on the erection of the masonry compound wall.7 During a ceremony on 30 October 1811, a procession gathered at the north-west corner of the central hospital building, where the plan and elevation were presented and a lead box containing gold and silver coins was laid below the foundation stone engraved with a medallion.8 Carpenter James Bean, who had emigrated free to the colony in 1799, was appointed supervisor of the construction,9 overseeing the work of the team of skilled tradesmen (including emancipists and Ticket of Leave convicts) and 20 convict labourers assigned by Macquarie. As the construction progressed however, profits from the rum deal fell, impacting on the quality of workmanship. The work was scheduled to be complete by 1814, but construction was delayed by alterations to the design and disputes over breaches of contract, such as the government paying many of the workmen with spirits which reduced the profits from the contractor’s rum. After protests from the contractors, in

5 HRA, Series 1, vol 7, p.379. 6 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 15 December 1810, p.2. 7 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 16 March 1811, p.2; sections of the southern wall built in 1811 survive today, adjoining the northern range of Hyde Park Barracks. 8 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 2 November 1811, p.2; J Frederick Watson, The History of Sydney Hospital, 1811-1911 (Sydney: W.A. Gullick, Government Printer, 1911), Watson (p.26) noted that the medallion was recovered when the hospital was demolished in 1879 and retained by the Hospital Board, but the box and coins could not be traced. 9 ‘James Thomas John Bean’, unpublished manuscript, Rum Hospital curatorial files, SLM.

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February 1813 Macquarie extended their contract to four years and the importation of a total 60,000 gallons of spirits.10

By January 1816 the new hospital buildings were nearing completion and formed an imposing group, dominating the town of Sydney. Macquarie considered the group ‘a Conspicuous and handsome Object to behold’.11 By May 1816 however, the buildings already required extensive repairs, and Macquarie nominated a committee of Francis Greenway, his newly appointed civil architect, Samuel Bradley, Superintendent of Government Carpenters, and Ambrose Bryan, Foreman of Government Stonemasons, to inspect the newly completed buildings.12 The committee provided a detailed survey, reporting on structural faults, indicating how corners were cut during the construction. Greenway argued that ‘there is no Classical proportion in the Columns… its Shaft is set wrong upon its Base, the Cap is set wrong upon the Column’ and stressed that ‘… the future safety of the building requires an early attention’.13 It was not until November 1820 that Macquarie finally ordered Greenway to make the necessary alterations, beginning with the northern wing, and upon its completion, continuing with alterations to the south wing.14

The design was for a two-storey stone central building to serve as the hospital for convict patients, and two smaller north and south wings also built from stone, to house the medical officers; the principal surgeon in the north wing and his two assistants in the south. The central building was intended to have grand proportions, measuring 287 ½ feet long, 28 feet deep and 38 feet high,15 and Macquarie intended that it be ‘…elegant and Commodious …a Spacious, Elegant, and indispensably Necessary Public Building…’16 Although the symmetrical design of the buildings was derived from the popular Georgian architecture in Britain, each was to have the addition of upper and lower colonnaded verandahs, more typical of colonial buildings. The rear yards accommodated stables, coach houses, kitchens and privies, as seen on Figure 2.4.

10 Letter from John Thomas Campbell to Messrs Blaxcell, Riley and Wentworth, 10 February 1813, Wentworth Family Papers, re Sydney Hospital 1810-1817, ML A761, CY Reel 705, SLNSW, pp.84-6. 11 HRA, Series 1, Vol 7, p.379. 12 Colonial Secretary Letters Sent, SRNSW 4/3494, reel 6004, pp.412-413. 13 Greenway, Bryan and Bradley to Contractors, 15 May 1816, Bigge’s Appendix, Volume 133, Bonwick Transcripts 14, CY1454, pp.1392, 1396. 14 Lachlan Macquarie memoranda and related papers, 23 November 1820, CY reel 301, A772, pp.150-151. 15 HRA, Series 1, Vol 7, p.450 16 HRA, Series 1, Vol 7, p.384.

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Figure 2.4 Elevation and Ground Plan of the New General Hospital at Sydney A.D. 1811. (Source: National Archives, UK, CO 201/57)

The architect of the hospital is unknown, although the simple symmetrical design with colonnaded verandahs is very similar to the military hospital, designed by military architect John Watts, Macquarie’s aide-de-camp. It is possible that the design may have been influenced by colonial buildings Macquarie knew from the time he spent stationed with the military in India, and it has also been suggested that it may have been built from a sketch by the Governor’s wife Elizabeth, or taken from an architectural pattern book she brought with her to the colony.17 Alternative theories suggest that John O’Hearne (O’Hearen), Colonial Assistant Engineer, who worked with the contractors, may have designed the building, however, it is most likely that the design was drawn from the established canon of standard British colonial architecture, that provided functional civic buildings throughout the colonies.18

17 Watson, pp.17-18. 18 Innes, I., ‘Macquarie’s Ambitious Project’, Unlocked, Sydney Living Museums Gazette, Autumn 2016, 8-9.

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The buildings were not officially handed over until July 1817, and despite the alterations, in 1820 Commissioner Bigge still described the hospital as being ‘in a state of rapid decay from its bad construction arising partly, from the ignorance of the workmen employed, the violation of the terms of the contract by the contractors and lastly from the unfortunate propensity to ornament and architectural effect that has pervaded all the buildings erected by Governor Macquarie since his arrival in 1810’.19

On 6 April 1816 the colonial government announced that the hospital was ready to receive patients, and that the patients and stores from the old General Hospital at Dawes’ Point were to be transferred on 8 April 1816.20 Surgeon’s Assistant Henry Cowper, however, claimed the patients were not actually moved in until July.21 The opening of the new General Hospital marked a change in attitude towards the care of convicts, by providing a purpose-built facility to improve the standard of treatment for convicts. The institution therefore supported the health of the workforce that was so valuable to the government’s public works scheme to establish the colony. As the first institution constructed on Macquarie Street, the hospital determined the location for the future government precinct that would later include the Prisoners Barracks, St James Church and Courthouse.

The north and south wings each had two separate apartments, both with two rooms downstairs and three up. Principal Surgeon D’Arcy Wentworth moved in to the north wing and was engaged mainly in official duties, while his assistant William Redfern, who became responsible for the daily care of the convict patients, lived in the south wing. Redfern and his wife Sarah had moved in by March 1816,22 and three years later, their first son William Lachlan Macquarie was born,23 presumably in their home in the south wing.

A trained and experienced surgeon by this time, Redfern was also an emancipated convict, who had been convicted in 1797 as an 18-year-old Royal Navy surgeon’s first mate for taking part in mutinies on ships of the English Channel and North Sea Fleets. Although known for his independent character and lack of bedside manner, his professional skill was highly regarded, and he became the most popular doctor in the colony. The Sydney Gazette commented, '…his experience, his skill, his practice… make ample amends for any apparent absence of over-flowing politeness'.24 In order to address the high mortality rates on the convict transport ships, Redfern had been appointed by Macquarie in 1814 to recommend improvements to shipboard hygiene. The changes made as a result

19 Commissioner Bigge to Lord Bathurst, 24 August 1820, Bonwick Transcripts 29, pp.4958-9. 20 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 6 April 1816, p.1. 21 Henry Cowper, 5 August 1820, Bigge’s Appendix, Vol 124, Bonwick Transcripts 6, p.2375. 22 Surveyor’s Report on Hospital, Bigge’s Appendix, Vol 133, Bonwick Transcripts 14, CY1454, p.1335. 23 NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages 216/1819, V1819216 6 24The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 6 September 1826, p.2.

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of Redfern’s report are now considered the greatest administrative development in the history of convict transportation.25

Figure 2.5 Photograph of a portrait of William Figure 2.6 Photograph of a portrait of Redfern, 1832, Freeman & Co. copy (Source: Sarah Redfern (Source: SLNSW, SLNSW, P3/62). FM2/1863).

With this expertise in convict health, Redfern was the first of a series of Assistant Surgeons appointed to attend to inpatients and outpatients at the Rum Hospital. Most of the other hospital staff were assigned convicts and included an overseer, clerk, gatekeeper, matron, attendants and nurses. In the earliest years, convict staff did not receive any salary, just a ration and a half, and were often drunk, careless and neglected their duty.26 The SLM database of about 15,000 convict names of convicts who passed through Hyde Park Barracks, includes many who were also assigned to work at the hospital or admitted as patients.27 During the peak of the transportation era in the 1820s and 1830s, the functions and daily activity of the barracks and hospital were closely linked, and with the addition of St James Church and Courthouse, the Macquarie Street buildings became the colonial centre for the administration, accommodation, mustering, assignment, victualling, medical care, spiritual guidance, secondary trial, and punishment of the entire convict population. They formed the

25 Gandevia,B. Tears Often Shed: Child Health and Welfare in NSW from 1788 (Sydney: 1978), 16. 26 Henry Cowper and William Redfern, in J. Ritchie, The Evidence to the Bigge Reports, Vol 1, The Oral Evidence (Melbourne: Heinemann, 1971), pp.129, 134. 27 Hyde Park Barracks Museum convict database, Sydney Living Museums.

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principal government precinct, as Governor Gipps reported: ‘There is a large Convict Hospital, adjoining the establishment called Hyde Park Barracks; the Hospital and Barracks are separated from each other, only by a Wall, and they together may be said to form the principal Convict Establishment of the Colony.’ 28

Figure 2.7 John Carmichael, Sydney from Woolloomooloo Hill, 1829, (Source: CSL&RC, SLM). The three winged hospital, Hyde park Barracks and St James Church can be seen in the background.

Many convicts arriving at Sydney Cove on the transport ships commonly suffered scurvy, dysentery, and other illnesses and infectious diseases, and they were delivered directly to the hospital. Other convict patients were admitted from around Sydney, and the Outpatients Register of 1817-1818,29 indicates that many of their problems were caused by physical labour as well as brutal punishments such as wearing leg irons and flogging. The hospital provided beds for convicts working in government service, but assigned convicts were also admitted on the condition that their masters would provide their rations for two weeks.30 For many, hospital admission became a convenient way to avoid work, and transfer to and from the hospital was a convenient way to escape.

In the early years, conditions in the wards were apparently appalling. Redfern’s assistant Henry Cowper reported that ‘The Stench also upon going into the wards in a morning was so great as to cause vomiting, & Mr. Redfern himself has been obliged to turn back sometimes’.31 James Hunter, a

28 Gipps to Russell, 19 January 1841, Respecting Dr Mitchell’s removal from the Medical Department, Governor’s Despatches, ML, SLNSW, A1267, CY695 29 General Hospital Outpatients Register of 1817-1818, ML SLNSW, A1395, CYreel 2286 30 Henry Cowper, in Ritchie, Vol 1, p.127. 31 Henry Cowper, in Ritchie, Vol 1, p.130.

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visitor to the hospital in 1820 commented, ‘I was struck on entering the ward with its slovenly & Dirty state. The Patients were too much crowded together, & an offensive smell prevailed… I saw Dirty Bandages kicked under the beds’.32

Any surgical operations that were required were conducted in the surgeon’s quarters in the south wing, and in the first few years, three amputations were performed here.33 Bloodletting was such a common method of treating various ailments at the Rum Hospital that the institution soon earned a bad reputation, and convicts generally dreaded having to go there. Indeed, Redfern’s assistant Henry Cowper reported: ‘They did not like the mode of Treatment by such Copious Bleedings as were in practice… They used to call the Hospital the Sidney Slaughter House’. 34 On leaving his employment at the hospital, Redfern stated: ‘… I shall only aspire to the honour of leaving the Hospital – notwithstanding its Augean Filth … the voluntary resort, the last mundane hope, of all the maimed & sick from the different parts of the Colony, and of those discharged, as incurable, from all the Hospitals at the out-stations, instead of being denominated, since we left it, the slaughter house of New South Wales.’ 35

In 1828 there were on average 40 deaths per month at the General Hospital.36 The Convict Death Register that survives in State Records NSW lists 1552 convicts who died at the hospital between 1828 and 1848, including convicted resistance fighter David Stuurman, chief of the Khoi of the Cape of South Africa.37 In 1830 the body of convict turned bushranger Jack Donohoe (after whom the song Wild Colonial Boy was written) was brought to the Rum Hospital after he had been shot during his last stand, and was made available for viewing by the jury involved in the inquest into his death.38 During his stay at the hospital, French-Canadian convict Francois-Maurice Lepailleur noted: ‘In this hospital they don’t bother to enshroud anyone. They are placed stark naked in their coffins without any fuss. In the Sydney Hospital they never bother to sit up with a patient. It often happens that in the morning they find a person dead in his bed without knowing when he died.’ 39

32 James Hunter, in Ritchie, Vol 1, p.123. 33 Henry Cowper, in Ritchie, Vol 1, p.126. 34 Henry Cowper, in Ritchie, Vol 1, p.142. 35 Redfern to Bigge, 5 February 1821, Bigge’s Appendix, Bonwick Transcripts 26, CY1466, pp.6206-7. 36 The Monitor, 26 July 1828, p.4. 37 Convict death register, January 1828 to 1841, SRNSW 4/4549, reel 690, p.191. 38 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 7 September 1830, p.3. 39 Lepailleur,F-M., Land of a Thousand Sorrows: The Australian Prison Journal, 1840-1842, of the Exiled Canadien Patriote, François-Maurice Lepailleur (Vancouver: University of British Colombia Press, 1980), p.63.

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Figure 2.8 Plan of the Civil Hospital Sydney, from James Mitchell Case Papers, showing the dissecting room and stables behind the south wing, nd (c1830). (Source: SLNSW)

At the south-eastern corner of the south wing yard, a dissecting room was constructed in 1822,40 (see figure 2.8), where the surgeons and assistants conducted post-mortem dissections. In cases requiring a coroner’s inquest in the 1820s and 1830s, Surgeon James Mitchell performed the post-mortems here and gave evidence at the inquiries. It was not only regular post-mortem work that was conducted in the south wing dissecting room, but the dissection and study of corpses of executed convicts. In 1826 a convicted murderer named White was hanged, and his body was taken to the hospital for dissection. From 1833 Scottish surgeon George Frederick Moncrieff was responsible for pathological research conducted in the room.41 He also conducted phrenological studies of such specimens, and kept a collection of skulls of murderers executed in the colony, 42 presumably obtained from those brought to the hospital after execution. Excavations near the site of the dissecting room in the early twentieth century revealed human bones, which were thought to have been the remains of dissected specimens and amputated limbs, buried in 1836.43

40 Watson, p.66. 41 ibid. 42 ‘Sydney Mechanics’ Institution’, The Australian, 25 November 1834, p.2. 43 Watson, p.52.

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Figure 2.9 Hospital medicine bottles, syringe fragment, measuring cup base, and ceramic vessel made by convict potter Thomas Ball, Sydney, all excavated from The Mint 1981 (Source: The Mint archaeology collection, SLM)

Surgeon Moncrieff, a bachelor, lived in the south wing, with his ‘myriad of dogs’, and horses in the stables.44 In January 1835 an assigned convict named George Brown, who worked as cook to Moncrieff was called in front of the bench. Brown had gone absent without leave and claimed that this was because there were ‘so many dead bodies in a state of putrefaction lying in the dissecting room, and Doctor Moncrieff was always telling him to go and cut as much flesh as he could off the bones of the bodies and feed the dogs with it.’ Brown said he had refused to do so, that he could not bear to do such things, and for that reason, had left Moncrieff’s service. Dr Moncrieff denied the accusations, saying it was ‘not likely he would allow a man who was in the habit of cooking for him to go and handle the dead bodies’. Brown was sentenced to 100 lashes.45

In November 1831 tenders were called for tradesmen to undertake extensive repairs required to the hospital buildings,46 but in early April 1832 it was announced that the desired repairs would not take place due to the considerable expense.47 It was not until 1835 that the repairs were finally made, and the Sydney Gazette reported: ‘The hospitals in Macquarie-street are undergoing considerable repairs, and not before they required them. We have been assured that at the times of severe storm and rain, the poor creatures confined to sick beds, have been in the most deplorable condition, owing

44 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 30 April 1835, p.2. 45 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 6 January 1835,p.2 46 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 26 November 1831,p.1. 47 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 10 April 1832, p.2.

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to rotten damaged shingles and other exposures, which, in such a place, ought to have been instantly remedied… ‘ 48

In late April 1823 a hospital ward had been established on the top floor of the south wing for the military, and occupied by the Buffs (3rd Regiment of Foot).49 Principal Surgeon Bowman objected to this use of the building, since it was ‘very ill adapted to contain patients’ and was already serving other much needed purposes such as providing spaces for an operating room and other hospital uses.50 Alterations were however made to the upper floor, and the sick Buffs moved in and occupied the rooms until the regiment was entirely transferred to Calcutta in November 1827.51 By 1828 the upper floor was also accommodating sick soldiers of the 39th Regiment.52 In 1833 two rooms of the ground floor were to have iron bars fitted on the windows, the doors secured, and cedar shelving fitted to the walls to house the ‘vast quantity of Cases and Boxed piled upon each other either then containing or having contained Medicines…’. 53 At the same time, the roof was re-shingled, and other repairs made, including repairs to the lead gutters and flashing, new sash window fastenings, 19 yards of plaster, repairing the stairs and balustrades and door architraves, and repairing the locks.54 In 1834 tenders were called for the fitting out of two rooms in the south wing for the ‘reception of medical stores’.55

In April 1836 the colonial Medical Department was transferred to the Army Ordnance Department and reorganized by John Vaughan Thompson, Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals.56 As a result of the transfer of the hospital to the military, Assistant Surgeon Moncrieff, who occupied the south part of the upper floor of the south wing, was ordered to vacate his quarters to be turned over to the new apothecary or Deputy Purveyor, Jonathan Croft, appointed in May 1836 to take responsibility for the medical equipment, drugs, furniture, and provisions stored on the ground floor of the south wing. Croft had recently arrived in the colony with his wife Ann (née Fitch) and nine children.57 While living in the south wing, Ann gave birth to four more children, including Victoria in 1836, Lavinia in 1838,

48 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 30 April 1835, p.2. 49 Brisbane to Earl Bathurst, 28 April 1823, HRA Series 1, Vol 2, p.78. 50 James Bowman to Major Goulburn, Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence, SRNSW 4/1767, reel 6057, p.94. 51 Darling to Viscount Goderich, 12 November 1827, HRA Series 1, Vol 13, p.618. 52 Governor Darling to Huskisson, 27 May 1828, HRA Series 1, Vol 14, p.204. 53 Estimated expense of fitting up Two Rooms with Shelves for the Medical Store in the South Wing of the General Hospital, Colonial Office 201/233, PRO Reel 190, f453; Colonial Office Correspondence, Governor Bourke to Earl Stanley, 7 December 1833, ff.423. 54 Estimated expense of new Shingling and Repairs to the South Wing of the General Hospital, Sydney, CO 201/233, f.454 55 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 6 February 1834, p.3. 56 Mitchell,J., Statement of the case of Jas. Mitchell, Esq., late surgeon on the civil establishment of New South Wales (Sydney: 1838?), p.3; The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 5 April 1836, p.4. 57 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 27 February 1836, p.2a.

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Henry in 1839, and Eugene in 1842.58 Appointed in December 1837,59 to succeed James Mitchell, surgeon Kinnear Robertson moved in to the south wing, where his wife Catherine (daughter of John Throsby) gave birth to a son on 1 May 1838.60

Figure 2.10 Jonathon Croft, Deputy Purveyor, Sydney (‘Rum’) Hospital, 1836, (Source: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, 2008/141/1).

Assistant Surgeon Dr George Moncrieff described the south wing in May 1836 as having four large rooms on the ground floor, two of which contained medicines and the other two containing a few empty cases and casks of empty bottles. The upper floor was divided into two apartments of seven rooms each and in the rear yard there were two large kitchens with accommodation above for servants.61 By July that year, Mr Stewart, an Assistant Apothecary was appointed, and he was also accommodated on the upper floor of the south wing.62

One of the two assistant surgeons of the hospital attended the convict patients in the wards and dispensary, and the other had ‘exterior duties’, which included attending the flogging of convicts in the yard adjoining the eastern wall of Hyde Park Barracks. Although an undesirable task, he was to ensure that serious injury was not inflicted, or that prisoners with wounds or heart disease were not flogged.63 In 1837 the new administration announced: ‘The Colonial Surgeon of Sydney will, in future, consider himself personally responsible for the Medical care and other Medical Duties of the Convict

58 NSW Births Deaths and Marriages, 328/1836 V1836328 21; 326/1838 V1838326 22; 304/1839 V1839304 24A; 383/1842 V1842383 26A 59 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 9 December 1837, p.4. 60 The Sydney Herald, 10 May 1838, p.2. 61 Mitchell, appendix iii, No 5. 62 ibid, appendix vi-vii, No 11. 63 Mitchell, p.42.

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Barrack at Hyde Park, which is hitherto to be supplied with Medicines from the Hospital Dispensary’.64 Surgeon James Mitchell was ordered to take on the ‘exterior duties’ undertaken by the assistant surgeon for the previous 12 years, and after refusing to attend a flogging, he was removed from office.65

Figure 2.11 John Rae, Watercolour of Hyde Park Barracks (centre) and Dispensary (left), labelled 1842 but possibly painted later. (Source: SLNSW)

Figure 2.12 Plan of Hyde Park Barracks and the Rum Hospital south wing, showing the flogging yard to the east of the Hyde Park Barracks, c1837 (Source: SRNSW, Surveyor Generals Sketchbook 3 folio 72)

In September 1841 the south wing of the hospital became the scene of a horrendous crime, with newspapers reporting on ‘Murder in Macquarie Street’,66 and the ‘atrocious murder at the General Hospital’.67 On the morning of 15 September, Dean Channery West, Croft’s assigned convict clerk and dispenser of medicine, was brutally attacked with an axe, while lying in bed in his bedroom, a small enclosed room at one end of the verandah.68 Taken to the hospital in ‘a state of insensibility from which he never recovered’,69 West’s killer Robert Hudson (John II), a convict assigned to the hospital as the south wing gatekeeper, was captured later that morning, and made his confession.70 Hudson was a dangerous man, and no stranger to violence, having been transported to NSW in 1837 for stabbing a woman. The court inquiry heard how West had exposed the crime for which Hudson was

64 ibid, appendix lxvi, No 98, p.21. 65 ibid, p.50. 66 Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser, 22 September 1841, p.2. 67 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 21 September 1841, p.2. 68 ibid 69 The Sydney Herald, 21 September 1841, p.2. 70 Australasian Chronicle, 21 September 1841, p.2.

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sent to the colony, and that Hudson had taken his revenge. Hudson was hanged for the murder on 29 October 1841, the first execution at the new Darlinghurst Gaol.71 As per the normal process, Hudson’s body was probably returned to the hospital south wing for dissection.

2.2.2 For the poor emigrant: Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary, 1842-1848

By 1840, the official end of transportation of convicts to NSW, the central hospital building was in a poor state of repair. There was a declining need for the convict hospital, but in turn, increasing demands for a medical institution for the colony’s free population, resulting in the conversion of the southern room of the ground floor of the hospital south wing to house the Sydney Dispensary, on 16 February 1842,72 with the entrance from the side gate adjoining Hyde Park Barracks.73

Established in 1826,74 the Sydney Dispensary was a private charity through which poor (non-convict) patients were sponsored by private subscribers. From its new premises in the hospital south wing, it provided medicines for the poor population of Sydney, which they received for free, but were required to bring their own phials or bottles.75 It was administered by official officers and a committee of notable colonial individuals including President Alexander McLeay and honorary doctors James Bowman, William Bland, and James Mitchell.

For the conversion, the Engineer Department ‘fitted up Assistant Surgeon’s Quarters, erected a partition & fitted up Presses in Office, and erected a porch 28’ x 8’ with door and windows complete for the purpose of the Dispensary’.76 Annual numbers of patients treated at the Macquarie Street Dispensary show its importance in the civic life of Sydney, with 1852 and 2047 patients treated in 1842 and 1843 respectively.77 In May 1843 a convict from Hyde Park Barracks was assigned as the watchman and gatekeeper at the south wing.78

71 List of people legally executed in Australia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_legally_executed_in_Australia (accessed May 2015). Note that the list appears to be incomplete, as many accounts of other convicts not on the list but executed and dissected at the hospital appear in the newspapers of the 1820s and early 1830s. 72 Conversion of south wing into a public dispensary, Gipps to Stanley, 18 January 1845, HRA Series 1, Vol 24, p.197. 73 The Australian, 24 February 1842, p.2. 74 The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser, 12 August 1826, p.2. 75 Rules and Regulations of the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary, Welch, Printer, Atlas Office, [after July 1845], p.18. 76 Half Yearly Progress Report of Works and Repairs, carried on in the Engineer Department at New South Wales between 1 October 1841 and 31 March 1842 inclusive, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2571.2 77 The Australian, 10 April 1844, p.3. 78 John McGarvie, Hon Sec, Sydney Dispensary, to Colonial Secretary, 11 May 1843, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2606.3, 43/3615

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Due to daily ‘scenes of destitution and distress’ at the Dispensary,79 it was found that the institution ‘should be extended by the formation of a General Hospital in connection with it’.80 So by 31 March 1843, Croft vacated the upper floor and the entire building was handed over to create hospital wards to receive patients, with the institution being renamed the Sydney Dispensary and Infirmary.81 Extensive alterations to the interior spaces were made for this conversion: ‘Fitted up two of the wards for the accommodation of the Medical Stores, with 14 sets of new iron Window bars; repaired and secured the floors and windows, and removed & repaired the medicine stands from the former stores: supplied one cast iron stove and one furnace front and grate: Executed incidental repairs to the roofs &c, supplied lime & brushes for whitewashing and replaced broken glass’.82 In 1844 other repairs included the removal of temporary partitions, repairs to the verandah ceiling, repairs to the window sashes, skirtings, doors, stairs and floors; painting, lath and plastering, the installation of two water closets, and the lifting and re-laying of the verandah stone flagging.83

There was a long delay with the works, but they were finally complete by the end of June 1845,84 allowing the Infirmary to formally open and admit patients on 3 July.85 Very soon the institution was considered ‘… one of the most useful institutions in the City … doing good to a great many individuals, who… were unable when they required medical assistance to pay for it’.86

Requisitions for the new Infirmary provide a view into how the rooms of the south wing were furnished, and how patients were accommodated during this period. In the months leading up to the opening, the Infirmary requested supplies from the Ordnance Department stores, including 50 iron beds,87 80 hospital palliasse cases, 250 hospital sheets, 90 bolster cases, 80 blankets, 60 rugs, 150 cotton shirts for men, 125 cotton night caps, 24 hospital suits for men, and 24 hospital suits for women.88 In November 1845, the newspaper announced that a funeral hearse, provided by Caroline

79 Sydney Dispensary Annual Report, 1844, p.10. 80 Rules and Regulations, preface. 81 Note 34, 298, A General Hospital, Commentary, HRA, Series 1, Vol 23, p.852. 82 Half Yearly Progress Report of Works and Repairs, carried on in the Engineer Department at New South Wales between 1 October 1842 and 31 March 1843 inclusive, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2609.1 83 Respecting alterations &c required to Sydney Dispensary, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2639.1, 44/9281. 84 The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 October 1843, p.2f. 85 The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 March 1846, p.2. 86 The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 September 1845, p.3. 87 Jas[?] Gordon, Royal [?] Company Eng, Rich Rogers, Storekeeper, Percival Wilkinson, Deputy Store Keeper, Office of Ordnance, Sydney, to Colonial Secretary, 18 April 1845, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2685.2, 45/3034. 88 John McGarvie, Hon Sec, Sydney Dispensary, to Colonial Secretary, 30 April 1845, Colonial Secretary Letters Received, SRNSW 4/2685.2, 45/3282.

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Chisholm, was available by application to the Infirmary, for the minimal fee of five shillings, for the funerals of poor people.89

During the first six months, 193 patients were admitted, with 49 the highest number at any one time. During this same period, the Dispensary provided relief for 738 patients and dispensed 5786 medicines, and numbers were expected to rapidly increase with Sydney’s growing population.90 By June 1847, the Infirmary was full to capacity with 63 patients in its wards. The Dispensary in the south wing was open for out-patients to attend between 1-3pm and 6-8pm, with patients required to present a subscriber’s card. Daily rounds of the patients were conducted by the resident surgeon, who performed minor operations and post-mortems, dispensed all medicines, and kept a case book and a book with prescriptions and dates of admission and discharge.91 Children were vaccinated against small pox at the Dispensary on Wednesday or Saturday each week,92 for the sum of one shilling, which would be refunded if the child was brought back for the Surgeon to inspect the following week. According to the rules and regulations, the surgeon was required to display a notice in the lobby of the building, listing all operations and post mortem examinations to be performed.93 The patients were instructed not to ‘smoke, or play at cards, dice, or any other game, or be guilty of rude or improper behaviour, or of using indecent language, on pain of being dismissed, nor shall they cut, scratch, drive nails into, or otherwise injure the walls, furniture, or any part of the Buildings’.94

The Infirmary was well-staffed with two physicians, two surgeons, a resident surgeon who acted as apothecary, a matron, and a team of nurses and servants.95 The first medical staff consisted of physicians John Macfarlane and George Fullerton, surgeons Charles Nathan and Farquhar McCrae, and resident surgeon-apothecary Hugh Houston.96 In May 1856, Mrs Baxter was appointed to the staff as matron.97 Physician MacFarlane and Surgeon Nathan were available for consultation between 8 and 9am on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Physician Fullerton and Surgeon McCrae between 8 and 9am on Mondays and Thursdays.98 In April 1847, a Dr McEwan was appointed to the staff of the Infirmary.99

89 The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 November 1845, p.1. 90 The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 March 1846, p.2. 91 Watson, p.87. 92 The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 August 1844, 3; 10 May 1845, p.1. 93 Rules and Regulations, p.12. 94 ibid, p.17. 95 The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 February 1845, p.3. 96 The Australian, 27 March 1845, p.3; Watson, p.88. 97 The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 May 1845, p.2. 98 The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 July 1845, p.1. 99 The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 April 1847, p.2.

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In September 1845, a proposal was made to construct an operating room and dissecting room for the Sydney Infirmary, but the £200 required was refused by the Legislative Council. These rooms were required because, as one newspaper reported, the surgeons of the General Hospital and the Sydney Infirmary carried out operations in the wards, in view of other patients ‘who sometimes faint from the shock which such scenes produce on them’.100

Figure 2.13 Dr Charles Nathan, detail of Figure 2.14 Doctor Farquhar McCrae, 1832. stereoscopic studio portrait, hand-tinted (Source: National Gallery of Australia). ambrotype (Source: Powerhouse Museum, 5570762546_995ea39342_b)

Figure 2.15 J. Ellis, Hyde Park and surrounds, including Hyde Park Barracks and the Rum Hospital, early 1840s (Source: Hyde Park Barracks Collection, SLM)

100 The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 September 1845, p.3.

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Figure 2.16 George Peacock, Sydney from Woolloomooloo 1849, showing views across Woolloomooloo and the Domain. The hospital buildings, Hyde Park Barracks and St James’ Church form a line along the ridge. Brougham Lodge is in the foreground. (Source: SLNSW)

On 7 June 1847 Charles Nathan and Sydney dentist John Belisario administered ether, the first anaesthetic in use in Australia,101 at Belisario’s surgery in Spring Street. Only two weeks after, Nathan was already administering ether to patients undergoing surgery at the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary,102 making it the site of some of the first anaesthetics administered in Australia. By April 1848 Nathan was using chloroform for his Infirmary patients, a new anaesthetic preferred over ether.

By March 1848 all remaining convict patients in the General Hospital had been relocated to Parramatta and the surgeons and twenty tons of hospital stores sent to Tasmania.103 Alterations were made to the vacant building later that year,104 and the Sydney Infirmary moved from the south wing, into the central wing in November 1848,105 ending the long medical occupation of the south wing. Sometime between 1848 and 1854, the south wing was turned over to use as offices for military staff.106

101 The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 June 1847, 3; History of anaesthesia timeline, Australasian Society of Anaesthetists, http://www.asa.org.au/UploadedDocuments/HALMA/Timeline-%20March%202015.pdf 102 The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 June 1847, p.2. 103 Watson, p.78. 104 The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 October 1848, p.1. 105 The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 November 1848, p.3. 106 NSW Legislative Council Votes & Proceedings 1853-1854, 4 July 1854, ML SLNSW Ref 1 MAV/FM4 10867.

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Figure 2.17 Plans, section and elevation of the south wing of the Convict Hospital (General ’Rum’ Hospital) Sydney, 1854, showing original configuration of spaces, windows, doors, stairs and fireplaces. The section shows the colonial roof construction (still existing) and chimney pieces to the fireplaces. (Source: State Records NSW)

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2.3 The Royal Mint

2.3.1 An Economical Conversion: The Mint, 1854–1893

The decision to build a branch of the Royal Mint in New South Wales followed closely on the discovery of gold at Ophir outside Bathurst in April 1851. In general, the colonial authorities and businessmen regarded the gold rush as a potential disaster that would upset the economy and rob them of labour. Their worst fears were confirmed when large quantities of unrefined gold were suddenly used as legal tender. There being a deficiency of both capital and coin available for its purchase, the price was significantly depreciated. The solution favoured by Governor Sir Charles Fitzroy and his Executive Council was to establish a branch of the Royal Mint to mint coins in New South Wales.

The New South Wales Executive Council supported the proposal stating, 'after giving to this question all the consideration which its importance demanded they had arrived at the conclusion that the establishment of a branch Mint would be of the greatest advantage to the interest of the colony'.107 Their opinion was supported by bankers and others connected with New South Wales in London. However, implementation of the project was delayed by gold discoveries in other colonies, notably the recently independent Victoria, which also applied for permission to mint coins. The rival mints were deferred but New South Wales lost the exclusive rights it had anticipated. It also had to defer to the Royal Mint in England in every detail of its operation. In April 1853 Sir John Herschel, Master of the Royal Mint, asked Captain Edward Wolstenholme Ward R.E. to report on proposals for the establishment of a mint in New South Wales. Ward’s report was completed and accepted within a month. He was then appointed Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, head of its first overseas branch, on 23 April 1853. Receiving royal assent on 19 August 1853, the project got under way.108

Ward was responsible for the initial design of the Sydney Mint buildings and, perhaps drawing on his experience of the prefabrication of the Crystal Palace building, he commissioned cast-iron columns and girders as major structural elements. He commissioned machinery – rolling mills, cutting-out machines, coining presses, balances, and a crushing-mill – from leading British engineering firms. He recruited experienced men to serve as superintendents of the two major divisions of the Mint, the Bullion Office and the Coining Department, and appointed skilled staff to work as chemists and assayers, as well as an accountant, clerks and civilian mechanics. He was given a detachment of Royal Sappers and Miners specially trained to assemble the prefabricated components of the new Mint and to serve as its industrial workforce. Finally, he supervised the shipping of materials, equipment and personnel to Sydney.

107 Executive Council Minute, despatched with Fitzroy’s correspondence, 26 July 1852. 108 Branch of the Royal Mint (papers), printed 10 June 1854, pp 2–5.

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Ward’s arrival in the colony in October 1854 was preceded in March 1854 by an advance party led by civil engineer Joseph Trickett, Superintendent of the Coining Department. Ward had drawn a block plan for the Mint buildings in November 1853, which showed a melting room, coining department, workshops and offices arranged around a central courtyard, with quarters for the Royal Sappers and Miners at the rear of the site and a police station and guard rooms at the front of the site. Ward had instructed Trickett to explain to the NSW Governor that it was necessary to fix the parts of the building that were to contain the machinery, before the machinery could be ordered, and that those parts could not be changed, but that the façade and the general arrangements of the remaining portions of the establishment could be altered to suit any locality in which it might be desirable to place it.109

Figure 2.18 Captain Edward Ward, 1859, first Figure 2.19 Joseph Trickett, Superintendent of the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, Sydney Branch Coining Department, Royal Mint, Sydney (Source: SLNSW) Branch,1857 (Source: The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester, Jevons album JA33/1/1)

Trickett had the task of selecting a site for the Mint, supervising the unloading of the pre-fabricated components and getting construction underway. Within a week of arrival on 14 March 1854 he was offered various sites by the Colonial Surveyor: there was a vacant site next to the Colonial Secretary’s

109 EW Ward to JWF Herschel, 17 August 1853, enclosed with Branch of the Royal Mint (papers), printed 10 June 1854; refer to Wards Plans; see also Eddie Butler Bowden’s memo, 24 June 1994, re contractors and suppliers; and extracts from TWJ Connelly, History of the Royal Sappers and Miners, London, 1857 pp 125, 149.

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office in Bridge Street but the problem was that this site was also being considered as a site for the Town Hall; there was some space next to Victoria Barracks, and some disposable land down near the Cattle Market. And then, a week later, a decision was made to relocate Military Head Quarters from Sydney to Melbourne and Trickett was told that the building then occupied as Brigade Staff offices (the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital) would be available. It was also the cheapest option, since the existing building could be converted into Mint offices.

Ward’s designs for the Sydney Mint included not only general block plans for the industrial processes of the Mint but also a proposed front elevation for an administrative building. His renaissance revival design was clearly intended to lend an air of metropolitan architectural politeness to the Sydney establishment. Once the Macquarie Street site had been selected, Trickett drew a new ‘Proposed elevation to present staff offices proposed to be re-converted into Mint offices’. His design was also a Renaissance revival civic building, with an additional touch: ‘The centre pediment to be surmounted by a statue of His Excellency the Governor General under whose governorship the Sydney Mint was first formed’.

Figure 2.20 'Sydney Proposed Royal Mint Front elevation.' Signed and dated lower right: E.W. Ward, Royal Engineers, 18th November 1853 (Source: State Records NSW, SR Plan No 1981)

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Figure 2.21 'Sydney Proposed elevation to present staff offices proposed to be converted into Mint offices.' Signed and dated lower right: J. Trickett, Superintendent, 4th May 1854 (Source: State Records NSW, SR Plan No 1986)

Trickett estimated a cost of £12,000 for the conversion compared with £45,000 to implement Ward's design. The new proposal would also save time.110 Other economy measures Trickett proposed were 'reuse of such materials as may be found sound and good'; purchase of the requisite lime, sand and implements 'at the lowest current prices'; adherence to scheduled contract prices for construction work; and redevelopment of the old hospital wing during wet weather.111

Conversion of the former Rum Hospital building into the Mint required major adaptations, including the fit-out of a Bullion Office for receiving the gold, complete with a stronghold safe to store the gold bullion and finished coins.112

110 TF Furber, Department of Lands (NSW) Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint, 10 March 1906; State Records NSW: Copies of Letters Sent, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 3/1662, J Trickett to Colonial Secretary, 23 March 1854. 111 J Trickett to Colonial Secretary, 15 May 1854, Sydney Mint Correspondence, AO NSW 3/1662. 112 Captain E. Ward to The Horsley Company 9/9/1853, SRNSW 2/763

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Figure 2.22 'Sydney Proposed Royal Mint Plan showing the proposed conversion of the Staff Offices into Mint Offices and the new buildings for the manufactory &c.' Signed and dated lower right: J. Trickett, Superintendent, 5th April 1854. (Source: SR Plan No 1984)

The Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint opened on 14 May 1855. As a packaged and transported mint it was unique, a formal arrangement of symmetrical buildings around a central secure courtyard, with each of its large industrial spaces lit by a skylight. Except for the frontage to Macquarie Street all the hospital boundary walls had been retained, though raised to 12 feet. In 1855 complaints from the Deputy Mint Master about the threat to security from lean-to sheds on the Infirmary side of the northern wall, gained the Mint an additional eight feet of land from the Infirmary grounds. In spite of Trickett's economies the building costs had risen to £19,505.23.113 A description of its operation was published in the Illustrated Sydney News on 28 April 1855 and the following October Sydney Mint assayer, W. S. Jevons wrote to his father Thomas in Liverpool (England): 'The Mint is going at a rattling pace. 14,000 oz. [ounces] last week's receipts of gold'.114

113 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, pp 13–14. 114 WS Jevons to Thomas Jevons, 29 October 1855, Jevons’ Papers ML MSS.

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Figure 2.23 The earliest known photograph of the Sydney Mint, taken c1858 by Mint chemist Robert Hunt. (Source: The John Rylands University Library, The University of Manchester, Jevons album JA33/2)

At the time he wrote that letter Jevons was in the process of becoming a full-term employee of the Sydney Mint. When he and the other assayer, Francis Bowyer Miller, first received their appointments in November 1853 they were offered retainers of £100 per annum and expected to establish their own independent assay offices and to undertake private work for banks and businesses as well as for the Mint on piece rates. This arrangement was modelled on the practice of the Royal Mint in London where Miller’s elder brother, William Allen Miller, was a non-resident assayer to the Royal Mint and the Bank of England while also serving as Professor of Chemistry at King’s College London.

Miller, who arrived in the colony three months before Jevons, established his assay laboratory in Bligh Street while Jevons set up his apparatus and acids in rooms on Church Hill. He had scarcely completed his fit out when, in late January 1855, Ward proposed a revision of arrangements and offered both Miller and Jevons full-time positions. Ward had realised that in the competitive climate of the gold rushes he had to monopolise their skills. He had to get the Sydney Mint up and running, establish its authority on the goldfields, and gain acceptance of the Sydney sovereign as legal tender

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throughout the Australian colonies in the face of obstruction from the colonies of Victoria and South Australia who wanted their own mints.115

There were a couple of other gold assayers in private practice in Sydney at the beginning of 1855 but Ward could not ensure the integrity of the Sydney sovereign without Miller and Jevons, specially trained in the ways of the Royal Mint. Having secured their services, and their apparatus, Ward went on to direct them to teach the assay process to some of the Mint clerks. Jevons was affronted by this, complaining in a letter home to England that ‘to teach clerks who have had no particular education and not a scientific idea in their heads’ was directly contrary to the new English system ‘of only appointing properly educated scientific people to such places’.116

All deliveries of gold to the Sydney Mint passed through the decorative stained glass doors facing Macquarie Street marked ‘Royal Mint’, and were delivered into the Bullion Office on the left. Gold was delivered in the form of nuggets, gold dust, bullion and gold-bearing quartz by the gold escort coaches from the diggings of NSW and Victoria, banks, and individuals, and receipts were issued over the counter by clerks in the Bullion Office. Gold was also delivered from New Zealand in iron strong boxes, one of which survives today in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. On 28 December 1869, Andrew George Scott walked through the doors and into the Bullion Office, where he sold 129 ounces of gold for £503 (roughly 3.6kg for several hundred thousand dollars in today's terms). Little did the Mint clerk know that Scott, later more commonly known as ‘Captain Moonlite’, had stolen the gold from a bank in the Victorian mining town of Mount Egerton.

Australian gold has a high silver content which makes the gold brittle and gives it a brassy colour. In 1867 a new process was invented by Sydney Mint assayer Francis Bowyer Miller, known today as the ‘Miller Process’, and used in mints around the world. By passing chlorine gas through the molten gold, the silver would rise to the top and could be skimmed off. Chlorine gas generators for the purpose were located at the eastern end of the melting house. They were later moved to another location, and a Butters Chlorine Gas Generator, purchased in 1897, remained in use until the Mint closed in 1926. The foundations of the chlorine gas room are still visible in the courtyard.

The establishment of the Mint played an important part in the institutionalisation of science in the colony. Under Ward’s leadership, the Mint acted as a de facto government analytical laboratory until the 1870s, testing and reporting on a variety of colonial materials and timbers.

115 Robert Griffin & Megan Martin ‘Captain E W Ward, first master of the Sydney Mint’ Insites, Winter 2004, pp.2-3 116 Letter from W S Jevons to H E Roscoe 21 Oct 1856 Papers and correspondence of William Stanley Jevons vol.II, edited by R D Collison Black, Clifton, Augustus M Kelley 1973 p.249

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Figure 2.24 William Stanley Jevons, 1857, self- Figure 2.25 Francis Bowyer Miller, assayer, 1857 portrait (Source: The John Rylands University (Source: The John Rylands University Library, The Library, The University of Manchester, Jevons University of Manchester, Jevons album JA33_1_1) album JA33_1_1)

Figure 2.26 Assaying cupels used in the assaying Figure 2.27 Lead buttons and offcuts used in the of gold, recovered during archaeological assaying of gold, recovered during archaeological excavations at The Mint, 1980-1 (Source: The Mint excavations at The Mint, 1980-1 (Source: The Mint archaeology collection, SLM). archaeology collection, SLM).

By making the assayers full-time civil servants Ward was able to create an in-house technical training school. He also bought the opportunity to experiment with improvements to the assay process itself. Jevons made a contribution through a series of trials in 1857 and 1858 and later

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published his findings in Henry Watts’s Dictionary of chemistry (1864). The culture of research and experimentation was carried forward by Miller. In July 1860 he read a paper before the Philosophical Society of NSW on the detection of spurious gold, especially a species of fake gold “nuggets” then in circulation in the colony.117 However, his crowning scientific achievement was the development of a process of refining and toughening gold by means of chlorine gas. He patented this process in London in June 1867 and registered it as an invention before the New South Wales Legislative Assembly later that year. He wrote papers describing the process for the Chemical Society in London and the Royal Society in Sydney. By December 1869 his method had been successfully put into operation at the Sydney Mint and by the Bank of New Zealand in Auckland. In 1870 Miller was transferred to the new Melbourne Branch of the Royal Mint. By then Miller’s method had been introduced into the English, American and Norwegian mints and he had travelled to England and the United States to advise on the process.118

Miller’s process was further developed by Dr Carl Adolph Leibius, the assayer who succeeded Jevons in 1859. Leibius presented his first paper, on quartz from Adelong, to the Philosophical Society in 1860. He and the Mint chemist Robert Hunt first tested the applicability of Miller’s process to a large-scale refining operation in 1868–1869. They found that the silver separated from argentiferous gold by chlorine gas in the form of silver chloride still carried a small percentage of gold. After the process had been in operation for some years Leibius carried out a series of further trials aimed at finding a way to reduce that proportion.119 Chlorine gas generators remained in use until the Mint closed in 1926 and the foundations of the chlorine gas room are still visible in the courtyard.

Under Ward’s leadership the Sydney Mint also played the role of government analytical laboratory. When two Sydney gentlemen exhibited a specimen of artificial stone at a meeting of the Philosophical Society in August 1857, Denison directed Ward to conduct, at the Mint, experiments as to its qualities.120 In March 1858 Ward devised a series of experiments on the strength and elasticity of colonial timbers and these were carried out at the Mint under Joseph Trickett’s supervision. Ward then presented a paper on his findings to a meeting of the Philosophical Society. There were other experiments on samples of combustible material from Tasmania and coal from Bellambi in New South Wales.

117 Sydney Morning Herald 19 July 1860 p.4 118 Megan Martin, 2005, ‘Francis Bowyer Miller (1828-1887)’ entry in Australian Dictionary of Biography, first published in hardcopy 2005 119 Adolph Leibius, 1869, ‘On a new apparatus for reducing chloride of silver’, Transactions of the Royal Society of New South Wales for the year 1869 pp.168–170; Adolph Leibius, 1872, ‘Separating gold from argentic chloride’, Transactions of the Royal Society of New South Wales for the year 1872 pp.67–70 120 Megan Martin, 2004, Colonial Science and the Sydney Mint, Sydney, Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 2004

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In May-June 1860 Captain Ward and Professor Smith, foundation Professor of Chemistry at the University of Sydney, toured the goldfields to gather information about quartz crushing. In many places the surface diggings of alluvial gold had been exhausted and miners were looking for expert scientific advice in the development of machinery to extract gold from quartz reefs. A proposal was put to the NSW Legislature that £1000 be set aside for the Mint to experiment with auriferous quartz121 and an experimental quartz crushing machine was erected at the Mint in September 1861.

Figure 2.28 Professor John Smith (front right) and quartz reef miners at Adelong, NSW, 9 June 1860. Photograph by E W Ward. (Source: SLNSW)

All deliveries of gold to the Sydney Mint passed through the decorative leadlight doors facing Macquarie Street marked ‘Royal Mint’, and were delivered into the Bullion Office on the left. Gold was delivered in the form of nuggets, gold dust, bullion and gold-bearing quartz by the gold escort coaches from the diggings of NSW and Victoria, banks, and individuals, and receipts were issued over the counter by clerks in the Bullion Office. Gold was also delivered from New Zealand in iron strong boxes, one of which survives today in the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. On 28 December 1869, Andrew George Scott walked through the doors and into the Bullion Office, where he sold 129 ounces of gold for £503 (roughly 3.6kg for several hundred thousand dollars in today's terms). Little did the Mint clerk know that Scott, later more commonly known as ‘Captain Moonlite’, had stolen the gold from a bank in the Victorian mining town of Mount Egerton.

121 Sydney Morning Herald 5 July 1860 p.4

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Figure 2.29 Gold bullion at the Royal Mint, Sydney Branch Figure 2.30 Andrew George Scott a.k.a. (Source: SLNSW GPO 09221) ‘Captain Moonlite’ (Source: Justice & Police Museum collection, SLM).

Figure 2.31 Gold sovereign (obverse) from the Royal Mint, Sydney (Source: The Mint collection, SLM) Figure 2.32 Coin bag from the Royal Mint, Sydney (Source: The Mint collection, SLM)

In 1865 Deputy Mint Master E W Ward, who had been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1864, took leave from the Sydney Mint and sailed to England with his family. In 1869 he was promoted to Colonel and appointed first Deputy Master of the new Melbourne branch of the Royal Mint, supervising its

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establishment just as he had done in Sydney 15 years earlier. He took with him key staff from Sydney, including the chemist Robert Hunt and senior assayer Francis Bowyer Miller.

The Melbourne Mint opened in June 1872 on the corner of La Trobe and William Streets and running to Little Lonsdale Street. The site comprised four structures built around a square: a melting department, the assay department, the coining department, and (fronting William Street) the main freestanding administration building (incorporating the Deputy Master’s residence) design by architect John James Clark. There were also two corner guardhouses, palisading and a perimeter wall. Clark was employed by the Victorian government architect’s office and the Mint complex was built by the Victorian Public Works Office. The only structure that remains today is the administration building.

Figure 2.33 The newly completed Melbourne Mint, 1872, fronting William Street, with corner guard houses. Photograph: American & Australasian Photographic Company (Source: SLNSW)

The Sydney Mint produced sovereigns and half sovereigns, and eventually processed 1200 tonnes of gold into 150 million coins. A large range of silver and bronze medals for exhibitions, awards and special events such as the 1888 Centenary of NSW were also produced by the Mint, in addition to some silver and copper coins after 1900. Today, Sydney Mint sovereigns are highly collectable, the highest price yet achieved for one rare 1920 sovereign being AUD$1.02 million in 2012.122

122 ‘Mystery Man Buys Rare Coin for $1 million’, The Australian, 28 September 2012.

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Changes to the Mint building in the first two decades of operation were minor, comprising mainly repairs to cisterns, drains, joinery and paint surfaces. Most frequent was the replacement of panes of glass, and most serious the rebuilding of several ceilings which collapsed in 1865. In 1866 the Mint was described as 'dilapidated and dangerous' and similar stop-gap repairs followed.123 New work was limited, although in 1859-60 a room was added to the northern façade of the engine house to accommodate the machinery for a new method of crushing and testing quartz.124 Construction of an Assay Office in 1860 in the south-eastern corner of the compound brought the assay work into the compound from its off-site location. Other additions were a lean-to storage shed for coal, coke, acids and chemicals erected in two stages in the yard against the southern wall in 1865.125

Figure 2.34 Sydney Mint and Infirmary, November 1870, showing stone wall around the site and the guard houses flanking the Macquarie Street entrance to the site. The rear verandah of the Rum Hospital building has been enclosed. Photograph: Government Printing Office (Source: SLNSW)

123 Elouise to Under Secretary for Finance, cited in Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994. 124 Letter to the Honorable the Treasurer Enclosing an Estimate for the Erection of Quartz Crushing Machinery, Sydney Mint Correspondence SRNSW 3/1663. 125 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, pp 17–18. Thorp reports that these were in ‘the main building’ [ie hospital wing].

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Figure 2.35 Panoramic view of the Royal Mint and Hyde Park Barracks taken from the steeple of St James Church, c1871. The original roof form of the factory buildings with their roof lights running parallel to the ridges can be seen, as well as the original chimney from the boiler house. Guardhouses have been built along the Macquarie Street frontage. (Source: SLNSW)

Much costlier was the general upgrade of the manufacturing sector during the mid-1870s. Between 1873 and 1877 over £15,000 was spent on repairs, alterations and additions’.126

A perennial problem for the Deputy Master was the issue of staff accommodation within the Mint compound. The London Mint provided residences for all the principal officers and head workmen in the interests of efficiency and security and constant occupation of an official residence was compulsory.127 A similar arrangement was not possible in Sydney and neither the first Sydney Deputy Master, Captain E W Ward, nor his successor Charles Elouis, lived on the site. The official quarters

126 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, p 19; Comprehensive lists on pp 19–21. 127 State Records NSW: Copies of Letters Sent, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 3/1666, Charles Elouis to The Governor, 7 January 1875

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provided in the former hospital building were initially occupied by the Superintendent of the Bullion Office and transferred to the Registrar and Accountant in 1865.128 These quarters were extended and improved in 1870 and additional office accommodation provided by the enclosure of the back verandah and the addition of internal toilets and kitchen.

A house was built on the eastern boundary in 1875 for the Metter and Reamer and by 1884 another cottage for the Mint Superintendent had filled the remaining space there. Probably the 'simple and inexpensive' house referred to in the 1875 correspondence—the northerly one of these dwellings had been replaced by a far more substantial structure by 1896.129 Also apparent by 1884 were water tanks in the eastern yard, a verandah addition to the coining department and a ramp located diagonally in the courtyard to assist delivery of materials between the factory and the strong room.

Figure 2.36 Staff of the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint, February 1879, with the melting house and crushing room in the background. Clerestories have replaced the previous roof lights over the factory buildings. (Source: State Records NSW)

128 State Records NSW: Copies of Letters Sent, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 3/1664, Charles Elouis to the Under Secretary for Finance, 10 March 1865 129 Mint Master to Governor, 5 May 1876, cited by Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, p 22; compare plans dated 1884, 1894 and 1896.

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A staff restructure in 1871 abolished the position of Registrar and Accountant and replaced the position of Superintendent of the Coining Department with that of Senior Clerk & Coiner.130 The official quarters were allocated to the new position. In 1875 Deputy Master Elouis succeeded in getting a second official residence on the site, a house for the Melter & Refiner. He argued that the operations of coining could only proceed concurrently with those of melting and refining and that the coinage would be greatly facilitated by the residence of the two principal officers. The Melter and Refiner’s house was built on the eastern boundary where the Engineman also had a cottage (badly afflicted by damp caused by defective drainage in 1876). His duties required him to be at his post very early each day.

In December 1878 Robert Hunt, now returned from Melbourne and appointed Deputy Master following the retirement of Charles Elouis, wrote to the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, explaining that since the principal quarters at the Mint had become vacant with the death of the Senior Clerk & Coiner, he himself proposed to occupy them as a residence for himself and his family from the beginning of 1879131. Always an ardent photographer, Hunt documented his drawing room and dining room, and recorded the views from the verandah of his residence.

Figures 2.37 and 2.38 Robert Hunt's drawing room (left) and dining room (right) in his official quarters at The Mint, 1887 (now known as the Sovereign Room). The drawing room (currently known as the Sovereign Room) features narrow timber floor boards with floor rug, papered walls, a Victorian chimney piece to the fireplace, French doors opening onto the enclosed southern verandah and a moulded plaster cornice (still evident). (Source: Mitchell Library, SLNSW)

130 State Records NSW: Copies of Letters Sent, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 3/1666, Charles Elouis to the Deputy Master, Royal Mint, 6 September 1871. The position was later reinstated. 131 State Records NSW: Copies of Letters Sent, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 3/1666, Robert Hunt to the Deputy Master, Royal Mint, 24 December 1878

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Hunt, who died in office at the Mint in September 1892, also recorded the Mint’s industrial spaces.

Figures 2.39 and 2.40 Interior of the Melting House (left) and the Engine Room (right) showing the bow trusses and machinery, March 1892,. (Source: Macleay Museum Historic Photograph Collection)

Figure 2.41 Coining presses, March 1892 (Source: Macleay Museum Historic Photograph Collection)

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The industrial character of the Mint was a problem for some people. The Sydney Infirmary officials, in particular made frequent complaints about the pollution emitted into the hospital by the chimneys were not addressed until 1889 when they were both replaced by a single stack located at the north- east corner of the coining room, connecting with the boiler house through an underground flue and with the melting furnaces through a condensing chamber.132

2.3.2 A Complete Renovation: The Mint Refurbished, 1893–1897

The arrival of a new Deputy Mint Master in 1893 initiated extensive changes affecting all aspects of the Mint complex—industrial, residential and landscaping. An incomplete plan record makes it difficult to precisely relate the itemized accounts of alterations to the building. Security was improved by building a new strong room fitted with a Chubb door and improving the coining department strong room and building a new office from which all minting operations could be overseen. Landscaping was carried out by the Botanical Gardens.

Some changes in the factory section in 1894—like the building of a coach house and stables against the southern boundary wall and construction of a new stores in place of the old coal and coke sheds in the south-east corner—seem solely to replace worn out buildings or facilitate a more efficient arrangement of the manufacturing processes. Modernisation of ablutions facilities added water closets and the work environment was improved by the addition of clerestory windows to the Melting House as well as a verandah on its southern side.

ln the factory the changes made way for new technology such as replacing the stoneware generators with a Butters Chlorine generator, improving the plant for treatment of pots and ashes and the sampling and drying floor for tailings. The original beam engines were replaced by two Marshall horizontal engines and an auxiliary engine fitted with Moore's Patent Governor Two multi-tube underfired boilers manufactured in Sydney replaced the two original Cornish boilers. When these were fitted, modifications to the driving shaft gave greater control. Alterations to the Assay Office produced what amounted to a new building with the upper floor fitted up as quarters for the Office Keeper. New quarters were built for the engineman (probably the new northern cottage) and those occupied by the Mint Superintendent were extended and refurbished. A new guard room and barracks were constructed.

132 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, p 23.

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Figure 2.42 A worker at the Sydney Figure 2.43 Workers at the Sydney Royal Mint pouring molten Royal Mint holding 'scissels'—fillets of gold into moulds to cast ingots roughly two feet long, Sydney gold from which coin blanks have Royal Mint Melting House, June 1926. (Source: National Library of been cut, 1926. (Source: National Australia) Library of Australia)

Connecting with the 1870s enclosure of the eastern verandah of the old hospital wing, extensions were made to the Deputy Mint Master's quarters by incorporating part of the original factory into his domain, separated from the diminished Carpenters Shop by an archway. Embellished with a curved window onto Macquarie Street, this is shown in the 1896 plan as a library.133

Described as 'Mr Colley's Residence', the Mint Superintendent's house was enlarged in 1900 as were the Senior Sergeant's Quarters four years later, while a 1905 Vernon signed plan of renovations and repairs to the old hospital building shows the addition of new toilet facilities to the office rooms on the northern end.134

133 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, pp 23–27; examination of Mint plans from 1890s listed as figures. 134 Plans listed as Figures 24–26.

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Figure 2.44 ‘Royal Mint Sydney - Renovations & Repairs’, 1896, showing the northern passageway around the melting house and the relocation of the chimney. (Source: NSW Public Works Department plan 2986)

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2.3.3 Grand Plans for Macquarie Street, 1859–1909

Never universal, enthusiasm for the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint dissipated rapidly as competition from the Victorian Mint—opened in 1872—eroded its profits. Part of the reason was the growing perception of Macquarie Street as the seat of government and law. In the absence of broader concepts of town planning, this was exhibited in plans for individual buildings proposed for Macquarie Street in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Part of one of these concepts was brought to reality—the new Sydney Hospital—a design for a more extensive group of buildings winning the 1880 competition for architect T. Rowe.

Public anticipation of a more impressive Macquarie Street grew with the commencement of responsible government in 1856. Suddenly needing more accommodation than was provided by the barracks of Macquarie's hospital and the wing added to its northern end in 1829, the Executive Council purchased an imported pre-fabricated iron building from Melbourne. Erected at right angles to the southern end of the Macquarie structure, this building was always regarded as temporary. Competitions for new houses of parliament began in 1860 and the dream of building the winning design by Dublin architect W. H. Lynne persisted until 1878 when it was again published by the Sydney Mail. Reminiscent of the Doges Palace, this grandiose scheme would take up all the land from Hyde Park Barracks to the front of the Mitchell Library.135

The other enduring dream for Macquarie Street, new law courts, was also revived in 1878. This too commenced in the 1860s when Colonial Architect James Barnet was required to design a building to accommodate all the needs of the Department of Justice and Public Instruction. The 1864 request lapsed before the plans could be drawn but serious intent was indicated by provision of funding for new law courts in the estimates in 1878. Indeed, their construction was confidently predicted in an 1879 Sydney street directory.136

Sited at the top of King Street the building was to replace the multi-purpose Hyde Park Barracks which accommodated the District Court, Immigrants Barracks, Benevolent Asylum for Women and Colonial Architect's Office. As in Macquarie's day, part of the attraction lay in the prominence of the site: the building would be seen from harbour and Domain, Hyde Park and College Street.137

While plans for law courts and a permanent parliament house were left to languish, in 1876 the central block of Macquarie's hospital was demolished to make way for a new hospital. Only part of Rowe's design was built and that with much hesitation, three sandstone buildings fronting Macquarie

135 Irvin, E 1974, Sydney as it might have been: Dreams that died on the drawing board, Alpha Books, Sydney, p 52. 136 Irvin, E 1974, Sydney as it might have been: Dreams that died on the drawing board, Alpha Books, Sydney, p 27; Lee & Ross, Hand Book to the City of Sydney, Sydney 1879, p 47. 137 Irvin, E 1974, Sydney as it might have been: Dreams that died on the drawing board, Alpha Books, Sydney, pp 27–28.

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Street being completed in 1896.138 However, hope persisted for the law courts and parliament house. As part of the Centennial celebrations the Governor, Lord Carrington, laid the foundation stone for a new parliament house where the Mitchell Library now stands. This having foundered, plans to implement other designs for new houses of parliament reached the committee stage in 1896.

Designed by Government Architect Vernon, they would extend from the northern wall of the new Sydney Hospital to a point midway between Bent and Bridge Streets.139

With Barnet's designs for the Colonial Secretary's building taking shape at the Bridge Street comer of Macquarie Street in 1879 and plans accepted for the hospital, by 1880 the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint had become an unwanted guest. Even as the Town and Country Journal of 14 July 1888 described its machinery and operation, comments from the Deputy Mint Master Robert Hunt threw doubt on its value. Speaking of Brisbane hopes of opening another mint, he described its outcome as 'three non-paying mints in Australia'.

‘The Queenslanders should consider whether it will be wise for them to follow the example of the two older colonies by establishing the institution the whole control of which is vested in the Lords of the Treasury in London, while the only share the Colony has in it is to make up any losses.’140 But the indissoluble tie with the Treasury ensured the Sydney Mint's survival. Even as the colony struggled to recover from the 1890s depression, the new Deputy Mint Master who arrived in 1893 forced the government to outlay large sums for a complete renovation.

It was the Royal Commission for the Improvement of the City of Sydney and its Suburbs in 1909 that sounded the death knell for the Mint's continued occupation of the site in Macquarie Street. City beautification was a central area of the inquiry and five of the fourteen recommendations in the Commissions Interim Report affected the Mint directly. Giving evidence, on 27 October 1908, Norman Selfe waxed lyrical about the scenic possibilities of the southern end of Macquarie Street, 'Macquarie Street is over I00 feet above sea level. That helps my argument, because you can see what a splendid chance you have at the top of the hill for decorative purposes...This ornamental space should he treated as Trafalgar-square or the Place de Ia Bastille in Paris.'141

The final report of the 1909 Royal Commission recommended the remodelling of Queen's Square to make room for law courts and demolition of the Mint buildings to take King Street through to the

138 Andersons, Andrew 1988, ‘Macquarie Street: Sydney's Premier Street from 1810 to the Bicentenary’, in Webber, GP (ed), The Design of Sydney: Three Decades of Change in the City Centre, Law Book Company Ltd, Sydney, p 142. 139 Irvin, E 1974, Sydney as it might have been: Dreams that died on the drawing board, Alpha Books, Sydney, pp 122–23. 140 Town & Country Journal, 14 July 1888, p 76. 141 Evidence before the Royal Commission into the Improvement of the City of Sydney and its Suburbs, 21 October 1908; although in this instance, Selfe was talking about the view of Macquarie Street from the GPO once Moore Street had been extended to the top of the hill, his visions also apply to The Mint site.

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Domain. It also wanted to remove the Land Titles and Supreme Court buildings to allow St James Church to stand alone.142 A boulevard atmosphere was to be invoked through widening Macquarie Street and lining it with trees. Further north the plan allowed for new façades on the Houses of Parliament. The Mitchell Library, partly completed in 1906 was considered worthy of the new scheme. Macquarie Street was widened in 1914 by the addition of 20 feet from the frontages on the east side.143 However, once again the promised law courts were postponed.

2.3.4 Not Worth its Weight? The Mint in Decline, 1900–1927

Even before the Royal Commission for the Improvement of Sydney and its Suburbs began taking evidence, on 21 September 1907 the Premier's Office informed the Deputy Mint Master that it proposed to move his factory to a new site on Dawes Point.144 Plans to construct law courts on the site were constant from 1911 when pressure to move the Mint increased.145 On 7 August the Department of Attorney General and Justice added its demands to the others, 'It is most undesirable that an unrivalled site like the present position of the Mint should continue to be occupied by an industrial institution and the residences of a few officers', wrote the under-secretary. He threatened to inform the Imperial authorities that the New South Wales government would force the Mint to vacate the premises by repealing the Sydney Mint Act of 1865 and withdrawing its subsidies.146 Letters on the subject continued steadily through 1912 and were renewed in 1914, when detailed plans were drawn of both sites.

The correspondence continued the following year when B. B. Hawkins of the Premier's Office queried whether the New South Wales government was obliged to maintain a Mint at all. Indeed, the idea of the law courts was never abandoned. Through the last years of World War I the subject lapsed somewhat but discussion continued in the early l920s.147 Small wonder that expenditure on the Mint was minimal from 1900 to its closure in 1927. During the 1920s even urgent repairs were neglected in the expectation that the Macquarie Street site was nearing the end of its life. Minor alterations and repairs to the Deputy Mint Master's Quarters were the exception.

142 Report of the Royal Commission into the Improvement of the City of Sydney and its Suburbs, Government Printer, Sydney, 1909, Item 10 of Beautification section; also Section 3 pp xxv, xlvi. 143 Andersons, Andrew 1988, ‘Macquarie Street: Sydney's Premier Street from 1810 to the Bicentenary’, in Webber, GP (ed), The Design of Sydney: Three Decades of Change in the City Centre, Law Book Company Ltd, Sydney, p 144. 144 Premier’s Department of Deputy Mint Master, 21 July 1907, ‘M’, Department of Works Miscellaneous Bundles, AO NSW 10/4167 (Kingswood). 145 Refer to ‘Dawes Point Sydney NSW, Proposed site for the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint’, 27 July 1911, AO NSW, Plan 1756. 146 Premier’s Department to Deputy Mint Master, 18 August and 13 December 1912, stated the urgent need for law courts on the Mint site, ‘M’, Department of Works Miscellaneous Bundles, AO NSW 10/4167 (Kingswood). 147 Premier’s Department to Deputy Mint Master, 18 May 1915, stated the urgent need for law courts on the Mint site, ‘M’, Department of Works Miscellaneous Bundles, AO NSW 10/4167 (Kingswood).

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In 1923 the Premier's Department decided to move the Mint but revoked the decision soon afterwards. Finally, in 1926, when the Sydney and Melbourne establishments were consolidated with the Commonwealth Mint in Canberra, the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint was closed. In spite of other pressures, the main reasons for this decision were the decline in profits and inadequate machinery.148

2.4 A Temporary Solution: Law Courts and Government Offices, 1927–1980

The Mint was removed from its Macquarie Street site in 1927 but demolition of the buildings was postponed as numerous government departments applied to use them.149 A 1927 Plan for Electrical Installation loosely shows the names of some of the proposed new occupants. These were the Government Insurance Office, Court of Marine Inquiry, Court of Review and District Court. In 1929 they were joined by the Family Endowment Department, Local Government Superannuation Board and the Electrical Contractors Licensing Board. The Sydney Hospital Art Union replaced the Electrical Board in 1932. Partitions divided the space into smaller and smaller rooms to accommodate these entities.

In 1928 a ministerial garage was installed in the northern zone - the Melting Room, Rolling Room and eastern Quartz Crushing Room. This involved making openings in the walls, removing engines and iron work, filling in any pits and depressions and levelling the floors with a variety of substances.

The few surviving plans for this period do not record the many temporary fibro and timber structures gradually interpolated into spaces on the site. Among them were stores and laboratories which, from 1931, reclaimed the ground taken from Sydney Hospital in 1855 to the north of the Coining Factory. One can only speculate about the construction dates of most of these temporary buildings. As well as indicating restricted budgets, fibro was favoured for temporary structures and was used extensively after World War II when other building materials were unprocurable. It would be a mistake to assume that all such structures were products of the depression years. Indeed, the main sign of the 1930s depression among these buildings was a weatherboard office for the Charitable Relief Section of the Family Endowment Department that appears to have been attached to the house formerly occupied by the Mint Supervisor.150

In 1938 Sydney's sesqui-centenary celebrations inspired another major town planning exercise. Setting out to review the whole curtilage, the most far reaching concept ever contemplated was proposed by the powerful Macquarie Street Replanning Committee formed in June 1935 and chaired

148 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, pp 27–28. 149 A substantial work-over of the melting house and rolling room followed, in the search for gold and silver in the under­floor drains and hidden crevices of the building. 150 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, pp 29–30; plans held in Public Works Department Records Section.

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by Sir John Butters. A scheme for disposal of the Mint site was specified in its instructions which also required 'the best location for law courts, the replanning of Sydney Hospital and the removal or rebuilding of Parliament House.’151 At this time the central double Mint gates were removed and re- installed at Barker College, Hornsby, where Butters was Chairman of the school council. During the PWD restoration of the site in 1980, an attempt was made to purchase the gates from the school to reinstate them at the Mint, however Barker College wished to keep them, so copies of the gates and their medallions were cast and installed instead.

The major change to Macquarie Street anticipated at this time was the continuation of Martin Place from Castlereagh Street. Planned in 1909, this finally became a reality in 1936. Like the Royal Commission of 1909 before it, the Macquarie Street Committee sought to place a grand building at the top of Martin Place and seriously considered the removal of Sydney Hospital to make this possible. In fact, this committee planned to demolish all the buildings on the east side of Macquarie Street from Bent Street to Hyde Park.152

Heritage concepts valued by the converted in the late twentieth century received little support in 1935. Although 'the plans were widely criticised' and there was 'considerable public concern' about the loss of such a valuable historic site as the Mint, no-one on the Macquarie Street Replanning Committee favoured its retention. Most Committee members believed that St James Church alone could represent colonial times. The Royal Australian Historical Society lobbied Butters to retain Hyde Park Barracks but this proposal was rejected on that grounds that the building was too fragile to be utilised in the Committee's schema. The Premier suggested that it should be moved to Richmond.153

Government approval of the Replanning Committee's recommendations was followed by a competition for the best design for the urgently needed law courts, the winning plans by Peddle Thorp and Walker being exhibited in 1938. Sydney was spared this 'ponderous contemporary structure' when World War II intervened, preventing its construction. After the war the immense housing shortage and the need to improve all infrastructure took precedence over 'beautifying' Macquarie Street. From 1938 to 1960 the law courts continued to take up more and more temporary accommodation in and around the Mint and Barracks buildings. Finally, Peddle Thorp and Walker

151 Macquarie Street Replanning Committee, MSRC Minutes 24 June, 31 July 1935, Department of Public Works Special Bundles, AO NSW 5n699. 152 Macquarie Street Replanning Committee, MSRC Minutes 6 July, 10 August 1935, Department of Public Works Special Bundles, AO NSW 5n699. 153 Macquarie Street Replanning Committee, MSRC Minutes, 21 May 1937, Department of Public Works Special Bundles, AO NSW 5n699; transcripts of interviews with RAHS, Public Works Special Bundles, AO NSW 7/5884.

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designed the multi-storey district court building constructed on the site's eastern boundary in 1956.154

During and immediately after World War II the other main occupant of the Mint site was the New South Wales Housing Commission which moved there in 1944, sharing the growing rabbit warren of buildings with the District Court and the Court Reporting Branch. Other tenants identified on the Government Architect's plans were the Land Tax Office and the Department of Education. Dated 1952 by the Public Works Records Department, these plans indicate that law courts took up the Deputy Mint Master's quarters, former workshops in the northern wing, an upper floor of the same wing and part of a two-storey building that had been erected in the courtyard. The southern end of the old hospital building was taken by the Land Tax Commissioner who also occupied the upper floor of the courtyard building and a timber building immediately south of the former melting house which continued as a ministerial garage. The Housing Commission was limited to the south–eastern corner beginning from the old coining house and extending to the assay office and cottages on the eastern boundary. The dates are not apparent on the printed copies of these plans and they differ from the Housing Commission Plans of 1952-3.155 Housing Commission plans dated 30 November 1952 and 31 January 1953 suggest that at that time, the Courts had less control of the site. As the Housing Commission left the Mint in 1957 it is more likely that these plans were drawn in the late 1950s, particularly as they show that all buildings in the path of the new district courts had been demolished.156 Other demolitions in this period were the chimney in 1941, part of the engine room in the 1940s to allow additions, and part of the boiler room in 1953. In 1956 some of the Hospital sheds were demolished but others remained until the 1980s. In 1968 the northern section of the coining room was pulled down.157

Still the poor relations of modern town planning, 'historic buildings' received some official support in the late 1950s and early 1960s when the Cumberland County Council acknowledged that 'increased public awareness is necessary to ensure their preservation'.158 The number of structures then deemed worthy of this attention was small. A total of nineteen buildings listed in the Council's 'Register A' were

154 MSRC Interim and Final Reports, Department of Public Works Special Bundles NSW 5n699; Andersons, Andrew 1988, ‘Macquarie Street: Sydney's Premier Street from 1810 to the Bicentenary’, in Webber, GP (ed), The Design of Sydney: Three Decades of Change in the City Centre, Law Book Company Ltd, Sydney, p 146. 155 There seems to be no mention of the two additional structures in the courtyard in Thorp's 1994 report. They were not present in the 1927 plan but show in the plans of the 1950s–60s? Those remaining from the intervening years do not show all the site. 156 Baker, HC, et al 1962, Historic Buildings Vol II. Central Area of Sydney, Cumberland County Council, states that The Mint was occupied by the Commissioner of Land Tax and NSW Law Courts, p 20. 157 Wendy Thorp, ‘Historical Context Royal Mint building, Sydney. An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, November 1994, p 31. 158 Baker, HC, et al 1962, Historic Buildings Vol II. Central Area of Sydney, Cumberland County Council, states that The Mint was occupied by the Commissioner of Land Tax and NSW Law Courts, p 3.

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'considered worthy of preservation'. The Mint was among them, but only for its connection with the 'Rum Hospital', not for its manufacturing plant. A book showing the dozen or so 'historic sites' recognised in Sydney was published in 1962. But that was also the year that Professor Gordon Stephens produced another redevelopment plan for Queens Square involving new law courts.

Figure 2.45 View from top of Kanematsu Institute of Figure 2.46 Personnel Department of the Housing Photography (Sydney Hospital), looking over buildings Commission at The Mint, 1950s. (Source: SLNSW) at the back of the old Mint, 1941. (Source: Lucy Osborn/Nightingale collection, Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital)

Figure 2.47 Aerial view of The Mint forecourt showing Figure 2.48 David Potts: Petrol pump with cars parked and absence of front fence, 1962. (Source: attendant, Ministerial motor Depot, The Mint, NSW Public Works) Macquarie Street, Sydney, 1966. (Source: Caroline Simpson Library and research Collection)

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Figure 2.49 Plan of the site, circa late 1950s, showing demolition of the houses facing Hospital Road and proposed demolition for law court redevelopment. (Source: SLM Archives)

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Rejection of large-scale demolitions and high rise solutions for the east side of Macquarie Street coincided with the 'save our cities' movement of the late 1960s. Two separate attempts to remove Sydney Hospital were overturned with the help of public protest. It was not until the 1970s that all the buildings on the east side of Macquarie Street were accepted as heritage items worthy of consideration. The 1972 plan of Andrew Andersons from the Government architect’s office accepted the legitimacy of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian fabric in Parliament House and was carefully scaled to accommodate the remaining fabric of the 'Rum Hospital'. Gradually, the long-awaited law courts were accommodated in other parts of Sydney.

2.5 Restoration, Archaeology and Adaptive Reuse

2.5.1 Partial Restoration, Archaeology and the Mint Museum 1980–1997

The Rum Hospital part of this precinct was restored by the Government Architect's Branch Historic Buildings Group in the late 1970s and in 1979 The Mint and Barracks were dedicated as museums, again omitting the industrial heritage in The Mint's back yard. In what was the first publicly-funded archaeological excavation in NSW, a team of archaeologists led by Wendy Thorp and Patricia Burritt undertook extensive investigations at Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint, to recover over 13,000 buried artefacts and remains of earlier structures.159 Together with a number of other urban archaeological sites in Sydney during this period, The Mint became a site of interest and importance for Australian historical archaeologists, a legacy that has been built upon and continued since.

From 1980 the Rum Hospital building housed the Mint Museum, a museum of decorative arts and numismatics, by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS). In 1994-5 Godden Mackay conducted archaeological monitoring of excavations necessary for testing soil contamination on the Coining Factory site. The Mint Museum closed in 1997 and the site was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust (HHT). The Mint offices were opened to the public the following year. By the end of the decade, the HHT’s 1830s ‘Lyndhurst’ office in Glebe could no longer contain its head office staff, who were consequently accommodated in other HHT properties across Sydney. In December 1999, the HHT commissioned an investigation into alternative accommodation arrangements.

159 Hyde Park Barracks restoration notes, Department of Public Works (document provided to GML Heritage by SLM).

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Figure 2.50 NSW Department of Works Plans for the MAAS Museum on the site 1981. (Source: SLM Archives)

Figure 2.51 Hyde Park Barracks northern range Figure 2.52 The Mint courtyard and coining factory and Mint guardhouse, photographed during during restoration by the NSW Public Works Public Works Department restoration of both Department, c1979. Handwritten caption on image sites, 1979–80. (Source: HPB & The Mint reads ‘uncovering the 1811 Hospital Wall’. (Source: restoration and archaeology archive, SLM) HPB & The Mint restoration and archaeology archive, SLM)

Figure 2.53 Surviving portion of 1811 Rum Hospital compound wall revealed during investigative works, c1979-1980 (Source: SLM Archives)

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Figure 2.54 Archaeologists sieving deposits during excavations at The Mint, c1981. (Source: HPB & The Mint restoration and archaeology archive, SLM)

Figure 2.55 Archaeological excavations in the Figure 2.56 Archaeological excavations in the rear Rum Hospital building, c1981. (Source: HPB & The corridor of the Rum Hospital south wing, The Mint, Mint restoration and archaeology archive, SLM) c1981. (Source: HPB & The Mint restoration and archaeology archive, SLM)

2.5.2 A New Headquarters for the Historic Houses Trust, 1997–2004

In February 2001, the Premier approved the HHT’s proposal to convert The Mint into the organisation’s new head office.160 Work on the site began soon after, with documentary research, archaeological excavations and monitoring, site surveys and de-contamination, and the commissioning of the 2002 Conservation Management Plan.161 Select architectural and heritage consulting firms were invited to respond to the brief, and a three-stage selection process commenced.162 In October 2001, MGT Architects (now FJMT) and Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners were announced as the firms of choice.163

160 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 11. 161 ibid 162 ibid 163 ibid

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2.5.3 Connecting the Past and the Present: A Novel Approach

… we wanted the redevelopment to be a model project, one that combined the best in conservation theory and practice with the best in contemporary architecture, and also one that showed how a thoughtful and considered approach to structuring a project could significantly influence the outcome.—Peter Watts, Founding Director of the Historic Houses Trust (1981–2008).

The approach Peter Watts outlines above is evident in the 2002 Conservation Management Plan, which was ‘conceived as a working document’.164 The plan was designed to be adaptive, and expresses how further site investigations needed to continue to inform understandings of The Mint and any resulting policies.165 This approach initiated a dialogue and collaboration between conservation management and design, rather than the usual process of completing a conservation plan before commencing design work.166

The HHT’s project brief also communicated the organisation’s perspective on redeveloping The Mint:

The 19th century spaces, fabric and patina should be respected, enhanced and integrated with the new building. The industrial quality should be incorporated, not ‘smothered’ by the adaption. The HHT sees this as a positive element in the project rather than a constraint to be managed.

2.5.4 Developing a Dialogue: Design, Investigation, Adaptation and Renovation

The heritage architects examined historical plans, maps and photographs of the site ‘to understand the original vision for the site and how it had been altered over time’.167 FJMT examined the site’s existing ‘rigorous geometry and strong symmetry’, articulated in Edward Ward’s design and Joseph Trickett’s adaption, when determining their design approach.168 They developed a ‘guiding geometry that created new lines of symmetry through the site’, and used asymmetry to complement the site’s existing centralised geometry.169 FJMT embraced an egalitarian approach to the site’s built heritage, noting that ‘broken remains of stone wall’s did not receive less attention than ‘fine façades’.170

The results of site investigations informed the approach to conserving The Mint. Archaeological findings revealed the wide-ranging prior uses of the site, and some archaeological elements were integrated into the site’s redevelopment. The conservation philosophy aimed to ‘preserve the evidence of the changing use and adaptation of these buildings, to keep the “grit” and “texture” of the factory’. The appointed heritage consultants, Clive Lucas, Stapleton and Partners, gently peeled

164 CMP acknowledgements. 165 CMP acknowledgements. 166 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 37. 167 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 46. 168 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 47. 169 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 47. 170 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 49.

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back layers of additions to the original structures, as the conservation approach aimed to reveal as much of the nineteenth century structures as possible.171

Figure 2.57 Aerial view of The Mint redevelopment Figure 2.58 Excavation begins for The Mint Project, site, 2002. (Source: Barry McGregor) 2002. (Source: Barry McGregor)

Figure 2.59 Sandstone foundations unearthed as Figure 2.60 The coining factory prior to part of The Mint project archaeological redevelopment 2002. (Source: Barry McGregor) excavations, 2002. (Source: Barry McGregor)

The Mint Project, completed in September 2004, was widely recognised as an exemplary redevelopment project, skilfully connecting and contrasting the past and present through best practice conservation and contemporary architecture. In 2005, The Mint redevelopment became the first project to receive both the Sulman Award for Outstanding Public Architecture and the Francis Greenway Award for Conservation.

171 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 54.

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Figure 2.61 Sketches showing the shift in the axial layout of the site with construction of the new buildings. (Source: FJMT, included in ‘The Mint Project’ edited by Robert Griffin, 2009)

The jury’s report for the Sulman Award commended the site’s ‘superb ensemble of restored, adapted and invented forms and spaces’.172 The Greenway Award report explained: ‘This layered approach of placing new and old in bold transforming relation is not new but is superbly resolved in this project … We are witnessing conservation as collage—a new architecture of stains, textures and memory.’173

2.5.5 Establishing a CBD Landmark

For the Historic Houses Trust, the repurposing of The Mint was much more than a head office relocation: it was also an opportunity to reaffirm and revitalise the Trust’s public image. The then Director of the HHT, Peter Watts, recalls that ‘we wanted the finished work to be a physical expression of the nature of the HHT—our interests, our sensibilities and our values’.174 Through The Mint Project, the HHT could demonstrate their ability to put into practice the organisation’s ethos and further develop their reputation in historical interpretation, innovation and excellence in conservation. Watts noted that moving the organisation’s head office to Sydney’s oldest public building, in the heart of the CBD, ‘had the capacity to catapult us into a new league—as a major player in the delivery of cultural services in New South Wales.’175 Importantly, the public spaces in The Mint redevelopment, including the public courtyard and the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection, also served the city’s residents.

172 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 102. 173 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 103. 174 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 32. 175 Griffin, R (ed) 2009, The Mint Project, Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, p 31.

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2.6 Becoming Sydney Living Museums

Kate Clark served as the organisation’s Director from 2008–2013 following Peter Watt’s retirement. In 2013, the Historic Houses Trust rebranded as Sydney Living Museums and Mark Goggin was appointed as Director. The organisation has grown considerably since its 2004 head office relocation to The Mint, reportedly employing 151 non-casual staff members in 2015.176

Figure 2.62 The fragmented sandstone wall of the engine room is exposed to view forming a dramatic element within the naturally lit circulation space between the new and the old buildings. (Source: SLM, 2015)

Figure 2.63 The Caroline Simpson Library is a Figure 2.64 Entrance to the former engine room, contemporary space within the historic Mint now the SLM reception space. Vestiges of The Superintendent’s office. (Source: SLM, 2016) Mint’s industrial use remains evident throughout. (Source: SLM)

There has been an increase in commercial use of The Mint in recent years. Current commercial undertakings include venue hire for corporate and social functions, space hire for meetings and dining experiences. A café was introduced on the upper level of the Rum Hospital building in 2004. The kitchen was upgraded for the opening of No. 10 Bistro. The No. 10 Store, located in the original

176 Sydney Living Museum Annual Report 2014–2015, p 82.

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bullion room, sells flowers and gifts and serves coffee on the western verandah and forecourt to Macquarie Street.177

Sydney Living Museums cares for 12 historic houses, gardens and museums across NSW, and offers a wide range of public and educational programs focused on making the past accessible, meaningful and engaging to New South Wales’ residents and visitors.

2.7 Phases of Development—Summary Diagrams

The following diagrams were prepared by Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners for inclusion in the 2002 CMP. The diagrams illustrate the site’s evolution, including the changes in use of its various built components over time.

Table 2.1 Key for the Phases of Development Diagrams. Key

1—Surgeons’ Residence 17—W.C 33—Coal Store

2—Kitchens 18—Tanks 34—Sheds

3—Latrines 19—Cottage? 35—Offices

4—Stables 20—Dovecote? 36—Ministerial Motor Garages

5—Dissection Room 21—Crushing Room (c1860) 37—Land Tax Office Generators (1896)

6—Garden? 22—Verandah 38—Court Room

7—Police Station 23—Mint Master’s Library 39—Housing Commission

8—Guard House 24—Guard House 40—Department of Education

9—Mint Offices 25—Stables & Coach House 41—Switch Room

10—Melting House 26—Store sheds 42—W.Cs

11—Rolling Room 27—Assay Office 43—District Court Building

12—Superintendent’s Office 28—Superintendent’s Residence 44—Mint Museum (c1870)

13—Coining Room 29—Sergeants’ Quarters 45—Sheriff’s Office

14—Workshops 30—Chimney (1889) 46—Plant Room

15—Engine/Boiler House 31—Quartz Crushing Room 47—Store (Attorney General Dept) 16—Yard 32—Men’s Room/Bathroom

177 Sydney Living Museums, ‘The Mint: Event Spaces’, viewed 1 October 2016 .

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Figure 2.57 1830—General Hospital.

Figure 2.58 1855—Mint establishment.

Figure 2.59 1896—Mint refurbishment.

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Figure 2.60 1956—Mid-twentieth century.

Figure 2.61 1980—Late twentieth century.

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3.0 The Mint Today—Physical Analysis

3.1 Site Investigations

The Mint complex and its setting was inspected by Catherine Forbes during September and October 2016. The configuration, approximate age and condition of the visible and easily accessible building fabric was recorded. However, a detailed analysis of individual elements (such as joinery or plaster) was not undertaken as in many cases this would require opening up and a more technical analysis.

Detailed fabric surveys have been undertaken in the past, particularly during the conservation works to the former Rum Hospital undertaken during the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and the conservation works undertaken to the Royal Mint Factory buildings from 2002 to 2004. Archaeological investigations have also been undertaken at these times and the results have been used to inform the decisions made on site in relation to the layout of the new buildings.

All photographs in this section of the report, unless noted otherwise, have been taken by GML.

3.2 Site Description

3.2.1 Composition and Layout of the Site—Building Complex

The Mint comprises a complex of buildings set within a fully enclosed site located between Macquarie Street and Hospital Road, Sydney. The individual buildings and key site elements are identified on the site plan included as Figure 3.1.

The southern wing of the former Rum Hospital, a simple two-storey rectangular masonry building with an encircling verandah (enclosed at the rear), faces onto Macquarie Street. A two-storey stone gatehouse is located in the southeast corner of the site and is set against the boundary wall to Hyde Park Barracks.

To the rear of the former hospital building is a courtyard, which is surrounded by the surviving stone and corrugated iron roofed buildings of the former Royal Mint on its southern and south- eastern sides and a group of flat roofed contemporary steel and glass buildings on its northern and north-eastern sides. The former two-storey Mint Superintendent’s office is arranged on axis with the centre of the former hospital building. The new buildings, constructed in 2004 to accommodate the Historic Houses Trust (now SLM), occupy the sites of the former melting house and rolling room buildings (demolished during the 1950s–1960s). Although the materials and architectural language used for the new buildings differs from those of the early buildings, the scale, form and volumes of the new buildings complement those of the historic buildings in the group.

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On the rear (eastern side) of the site, facing onto Hospital Road and the Domain, is a mid-twentieth century multistorey International style commercial building of brick, steel and glass, currently housing the Supreme Court of NSW. A row of weatherboard lean-to storage sheds is located against the Hyde Park Barracks wall on the southern side of the site (to the rear of the gate house).

With the exception of the Supreme Court building, which is excluded from this study, the buildings are described in more detail below.

Figure 3.1 Site plan showing the various components of The Mint building complex as they are grouped within this CMP. (Source: Plan by FJMT, amended with overlay by GML)

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3.2.2 Boundary Walls

Figure 3.2 Macquarie Street boundary fence, Figure 3.3 Southern boundary wall adjacent to reconstructed in 1981. gatehouse from period of Royal Mint (c1850s), top altered to suit relocated Macquarie Street boundary fence.

Figure 3.4 Rough coursed stone wall to southern Figure 3.5 Rough coursed stone wall to southern boundary—1811 Rum Hospital compound wall, part of boundary—1811 Rum Hospital compound wall, part of northern range of Hyde Park Barracks. northern range of Hyde Park Barracks.

Figure 3.6 Northern boundary wall from period of Figure 3.7 Northern boundary wall with windows of Royal Mint (c1850s). former melting house bricked up.

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Figure 3.8 Western end of northern boundary wall Figure 3.9 Eastern boundary wall at entrance to from period of Royal Mint (c1850s), top altered to suit southern drive, c1960s(?). relocated Macquarie Street boundary fence.

The site is enclosed on all four sides.

On the western (front) boundary to Macquarie Street, a tall iron palisade fence is set on a stone plinth. Iron gates with ‘Sydney Mint Australia’ crown insignia hang between dressed stone gate piers at the northern and southern carriageway entries to the property. These are surmounted by wrought iron arches holding large centre lanterns. The fence steps into the property adjacent to the southern boundary and gatehouse, where a third set of gates opens to the southern carriageway. The palisade fence, gates, gate piers, wrought iron arches and lanterns on Macquarie Street match those shown in photographs from 1870 (Figure 2.34) and 1871 (Figure 2.35), but are 1981 reconstructions by the Department of Public Works. One early fence panel survives on the northern boundary to Sydney Hospital and an original set of gates and piers, complete with arch and lantern, are located at the entrance to Barker College, Hornsby. These were used as the model for reconstruction.

Stone walls separate the site from the adjoining properties of Sydney Hospital to the north and Hyde Park Barracks to the south. The walls appear to have been built in several phases, the earliest being that against the northern range of buildings on the Hyde Park Barracks site. This wall appears to be the original hospital/barracks wall and consists of coursed rubble stone construction. The northern boundary wall appears to have been built on the footings of this early wall.

The western sections of both the northern and southern boundary walls are of coursed sparrow picked stone and appear to be the remnants of the wall built for the Royal Mint in the 1850s. The tops of the walls are stone capped and the western ends are shaped down to meet the height of the Macquarie Street fence piers, this alteration possibly happening when Macquarie Street was widened in the 1870s and the western boundary wall was relocated. The walls predate the Macquarie Street boundary wall and fence.

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The nineteenth century opening in the northern wall (located between the western end of the Royal Mint boundary wall and the melting house) has been blocked up, but a recess has been retained in its place. Part of the northern boundary wall consists of the outer wall of the former melting house (with the window openings bricked up) and the wall to the rear yard of the Royal Mint. The wall is generally of coursed stone with a sparrow picked finish, although there are brick sections within the melting house portion.

On the Hospital Road boundary to the east, the wall, which consists of rusticated stone blocks, extends either side of the Supreme Court building and appears to be contemporary with the court building.

3.2.3 Landscape Setting

Figure 3.10 Western forecourt to the former Rum Figure 3.11 The central courtyard between the former Hospital building. Rum Hospital and Royal Mint buildings.

The Macquarie Street building is set back from the street with a curved decomposed granite carriageway and garden areas filling the forecourt to the building. Stone flagging has been laid at the northern and southern entrances to the property.

The central courtyard has a raised rectangular lawn, which is set within an area of decomposed granite and stone flagging. The archaeological remains of buildings, drains and paths that previously occupied the courtyard area between the existing buildings remain clearly visible in the paving. These include the footings of the former crushing room and melting house, as well as some of the mid twentieth century buildings that occupied the courtyard area. The remains of the original hospital kitchen (unearthed during the 1980–1981 archaeological excavations of the site) remain below the lawn. remain. A single tree has been planted in the south-eastern corner of the lawn area.

A stone and decomposed granite carriageway extends along the southern side of the site between The Mint buildings and the boundary wall to Hyde Park Barracks. It provides access through the

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site from Macquarie Street to Hospital Road. Another bitumen service road extends along the eastern side of The Mint complex, between it and the Supreme Court building, rising up at its northern end. The driveway covers the remains of the former reservoirs of the Royal Mint.

3.3 Urban Context

3.3.1 Macquarie Street (Eastern Precinct)

Figure 3.12 Parliament House (north wing of former Figure 3.13 View looking south along Macquarie Rum Hospital). Street with Sydney Hospital and The Mint.

Figure 3.14 View looking north along Macquarie Figure 3.15 Hyde Park Barracks at southern end of Street from Queen’s Square. Macquarie Street and Land Titles Office on the right.

The Mint is set within a precinct of significant nineteenth century government buildings that extends along the eastern side of Macquarie Street between Hyde Park (Prince Albert Road) and the Royal Botanic Gardens (Shakespeare Place). The north and south wings of the former Rum Hospital (now Parliament House and The Mint) are the oldest surviving buildings in Macquarie Street and, together with Hyde Park Barracks and St James Church (opposite), form part of a significant group of buildings built during the time of Governor Lachlan Macquarie (after whom Macquarie Street is named), who laid out the precinct in the early nineteenth century. From 1816 to 1848, this group of buildings formed the colonial government’s principal hub for the administration, accommodation, medical care, and spiritual guidance of the convicts. The substantial late nineteenth century stone building of Sydney Hospital, located between The Mint and Parliament House, has replaced the

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original central block of the former Rum Hospital, but continues the original use. The early twentieth century stone building of the Mitchell Library completes the northern end of the precinct and the Land Titles Office completes the southern end.

All the buildings on the eastern side of Macquarie Street are set back from the street and are mostly set behind iron palisade fences on stone plinths. Although built at different times and in different architectural styles, the nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings are generally consistent in scale, their use of symmetry in their design, their use of classical architectural elements (some very simple, as in the case of the Rum Hospital buildings, and some much more elaborate as in the case of Sydney Hospital and the Mitchell Library buildings) and are constructed of stone or brick, generally with pitched roofs (hipped or gabled). Thus, the eastern side of Macquarie Street provides a consistent and rich streetscape, one in which The Mint is a key contributory element.

Even though late twentieth century State Library building is located within this precinct, it is also set back from the street, has a landscaped forecourt and does not compete with the historic buildings within the group.

3.3.2 Hospital Road and The Domain

Figure 3.16 Hospital Road and The Domain with the Figure 3.17 View of the rear of The Mint complex Supreme Court building on the left. from Hospital Road.

Although the site extends through to Hospital Road and the Domain, The Mint does not have a significant presence within the Domain. Views of The Mint are substantially obscured by the Supreme Court building which occupies the rear of The Mint site facing Hospital Road. There is, however, a direct pedestrian access way through the site from Hospital Road through to Macquarie Street that is used by the public and particularly by those attending the court located in the Hospital Road building.

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Figure 3.18 Pedestrian access along southern Figure 3.19 Pedestrian access along southern boundary from Macquarie Street. boundary viewed from the east.

Figure 3.20 Public access through The Mint site from Macquarie Street to Hospital Road and The Domain.

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3.3.3 Hyde Park Barracks and St James Church

Figure 3.21 Hyde Park Barracks. Figure 3.22 St James’ Church.

The World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks is located immediately to the south of The Mint and is included on the same SHR listing. The two properties share a boundary wall, through which there are openings that provide direct access between the two properties. The gatehouse to The Mint is built against this wall and has windows through it. Similarly, a range of buildings on the northern side of the Hyde Park Barracks Precinct have been built against the wall and incorporate the wall into their structure.

The two sites have a strong historical connection, through their development as government buildings during the Macquarie period and their role as the principal convict hub between 1816 and 1848, as well as through their long-term use and adaptation by the NSW courts. They both share the simplicity and formality of design that is typical of the early colonial period in Sydney. Together with St James’ Anglican Church, these buildings form a unique group giving a rare insight into the form of early colonial Sydney.

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3.3.4 Sydney Hospital

Figure 3.23 Sydney Hospital, Macquarie Street. Figure 3.24 Sydney Hospital from The Mint.

Sydney Hospital is located immediately to the north of The Mint. It occupies the site of the main central hospital building of the original Rum Hospital complex of which the Mint is the southern wing. The current hospital, comprising a triple fronted stone building designed by Thomas Rowe in 1880, continues the symmetry that was evident in the original building and provides a link between The Mint and Parliament House (the two former hospital wings). The hospital continues the original use of the site.

The Mint and the hospital share a common boundary wall, which in the past has included openings to provide access around the Royal Mint factory buildings between the front and rear areas of the site. All openings in the boundary wall have been blocked up, including the windows of the former melting room, although they are still clearly evident within the wall.

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3.3.5 Significant Views

Figure 3.25 View from the north along Macquarie Figure 3.26 View from the south (Queen Square) Street. along Macquarie Street.

Figure 3.27 View of entrance to north foyer from the Figure 3.28 View of the central courtyard from the forecourt of The Mint. northwest entrance (adjacent to the foyer).

Figure 3.29 View of the central courtyard from the Figure 3.30 View to the new entrance to SLM cart way entrance. reception from the rear entrance of the former Rum Hospital.

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Figure 3.31 View across the courtyard to the rear of Figure 3.32 View towards Hyde Park and the city the former Rum Hospital building. beyond from the first floor verandah.

Significant views of The Mint (the former Rum Hospital building) include those from across Macquarie Street and from Queens Square. A more distant view from Hyde Park is constrained by the large fig trees located adjacent to the Hyde Park Barracks boundary.

The gatehouse is visible from across Macquarie Street through the southern gates to The Mint site, but is substantially hidden by the large trees and corner pavilion located in the north-eastern corner of the Hyde Park Barracks site. The entrance to the 2004 building located at the northern end of the Rum Hospital building, although visible from the street, recedes behind the original building and is not prominent.

From the Domain, the view of The Mint is generally obscured by the Supreme Court building and the stone wall surrounding the site. The exception to this is the former engine house and its recent additions, which are visible at the northern end of the site through the carpark gates on Hospital Road.

Views out from the site include those from the ground and first floor verandahs across and along Macquarie Street (both directions) and from the first floor verandah towards St James’ Church, Queens Square, Hyde Park and the city skyline beyond. During the summer months the views are obscured to some degree by the trees in Macquarie Street, but in the winter, when the leaves are off the trees, the views are more expansive.

Significant views through the site include those along the southern access path between Macquarie Street and Hospital Road (in both directions).

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Figure 3.33 Views to The Mint.

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.

Figure 3.34 Internal views within The Mint complex.

Significant internal views of the site include the views into the central courtyard from the northern entrance to the courtyard (between the former hospital building and the new northern pavilion) and from the arched entrance to the cart way through the southern wing. They also include the views across the courtyard through the archway forming the northern rear entrance to the former hospital building (to the new entrance to the SLM reception, located between the former Mint Superintendent’s room and the new auditorium), and the view from this new entrance across to the first floor balcony on the eastern façade of the former hospital building

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3.4 Building Plans

The following plans identify the buildings within the complex and show the layout of spaces surveyed for this CMP.

Figure 3.35 Ground floor plan—The Mint.

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Figure 3.36 First floor plan—The Mint.

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3.5 The Former Rum Hospital Building

Figure 3.37 Western (front) façade of Rum Hospital. Figure 3.38 Eastern (rear) façade of Rum Hospital.

Figure 3.39 Enclosed southern Figure 3.40 Original window. Figure 3.41 Western colonnaded end of first floor verandah. verandah (reconstructed).

3.5.1 Architectural Style and Features

The former Rum Hospital building is a simple rectangular two-storey colonial style building. It is set on a raised stone base, has an encircling two-storey colonnaded verandah (now enclosed on its eastern side) and a hipped roof with a central box gutter. The front (western) and rear (eastern) façades were originally the same in their configuration, with the windows all being of regular size, equally spaced and symmetrically arranged about the entrance doors to the two separate apartments within. The rhythmical arrangement of the front elevation remains substantially intact, although some of the windows have been replaced with French doors (c1890s) within the original openings (southern apartment). The rear elevation has, however, been considerably altered over the years with all the original windows and doors having been either replaced, infilled or opened up (as in the case of the large arched openings in the eastern stair hall walls). Despite these

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changes the original arrangement of openings can still be read and understood in the remaining fabric.

Surviving colonial features of the building include the multi-paned double hung timber windows, semi-circular arched fanlights over the entrance doors, stone quoins to the corners of the building, the projecting stone windowsills and expressed stone arched heads over the entrance doors (three remaining). The columns supporting the two-storey verandah are of a simplified Tuscan design, tapered towards the top, with a combination of scotia and torus moulds and square capitals and bases.

The rear (eastern) wall of the current building appears to date from the 1870s. Physical evidence suggests that the openings in this wall were also evenly spaced and arranged somewhat symmetrically (not totally), with semi-circular arched windows used on the ground floor level and square headed windows on the first floor level. Larger arched casement windows currently align with the stair halls and a cantilevered latticed screened timber balcony is bracketed off the rear wall providing a focal element to this façade.

3.5.2 Internal Layout

The building originally included two separate two-storey apartments, each with the same internal layout, comprising a single room either side of the entrance hall/stair hall on each floor (refer to Figures 3.35 and 3.36). This layout is still clearly evident today. There is no access between the apartments other than via the verandah that wraps around the outside of the building. Timber stairs provide access to the upper floor of each apartment. The existing stairs appear to date from the second half of the nineteenth century, the northern stair from 1874 and the southern stair 1893. The bridge across the northern stair to provide access to the rear verandah appears to be more recent (date unknown).

There is some evidence of early cellar spaces in the basement of the building (remnants of lath and plaster ceilings), but the spaces are extremely low. The southern subfloor area is currently only accessed through a hatch in the stair hall floor. The area under the northern apartment is accessed via a brick tunnel located under the eastern porch.

The rear (eastern) verandah was enclosed/replaced during the latter part of the nineteenth century to provide an internal kitchen, bathroom, toilets and other ancillary spaces to the building. The partitions between these spaces (and their fitouts) have all been removed (c1970–1980s) and the verandah has been opened up as a gallery space on both floors. Service spaces are now confined to the two ends of the upper floor. A ramp at the northern end of the rear verandah provides access to the courtyard and the entrance to the former melting house previously located at the northeast corner of the Rum Hospital building.

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3.5.3 Construction

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The Rum Hospital Building has masonry walls, timber floors and timber roof structure.

The external walls are painted and consist of sparrow picked sandstone blocks laid in regular courses. The projecting stone quoins to the corners of the building and the arched heads over the doors are more finely dressed and have bevelled edges. The windows have projecting stone sills (reconstructed on the ground floor, but original on the upper floor). The large stone lintels over the window openings are set within the wall plane.

The verandah has stone columns and stone flagging at ground floor level and timber columns (with sand finish to look like stone) and a timber floor at first floor level. The underside of the upper floor structure is exposed at ground floor level showing steel rods tying the structure to the walls of the building. At first floor level the verandah has a timber boarded ceiling and a timber balustrade (diagonal herringbone pattern) with a contemporary steel handrail added. There is evidence in the roof space that the original ceiling was lath and plaster. The whole verandah structure, apart from the flagged stone base and the roof structure, was replaced in 1981. Some of the original stone columns are on display within the building, whilst others are stored on site. Broad stone steps with low side walls lead up to the verandah at each entrance. Two additional sets of concrete and stone

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steps provide access at the southern end of the verandah (dating with the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century alterations to the building) and a contemporary steel ramp provides access at the northern end (recent). The front wall of the verandah base has been repaired, rendered and marked out as ashlar, but this finish does not appear to be original.

The rear (eastern) verandah has been enclosed by a rendered and painted masonry wall marked out as ashlar. At ground floor level a stone ramp leads down to an opening in the stone wall that was once the entrance to the former melting house. A set of stone stairs provide access to a door at the southern end of the eastern verandah and a contemporary steel stair with precast concrete treads provides access to the northern entrance porch located at the top of the ramp. The northern and southern ends of the enclosed verandah on the upper floor are clad in splayed weatherboards.

The ground floor structure appears to be substantially original (in the spaces that were accessible) and consists of large square section bearers running lengthwise under the building, supporting deep hardwood joists (many retaining the rounded form of the trees from which they were cut). Handmade square headed nails are evident in the structure. There is some evidence of past termite damage. Secondary timber bearers, steel beams and bricks piers have been added to strengthen the structure (c1980s).

The floorboards in many of the ground floor spaces have been replaced. Wide shot hardwood boards survive in the northern spaces and are possibly original or c1870s replacements, whereas narrower tongue and groove boards of varying species (but mostly kauri pine, c1980s) exist in the other spaces. The floor structure at first floor level could not be inspected. However, it is evident that, as in the case of the ground floor, the floorboards have been replaced in many spaces.

The roof structure appears to be original, supplemented by additional timber elements introduced for strengthening and iron connectors introduced to tie elements back together where they have separated. Early construction details are evident in the timber pegs used to fix the purlins to the top cords of the roof trusses (possibly Greenway’s work). Timber lining boards run vertically over the purlins and most likely support the roof rafters and battens above (not visible). The roof has been reclad with timber shingles on the outer slopes and corrugated galvanised steel sheet on the inner slopes. A copper lined box gutter runs down the centre of the roof (accessed via a small gabled dormer). It drains via open box gutters running through the roof space to rainwater heads and downpipes on the eastern façade. Rendered masonry chimneys (unrendered stone within the roof space) project through the ridge line at each end of the building and through the central box gutter, dividing it into two sections. A small louvred gablet on the inner northern slope provides some ventilation to the roof space as does a gabled dormer on the eastern slope of the southern portion of the roof.

Joinery throughout is of timber construction and generally of very high quality.

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The entrances to the two apartments comprise panelled timber doors (with raised and fielded panels and bolection moulds) with semicircular fanlights above. The northern pair of doors may be original or mid-nineteenth century, but the southern door appears to be late nineteenth century. The glass panes of the fanlights are arranged in a fan shape (probably the original design, although some of the fabric has been replaced). On the first floor, one of the original door openings has been altered to have a square head for a relocated window, the top sash of which still remains.

The windows in the original building comprise double hung multipaned timber sashes (12 panes each), many still retaining their early float glass. The French doors, introduced during the latter part of the nineteenth century (most likely during the 1896 works), are also multipaned (10 panes per door leaf) and feature gun barrel stiles and bolection moulds to the bottom panels. The transom lights over these doors generally have 15 paned sashes. The door and transom light ensembles have been made to fit the original window openings in width and height, and thus the openings retain their original stone lintels.

The eastern verandah also includes timber multipaned double hung sash windows. The top sashes of the bottom row of windows have semicircular heads and the top row have square heads. The glass panes are larger than those in the original windows of the Rum Hospital. Much larger arched window ensembles align with the stair halls in each apartment and include pairs of casement sashes with fixed sashes set either side and fan-shaped fanlights above. These appear to be earlier than the other windows in this wall and may have been relocated from another location (eg the western wall of the stair halls); further investigation is needed.

3.5.4 Spaces

Each of the principal rooms originally had two windows in both their eastern and western walls. Only the western window openings remain (with the windows replaced with French doors on the first floor of the southern apartment). The eastern windows have all been altered at different times—either bricked up or replaced with doors to give access to the spaces created on the enclosed eastern verandah. Each of the principal rooms has a fireplace in the centre of the walls opposite the stair halls. Most of these appear to have been altered (each at a different time) or bricked up, as in the case of three fireplaces in the southern apartment (the chimney breasts and hearths remain).

There is evidence that some of the original spaces have been subdivided, from as early as the 1820s on the first floor, and during the late nineteenth century and/or early to mid-twentieth century on the ground floor, although the internal partitions have since been removed. The doorways from the stair halls into some of the rooms appear to have been either widened (northern rooms) or added to access the additional spaces created within the main rooms.

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Large arched openings have been created in the eastern walls of the stair halls at both ground and first floor level to provide access to the eastern verandah. Evidence of the former spaces into which the enclosed eastern verandah was subdivided survives in the exposed beams and different ceilings finishes that remain.

There is also evidence of spaces having been created on the verandahs at the northern and southern ends of the building (now removed). The openings into these spaces at the north end of building have been blocked up, whereas two sets of French doors have been retained at the southern end (one at ground floor level and the other at first floor level).

Modern service spaces have been included on the first floor verandah (public toilets at the northern end and a scullery, cool rooms, plant and services at the southern end). A modern kitchen has been inserted into the southernmost space on the first floor. These spaces have had concrete floors and/or raised timber floors added above the earlier floors to accommodate services. A false wall has been erected against the eastern wall of the southernmost space at ground floor level to create a service duct.

A photographic survey of the individual spaces and their key elements is included in Sections 3.5.6 and 3.5.7.

3.5.5 Finishes

The apartments have timber floors, plastered walls (many with panelled timber wainscots), lath and plaster ceilings and moulded plaster cornices. Some rooms have decorative wall friezes and ceiling roses, whilst others have skirtings and picture rails, and the northernmost room on the first floor has a square set ceiling. The different finishes correlate with different periods of refurbishment, which are discussed in more detail below.

The windows and doors have moulded timber architraves and the windows have panelled reveal linings with internal folding timber shutters. The internal shutters are generally missing from the French doors at the southern end of the building as well as the northernmost ground floor space. Some of the original reveal linings and shutters have been repaired with partial replacement of the fabric, but most of the fabric appears to be original.

The apartments have been individually altered at different times to suit the purposes for which they have been adapted and used. The northern apartment was adapted during the early period of the Royal Mint (possibly as early as 1854, but with a second phase of refurbishment in 1874) to provide a public entrance to the bullion office, which included a strong room (located in the eastern half of the northernmost space), and public reception and waiting room. A small wind lock was created through the introduction of a timber panelled enclosure and set of double leadlight doors set just inside the original entrance doors. The southern apartment appears was refurbished in 1896 and

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incorporates a different range of finishes from those used in the northern apartment. These are of a very high standard of design and include decorative plaster and joinery elements. Other ad hoc alterations have also been undertaken during the early to mid-twentieth century and are reflected in the surviving joinery of the building.

The interior finishes used in each room reflect the uses accommodated within the rooms and the period during which the adaptations were implemented. Some of the spaces have relatively restrained finishes (office spaces), whereas others are far more elaborate, such as the public spaces at the main entrance to the Royal Mint (northern apartment) and those in the Deputy Mint Superintendent’s residence (southern apartment).

It is not clear what the original interior details of the Rum Hospital were, although the internal shutters to the windows do appear to be substantially original and there is evidence of early lath and plaster ceilings on both floors. The cornices may be substantially original and then added to during late nineteenth century refurbishment works. The decorative ceiling roses are probably from the 1896 refurbishment, whereas the pressed metal ceilings used in the small spaces on the eastern verandah and the Dorothea Mackellar Room also seem to date from this period. The panelled wainscots and chimneypieces appear to date from the refurbishments undertaken in 1896.

A detailed description of the spaces and their finishes was prepared by Margaret Betteridge at the time the building was converted to a museum in the late 1970s.1

3.5.6 Ground Floor Spaces

Space G.1: Bullion Room (Gift Shop and Café Service)

During the Royal Mint occupation, the Bullion Room was the office for the receipt of gold. The main entrance was widened and a solid counter across the doorway prevented public access. The room appears to retain its original timber flooring of side shot hardwood boards. It has relatively

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restrained finishes, including a moulded timber skirting and square set ceiling. The reveal linings to the windows are panelled, although some panels have been replaced. There are no internal shutters (or they have been fixed in place). The fireplace has a Victorian cast iron chimneypiece, possibly dating to the 1860s (Betteridge). The entrance to the strong room is fitted with a steel Chubb safe door (No. 128).

Space G.2: Strong Room (Flower Room)

The walls and ceiling of the strong room are lined with steel sheets bolted together. The floor is steel plate with a diagonal patterning. A steel gate hangs on the inside of the door to the room. Timber shelves line the walls and are supported on steel brackets.

Space G.3: Northern Entrance Hall

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The northern entrance hall was refurbished in the 1870s as the public entrance to the Royal Mint. Most of the joinery in the space dates from this period, including a panelled timber wind lock with lead light doors, geometric stair, wide skirtings and architraves, four panelled doors (including the door under the stair) and rear half glazed doors with their semicircular heads. The opening into the bullion room was widened during this period, but the joinery to this opening is more recent. The deeply moulded cornice also appears to date from this period.

The pair of three panelled entrance doors with their fan-shaped fanlight over appear to be original to the Rum Hospital, as do the wide timber floorboards and panelled timber reveal linings to the rear entrance doors. The narrower tongue and groove floorboards in the wind lock are more recent.

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Space G.4: Former Venues Office

The room to the south of the stair hall was subdivided during the period of the Royal Mint for accommodation of a waiting room and messenger room, but the partitions have since been removed. It has a mixture of finishes from different periods.

The floorboards in space G.4 have been replaced with tongue groove boards. The windows retain their original internal shutters and some of their original panelling, although the panels under the windows appear to have been replaced. The skirtings, architraves and panel doors match those in the entrance hall adjacent and are therefore probably 1870s. The plaster cornice is early, possibly original. The timber chimneypiece and picture rail appear to be late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Panelled doors (twentieth century reproduction) have been inserted into the original window openings in the eastern wall.

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Space G.5: Boardroom (Meeting/Function Room)

The boardroom was refurbished as the drawing room to the Deputy Mint Master’s residence during the late 1890s. Much of the Adam revival style joinery and plaster detailing in the space belongs to this period. Features include a five-panel timber door opening off the entrance hall, deep moulded timber architraves and large decorative pediment over the door, panelled wainscot around most of the walls (the egg and dart design of the mouldings matches details used in the entrance hall), deep moulded plaster frieze below the early plaster cornice and decorative plaster ceiling rose.

The flooring has been replaced, but the original windows survive with their internal shutters and panelled reveal linings. The fireplace has been blocked up and the hearthstone tiled with marble (mid to late twentieth century). A timber skirting runs around the walls where the wainscot is missing (northeast corner of room and across the fireplace). A pair of glazed doors with bevelled glass and a transom light over have been fitted to one of the original window openings in the

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eastern wall and open to the rear verandah (late twentieth century). The other opening has been blocked up (mid to late nineteenth century).

Space G.6: Southern Entrance Hall

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The southern entrance hall was refurbished during the 1890s as the main entrance to the Deputy Mint Master’s residence. The stair was replaced with the existing newel stair framed by the existing screen, comprising a pair of arches supported on a central moulded square column and side pilasters (detailed to match the stair newel posts). A semicircular arched opening in the rear wall is framed by Corinthian style columns.

Other features from 1890s refurbishment include the entrance door, five-panel timber doors opening off the hall, deep moulded skirtings and architraves, large decorative pediments over the doors, the moulded dado rail that aligns with the column bases, picture rails, plaster mouldings to the arches and decorative plaster ceiling roses. The cornice appears to be original and matches that in other spaces in the building. The floorboards have been replaced with tongue and groove boards.

Space G.7: Sovereign Room

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The Sovereign Room was the dining room for the Deputy Mint Master’s residence. It was later used as a court and judge’s room. The French doors opening onto the southern verandah, with its leadlight transom light over, dates from the 1890s and previously opened into a pantry.

Most of the finishes in this room also date from the 1890s and include a panelled timber wainscot, five-panel door, wide architraves and decorative pediment over the door, moulded plaster frieze and decorative plaster ceiling rose. The windows, reveal shutters and linings are all substantially original. The fireplace has been blocked up and covered by the wainscot.

A plasterboard lined stud wall has been erected at the eastern end of the room to accommodate services. The wall has a timber skirting and the cornice has been reproduced to continue that used in the rest of the room. The doors through this wall (one accommodating a fire hose reel and the other glazed with a transom light over) are late twentieth century.

Space G.8: Ground Floor Gallery

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The gallery on the ground floor has resulted from the amalgamation of several small spaces built on the enclosed rear verandah during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Evidence of the various spaces remains in the ceiling beams and different ceiling treatments (including timber boards and plasterboard) and a portion of encaustic tile flooring, which breaks the timber floorboards at the rear entrance door. The floorboards appear to be late twentieth century.

A fireplace and hearth survives from the kitchen that used to be located at the southern end of the verandah during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The doors opening from the main rooms on the ground floor level vary considerably in design and period of construction. Most occupy the original Rum Hospital window openings. The small windows in the eastern wall of the toilets that used to occupy this gallery space have been blocked up.

Ramp

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The ramp is contemporary with the enclosure of the rear verandah, although the stone flagging may be more recent as it shows little wear. The ramp was constructed as an inclined plane to enable the movement of gold in and out of the bullion room. The landing at the top of the ramp is concrete. The ceiling is ripple iron with a timber quad cornice. The doors to the arched opening at the bottom of the ramp belong to the former melting house.

There is evidence of a floor having been installed over the ramp (probably during the twentieth century), but this has since been removed.

3.5.7 First Floor Spaces

Space 1.1: Mint Clerk’s Room

The Mint Clerk’s Room is relatively restrained in its finishes. It has wide timber floorboards (possibly original or nineteenth century replacement) and a square set ceiling. The skirting and architraves are smaller and simpler than those used on the ground floor.

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The windows are original and retain their original internal shutters and panelled reveal linings. The windows in the eastern wall have been blocked up, although a recess with staff moulds has been retained in one former window opening. The wide door opening to the hall appears to be late nineteenth century, but the joinery more recent. The small door with the flat Egyptian style architrave in the centre of the southern wall appears to be 1930s and would have provided access to a room that was partitioned off within the existing room.

The fireplace has a Victorian marble chimneypiece and cast iron grate dating from the period of the Royal Mint.

Space 1.2: Northern Stair Hall

The stair hall finishes generally date from the 1870s and match those used on the ground floor, including timber floorboards, panelled door (south wall), skirtings and architraves. The arched opening in the eastern wall (with its staff moulds) appears to be late nineteenth century, although the stepped bridge over the stair and the balustrades to the landings appear to be more recent (date unknown).

The French doors opening onto the western verandah match those at the southern end of the building (c1890s), but the transom light over consists of the top sash of one of the original windows that was relocated to this position. The wide opening in the northern wall is consistent with that in the wall below (c1870s), although the doors appear to be more recent. The small door opening in the centre of the north wall with its Egyptian style architrave appears to be from the 1930s.

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Space 1.3: Mint Master’s Room

The Mint Master’s office was used as the meeting room of the NSW Housing commission during the 1930s. It appears to have been fitted out during the late 1890s as the wainscot, skirting, dado and picture rail match those in the ground floor spaces of the southern apartment. The timber chimneypiece and overmantel and the leadlight doors in the eastern wall also appear to date from this period. The interior of the fireplace is tiled (mid twentieth century).

The floorboards appear to be original. The room also retains its original double hung windows, with their internal shutters and panelled reveal linings, and its moulded plaster cornice.

A pair of skylights in the ceiling appear to be early twentieth century.

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Space 1.4: Bistro 10 Dining Room

The Dining room (formerly the Deputy Mint Master’s billiard room) appears to have been refurbished during the 1890s, when the windows in the western wall were replaced with French doors. The French doors onto the eastern verandah are also fitted to a former window opening. The second opening in this wall has been left without its joinery to show the construction of the wall. It is enclosed with fixed glazing (recent).

The space retains its original cornice, a moulded timber skirting and a timber dado (date unknown). The floorboards are late twentieth century tongue and groove. The fireplace has been unblocked and lined with red marble, but has no chimneypiece. It retains its hearth stone.

Space 1.5: Southern Stair Hall

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The stair hall was refurbished during the 1890s when the stair was replaced. The joinery and finishes are consistent with the entrance hall below, including five-panel timber doors, skirtings, architraves and picture rail, and plaster cornice and ceiling rose.

The French doors onto the western verandah are late nineteenth century. The fanlight over appears to follow its original form, but much of the fabric has been replaced. The large arched opening onto the eastern verandah appears to be late nineteenth century and has staff moulds.

Space 1.6: Bistro 10 Kitchen

The current kitchen fitout is recent (2013) and has been inserted within the original space in such a way as to not impact the original fabric and finishes. However, as the historic fabric is concealed behind the current false walls, floor and ceiling, it could not be inspected. The kitchen services run within the cavity between the raised floor and the original floor structure, and within the cavities between the new and old walls.

The space retains three sets of 1890s French doors and transom lights.

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Space 1.7: Plant and Scullery

Cool rooms, plant and fire services are accommodated in a space at the southern end of the eastern verandah. This space also accommodates a scullery for the kitchen.

The plant room has a concrete floor and remnants of a ripple iron ceiling. The scullery floor is raised above the kitchen floor to accommodate the services and is accessed via a ramp. The fitout of this space is recent (2013).

Space 1.8: First Floor Gallery

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As with the ground floor gallery, this space resulted from the enclosure of the eastern verandah and generally accommodated various bathroom and small utility rooms or offices. The divisions between the spaces have been removed, but evidence of their existence remains in the exposed beams and various ceiling finishes (battened plaster, pressed metal and plasterboard). The timber floor has been replaced.

The door openings in the western wall, mostly located in the original window openings, also vary in size, type and period of construction. Half glazed doors with arched heads and a large transom light open onto the east facing lattice screened balcony.

Space 1.9: Rear Hall

The rear hall opening off the northern stair hall has leadlight doors that probably date with the leadlight installed in the entrance hall below and in the Deputy Mint Master’s office (space 1.3). The casement windows also had leadlight, which has been removed.

The timber floor has been replaced, most likely during the 1981 works.

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Space 1.10: Toilets

Modern bathrooms (c2008) occupy the spaces at the northern end of the eastern verandah. Leadlight has been retained in the door to the hall and the one window. The spaces have suspended ceilings that rake up over the windows so as not to block them. Evidence of the original lath and plaster ceiling that existed above the existing windows survives within the roof space. All finishes in the bathroom are contemporary and include tiled floors and lightweight partitions clad in fibrous cement sheet.

3.6 The Royal Mint Factory Buildings

The buildings of the Royal Mint comprise the south wing (former workshops and now SLM directorate offices), covered way and Deputy Mint Superintendent’s library (now Dorothea Mackellar room), the coining room (SLM offices), the Mint Superintendent’s office (now Caroline

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Simpson Library and Research Centre), the engine house (now SLM reception), the boiler room (now the eastern offices) and the coal store (now store and offices).

3.6.1 Architectural Character and Layout of Factory Buildings

The buildings were originally arranged around the central courtyard to the east of the former Rum Hospital building, with the two-storey Mint Superintendent’s office forming the focal point of the group. The central axis of the Mint Superintendent’s office aligned with the central axis of the Rum Hospital building and the other factory buildings were set out as balancing wings to either side.

From the courtyard, the Mint Superintendent’s office presents as a simple rectangular stone box. The low-pitched roof, which comprises several parallel gable forms of varying size, is hidden behind a parapet. The factory wings set on either side of this central block were single-storey buildings with large hipped roofs. Long clerestories added during the 1870s sat astride their ridges (refer to Figure 2.10). The southern building of the pair—the former coining room—survives, but the northern building, the former rolling room, has been demolished. Single-storey buildings with hipped roofs enclosed the northern and southern ends of the courtyard, the former melting house (now removed) and workshops (now the south wing).

All the factory buildings built facing the courtyard reflected the formality and simplicity of the former Rum Hospital building. The buildings were symmetrical in their presentation to the courtyard and had evenly spaced double hung windows of standard size providing a regular rhythm to the walls of the courtyard. The buildings lacked decorative elements other than a simple string course and the scalloped valence to the later clerestories.

3.6.2 Construction, Finishes and Features of Factory Buildings

The former factory buildings facing onto the central courtyard have coursed sandstone walls and pitched roofs clad in corrugated galvanised steel sheet. Within each building the steel structural elements, comprising columns, beams and roof trusses, are generally exposed to view. With the exception of the former Mint Superintendent’s office, the ground floor of each building has a concrete slab floor laid over the original floor. It is well separated from the column bases and surrounding masonry walls to minimise rising damp and movement issues within the building. Steel framed timber bridges are used over archaeological remains (walls and machinery pits) to enable them to be conserved below the new floors and structures and to enable them to be exposed to view and interpreted within the buildings.

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3.6.3 Former Mint Superintendent’s Office (Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre)

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The former Mint Superintendent’s office features octagonal cast iron columns and cast iron girders running east–west. These support the upper floor and roof structures. The structure at first floor level appears to be of timber construction (but could not be inspected). The floor consists of wide shot timber floorboards, interspersed with a variety of narrower tongue and groove floorboards reflecting later alterations and repairs to the building. The ceiling of the ground floor space below also comprises a selection of wide shot boards and narrower beaded tongue and groove boards,

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which may represent different periods of construction, but may also represent a hierarchy in spatial uses.

The roof structure comprises iron rafters that span between the iron girders and support panels of slate, the underside of which form the ceiling the first floor space. A large square low-pitched gabled skylight sits over the centre of the upper floor. The existing roof over the Mint Superintendent’s office does not strictly follow the form of the slate roof below and appears to have been added during the most recent works to improve watertightness of the building.

The internal walls and fireplaces (one on each floor) are generally of brick construction, plastered and marked out as ashlar. Evidence of internal lightweight partitions survives on the ground floor ceiling. The outer walls of the former strong room, located at the centre of the building on the ground floor, are also rendered masonry marked out as ashlar with iron straps set into the wall surface. Internally the strong room has a steel sheet floor (early to mid-twentieth century) and barrel vaulted ceiling. A Chubb safe door hangs on the outside of the strong room, but the internal gate to the strong room is missing (its hinge sockets survive).

The main spaces in this portion of the building are now enclosed by full height glass walls of contemporary design. An open steel and timber stair (2004) connects the two levels. An early (possibly original) cast iron balustrade runs along the northern edge of the upper floor. The southern wall of the upper floor, above the gabled roof over the adjoining coining room, is lined with wide timber boards laid horizontally.

The building retains most of its original timber window and door joinery in its western wall. The windows are double hung with six pane sashes on the upper floor (original) and large two pane sashes on the lower floor (possibly late nineteenth or early twentieth century). The ground floor windows have plain reveal linings and sill boards, and moulded timber architraves, whereas the upper windows have panelled reveal linings. The architraves have been removed along with the wall linings. A large nine panel door with three-pane transom light above survives in the northern door opening that opens onto the central courtyard. The door has bead flush panels and appears to be original. The southern door opening has been infilled with timber framed fixed glazing of contemporary design (2004). Timber venetians have been fitted within the window openings externally.

The eastern wall of the building reveals evidence of many changes made over the years. The wall is of load bearing stone and brick construction. Most of the plaster has been removed. No original joinery survives in this wall and the openings are generally fitted with glass doors and display cases of contemporary design (2004) or left open. The early openings in this wall have large stone lintels or arched brick heads. Of particular note is an early low wide arched opening in the wall between

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the former Mint Superintendent’s office and the former engine and boiler house. Later openings generally have square heads and cement reveals and architraves.

3.6.4 Former Coining Room (SLM General Office)

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The northern end of the former coining room has iron trusses running east–west. These comprise prefabricated iron T-sections and iron tie rods bolted together. At the southern end of the building a modern steel structure (2004), comprising a central stainless steel column, angled braces and horizontal tie rods, replicates the form of the former coining room roof, but not its structural design. It replaces a two-storey structure that had been erected over the former coining room during the mid-twentieth century.

The hip roofed clerestory over the northern end of the former coining room appears to be early twentieth century and consists of multipaned timber framed windows (four panes per sash) surmounted by a band of timber louvres. The roof over the clerestory is of timber construction with exposed rafters lined on the top side with wide shot timber lining boards. Timber boards also survive on the underside of the main roof along the eastern side of the space. The remainder of the ceiling is lined with plasterboard (2004).

The clerestory over the southern portion of the former coining room was constructed in 2004 and incorporates fixed steel framed single paned windows with smaller operable awning windows

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above. The windows are set out in alignment with the bands of windows and louvres in the 1870s clerestory. The ceiling linings are plasterboard.

A mezzanine has been built at first floor level at the southern end of the space within the 2004 portion of the building. At ground floor level the area is divided into individual offices with lightweight partitions, incorporating wall cupboard units and full height glazing. At first floor level the space is open plan. The wall, floor and ceiling linings are all early twenty-first century (carpet and plasterboard). The wall facing the original coining room is contemporary in design and is composed of prefabricated panels with a baked laminate finish.

The building has large timber double hung windows in its western wall, which is plastered stone. Four appear to be early to mid-twentieth century (with triple paned sashes with horizontal glazing bars), whereas the central window, which has large single paned sashes, appears to be recent. Timber venetians have been fitted within the window openings externally.

The eastern wall of the building, which is of stone construction, reveals evidence of many changes made over the years. Most of the plaster has been removed from the surface and no original joinery survives. Iron bars are fitted to an early window opening. Other openings have been left empty or have glass display cases set within them. The early openings have large stone lintels, whereas the later openings have cement reveals and architraves. A high level window opening dates with a second storey addition erected over the southern end of the building during the mid- twentieth century to accommodate offices.

The southern wall of the building is stone, plastered on its inside face. The windows in this wall at ground floor level comprise pairs of double hung windows. One appears to date from the early to mid-twentieth century and has horizontal glazing bars. The other windows appear to be recent. None of the openings are original. Modern fixed glazing fills the gable end at mezzanine (first floor) level.

The northern end of the space has a modern full height glass wall to the Mint Superintendent’s office (library) and a wall unit of prefabricated panels matching those used at the southern end of the space. Above this is early vertical timber boarding.

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3.6.5 Former Engine Room (SLM Reception and Offices)

The former engine house has stone and brick walls and a low pitched roof clad in corrugated galvanised steel sheet.

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The building has undergone substantial change with a series of door and window alterations evident in all the surviving walls (north, east and west). These appear to date from several different periods. The building does not retain any of its original joinery. The surviving timber double hung windows in the eastern wall appear to date from the early to mid-twentieth century. Other openings have been infilled with fixed glazing or steel framed windows of contemporary design (2004). Cement render has been used to frame openings externally.

The roof is supported on bow trusses running east–west, which are fabricated from cast iron sections and rods, bolted together and tied through the stone walls to cast iron anchors located on the outside wall faces. They rest on stone brackets set into the east and west walls. There is a long skylight over the centre of the space, running north–south.

Internally, the walls are plastered and feature a deeply moulded dado running around the main space at ground floor level. There is evidence of a stair leading up to a platform at the northern end of the space (now removed). There is also evidence of various colour schemes surviving on the walls.

The floor is generally reinforced concrete, but also includes steel framed timber decking. Below the decking are pits associated with the original machinery accommodated within this building. These are exposed to view at the northern end of the space. The ceiling is flat and appears to be clad in long narrow battened sheets (could not be inspected).

At the southern end of the space are individual offices with a first floor open plan mezzanine above. The wall, floor and ceiling linings of these spaces are all early twenty-first century (carpet and plasterboard). The wall facing the original engine house is contemporary in design and is composed of prefabricated panels with a baked laminate finish.

3.6.6 South Wing—Former Workshops and Former Deputy Mint Superintendent’s Library (SLM Directorate Offices and Dorothea Mackellar Room)

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The south wing is a single-storey stone building with a hipped corrugated galvanised steel roof. It comprises three sections. At the western end is the former Deputy Mint Superintendent’s library (Dorothy Mackellar Room), which is accessed via the rear verandah of the Rum Hospital building. This is separated from the former workshops (eastern portion) by a cartway that passes through the building and connects the southern driveway to the central courtyard. Below the former library is a basement plant room accessed via stairs from the central courtyard.

The building no longer has its original roof structure, this being lost with the addition of a second storey during the early to mid-twentieth century. The current roof structure was not inspected, but most likely dates from the 1980s.

The south wing has plain coursed sandstone walls facing the courtyard (north) and Hyde Park Barracks (south) and a hipped roof clad in corrugated galvanised steel. The northern wall has large regularly spaced window openings that are consistent with the openings in the walls of the other factory buildings surrounding the courtyard. The double hung windows in this wall appear to have been replaced, the three eastern ones being consistent with the windows in the western wall of the coining room (two panes per sash) and the remaining two more recently (large single pane sashes, 2004). The central pair of half glazed doors and transom light are contemporary in design dating from the 2004 works. External venetians are fitted to all the northern window openings facing the courtyard. The window and door openings in the southern wall have all been altered, with portions of the wall being rendered where openings have been blocked up. The timber double hung windows in this wall date from the 2004 works.

The western end of the building is more finely finished, in keeping with its more public position facing the site entrance and Macquarie Street. It features a bow window and a parapet that hides the roof behind. The wall is rendered and painted.

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Internally, the former library has high quality finishes in keeping with its use as part of the Deputy Mint Superintendent’s residence. These include: fine quality timber window joinery comprising multipaned double hung windows (nine panes per sash), finely moulded architraves and pilasters between the windows, and picture rails; decorative plaster finishes including wall pilasters set either side of the window bay with Corinthian capitals and moulded bases, scroll brackets under the bay window beam, deep moulded skirtings and moulded cornice and frieze; and pressed metal ceiling. The floor appears to be Kauri pine and has been replaced. The original fireplace in the southern wall of this space has been bricked up and plastered over.

The basement below the Dorothea Mackellar Room has undergone substantial alteration through the introduction of concrete slabs (floor and ceiling) and internal brick walls and piers. It accommodates plant and storage.

The arched cartway has sandstone walls and shows evidence of several openings having been blocked up (both sides of carriageway). The floor is stone flagged (not original). Modern steel gates have been fitted to the outer arched opening.

The eastern portion of the south wing (SLM Directorate Office) has been substantially altered internally. The space has a suspended ceiling and contemporary lightweight partitions. The current floor, wall and ceilings finishes are generally recent (carpet tiles, plasterboard and glass in aluminium frames), although the northern wall is rendered and the western wall is coursed stone (but showing some evidence of previous paint/plaster).

3.6.7 Former Coal Store (Store and Offices)

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The former coal store is a late nineteenth century addition to the group. It is oriented towards the southern driveway rather than the courtyard, and backs onto the rear of the former boiler house wall. It is a rectangular two-storey building with a gabled roof. It is a Federation style face brick building with contrasting red brick heads over the large arched openings in its principal façade (south) and a stone lintel over the main pedestrian door.

A modern panel lift door has been fitted to the original garage opening. The pedestrian door is a half glazed four-panel door. A semicircular arched window opening is set in the centre of the southern gable end and a similar opening (now modified as a door) exists in the northern gable end (the latter has been covered over). The window retains its original side sashes with obscured (water-wave) glass.

The side (east) elevation is of common brickwork and incorporates a variety of openings, only one of which appears to be original (upper floor). Most of the joinery has been replaced and comprises a mixture of modern timber casement, awning and double hung windows.

The ground floor of the building has a concrete loading dock and steel framed storage enclosure. It functions as a storage and plant room. The walls are brick, but showing evidence of other finishes having been removed. The first floor structure is timber. On the upper floor there are office spaces with modern finishes (carpet tiles and plasterboard walls and ceiling). The exception is the north wall, which is brick and shows evidence of lightweight linings having been removed.

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3.7 New Buildings

3.7.1 Form, Construction and Layout

The new buildings at the northern end of the courtyard comprise a group of transparent glass boxes with expressed steel frames. They act as a foil to the solid forms of the stone factory buildings that surround the central courtyard. The new buildings are generally rectangular in form and occupy the space and volume of the former factory buildings that previously occupied the northern part of the site (the former melting house and rolling room). They have been arranged in response to the symmetrical layout of the courtyard.

Other new buildings have been interwoven into the former factory buildings and have been attached to the rear of these buildings, filling the spaces previously occupied by buildings now demolished, such as the boiler room and coal shed. The new buildings are clearly distinguishable from the earlier buildings in both their built form and their construction. They are relatively light and appear in many cases to be suspended above the ground, contrasting with the older masonry buildings. They are generally clad in prefabricated panels.

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3.7.2 Connections between Old and New

A glass roof covers the links between the new buildings on the northern part of the site and the old factory buildings. Steel framed timber decks bridge the archaeological remains that still survive below these areas and allow them to be exposed to view. The surviving fabric of the former factory buildings is also left exposed, including the remaining brick and stone walls, with their many layers of alterations and accretions, and their cast iron structural elements.

3.7.3 Public Entrance and Foyer

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The glass foyer is laid out on the north–south axis of the courtyard to balance the south wing. It fits within the footprint of the former melting house. It projects into the courtyard and looks out over it. A floating roof extends over the foyer to form an outdoor entry area north of the Rum Hospital building and extends along the full length of the northern boundary to the rear of the complex where it creates a second entrance facing Hospital Road. The roof is gently curved and clad in galvanised steel.

The rear (north) wall of the foyer building, which is visible through the building, is the surviving wall of the former melting house. The former window openings, although blocked up, are still clearly visible in the brick and stone wall. Many iron fixings from the various uses that have been accommodated within the previous building have been retained on the wall’s surface. The floor of the foyer is polished concrete with exposed aggregate and the ceiling is plasterboard with large operable louvres that run parallel to the north wall.

3.7.4 Auditorium and Library Storage

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The auditorium has been designed to balance the coining room located on the opposite side of the central block of the Mint Superintendent’s office. However, its form and scale matches that of the Mint Superintendent’s office. The two buildings frame the 2004 entrance to the SLM reception and Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre.

An operable wall of copper coloured aluminium louvres wraps around its western side of the new building that faces the courtyard. The louvres enable the building to appear solid when they are closed, semi-transparent when they are open and transparent when they are lifted to open the interior of the building out to the courtyard. The louvres then form a projecting awning over the paved terrace outside, which is the site of the former crushing room.

Above the auditorium is a storage space which contains compactuses housing the Caroline Simpson Library collection. The ceiling of the auditorium consists of large timber veneered prefabricated panels that wrap around the library and sweep up to the top of the double height glass wall that looks onto the courtyard. It is the main feature of the space and draws attention to

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the view outside. The floor of the auditorium is concrete covered in carpet tiles. A timber stage, approximately one metre wide, runs along its western wall. The north and south walls are plasterboard and the rear (east) wall is composed of prefabricated panels with a baked laminate finish matching that used in the modern insertions into the historic factory buildings.

3.7.5 Auditorium Services

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A kitchen and bathrooms are housed within a separate building to the rear of the auditorium. This building is also boxlike in form, with the lower walls constructed of concrete and rendered masonry and the upper portion, which houses the air conditioning plant, clad in prefabricated aluminium panels. A wall of aluminium louvres on its eastern side provides the air intake for the system. The spaces within the building feature modern finishes including polished concrete floors, walls ranging from concrete and rendered masonry to plasterboard, fibrous cement sheet, laminated panels and ceramic tiles, and ceilings of plasterboard or fibrous cement sheet.

3.7.6 Eastern Offices and Stair

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The eastern offices, which occupy the site of the former boiler house, are constructed of similar materials to those used for the auditorium services block. The block has a large sawtooth roof with clerestory windows facing north. It is three storeys high and is accessed by a concrete enclosed lift and a glass enclosed concrete stair located at the southeast corner of the complex. All the interior finishes are early twenty-first century.

3.8 Gatehouse

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The gatehouse is a two-storey building constructed of finely finished coursed sandstone, built against the boundary wall to Hyde Park Barracks. It features moulded string courses, a heavily moulded cornice at first floor level and moulded sills. It has a hipped roof clad in slate.

The original entrance porch, inset into the north-western corner of the building, has been enclosed, with the original multipaned casement windows relocated to the original arched opening in the western wall. The floor of the porch is tiled in encaustic tiles with ‘VR 1897’ set into them.

To the rear (eastern side) of the building is a single-storey bathroom block, which is contemporary with the main building and thus has the same detailing. The bathroom block has a flat roof set behind a stone parapet. A small slate and concrete landing has been built against the eastern wall adjacent to the bathroom block.

The window and door joinery is timber and includes multipaned double hung windows in the western and northern façades and pivot windows in the southern wall. A window opening in the eastern façade has been blocked up.

The building has two rooms on each floor set either side of a central staircase. Each has a fireplace that has been blocked up, but the opening remains clearly distinguishable. At ground floor level a strong room is located at the south-western corner of the building. It is lined with steel sheet and has a Chubb door. The stair is a timber newel stair and original to the building. The wall forms a bay around the top of the stair at first floor level, and is balanced by a blind arched recess in the opposite wall.

The floors are timber (carpeted), the walls plastered and the ceilings pressed metal. The building retains several of its original five-panel doors, moulded timber skirtings and architraves, and moulded plaster cornices and staff moulds to its chimney breasts. The cupboard under the stair is

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lined with timber boards and has its original circular pivot window. Some windows have flat architraves which appear to be mid twentieth century.

3.9 Weatherboard Sheds

There is a row of weatherboard sheds located along the southern boundary wall to Hyde Park Barracks. These have corrugated galvanised steel skillion roofs and are relatively recent.

3.10 Archaeology

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As part of the first publicly funded archaeological dig in NSW, extensive archaeological investigations were undertaken on the site from 1979 to 1984. Trenches were opened in the southern passage and in the courtyard, revealing evidence of the Rum Hospital kitchen and Mint era stables. Excavations also included basement and underfloor areas in the Rum Hospital building, recovering thousands of artefacts deposited throughout all phases of the building use. Further excavations were undertaken in 1995 and 2004 in association with conservation works to the former Rum Hospital building and the adaptation and refurbishment of the Royal Mint complex of buildings. A plan of the archaeological remains uncovered during these investigations is included as Figure 3.42. The investigations were used to inform the conservation works and the design and location of new buildings on the site.

In the 2004 works, as much of the surviving subsurface archaeology as possible was retained under the new buildings. Where possible the remains have been retained and clearly expressed as elements within both the new and old buildings and in the site landscape. These remains include the footings and remnant walls of previously demolished buildings, the machinery pits associated with the former factory, various alterations to the walls and openings resulting from the different phases of adaptation of the buildings, historic paint schemes, iron fixings and other artefacts left on the walls, and so on.

Mapping for archaeological potential and sensitivity on the site was undertaken by GML in 2001 and may be used to inform future investigations. An overlay of GIS layers, including historical plans, extant buildings, services and previous physical investigations of the site, was prepared to inform the 2004 works and is included here as Figure 3.43). It should be noted that the diagram does not include the buildings constructed in 2004 and no further archaeological investigations have been undertaken for this CMP.

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Figure 3.42 Plan of archaeology found on the site of the Royal Mint coining factory prior to the 2004 works being undertaken (Source: Matthew Kelly, GML).

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Figure 3.43 Overlay of GIS layers for The Mint site prepared by GML in 2001 as part of the Mint Head Office Development Project—Archaeological Research Design (Source: GML Heritage).

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3.11 Movable Heritage

3.11.1 Building Artefacts

The surviving original stone columns from the Rum Hospital verandah have been retained on site along with other remnants from various phases of building conservation works. Some of the columns are displayed in the eastern gallery on the ground floor of the Rum Hospital building and some have been stored on the northern verandah. A collection of approximately 200 building artefacts (including column bases, windows, doors, hardware, glass, etc) are stored under the building and in an off-site storage facility at Castle Hill.

3.11.2 Archaeological Artefacts

Over 13,000 artefacts were recovered at the site in 1980–1981, 1995 and 2004 from building cavities (beneath floorboards and in the basement of the Rum Hospital building) and from excavations in the courtyard and coining factory. These have been cleaned, sorted, inventoried, catalogued and analysed. They are currently stored in the collection store on level 1 of Hyde Park Barracks Museum.

The assemblage consists of artefacts typical of nineteenth century domestic deposits, including ceramic tableware and bottles used by the surgeons and Mint masters who occupied the building and clay tobacco pipes smoked by the Mint workers. It also includes examples of important early colonial coins such as an 1813 Holey Dollar dump and more unusual artefacts relating to the specific uses of the site as hospital store and infirmary, such as medicine bottles and dispensing objects, military buttons and gun flints, and as the Sydney Royal Mint, including Bullion office documents, assaying cupels and other industrial and gold processing equipment.

The collection has enormous value for interpreting the hospital and industrial activities at the site during the nineteenth century, providing tangible evidence of the groups and individuals who lived and worked there. A list of A-list items from this collection were identified and photographed in 2013 and 2015. A few of the smaller artefacts recovered from the site are exhibited in display cases in both the Rum Hospital building and the former Royal Mint factory buildings (SLM offices).

3.11.3 Machinery from the Royal Mint

Almost none of the machinery from the Royal Mint survives today. The coining press displayed in the new foyer and Melting Bar area at the northern end of the courtyard is thought to be the only surviving piece of machinery from the Sydney Mint. The press is held in the collection of the State Library of NSW.

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3.11.4 Social History

A substantial collection of social history objects relating to the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint, is held by the Power House Museum, collected in the 1980s and 1990s while MAAS managed the site as the Mint Museum.

SLM also curates a growing collection of social history artefacts with provenance to the mint, including historic images and artists’ impressions, Sydney Royal Mint coin bags, and a small collection of gold sovereigns and other coins and medals minted at the Sydney Mint.

3.11.5 Archival Records

SLM retains and constantly adds to an extensive collection of archival records for the site. These include copies of historic and current drawings, photographs, correspondence, government papers, inventories, and archaeological and building reports.

An extensive archive of about 100 curatorial research files detailing the history of the site and its occupants is stored in the Macquarie Street Portfolio Offices, including files regarding the 2004 building conservation and adaptive reuse project. This includes a collection of slides, photographic prints, plans and excavation records relating to the Public Works Department restoration and archaeology of the Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint (1980s and 1990s). An extensive collection of architectural plans of the site is also sorted in the plan cabinet on the Ground Floor of the judges Common Room, in the northern range of Hyde Park Barracks.

3.11.6 Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection

The Mint accommodates the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection in the former Mint Superintendent’s office and in a specially designed repository in the space above the auditorium. The collection, which focuses on the history of house and garden design and interior furnishing in NSW, is open to the public. The collection, which was established in 1984, includes architectural pattern books, architectural fragments, wall and floor coverings, manufacturers’ trade catalogues and sample books, garden ornaments, fittings (including curtain and blind hardware, door and window furniture), soft furnishings and trimmings, personal papers and manuscripts, pictures, photographs, books, periodicals and oral histories.

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3.12 Site Interpretation

The Mint is a significant heritage site that currently has multiple uses for a range of stakeholders. Whilst it is not currently used as a museum, it has many areas of historic interest that are open to the public to view during business hours, Monday to Friday. There are various displays scattered throughout the complex that tell the story of The Mint. These include: the coining press in the foyer (former melting house); the columns, artefacts and interpretive displays set out in the eastern gallery on the ground floor of the Rum Hospital and a display case in the Mint Clerk’s Room on the first floor; artefacts in display cases in the SLM offices; and exposed archaeology, which is in some cases accompanied by interpretive signage.

In general, the buildings are seen as expressing their own history, with the story being told through the various interior fitouts that survive (particularly in the Rum Hospital building) and the building fabric with all its layers of change exposed to view. On-site interpretation is primarily provided through tours given by volunteer guides who share with visitors the stories that are associated with the place and its associations with other related places and events.

Since 2004, brochures that outline the history of the site have been available for the public to pick up from the SLM office reception, where SLM receptionists regularly provide information to casual visitors, venue hire clients and head office guests about the current and historic uses of the site, and what is available for visitors to see. In 2016, an interpretive guide was published for visitors, including short histories of the site’s three main periods, a timeline and a site plan indicating which areas are of historic interest and publicly accessible.

Bookable tours of the site are also available for special interest groups. These are conducted by the Macquarie Street Portfolio, and free tours are offered to the general public through SLM’s Sydney Open program.

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3.13 Endnotes

1 Betteridge, M, ‘The Architecture and Ornamentation of the Mint’, report prepared for Historic Houses Trust, September 1983

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4.0 Heritage Significance

4.1 Background

The assessment of significance is a fundamental prerequisite to making decisions about the future management of and potential change at heritage places.

An assessment of heritage significance is conducted to establish why a place is important. The Burra Charter defines cultural significance as ‘aesthetic, historic, scientific, social or spiritual value for the past, present or future generations’. Significance is embodied in the physical fabric of the place, its setting and relationship to other items, the recorded associations with the place, and the response the place evokes in the community or in individuals to whom it is important.

The Mint Building was individually listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (SHR) on 2 April 1999 (Item ID 00190), but also as part of the Mint Building and Hyde Park Barracks Group. The SHR curtilage plan is included at Appendix A. The site was originally listed via a Permanent Conservation Order under the Heritage Act, gazetted in October 1981. It is also identified in the Sydney LEP 2012 as the Former Royal Mint Building including interior, forecourt, courtyards, cartway, entrance gates, fence and archaeology, and former Police Station building (Item No. 1866). It was also included on the Register of the National Estate in 1978.

In reviewing the various statements of significance and official values for the place, the following section utilises the previous assessments already undertaken for the site, and provides an update of the already identified matters of significance.

4.2 Discussion of Significance

The cultural significance of The Mint is discussed here under the general criteria identified in the Burra Charter.

4.2.1 Historic Significance

The Mint is of exceptional significance historically to both the state of NSW and the nation. The Rum Hospital building, built as the south wing of the former Rum Hospital between 1811 and 1816, together with the central block of NSW Parliament House (the north wing of the former hospital group) comprise the oldest surviving public buildings in Sydney. The complex was built on a ridge overlooking the young settlement in a new administrative precinct established by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. This precinct has survived to the present day as the principal government and civic precinct in Australia’s oldest city, spanning Hyde Park and the War Memorial down to the Domain and the Botanic Gardens beyond.

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The Mint has exceptional historic significance for its role in the creation, planning and management of Australia’s first settlement. The choice of the hospital’s location was instrumental in determining the location for the subsequent construction of Hyde Park Barracks and St James Church, which as a group became the colonial government's centre for the administration, processing, accommodation and treatment of convicts in NSW. It helped establish the importance of this area within the city, in line with the planning ideals of the early Governors. As Governor Macquarie’s first major building project, the Rum Hospital dominated and defined the Sydney landscape and helped secure the primacy of Macquarie Street within its early street layout. These buildings were the earliest constructions in Macquarie’s ambitious public works scheme, intended to establish Sydney as a civilised Georgian town. Financed by private merchants in exchange for a monopoly on the import of spirits to the colony, they reflect Macquarie’s ingenuity in finding the means to build an essential civic institution, despite a lack of support from the British government.

The Rum Hospital was one of the first medical institutions in NSW built specifically for the care of convicts and the poor of the colony. The establishment of the hospital as an early medical site dedicated to the treatment and care of the imprisoned workforce evidences a number of important moment aspects of Australian convict and medical history. The institution played a fundamental role in managing the health and suffering of the convict workforce, who were charged with building and establishing Sydney and its outlying towns. The institution and its function points to the harshness of the gang system and its related punishments as much as to the need to retain labourers in the good health and fitness required to sustain the colonial project. For many inward bound convicts the hospital was their first experience of the new colony, having been afflicted by scurvy or disease on the passage over they were taken straight to the Rum Hospital for treatment prior to assignment. Over 1,500 convicts died on the site. Its links to Hyde Park Barracks and the disciplinary regimes administered upon secondary offenders at its neighbouring institution mean that it shares many of the values identified in the World Heritage Listing for Australian Convict Sites. Medical treatment for harsh corporal punishments, as well as post-mortem medical investigations into criminals and offenders conducted on site demonstrate nineteenth century policies on punishment, reform and moral affliction. Despite the discontinuation of the medical usage of the site, the Rum Hospital building, together with the central block of Parliament House, retains strong physical and historic links to the present-day Sydney Hospital, its neighbour on Macquarie Street.

The hospital building plays a significant role in Australia's medical and social history through its associations with important figures such as D'Arcy Wentworth, Garnham Blaxcell, Alexander Riley, Macquarie, Greenway, William Redfern, James Mitchell, Charles Nathan. It is the location upon which early progress was made towards the dissemination of public health policies and the was the site of early attempts to make medicine and healthcare accessible to the lower classes during the General Hospital and dispensary phase. The hospital period building provides rare evidence of

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the skills and construction standards provided by the convict workforce at the beginning of Macquarie’s term as governor, which facilitated the transfer of the late eighteenth century English architectural tradition to the colony. It was also a site where both incarcerated and emancipated convicts served and performed duties related to the administering of medical care, and where medical procedures and practices brought over from England were transferred to the colonial context.

The Royal Mint, which was established on the site in 1854, was the first mint to be established in Australia, and the first to be established in the British colonies (outside Britain). The mint was built in response to the Australian gold rush (particularly gold discoveries at Ophir and Bathurst to the west of the Blue Mountains) and the urgent need to produce currency to enable the trading of goods and services. The mint contributed greatly to Australia’s economic development through the latter part of the nineteenth century. It was a colonial centre for scientific experimentation and invention, and was the site of the invention of the chlorine gas gold refining process now known as the Miller process, still in use today in mints around the world. In addition to producing coinage for the Australian colonies, the Royal Mint in Sydney also produced currency for all British colonies around the world, and although the mint was closed in 1926, Australia has continued to be a leading international producer of currency.

Since its construction, the site has remained in continuous public use, accommodating the needs of a broad range of NSW government departments: from the Hospital and NSW Military, through to the Royal Mint; from the District Courts to the NSW Housing Commission, Land Tax Office, Parliamentary Ministerial Garage and others; and more recently the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and Sydney Living Museums (formerly Historic Houses Trust). Many of these departments have had long term associations with the site (the District Court, for instance, has used the site continuously since the early nineteenth century) and their uses have shaped the site and added to its importance (the Hospital, Royal Mint and SLM). For many of these departments the buildings served as temporary accommodation, with the administration capitalising on the centrality of its location and the flexibility of the open industrial floorplate. The importance of the site for town planning history in Australia is reinforced further via the various iterations of redevelopment schemes that have been slated and consequently abandoned for the site, each displaying evolving social norms, architectural tastes and approaches to public policy. The Mint has managed to survive each of the schemes which planned for its demolition through a combination of historic circumstance (such as the advent of WWII), the inertia of various government departments and the interest and activism of the community.

With changing attitudes towards Australia’s colonial heritage during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Rum Hospital building, together with Hyde Park Barracks and St James’ Church, became one of the first buildings to be publicly recognised as one of Sydney’s significant historic buildings,

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contributing to the colonial identity of the city. Consequently, it was among the first group of buildings in Sydney to be identified by Cumberland County Council as worthy of preservation. The building was conserved as The Mint Museum and displayed Australian decorative arts, including items produced by the Royal Mint. Despite the name of the museum, the recognition of the mint factory buildings as significant components of Australia’s industrial heritage did not occur until the 1990s, when the site was taken over by the Historic Houses Trust (HHT, now SLM).

The conservation and adaptation of the factory buildings by HHT (SLM) in 2004 represents the consolidation of a new phase in heritage conservation in Australia also evidenced by a number of other contemporaneous projects (see subheading 4.6.2). The project recognised the importance of valuing all layers of history evident in a place, not just those that contribute to the grand or public story. Through its physical design, materiality and detailing the new project demonstrated that multiple phases of history can be revealed and combined to convey a much richer and more comprehensive understanding of the past. The project is distinguished amongst other adaptive reuse/conservation projects in Sydney by its successful insertion of contemporary infill into the site’s historic context, altering and enhancing the design, function and user experience of the site whilst connecting with its past at every turn. The design successfully promoted the adaptation of heritage places to accommodate appropriate new uses and the potential inclusion of quality new buildings that can add to the appreciation and experience of the place into the future. The importance of this work is evident in the awards presented by the Australian Institute of Architects to the architect for the project, FJMT, which include the Greenway (NSW State) and Lachlan Macquarie (National) Awards for Heritage Conservation and the Sulman Award (NSW) for outstanding public architecture (2005). This is the only project in NSW to have been awarded both the conservation and new public architecture awards. As the 2004 work is still relatively recent (less than fifteen years old), its long term historic cultural heritage value to The Mint has yet to be established.

Despite all the changes that have occurred at The Mint, the former Rum Hospital building has survived substantially intact, retaining its original form, much of its original fabric and its original layout. It also retains its dignity and character. The factory buildings are less intact, but do survive with sufficient integrity to enable an understanding of their original form and function. Archaeological remains of demolished buildings have been conserved on site and, in many places, have been openly expressed on site to assist in interpreting the history of the place and the changes that have occurred over time.

The Mint retains a substantial and comprehensive collection of archival records that document in detail the history of the place, the changes in use and the associated modifications and repairs undertaken throughout its history. This collection includes government records, correspondence, drawings, photographs, paintings, receipt books, records of archaeological investigations and

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conservation works carried out. The place is one of the best documented historic sites in Sydney and possibly Australia.

4.2.2 Aesthetic Significance

The Rum Hospital building is one of Sydney’s iconic colonial buildings. Its simple rectangular form with its hipped roof, symmetrical arrangement of windows and doors and encircling verandah is regarded as the epitome of British colonial architecture in Australia. The building is set on a raised platform with a pair of stone stairs leading up to its twin entrances. The simplified classical form of the building is further enhanced by the Tuscan style columns that support the two storey verandah. Although the details do not strictly follow correct classical proportions, the columns (tapered towards the top, with a combination of scotia and torus moulds and square capitals and bases) are reputed to be the first attempt at architectural refinement in Australia. Other key features include its simple symmetrical layout, multipaned double hung windows, arched fanlights over its central entrance doors, stone quoins and restrained detailing.

The factory buildings of the Royal Mint were laid out to respect the symmetry, formality, scale and materiality of the original hospital building. The new buildings were arranged axially around the central courtyard, with the hospital building remaining as the dominant building within the group. The stone walls of the factory buildings, with their regularly spaced and sized openings and restrained detailing, respected the symmetry and simplicity of the former hospital building’s design. These attributes are still clearly evident in the layout of the site and the fabric of the buildings today, contributing to their cohesiveness as a group.

Street presence was important for the Royal Mint and the new buildings were designed to maintain the formality of the original hospital building facing onto Macquarie Street, Sydney’s most important public street of the mid nineteenth century. Despite later alterations and additions to the buildings on the site, The Mint continues to be an important element within the Macquarie Street streetscape, the eastern side of which is the most intact colonial public streetscape in Australia. Its form, scale and setback are key contributory elements to this streetscape.

The palisade fence and stone boundary wall continue to contain The Mint site and the landscaped forecourt in front of the Rum Hospital building, maintaining the building’s significant setting and enabling its three-dimensional form to be fully appreciated from the street. Later additions to the building and to the site have been contained within the area to the rear of the building. Most surround the central courtyard space, providing it with its symmetry, structure, form and sense of containment. The guard house located at the southern entrance to the site also contributes to the views of the site from Macquarie Street and, together with the western end of the southern wing with its curved bay window, frames the view along the southern carriageway that leads through

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the site to the Domain. The compound walls enclosing The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks define the southern end of Macquarie Street.

The new buildings act as a foil to the historic buildings on site. No attempt has been made to replicate the old buildings, but through the use of simple volumes and forms and respect for the formal layout of the courtyard, the new buildings complement those dating from the nineteenth century. Although the new buildings are visually light and transparent, and very different in construction from the original factory buildings—using contemporary materials of glass and steel as opposed to the more solid stone and timber—their form and placement on the site responds to the geometry of the existing complex of structures arranged around the central courtyard. The new buildings fill the spaces left during the 1950s and 1960s by the demolition of the northern range of factory buildings and re-enclose the northern end of the courtyard. The northern foyer is laid out on the central north–south axis of the courtyard and the larger auditorium building is located to the north of a newly created east–west axis that links the main entrance to the former hospital building to that of the new office complex housed within the factory. It balances the former Mint Superintendent’s office, located immediately to the south of the new axis and the centre piece of the former factory complex. The new buildings touch the old buildings lightly, allowing the ragged edges of the former factory buildings to remain clearly legible within the complex. External louvres are used on both the old and new buildings to link the buildings together to create a cohesive complex around the courtyard. The 2004 work clearly supports the aesthetic cultural heritage values of the site, but as the buildings are still young, their intrinsic aesthetic value has yet to be tested over time.

The Rum Hospital building contains highly significant interiors, designed by the NSW Government Architect Walter Liberty Vernon, that feature very high quality nineteenth century finishes, reflecting the significance of the building and its function as the public face of the Royal Mint, a place of substantial importance within the colony. Significant interior finishes include early shot timber floorboards, plastered walls and lath and plaster ceilings; joinery including nineteenth-century multipaned double hung and casement windows (some with arched heads), panelled reveal linings and internal shutters to the windows, external and internal panelled doors (some with fan-shaped fanlights), French doors (with rectangular transom lights), half glazed doors (some with leadlight and transom lights), moulded timber skirtings, architraves, pediments and picture rails, panelled timber wainscots, two timber stair cases (one geometric stair and one newel stair); moulded plaster details including cornices, friezes, cei ling roses, dados, pilasters, columns, brackets and archways; fireplaces with chimney pieces and some with overmantels; and a Chubb steel security door to the strong room.

The stone guard house is an elegant late Victorian building, also built on a simple rectangular plan with refined stone detailing and high quality timber joinery, including double hung and central pivot

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windows, panel doors, skirtings, architraves and a newel stair. It also retains its original pressed metal ceilings and a terracotta tiled floor to its former entrance porch with ‘VR’ set into its pattern.

The interiors of the factory buildings are industrial in character and feature less refined finishes and expressed structural elements including iron columns, girders, trusses and rafters. The masonry walls (stone, brick and plaster) bear the scars of industrial use and the many changes that have occurred within the buildings, but contribute to the character of the spaces. Other significant internal features include the timber floors and ceilings of the former Mint Superintendent’s office, and the exposed slate ceilings, roof framing, skylights and clerestory windows over several of the former factory spaces. The exposed archaeology, which includes remnants of walls, pits and footings, also contributes to the character of the factory buildings and the landscape design of the central courtyard.

The interiors of many of the new buildings are not particularly significant as they incorporate standard contemporary office fitouts. However, the auditorium and foyer spaces both incorporate high quality finishes and have special spatial qualities that are enhanced by their outward orientation to the courtyard with its view and natural light. The new and elegant stainless steel structure that supports the southern end of the coining room is also aesthetically significant as it recreates the outward form of the building with its clerestory roof, whilst interpreting the structural system.

4.2.3 Social Significance

The Mint site, like its peer Hyde Park Barracks, has formed the setting for multitudes of social interactions, anecdotes and events concerning the lives and times of a diversity of individuals who lived, worked and convalesced at the site. The social significance of the place spans all its phases of use and is supported by the first-hand accounts and records of its occupants, patients and workers. Thousands of convicts as well as hospital, Mint and government staff passed through the site and today the site retains special values for the descendants of these people, as well as to the wider community.

The site, through the various functions it performed has been a place of medical care, learning, training and the transfer of knowledge and practices brought from Britain to the colony. It has also fundamentally been a site of pain, suffering, at times brutal nineteenth medical experimentation and death. For the very infirm, alighting from their passage from Britain the hospital buildings would have been their first impression of the new colony, and many people spent the last hours of their life within the confines of the wards before being taken to the old Sydney burial ground for a pauper’s funeral. As a working site during the hospital, Mint and government office phases of use, the place formed the backdrop for the development of the careers of key professionals such as William Redfern and W.S. Jevons and the advancement of their social status within the hierarchy of

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early Sydney. Its role in the processing of gold and the establishment of locally produced currency link the place to burgeoning notions of nationhood, independence and colonial identity, supported by the esteem in which the place is held by the people of NSW.

The site has been actively fought for and protected by the NSW public. The high level of social significance attached to the place is reflected in the fact that the former Rum Hospital was saved from demolition through the efforts of community members lobbying to save Sydney’s heritage. As a result, the building was identified as one of the first small group of buildings identified for preservation by the Cumberland County Council within the post-war planning scheme for the city the County of Cumberland Scheme.

The site relates to two disparate yet interrelated histories—borne of a violent colonial history of discipline, punishment and incarceration the place would go on to play a part in the development and rollout of social welfare including accessible quality healthcare and the distribution of housing, often considered defining currents in Australian public policy. The site has important social meaning through its history of providing healthcare to the poor of the city, but also through its association with the NSW Housing Commission which was responsible for the provision of social housing. It provides a tangible link to the historic roots of the nearby Sydney Hospital which continues to provide medical care to the people of the city today.

Currently the site is open to the public with local office workers using its courtyard, which provides quiet seclusion in the city, its café/shop and restaurant. Visitors frequent the exhibition gallery and take the opportunity to be shown around by volunteer guides. The place is also available for social functions and has hosted numerous important cultural and creative events including for the Sydney Festival and Sydney Open. The Caroline Simpson Library also has social significance as a publicly accessible repository of Australian architectural, interiors and garden history and a place which facilitates specialised research and study into these fields.

4.2.4 Technological and Research Significance

The Mint has multiple layers of technological and research significance. The first relates to the various building types that exist on the site. As a group, the buildings provide excellent research material for developing a better understanding of changing building design and construction technologies used in Sydney during early settlement and over the last 200 years.

The original hospital building appears to be of a standard British colonial building typology implemented by the British Royal Engineers across the British colonies for military hospitals and barracks during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.1 The Rum Hospital building is one of only a very small group remaining in Sydney that retain most of their original form with encircling two storey verandahs. This is discussed further in Section 4.6.4. The building, as one of the oldest

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surviving buildings in Sydney, provides considerable evidence of early construction materials and techniques used during the early colonial period of settlement, and despite subsequent repairs, alterations and strengthening undertaken at various times throughout its history, the building remains substantially intact retaining most of its original fabric.

The Royal Mint factory buildings are early examples of prefabricated cast iron factory buildings in Australia. Cast iron buildings were a common building type used in the British colonies during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The Mint buildings were designed, manufactured and imported from Britain specially for the establishment of the mint. They were unusual for their flat roof design and incorporation of early fireproof construction (slate roof slabs set within the steel framework and concreted over). Because the buildings were erected at a time when skilled labour was difficult to retain (due to the gold rush), skilled engineers and construction workers (a detachment of sappers and miners) were also imported to erect the buildings, contributing their expertise and experience to the skilled workforce within the colony.

Considerable research has been undertaken into the equipment and minting processes used at the Royal Mint. It is noted that several of the staff at the Royal Mint (including W.S. Jevons and Francis Miller), developing their scientific and engineering interests through the Philosophical Society of NSW, were engaged to a considerable degree in experimentation, not only developing new processes for refining gold (patented in 1867 and adopted in other mints around the world), but also in relation to better understanding the properties of Australia’s natural resources and meteorological conditions, amongst other areas of research. The Mint thus played a role as government analytical laboratory.

The Mint continues to play an important role in research through the provision of public access to the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Collection (important for developing an understanding of the history of house, landscape and interior design in NSW).

Substantial archaeological investigations have been undertaken on the site, which have yielded a considerable amount of information on the mint factory buildings that have been removed from the site. Physical investigations have also been undertaken into the Rum Hospital and factories buildings when conservation works have been undertaken over recent years. All the findings are well documented and available for future research. There is still considerable scope for further investigations in the eastern portion of the site where buildings from both the former hospital and the Royal Mint have been demolished and under the eastern driveway where the settlement tanks were located. These remains have the potential to reveal more information on early hospital activities (treatment of the dead) and early minting processes in NSW.

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4.3 National Heritage Significance

Under the requirements of the EPBC Act, a guide to assessing places against the NHL criteria was prepared by the Australian Heritage Council in 2009. Guidelines for the Assessment of Places for the National Heritage List2 sets out the process for the assessment in detail.

For a place to be considered of national heritage significance it must satisfy one or more of the nine national heritage criteria. The application of the threshold that a place is of ‘outstanding value to the nation’ is fundamental, as is a comparative analysis, as well as an analysis of integrity and authenticity. Integrity is an analysis that assists in determining the degree to which the heritage values of a place remain in evidence and are intact, whilst the concept of authenticity is used to determine whether the heritage value is genuine and undisputed.

While the Mint is not currently included on the National Heritage List, given the associated significance of the surrounding National and World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks, and the significant Macquarie Street Precinct, it is prudent that an assessment of the potential for the site to be recognised at the national level is included in this assessment. The Mint is currently included within the area of the Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct, which has been nominated and is currently under being assessed for inclusion on the National Heritage List (ID: 106103). For further explanation of the values of this potential new listing see section 5.3.1.

Table 4.1 Assessment against National Heritage Criteria. National Heritage Criteria Revised Listing

(a) the place has outstanding The Rum Hospital building (the south wing of the former hospital heritage value to the nation group), together with the central block of NSW Parliament House because of the place's importance (the north wing of the former hospital group), is one of the oldest in the course, or pattern, of surviving public buildings in Sydney. Australia's natural or cultural history The establishment of a medical institution onsite, which formed a direct response to the harshness of the convict regime and the toll it took on the prisoners, ties into the outstanding universal values identified in the serial world heritage listing of Australian convict (including Hyde Park Barracks). Along with these sites, the Rum Hospital is marked evidence of the human and social toll of convictism and the colonial project, processes at the core of Australian history and identity. The Rum Hospital is intertwined with the events, practices and disciplinary actions carried out at neighbouring Hyde Park Barracks and together the two sites relay the way in which ideas of the Enlightenment era and 19th century doctrine on discipline, punishment and reform were manifested upon human lives and experiences on a mass scale across the globe. The role of the place within Australia’s medical history is significant as a coordinated attempt to provide accessible healthcare to both the incarcerated and emancipated population of the colony whilst providing an office/residence from which senior surgeons could conduct research, experimentation and the drafting

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National Heritage Criteria Revised Listing of public health policies. The Rum Hospital building is one of Sydney’s iconic colonial buildings and retains a strong presence on Macquarie Street, Sydney’s most important public street of the mid nineteenth century. Despite later alterations and additions to the buildings on the site, The Mint continues to be an important element within the Macquarie Street streetscape and represents the early colonial attempts to beautify and rationalise the settlement of Sydney. The Royal Mint, which was established on the site in 1854, was the first mint to be established in Australia, and the first to be established by the Royal Mint in the British colonies (outside Britain). The Royal Mint contributed greatly to Australia’s economic development through the latter part of the nineteenth century. In addition to producing coinage for the Australian colonies, the Royal Mint in Sydney also produced currency for all British colonies around the world, and although the mint was closed in 1926, Australia has continued to be a leading international producer of currency.

(b) the place has outstanding As one of the oldest surviving colonial buildings in central Sydney, heritage value to the nation the Rum Hospital building provides important and rare evidence of because of the place's possession of building forms and construction technologies from the convict uncommon, rare or endangered period of Sydney's history. aspects of Australia's natural or It is also understood to be one of a very few colonial military cultural history hospital buildings surviving in its original form in the world.

(c) the place has outstanding - heritage value to the nation because of the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history

(d) the place has outstanding The Rum Hospital building, as one of the oldest surviving buildings in heritage value to the nation Sydney, provides considerable evidence of early construction because of the place's importance materials and technologies used during the early colonial period of in demonstrating the principal settlement, and despite subsequent repairs, alterations and characteristics of: strengthening undertaken at various times throughout its history, i. a class of Australia's natural or the building remains substantially intact retaining most of its original cultural places; or fabric. ii. a class of Australia's natural or The Rum Hospital building contains highly significant interiors that cultural environments; feature very high quality nineteenth century finishes, reflecting the significance of the building and its function as the public face of the Royal Mint, a place of substantial importance within the colony. Despite all the changes that have occurred at The Mint, the former Rum Hospital building has survived substantially intact, retaining its original form, much of its original fabric and its original layout.

(e) the place has outstanding - heritage value to the nation

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National Heritage Criteria Revised Listing because of the place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group

(f) the place has outstanding - heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period

(g) the place has outstanding - heritage value to the nation because of the place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons

(h) the place has outstanding The Rum Hospital is significant at the national level as part of the heritage value to the nation broader Macquarie Street Precinct that represents the vision and because of the place's special legacy of Governor Macquarie for the future city of Sydney. association with the life or works of The site is significant at a national level due to the work of a person, or group of persons, of individuals at the site during its hospital phase of use including importance in Australia's natural or Francis Greenway, William Redfern, Charles Nathan, William Jevons cultural history and Francis Miller.

(i) the place has outstanding - heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance as part of Indigenous tradition

4.4 State Heritage Significance

The NSW Heritage Manual and the guideline Assessing Heritage Significance3 set out a detailed process for conducting assessments of heritage significance. The NSW approach includes specific criteria for assessing the significance of a heritage item, including guidelines for inclusion and exclusion. These criteria encompass the four values set out in the Burra Charter, namely historical, aesthetic, scientific and social significance.

In the Heritage Act these four criteria are developed further into seven state heritage criteria in order to maintain consistency with the criteria of other Australian heritage agencies, minimise ambiguity during the assessment process and avoid the legal misinterpretation of the completed assessments of listed items. In applying the criteria, both the nature and degree of significance for the place need to be identified. The state heritage assessment criteria are also used for the

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assessment of items of local heritage significance, with the threshold being significance at a local level rather than to the state of NSW.

At state level, a place must demonstrate its importance and significance to the state or territory. New themes and elements of significance arise for The Mint when assessed against the seven state criteria.

The Mint is included in two state heritage listings, as part of The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks group and individually as The Mint. For reviewing the state heritage significance of the property at this current point in time, the following revised assessment is focused on The Mint building as an individual item, rather than as part of the broader complex. The outcomes from this assessment could also serve to update the values for which it is included as part of the Hyde Park Barracks Group.

Table 4.2 Assessment against State Heritage Criteria. State Heritage Revised Listing Criteria a) an item is important • The Rum Hospital building was built as part of the general hospital complex in the course, or established to provide healthcare for convicts and the poor of Sydney. The pattern, of NSW’s group comprises the central block of Parliament House (north wing of the cultural or natural former hospital), The Mint (south wing of the former hospital), and Sydney history; Hospital (on the site of the original central block). The site is directly linked to Australian convict history, built to treat the imprisoned workforce who were tasked with the construction of buildings and infrastructure for the new colony. • Together with the central block of NSW Parliament House (north wing of the former hospital group), the Rum Hospital building at The Mint is one of the oldest surviving public buildings in Sydney, and the complex has been in continuous public use since the time of its completion. • The Royal Mint Sydney was the first mint to be established in Australia. It was established in response to the gold rush and the need to produce currency for exchange and is representative of the wide reaching historic and social ramifications brought about by the influx of capital flowing in from the gold fields. • Highly skilled workers were brought to Australia for the construction of the Royal Mint, increasing the level of skilled workers in the colony. • The Royal Mint Sydney produced coins for other British colonies around the world, including New Zealand, and although the mint was closed in 1926, Australia has continued to be a leading international producer of currency. • The site and buildings have been used by various government departments as temporary accommodation, including the NSW District Courts, NSW Housing Commission, Land Tax Office, Parliamentary Motor Garage, and others. • It has survived by default as various redevelopment plans for the site have been abandoned. • The Rum Hospital building was saved from demolition through community

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State Heritage Revised Listing Criteria lobbying in response to growing public awareness of the importance of Sydney’s colonial architecture to the city’s identity. • With Hyde Park Barracks, the Rum Hospital building was one of the first buildings to be listed as a heritage item by the County of Cumberland Council. • The conservation and adaptation of the factory buildings by HHT (SLM) in 2004 represents a turning point in heritage conservation in Australia as it recognised the importance of Australia’s industrial heritage and demonstrated how new built forms could be designed and successfully incorporated into the development of a significant heritage site. • The 2004 conservation and adaptation works won both the Sulman and Greenway awards from the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects, as well as the national Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage, becoming the first property to simultaneously win awards for both heritage conservation and contemporary public architecture.

b) an item has strong • Governor Lachlan Macquarie—development of government precinct on top of or special association ridge, along Macquarie Street. with the life or works • Eminent surgeons and medical/public health leaders such as William Redfern of a person, or group and Charles Nathan of persons, of • The Royal Mint (UK)—first mint established outside Britain (in the colonies) and importance in NSW’s its staff which included a range of specialist professions who contributed cultural or natural substantially to both the scientific and industrial communities in the field of history; coin production and gold processing. • NSW District Courts—longest continuous use of site—from construction to 1997, with barristers and the public still passing through site to the District Court building on the rear eastern portion of the site. • Housing Commission of NSW—accommodated on the site for almost 40 years following World War II.

c) an item is important The architectural qualities of the site, both contemporary and historic, constitute a in demonstrating considerable creative achievement and make a rare and valuable contribution to aesthetic the cultural life of the state. characteristics and/or Rum Hospital Building: a high degree of • Iconic colonial building of restrained classical design. creative or technical achievement in NSW; • Its simple rectangular form with its hipped roof, symmetrical arrangement of windows and doors and encircling verandah is regarded as the epitome of British colonial architecture in Australia. • Other key features include its simple symmetrical layout, multipaned double hung windows, arched fanlights over its central entrance doors, stone quoins and restrained detailing. • The simplified classical form of the building is further enhanced by the Tuscan style columns that support the two storey verandah and the pair of stone stairs that lead up to its two main entrances and the raised platform on which the building is built. • Original timber structure and window joinery, including folding internal shutters and panelled reveal linings.

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State Heritage Revised Listing Criteria

• The building includes significant interiors of various periods (particularly from the mint period from 1854 to 1926)—high quality timber joinery and plaster finishes. The Royal Mint Factory Buildings: • The mint development is laid out to respect the formality and symmetry of the original building—in the set out of the new buildings around the central courtyard, axially arranged about the centre line of the Rum Hospital building; in the symmetry and simple form of their façades; in their three-dimensional scale and volumetric form; and in the materials used (stone façades). • The classical form and detailing of the alterations to western end of south wing of the former Deputy Mint Superintendent’s library facing Macquarie street. • Exposed prefabricated cast iron structure of the former coining factory— including columns, girders and trusses in the Mint Superintendent’s office and over the coining room; bow trusses over the former engine house. • The fireproof slate ceiling over the Mint Superintendent’s office. • Original timber structure and joinery. Gatehouse: • Elegant finely finished stone building at the entrance to property. • Visual link to Sydney Hospital in placement on site (balancing element in streetscape with Rum Hospital building at centre) and materials used. • Original timber structure, joinery (including windows, doors, stair) and pressed metal ceilings. Boundary Walls: • Important in relation to the enclosure of site and reinforcement of the place as a government compound. • Stone boundary walls from various periods—brick and stone. • Palisade fence and stone piers to Macquarie Street have been reconstructed on the 1870s alignment and are an important element of the streetscape. Streetscape: • Consistent with other nineteenth century and early twentieth century government buildings on the east side of Macquarie Street in scale and setback from the street. • The forecourt area and landscaping between buildings and street, set behind an iron palisade fence and stone plinth and piers. • Scale and classical form of the buildings—symmetry, rhythmic arrangement of openings, string courses and eaves lines. • Variety of materials that provide a rich texture to the streetscape—stone, brick, painted façades. New Buildings: • New buildings are integrated in with the historic buildings on the site, respecting them in scale, volume, and axial arrangement around the central courtyard.

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State Heritage Revised Listing Criteria

d) an item has strong • Saved through growing community awareness of Sydney’s heritage and or special association lobbying to prevent demolition. with a particular • The Mint was one of the first historic buildings in Australia to be recognised community or cultural for its significance, becoming the subject of a Permanent Conservation Order group in NSW for and a major historical conservation project by the NSW Public Works social, cultural or Department (1975–1984). spiritual reasons; • Open access of site to the public (grounds and exhibition gallery, shop/café and restaurant)—provides a quiet and secluded place in the city. • Engages the local community in understanding their history—volunteer guides on site to show people around. • Historically associated with care of the poor—hospital and social housing.

e) an item has • Archaeology relating to historic development of site—hospital, mint, houses, potential to yield walls, tanks. information that will • Archaeological remains have the potential to reveal more information on contribute to an early hospital activities (treatment of the dead) and early minting processes in understanding of NSW. NSW’s cultural or • Educational role—research library, displays, volunteer guides and educational natural history; programs.

f) an item possesses • One of the oldest surviving buildings in Sydney CBD (with NSW Parliament uncommon, rare or House, Cadman’s Cottage and Hyde Park Barracks). endangered aspects • With Parliament House, it is one of the oldest public buildings in Sydney. of NSW’s cultural or • One of very few colonial military hospital buildings surviving in its original natural history; form in the world. • First branch of the Royal Mint established outside Britain. • Early specially designed prefabricated cast iron factory building in Australia. • First Australian building to use a fireproof construction system. • Associated with the development of patents and processes still used in minting today.

g) an item is important Rum Hospital Building: in demonstrating the • Iconic colonial building of restrained classical design. principal • Its simple rectangular form with its hipped roof, symmetrical arrangement of characteristics of a windows and doors and encircling verandah is regarded as the epitome of class of NSW’s British colonial architecture in Australia. • cultural or • Other key features include its simple symmetrical layout, multipaned double natural places; hung windows, arched fanlights over its central entrance doors, stone quoins or and restrained detailing. • cultural or • The simplified classical form of the building is further enhanced by the Tuscan natural style columns that support the two storey verandah and the pair of stone environments. stairs that lead up to its two main entrances and the raised platform on which the building is built. Includes significant interiors of various periods—high quality timber joinery and plaster finishes. • Pattern book design for a military hospital.

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4.5 Local Heritage Significance

Local heritage places are important places for the community as they provide an understanding of the stories that have shaped the development of landscapes, towns, cultures and unique public places. Items identified as being of local heritage significance are listed on the local environmental plan (LEP) and managed by the local council. For the Mint, the social significance that this site has within the Sydney, and broader NSW community, is recognised through inclusion on the Sydney LEP 2012.

Table 4.3 Assessment against Local (State) Heritage Criteria. Local/State Heritage The Mint Revised Listing Criteria a) an item is important in As the south wing of the former Rum Hospital Agree with current listing but the course, or pattern, of the main building (with the former north also add: NSW’s cultural or natural wing) is historically significant as a major The Mint complex is history; remnant of one of the most ambitious significant as a host to building projects of the Macquarie era and multiple NSW Government the oldest extant building in central Sydney. It agencies and departments also provides evidence of the social concerns over its 200 years of of the governor and his pragmatism in establishment; The Mint is realising these. The building itself provides closely associated with important evidence of the architecture and government administration building techniques of the early colonial and decisions affecting the years as well as the adaptation of lives of NSW and Sydney architectural forms from Britain and colonial citizens. settlement elsewhere.

The main building and its associated mint structures are also significant as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside London and provide important evidence of a major event in the economic life of the colony. The Mint Building has high state significance as part of Governor Macquarie’s grand design for the colony in the 1810s. It is of outstanding importance as a staff wing of the general hospital complex and then as a key part of the army’s medical services. Its second career as an industrial complex, housing the smelting, rolling, assaying and striking plant for the first branch of the British Royal Mint established in the Victorian Empire, is also of high state and national significance. Has historic significance at a state level. b) an item has strong or The Mint Building has high special association with state significance as part of the life or works of a Governor Macquarie’s grand

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Local/State Heritage The Mint Revised Listing Criteria person, or group of design for the colony in the persons, of importance in 1810s. In its form and detailing NSW’s cultural or natural the building reflects both the history; vision of Governor Macquarie for the character of the new colony and the variety of architectural influences available to the new colony.

c) an item is important in Aesthetically, the site provides a notable and Agree with current listing but demonstrating aesthetic particularly early example of the state's also add: characteristics and/or a nineteenth century Colonial Georgian public The architectural qualities of high degree of creative or buildings. In its form and detailing the the site, both contemporary technical achievement in building reflects both the vision of Governor and historic, constitute a NSW; Macquarie for the character of the new considerable creative colony and the variety of architectural achievement and make a influences available to the new colony. rare and valuable The main building provides important contribution to the cultural life evidence of one of the first major building of the state. compositions in Sydney and has been a dominant and readily recognisable element in the city's landscape for most of its life. The form and massing of the main building and its strategic location fronting Macquarie Street have also contributed to the important visual contribution made by the main building to this streetscape and wider historic precinct. The site has considerable significance for its ability to provide important evidence of early construction materials and techniques and the changes in these over a considerable period. The site also has considerable archaeological potential to provide evidence about its original layout and fabric including both its use as part of the Rum Hospital and Royal Mint. The potential of areas such as the Mint Reservoir will add considerably to the understanding of the site. The remnant internal components, fittings and evidence of the form and location of particular minting equipment and processes are also of importance in providing information about the site's early mint use. Has aesthetic significance at a state level.

d) an item has strong or The site and its group of associated buildings Agree with the current listing special association with a and features remains associated in the but also add:

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Local/State Heritage The Mint Revised Listing Criteria particular community or popular imagination—by name and historical The site is important for its cultural group in NSW for links—with its colonial origins and use as the significant social connection social, cultural or spiritual Royal Mint. Has social significance at a state with the community, which is reasons; level. evident as the site was saved through growing community awareness of Sydney’s heritage and lobbying to prevent demolition. e) an item has potential to The site of the former Royal Mint contains a yield information that will number of interrelated nineteenth and early contribute to an twentieth century buildings and associated understanding of NSW’s site features (including archaeological cultural or natural history; deposits) located between the Hyde Park Barracks complex to the south, Parliament House to the north, Macquarie Street to the west and a modern office block occupied by the Attorney General's department to the east. f) an item possesses As the oldest surviving colonial building in uncommon, rare or central Sydney the main building provides endangered aspects of important and rare evidence of building NSW’s cultural or natural forms and techniques from the convict period history; of Sydney's history. The remains of the coining factory to the rear provide uncommon evidence of industrial and manufacturing activity in the centre of Sydney from the mid nineteenth century. Is rare at a state level. g) an item is important in The main building provides important demonstrating the evidence of the common nineteenth century principal characteristics practice of providing on-site accommodation of a class of NSW’s for chief employees, as in the Mint Master's • cultural or natural residence. places; or The site is also important for its strong • cultural or natural associations with the growth towards environments. independence of the colony in the nineteenth century and the way in which this was reflected in its important mint buildings as well as the increased status and activity arising with the discovery of gold. Is representative at a state level.

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4.6 Comparative Analysis

4.6.1 Introduction

Comparative analysis is undertaken to supplement an assessment of heritage significance and support an argument that a place meets a specific threshold of heritage value. It assists in locating a site within a particular movement or style, or determining what the nature of its contribution was within a particular epoch. The places discussed in the passages that follow demonstrate many of the evolving issues invoked by historical sites containing multiple, complex layers of use and meaning. They posit a variety of responses to the challenge of interpreting complex sites architecturally and culturally, through processes of analysis, design and measured intervention.

This comparative analysis examines:

• the site in the context of Australian sites of significance which also incorporate contemporary architecture as a primary interpretive element and experience of the place;

• the site in the context of Australian mint buildings and their importance in the economic development of the colony and ideas of nationhood;

• the site in the context of national and international exemplars of colonial military barracks style buildings, a rare architectural typology with pared back classical traits that reflect the expansion and influence of imperial power throughout the globe.

4.6.2 Australian Heritage Sites Incorporating Contemporary Architecture/Adaptive Re-use

In 2005, The Mint became the first building to receive architecture awards for both public/commercial architecture and heritage architecture. It led the way in combining high level conservation of heritage buildings with innovative new design.

In recent years, following The Mint’s example, two other developments in Sydney have received similar accolades. Both projects involved the creative adaptive re-use of iconic bank buildings located on Martin Place and high quality and innovative new design.

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50 Martin Place

In 2015, 50 Martin Place, the former Government Savings Bank of NSW, was refurbished and revitalised for Macquarie Bank by Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW) and BVN. A two-storey stainless steel and glass canopy was built over the central atrium to bring light and air down into the centre of the building. The building was awarded both the state and national architecture awards for commercial architecture. Although the adaptation of the bank involved conservation of the highly significant heritage building, it was not awarded the Heritage Architecture Award. Figure 4.1 50 Martin Place. (Source: Australian AIA National Architecture Award—Harry Seidler Award Financial Review, 2016) for Commercial Architecture. NSW Architecture Awards—Winner, Sir Arthur G Stephenson Award for Commercial Architecture, COLORBOND Award for Steel Architecture and Commendation for Sustainable Architecture. The project also received: • National Trust Award for Adaptive Re-use— National Trust Heritage Awards; • Outstanding Construction Award—Master Builders Association of NSW Awards; • Best Use of Glass Award—Master Builders Association of NSW Awards; and • Restoration of a Historic Building Award—Master Builders Association of NSW Awards.

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5 Martin Place

In 2016, 5 Martin Place, which included the conservation, adaptation and modernisation of the iconic Commonwealth Bank ‘Money Box’ building on Martin Place and construction of a new glass office tower, was awarded both state and national architecture awards for commercial and heritage architecture. The architects were JPW for the new work and TKD Architects (Tanner Kibble Denton) for the conservation work. NSW Architecture Awards included the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design, the Commercial Architecture Award and the Greenway Award for Heritage Architecture. The project also received the following awards: • Buildings and Structures Award—Australian Engineering Excellence Awards; • Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Presidents Award; Figure 4.2 5 Martin Place. (Source: TKD 2016) • Excellence in Commercial Development—NSW UDIA Awards; • Steel Excellence in Buildings—Large Projects Australian Steel Institute Awards; and • Urban Renewal Development—Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Awards.

4.6.3 Australian Mint Buildings

The Royal Mint’s role as a coining factory and gold processing site held important implications for the economic and commercial development of NSW, as well as for the colony’s perception of its own value, identity and role with the empire. Both the main building and remains of the coining factory structures are exceptionally significant as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside London and reflect the importance and wealth of the colony in the mid-nineteenth century as it moved towards independence.

The Royal Mint, Sydney, was the first mint building constructed in Australia and the site retains much of its industrial character (including its name which has persevered) as an intact early manufacturing site and workers site, rare within its locality. The sites discussed below have also hosted mint operations and coining manufacturing throughout the other states and territories.

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The Former Mint, Melbourne

The former Melbourne Mint followed on from its Sydney counterpart only in function, being distinct stylistically and architecturally. Like Sydney the influx of wealth brought about by the gold rush was the catalyst for its establishment. The Renaissance revival architecture distinguished it from the repurposed hospital building which housed the Sydney Mint. Melbourne Mint was the second branch of the British Royal Mint to be established in Australia. Its first coins were struck in 1872 and marked with ‘M’ to identify them. Like Sydney this site was once occupied by a multitude of industrial structures to the rear including Figure 4.3 The Former Melbourne Branch of the laboratories, furnaces, chimneys and coining rooms Royal Mint. (Source: Working Heritage 2016) which tempered the grandeur of the building at their frontage. However, unlike the Sydney Mint these industrial elements were demolished in 1970 and the land resurfaced into a carpark. Since its official closure in 1972, the building, designed by architect JJ Clark, stands as a rare renaissance revival style building in Australia. It remains open to the public, housing the Hellenic Museum today. Working Heritage Victoria is responsible for the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the building.

The Former Mint, Perth

The Perth Mint commenced operations almost 27 years after the Melbourne branch in response to the discovery of rich gold deposits in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. Designed by George Temple Pool, Chief Architect of the Public Works Division, the Federation Romanesque style building strongly featuring local limestone was opened as the Perth Mint in 1899. In its architectural style, function and setting the Perth Mint is individual in the context of other Australian coining sites. Similarly to Sydney, the site has undergone a major restoration and renovation in recent years with a focus on becoming a premier tourist destination with a Figure 4.4 The Perth Mint. (Source: Heritage WA permanent ‘Gold exhibition’ display installed and other 2016) interpretive devices. The Perth Mint building continues to be associated with the gold industry, with the original building and modern facilities still in use. Gold refinery processes are now located offsite and the Perth Mint also operates a precious metals program servicing investors around the globe.

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The Royal Australian Mint, Canberra

Signalling a new era in Australian mint operations the Royal Australian Mint was opened in Canberra in 1965. The Canberra Mint absorbed and amalgamated the operations of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth mints in anticipation for the shift to the decimal system in Australia in 1966. The purpose-built building’s architectural style could be described as late twentieth- century stripped classical. The building displays a stripped back colonnaded and flat roofed ‘temple’ arrangement which clearly responds to the modernist architectural language used throughout civic buildings in Australia’s capital. This style was befittingly aspirational, built to contain entirely within its walls new machinery, new methods and means of producing Figure 4.5 The Royal Australian Mint. (Source: coins and to carry the Australian currency into the The Royal Australian Mint Website 2016) future. There remain some notable stylistic ‘nods’ to the institutions earliest predecessor housed in the Rum Hospital—in the simplicity, rhythm and regularity of the façade and the muted colours employed the humble beginnings of minting operations in the colony are recalled.

4.6.4 Colonial Military Barracks/Hospital Buildings

Colonial architecture is the term used for the buildings constructed in Australia between European settlement in January 1788 and about 1840. The first buildings of the British penal settlement in Sydney were a prefabricated house for the Governor and a similarly prefabricated Government Store to house the colony's supplies. Formal architecture in the colony of New South Wales was to take its cues from first Government House, erected by Governor Phillip in 1788 overlooking Sydney Cove.4 Many of the Colonial Georgian buildings in public use that followed were orderly in symmetry and form and human in scale, with elements of classicism used sparingly and adapted according to the context and function of the site as well as to the availability of materials.

Victoria Barracks, Paddington NSW

Constructed from locally quarried stone between 1841 and 1849, the main soldiers’ barracks building at Victoria Barracks Paddington is widely considered to be one of the best examples of a military barracks in the world. It was built to house 700 militia and remains in continuing military use by the Department of Defence today. It is one of the more ambitious variations on the Figure 4.6 Victoria Barracks, Paddington. (Source: military pattern book building typology which Army Museum Website 2016) proliferated throughout the colonies in the nineteenth century. The building was designed by Lieutenant-Colonel George Barney, who also built

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Victoria Barracks, Paddington NSW Fort Denison and reconstructed Circular Quay. The barracks bear many similarities to the Rum Hospital building in its materiality, façade detailing and proportions despite being decidedly more ambitious in the length and scale, and distinguished by their parade ground setting. The stone is left exposed and the front elevation is intersected by a pedimented projecting gable with an arched entranceway. The demolished central block of the Rum Hospital also contained a central pediment. The double storey verandah (in this case supported by cast iron columns and balustrade) is a motif common in military pattern book architecture. Deep set, generous verandahs as built at the Rum Hospital and Victoria Barracks became commonplace as necessitated by the tropical climates of the Caribbean.

Lancer Barracks, Parramatta NSW

The Lancer Barracks military complex at Parramatta contains another substantial barracks building influenced by colonial military pattern book specifications. The men's quarters, built in 1819 and designed by Lt John Watts, is one of three main buildings laid out around the parade ground. It is a two storey Old Colonial Georgian building of painted brick with late Victorian alterations and additions including the upper level verandah with cast iron balustrading which was added in 1897. The five-bay front façade has 15 pane windows and central front door with keystone and fanlight. The building is much more compact and utilitarian than the former Rum Figure 4.7 The men’s quarters building at Lancer Hospital and the main barracks building at Barracks, Parramatta. (Source: Lancer Barracks Victoria Barracks however it displays key Website) elements of standardised military architecture including the deep set double storey verandah influenced by the Caribbean climates and the cast iron columns.

There are a number of extant examples of what architectural historians have termed ‘the West India Barrack’ typology that can be found throughout the Caribbean in areas used as military/colonial outposts by the British. These military barracks and hospitals demonstrate the transfer of standardised building forms throughout the colonies as well as the adaptability and

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ingenuity of the Royal Engineers who were employed to oversee their construction.5 Key points of variation from Australian examples at these sites include:

• type of materials used, with local and readily available materials being employed wherever possible;

• variation in the height, depth and detailing of the verandahs with the hotter tropical climates warranting deeper verandahs to provide added shelter;

• variation in size, type and material of columns used, however imported, prefabricated cast iron columns from England were commonplace;

• variation in the number of storeys (usually two or three) and fenestration style; and

• variation in entrance types, with some entrances at ground level (as in the Port Royal Naval Hospital, Jamaica) and some with a generous double entry staircase running parallel to the building façade (as at the Royal Naval Hospital, Bermuda).

Military Hospitals/Barracks buildings in the colonies

Figure 4.8 Royal Naval Hospital Bermuda, 1815, Figure 4.9 Naval Hospital, Port Royal, Jamaica in 1865. designed by architect Edward Holl. (Source: (Source: SLM) SLM)

Figure 4.10 St James Barracks, Port of Spain Figure 4.11 Royal Naval Hospital, Bermuda. (Source: 1824. (Source: SLM) SLM)

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Military Hospitals/Barracks buildings in the colonies

Figure 4.13 Port Royal Military Hospital, Jamaica. (Source: SLM)

Figure 4.12 Port Royal Military Hospital, Jamaica. (Source: SLM)

4.6.5 Military/Colonial Government Compounds

The architecture, siting, and spatial arrangement of colonial compounds was heavily influenced by the penal system that they were built to enforce. It was common for major centres of colonial administrative authority to be partially or fully enclosed by a perimeter wall, a measure which enabled the containment and effective retention of the convict population whilst expressions of surveillance, scrutiny and brutality could be carried out. The perimeter wall constructed at the Rum Hospital was the earliest element built at the site, measuring 8ft high and enclosing the buildings and the convict patients held within. Along with Hyde Park Barracks which was built later with its own perimeter wall, forming two interconnected and interrelated compounds along Macquarie Street.

Whilst only a small section of this wall remains at The Mint, its role in defining and enclosing the site can still be felt today. Other notable examples of government compounds also demonstrate this key aspect of convictism and the penal system. At Norfolk Island where two prisoner compounds enclosed by perimeter walls were built along the sea edge, the captor/captive relationship

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between the administrative complex situated atop rise of the land beyond and the natural barrier of the ocean can be read easily. At Port Arthur, the landscape plays a similarly active role, as a harsh deterrent to escape and silent witness to the regime of one of the longest running convict sites. Whilst not enclosed by a wall as such, the layout of the Port Arthur penal structures within a harsh and isolated setting formed an ‘open air panopticon’. The significance of these government compounds, of which the Mint, is that they are tangible evidence of the experiences of imprisonment, restraint and confinement which lie at the heart of the convict experience. Despite its curtilage being truncated in comparison to Port Arthur and Norfolk Island the Mint is still a notable example of this typology.

Figure 4.14 KAVHA— the Commissariat Store and Figure 4.15 The Penitentiary at Port Arthur Historic New Military Barracks in foreground with Convict Site, constructed 1843 (Source: Port Arthur Historic Barracks and Prisoners’ Compound with New Gaol in Site Website) background. (Source: Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Nomination)

4.7 State Historical Themes

The NSW Heritage Manual identifies a specific set of historical themes relevant to NSW within which the heritage values of the place can be examined. Although these historical themes are very general and heritage items are likely to relate to more than one theme, they facilitate understanding of the historical context of the heritage item.

Themes that are relevant to The Mint are summarised in Table 4.4 below.

Table 4.4 Summary of NSW Historical Themes and Their Relationship to The Mint. NSW Historical Relationship to The Mint Theme

Convict—Activities The Mint site is intertwined with the convict story of Sydney and Australia, and relating to incarceration, overlaps with the themes identified in World Heritage serial listing of Australian transport, reform, Convict Sites. Along with Hyde Park Barracks the General Hospital formed an accommodation and administrative and institutional hub for the penal colony of NSW in its expansion and working during the consolidation years under Lachlan Macquarie. Under the direction of Macquarie, the

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NSW Historical Relationship to The Mint Theme convict period in NSW hospital was constructed by convict labour, was occupied by convict patients, staffed (1788–1850) with convict workers and was served by one emancipated convict surgeon. The unconventional nature of its commission, via the offer of a spirits monopoly and an early ‘public/private partnership’, hints at the issues that existed between the British rule and the reforming governor. The hospital’s establishment and operation formed a direct response to the public health, hygiene and social welfare challenges imposed by the harsh conditions of forced labour and the disciplinary regime enforced upon the prisoners. The site is also closely related to the changes in approaches to the administrative care and treatment of convicts brought about by high mortality rates and the suffering of the workforce, as understood by ‘progressives’ such as the Macquaries.

Commerce—Activities The Mint’s role as a coining factory and gold processing site held important relating to buying, selling implications for the economic and commercial development of NSW, as well as for and exchanging goods the colony’s perception of its own value, identity and role with the empire. In and services particular the place displays the centrality of the gold rush era in supporting and financing the expansion of the state and its building programs.

Health—Activities Macquarie’s General Hospital formed the first substantial centre for administering associated with medical care in Australia and was the site of some of the earliest notable attempts in preparing and providing NSW of providing organised and coordinated healthcare for the convict and lower medical assistance classes. Both the convict hospital phase and the military phase saw the introduction and/or promoting or of standardised medical practices, procedures and remedies imported from Britain maintaining the wellbeing of humans and the adaptation of these methods to the crowded conditions of colonial Sydney. The moniker ‘Sidney Slaughter House’ denoted the hardship, suffering and pain that occurred at the place and which characterised daily life for the hospital’s occupants and patients. A number of prominent surgeons and their assistants resided at the site, including William Redfern whose advice on hygiene and public health initiated some of the most important sanitation reforms in the history of the state. The sharp class divide between surgeons and members of the gentry who took up residence at the place, and the poor who sought their medical treatment, is a continuing theme of historical and anecdotal accounts of the place.

Industry—Activities The establishment of the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint introduced medium to associated with the heavy industrial usages to the site, with a number of early prefabricated iron manufacture, production buildings installed to house the smelting, refining and producing of coins from and distribution of goods precious metals. The various specialised skills and trades needed to support these processes were first imported from London, and then passed down to new generations of workers on the site. Patents and processes were developed and heavy machinery installed, such as the coining machine which required a high level of skill and hard labour to operate and maintain. The site retains much of its industrial character (including its name which has persevered) as an intact early manufacturing site and workers site, rare within its locality.

Towns, suburbs and The site is associated with the alignment of Macquarie Street, and therefore with the villages—Activities early colonial attempts to beautify and rationalise the settlement of Sydney and its associated with creating, street layout most often associated with the planning ideals of Governor Macquarie. planning and managing Activities such as the widening of Macquarie Street, street planting and the urban functions, establishment of Hyde Park further raised the profile of the precinct and its various landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and public offices, an evolution that would also eventually sound the death knell for

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NSW Historical Relationship to The Mint Theme villages industrial usage of the site. The Mint site and surrounding buildings including Hyde Park Barracks have also been the focus of a number of ambitious redevelopment plans, such as the Art Deco style Macquarie Street Replanning Committee scheme for the place (stalled only by World War II) and then later in the 1960s, prompting fights to protect the historic values of the precinct.

Government and As a host to multiple NSW Government agencies and departments over its 200 years administration— of establishment, The Mint is closely associated with government administration and Activities associated with operations both directly and indirectly. Directly, through the operations of the mint, the governance of local the function of the law courts, the distribution of healthcare and the provision of areas, regions, the State housing services through the Housing Commission and indirectly through the ‘back of and the nation, and the administration of public house’ operations of a ministerial garage, the site has borne witness to many programs political and policy decisions affecting the lives of NSW citizens.

Creative endeavour— The architectural qualities of the site, both contemporary and historic, constitute a Activities associated with considerable creative achievement and make a rare and valuable contribution to the the production and cultural life of the state. The design excellence displayed by FJMT in partnership with performance of literary, HHT and Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners in producing an elegant and effective artistic, architectural and adaptive re-use concept for the place has been recognised through the triple honour other imaginative, interpretive or inventive of the Greenway, Sulman and Lachlan Macquarie prizes for architectural and works; and/or associated conservation excellence. By remaining open to the public, and providing a research with the production and collection and library that is both accessible and world class in terms of its collections expression of cultural and mission statement, the site will continue to form a source of creative inspiration phenomena; and/or for the citizenry of NSW. environments that have inspired such creative activities

Persons—Activities of, Being Governor Macquarie’s first major building project as governor of the colony, and associations with, the Rum Hospital dominated the Sydney landscape. These buildings were the earliest identifiable individuals, constructions in Macquarie’s ambitious public works scheme, intended to establish families and communal Sydney as a civilised Georgian town. Financed by private merchants in exchange for groups a monopoly on the import of spirits to the colony, these buildings reflect Macquarie’s ingenuity in finding the means to build an essential civic institution, in spite of a lack of support from the British government. The hospital period building provides rare evidence of the skills and construction standards provided by the convict workforce at the beginning of Macquarie’s term as governor, which facilitated the transfer of the late eighteenth century English architectural tradition to the colony.

4.8 Revised Summary Statement of Significance

This summary statement of significance attempts to encapsulate the various heritage assessments undertaken for the Mint, providing a summary overview of its diverse heritage values.

The Mint has been assessed as being of outstanding cultural significance to the state of New South Wales for its association with the formative phases of NSW history, including the development of

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the colony under Governor Macquarie and its increasing wealth and status as it moved towards independence from the mid to late nineteenth century.

First established as a direct response to the harshness of the convict regime, the site stands as witness to a violent colonial history of discipline, punishment and incarceration, closely linking it to Hyde Park Barracks and the group of Australian UNESCO World Heritage listed convict sites. Along with Hyde Park Barracks, the Rum Hospital complex, pat of which occupies the site, formed part of an administrative and institutional hub for the penal colony of NSW in its expansion and consolidation years under Lachlan Macquarie. As one of the earliest efforts to provide healthcare and medical attention for the poor, the site has gone on to play a part in the development and rollout of numerous Government initiatives including accessible quality healthcare, social welfare programs and the distribution of housing. Over its 200 years of public use the site has played host to thousands of people who throughout the phases of its development have lived, worked, trained and convalesced onsite, exhibiting a diversity of use and associations which add to its social value.

The Rum Hospital Building has exceptional significance as part of Governor Macquarie’s grand design for the colony in the 1810s. In its form and detailing the building reflects both the vision of Governor Macquarie for the character of the new colony and the variety of architectural influences available to the new colony. The Rum Hospital Building contains highly significant interiors that feature very high quality nineteenth century finishes, reflecting the significance of the building and its function as the public face of the Royal Mint, a place of substantial importance within the colony, and arguably the British Empire. As one of the oldest surviving colonial buildings in central Sydney the Rum Hospital building provides important and rare evidence of building forms and techniques from the convict period of Sydney's history.

The site provides important evidence of early architecture and building techniques from both the early colonial period and mid to late nineteenth century and demonstrates the adaptation and use in Australia of architectural forms from late eighteenth century.

The Royal Mint’s role as a coining factory and gold processing site held important implications for the economic and commercial development of NSW, as well as for the colony’s perception of its own value, identity and role within the empire. Both the main building and remains of the coining factory structures are exceptionally significant as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside London and reflect the importance and wealth of the colony in the mid nineteenth century as it moved towards independence. The coining factory buildings also provide uncommon evidence within the city centre of a manufacturing activity from the mid nineteenth century, as well as providing early examples of the use of cast iron as a structural material.

The site, and the main Rum Hospital building in particular, is a major and enduring element in the streetscape of Macquarie Street Precinct and has important visual and symbolic relationships with

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adjacent public buildings. As a host to multiple NSW Government agencies and departments over its 200 years of establishment, The Mint is closely associated with government administration and operations both directly and indirectly.

The architectural qualities of the site, both contemporary and historic, constitute a considerable creative achievement and make a valuable contribution to the cultural life of the state. The pursuit of both architectural and conservation excellence by the Historic Houses Trust (now Sydney Living Museums) and the efforts made to reveal and understand the multiple layers of significance and meaning at the site have secured the importance of the place within the urban fabric of Sydney.

4.9 Gradings of Significance

Although the place is regarded as being of exceptional significance at local, state and national levels, it is recognised that different components of the place make different relative contributions to the heritage values of the place.

Specifying the relative contribution of an item or its component elements to overall significance provides a useful framework for decision making about the conservation of and/or changes to the place. The following table sets out terms used to describe the degrees (or grades) of significance for different components of the place, and is taken from the NSW Heritage Office publication Assessing Heritage Significance (2001).

Table 4.5 Standard Grades of Significance. Grading Justification Status

Exceptional (E) Rare or outstanding element directly contributing to an Fulfils criteria for local or state item’s local and/or state significance. listing

High (H) High degree of original fabric. Demonstrates a key Fulfils criteria for local or state element of the item’s significance. Alterations do not listing detract from significance.

Moderate (M) Altered or modified elements. Elements with little Fulfils criteria for local or state heritage value, but which contribute to the overall listing significance of the item.

Little (L) Alterations detract from significance. Difficult to Does not fulfil criteria for local interpret. or state listing

Intrusive (I) Damaging to the item’s heritage significance. Does not fulfil criteria for local or state listing

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4.9.1 Significance Grading of Structures

The following diagram (Figure 4.7) provides a graphic summary of the relative significance of the structures on the site.

Generally, those buildings and walls that are important elements of the nineteenth century development of the site, either as part of the Rum Hospital or Royal Mint, are graded as being of exceptional significance. The new structures on the site that have been recognised as being significant in their own right as excellent examples of contemporary design, as well as for their contribution to the overall presentation of the historic site, particularly in their relationship to the central courtyard and the group of buildings surrounding it, are graded as being of high significance. The new buildings that do not contribute to the courtyard group are generally graded as being of moderate significance. The sheds constructed along the southern boundary of the site are graded as being of little significance as they do not contribute to an understanding of the heritage significance of the place as a whole. However, they are not regarded as intrusive to the site.

Figure 4.7 Significance gradings of the structures (buildings and boundary walls) on The Mint site. Note: 2004 buildings are ungraded. (Source: FJMT with GML overlay)

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4.9.2 Significance Grading of External Spaces

The following diagram (Figure 4.8) provides a graphic summary of the relative significance of the external spaces on the site.

The spaces that provide the significant setting of the site and contribute to its presentation to Macquarie Street are graded as being of exceptional significance. The southern carriageway is ranked as being of high significance and the rear driveway as being of moderate significance.

Figure 4.8 Significance gradings of the external spaces on The Mint site. (Source: FJMT with GML overlay)

4.9.3 Significance Grading of Internal Spaces

The following diagrams (Figures 4.3 and 4.4) provide a graphic summary of the relative significance of the internal spaces within the buildings. The gradings reflect the relative contribution of the spaces to the overall understanding of the buildings, their original design and use. They also reflect to some degree the quality of finishes used within the spaces, their place within the hierarchy of spaces on the site and their degree of integrity.

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Within the spaces, individual elements or fabric may vary in significance (from ‘exceptional’ to ‘intrusive’). These elements are not identified in the following diagrams, but will be listed in a future volume of this CMP that will include a more detailed fabric analysis.

Figure 4.9 Significance gradings of the internal spaces—ground floor plan. Note: 2004 buildings are ungraded. (Source: FJMT with GML overlay)

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Figure 4.10 Significance gradings of the internal spaces—first floor plan. Note: 2004 buildings are ungraded. (Source: FJMT with GML overlay)

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4.10 Endnotes

1 Boyd, NK and Rice, J 2014, ‘Analysing Nineteenth Century Military Building Typologies: an Australian Perspective’, in Brebbia, CA and Clark, C (eds), Defence Sites II: Heritage and Future, WIT Press, Southampton, pp 87–98. 2 Commonwealth of Australia 2009, Guidelines for the Assessment of Places for the National Heritage List, viewed 5 October 2016 . 3 NSW Heritage Office 2001, NSW Heritage Manual 2—Assessing Heritage Significance, Sydney. 4 Apperly, R, Irving, R, and Reynolds, P 1995, A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. 5 Boyd, NK and Rice, J 2014, ‘Analysing Nineteenth Century Military Building Typologies: an Australian Perspective’, in Brebbia, CA and Clark, C (eds), Defence Sites II: Heritage and Future, WIT Press, Southampton, pp 87–98.

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5.0 Constraints, Issues and Opportunities

5.1 Background

The 2002 CMP identified opportunities and constraints for the future use and redevelopment of The Mint site as the headquarters of the Historic Houses Trust (now SLM). It set out core principles for the proposed development based on the following assumptions:

1. The Mint is owned and managed by the Historic Houses Trust of NSW (now SLM).

2. The Trust has expertise in the management of historic and culturally significant places. That expertise includes conservation, interpretation, curation, management, public relations, function s management and public programming skills.

Other 2002 CMP principles provided the brief for the redevelopment works undertaken on the site in 2004. With the completion of these works, new principles are required to guide the immediate, mid and long term needs of SLM in their ongoing management of the place.

This section of the report discusses the constraints, issues and opportunities that affect the conservation and management of the property, both now and looking towards the future.

5.2 Constraints Arising from Significance

The Mint has been identified as being a place of cultural significance at local, state and national levels. Therefore, it is important that the property is conserved and managed in a way that respects, responds to and supports its significance. This requires taking into consideration all aspects of its significance, both tangible and intangible, in its conservation and maintenance, its management, use and adaptation, its setting, access and interpretation, and in management of risks to the property.

All works to the property should be carried out in accordance with the conservation principles, processes and practices set out in the Australia ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance 2013 (The Burra Charter).1

5.3 Statutory Listings

Management and conservation of The Mint is undertaken within a statutory planning framework. Following are the key statutes at national, state and local levels that are applicable to the site given its heritage significance at state and local levels.

• Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act);

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• National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW) (NPW Act);

• Heritage Act 1977 (NSW) (the Heritage Act);

• Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) (EPA Act); and

• Historic Houses Act 1980 (NSW).

Further discussion regarding the protection and relevant heritage planning provisions under each of these statues is outlined below.

5.3.1 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999

The EPBC Act is the Australian Government’s central piece of environmental legislation. It includes a legal framework to protect and manage Australian heritage places inscribed on the World Heritage List and NHL. The EPBC Act also includes provisions for the management and conservation of heritage places owned and managed by the Australian Government. The definition of ‘environment’ in the EPBC Act includes the heritage values of places, that is ‘the place’s natural and cultural environment having aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance, and other significance, for current and future generations of Australians’.1

National Heritage List

Australia’s National Heritage List comprises places of outstanding heritage significance to Australia.

The Mint is included within the area of the Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct, which has been nominated and is currently under being assessed for inclusion on the National Heritage List (ID: 106103).

If included in the National Heritage List, the National Heritage values of the listed place will be protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The National Heritage values are the only aspects of a place which will be protected. This is an important distinction to note in relation to places being proposed for listing on the National Heritage List.

There are nine National Heritage List criteria (a-i). The Australian Heritage Council has proposed that the Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct might have National Heritage values under criteria (a), (b), (c), (f) and (h).

1 Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2008, Working Together: Managing Commonwealth Heritage Places, A Guide for Commonwealth Agencies.

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(a) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history.

The Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct has outstanding importance because the place can demonstrate to an extraordinary degree four important historic patterns in Australia’s development as a nation.

For the first several decades of British settlement, Aboriginal people and colonisers lived in close proximity and there was a complicated process of negotiating and re-negotiating relations. The Precinct has an outstanding capacity to connect people to the early history of interactions between Aboriginal people and British colonisers.

Over the nineteenth century new forms of parliamentary representation were established reflecting a shift away from military rule to a more independent form of colonial governance. The Precinct demonstrates this historic pattern to a high degree.

Over the course of Governor Macquarie’s governorship a substantial and visionary building program was initiated and directed by Macquarie. His work to project a more ambitious future for the Colony was pivotal in the Sydney colony’s early development. Making use of convict labour and the resources of new immigrants a ‘bridge head’ economy was established which was able to both sustain a remote population and provide a foundation for the trade of agricultural goods to a wider world. The Precinct demonstrates these historic patterns to a high degree.

The physical urban structure of streets, parks, gardens and buildings within the Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct have a direct connection to the first decades of British settlement in Sydney. This clarity of connection with this past era gifts the Precinct with an extraordinary capacity to inform Australians about their shared history and the development of a particular urban form in its capital cities. Specifically the Precinct demonstrates to a high degree the pairing of a Domain with a Botanic Garden and the placement of residential buildings (terraces) oriented towards and next to a parkland.

(b) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history.

The Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct includes a rich collection of archaeological material associated with some of Australia’s most important historic sites. This material is important and rare nationally as a record associated with pre and post colonisation in Australia. The archaeological material identified under this criterion relates to known and documented material protected under NSW legislation.

(c) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history.

The Governors’ Domain and Civic Precinct includes a rich collection of archaeological material associated with some of Australia’s most important historic sites. This material is important as a

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resource for research associated with pre and post - colonisation in Australia. The archaeological material identified under this criterion relates to archaeological zones identified within NSW and City of Sydney planning instruments only.

(f) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

For the first several decades of British settlement the early Governors’ Phillip, Bligh and Macquarie established, in an evolving way, the foundations for a core civic precinct which represented the civic, parliamentary and ceremonial face of the Colony attracting continued development as Sydney’s premier city district. Many buildings, parks, gardens and streets remain from the colonial era gifting Sydney with a rich public domain and built heritage. The efforts of Elizabeth Macquarie in the design of elements of Macquarie’s Sydney projects are also noted especially in relation to the design of parts of the Domain, the former Government stables and the Royal Botanic Garden.

The Precinct also demonstrates important early milestones in Australia’s history of landscape design, town planning and architecture.

(h) The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia's natural or cultural history.

The Governors Domain and Civic Precinct is associated with the lives or works of a number of people of importance in Australia’s cultural history; including Governor Lachlan Macquarie, Elizabeth Macquarie, Governor Phillip, Bennelong, Governor Bligh and Francis Greenway.

For general guidance the following applies in relation to this proposed listing:

• most of the buildings included in the proposed National Heritage values are important because of their demonstration of a broad thematic story. As a result detailed characteristics of a building or place are unlikely to be included in the proposed National Heritage values;

• a major component of the proposed National Heritage place is in public ownership;

• interiors of buildings are not included in the proposed National Heritage values;

• the proposed National Heritage values mostly relate to places or features already heritage listed at the State or local level; and

• the proposed listing will not impact on existing heritage listings.

5.3.2 National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974

Whilst no Aboriginal sites have been recorded on The Mint site to date, the provisions of the NPW Act apply to any Aboriginal objects or sites that may be uncovered or found in the future. The Mint

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is located within a significant Aboriginal cultural landscape which extends from Sydney Cove across the Botanic Gardens encompassing the sites of many significant pre and post contact interactions and events.

All Aboriginal objects and places receive statutory protection under the NPW Act. Aboriginal objects are defined as:

… physical evidence of the use of an area by Aboriginal people. They can also be referred to as 'Aboriginal sites', 'relics' or 'cultural material'.2

If Aboriginal objects are found, the OEH must be informed in line with the requirements of Section 89(A) of the NPW Act.

Applicants must seek approval prior to the disturbance of sites with the potential to contain Aboriginal objects and cultural material. Offences relating to the harm to or desecration of an Aboriginal object or declared Aboriginal place were introduced with the NPW Amendment (Aboriginal Objects and Places) Regulation 2010 on 1 October 2010. The definition of ‘harm’ includes destroying, defacing, damaging or moving an Aboriginal object or declared Aboriginal Place.

The strict liability offence of harming Aboriginal objects has a number of defences. The two defences relevant to this project relate to the statutory defence of ‘due diligence’. This demonstrates either:

• that there is no research-based evidence that suggests Aboriginal objects will be impacted upon; or

• that an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP) has been issued and that any disturbance to Aboriginal objects has occurred in accordance with this approved AHIP.

5.3.3 The Heritage Act 1977

The Heritage Act is a statutory tool designed to conserve the environmental heritage of New South Wales. The Heritage Act defines a heritage item as ‘a place, building work, relic, moveable object or precinct’. The Mint site has been assessed to be of state significance and is included in the NSW State Heritage Register (SHR). Heritage items of particular importance to the people of NSW are listed on the NSW SHR, which was created in April 1999 by amendments to the Heritage Act. The SHR was established under Section 22 of the Heritage Act. The Mint is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (Item No. 00190), both individually and as part of the group which includes The Mint and Hyde Parks Barracks (same item number). The current SHR heritage curtilage (Appendix A) includes both properties as well as the Supreme Court and Land Tiles Office building to the rear (east) of the two properties.

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The current listings for Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint are proposed for review. This would include updating the relevant listing information and establishing separate heritage curtilages for each property. The recommended heritage curtilage for The Mint is discussed in section 5.5 Curtilage and Setting and shown in Figure 5.1. It includes the whole of the original compound that surrounded the south wing of the former Rum Hospital. Thus, it includes all the boundary walls to the property and the Macquarie Street footpath, which is likely to have archaeological remains of the original front wall and guardhouses.

State Heritage Register Listing and the Heritage Council of NSW Approvals

Under the Heritage Act, the approval of the Heritage Council of NSW is required for any proposed actions listed in Section 57(1). This would include development within the SHR-listed part of the site, including subdivision and any works to grounds or structures that may disturb archaeological relics.

Under Section 57(2) of the Heritage Act, site-specific exemptions from all section 57(1) requirements can be granted. Site-specific exemptions have been granted to the Historic Houses Trust and were gazetted in April 2008. The site-specific exemptions apply to properties that are owned or managed by SLM. Referred to as ‘exemption No. 2’, the site-specific exemptions apply to SLM activities and properties that are listed on the SHR. They include the following conditions:

a) that the Historic Houses Trust provide an annual report to the Heritage Council on future works proposed for its properties;

b) that the Historic Houses Trust advise the Heritage Office archaeologists of any proposed works requiring major excavation at its properties to allow due consideration of the need for additional archaeological work;

c) that the Director of the Historic Houses Trust must lodge all archaeological monitoring or excavation reports prepared with the Heritage Office library on completion after review by Heritage Office archaeologists;

d) that the Historic Houses Trust employ as required a consultant historical archaeologist with appropriate archaeological qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience and the Director of the HHT must obtain the advice of that person about the heritage significance of the archaeological resource and/or the impact of the development proposal on the heritage significance of the archaeological resource, and take that advice into account;

e) that the Director of Historic Houses Trust must take into account as far as practicable the cumulative effect of approvals on the heritage significance of the item and on the heritage resource of its area;

f) that the Director of the Historic Houses Trust must ensure that approvals are in accordance with any requirements, guidelines, regulations and general conditions issued by the Heritage

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Council. The Director of the Historic Houses Trust may impose additional conditions which do not conflict with any Heritage Council conditions.

Exemptions from Heritage Act Approval

Section 57(2) of the Heritage Act provides for a number of exemptions to Section 57(1) approval requirements. Exempted development does not require prior Heritage Council of NSW approval. Exemptions come in two forms, standard and site-specific. Standard exemptions that apply to all items on the SHR generally include minor and non-intrusive works and may be subject to qualifications in some instances. Typical exempted works include maintenance (to buildings and grounds), minor repairs, and repainting in approved colours.

It should be noted that Standard Exemptions do not apply to the destruction, disturbance, removal or exposure of archaeological relics. The complete list of Standard Exemptions for the Mint can be accessed on the OEH website.

As a competent manager of heritage properties pursuant to Section 57(2) of the Heritage Act, SLM is granted exemption from the normal requirements of the Heritage Act on all properties owned or managed by the Trust. The order was gazetted on April 24, 2008 in Government Gazette No. 38.167.

5.3.4 Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979

Established in 1979, the EPA Act was enacted to encourage the proper management, conservation and development of land, as well as to ensure development is both economical and ecologically sustainable by providing for environmental planning instruments to be made. The provisions of this Act cover multiple subjects that may be triggered by land development, including the protection of native and endangered species and provisions of land for public use. It also promotes shared responsibility across the different levels of government in the state.

The creation of Local Environmental Plans (LEPs) and other environmental planning instruments is established in Part 3 of the EPA Act: Environmental Planning Instruments. These planning instruments guide the process of development and land use while providing for the protection of local heritage items and conservation areas through listing on LEPs. Development at the site of The Mint, including the use of the land, subdivision, erection of a building, carrying out of a work and/or the demolition of a building or work, may be assessed under Part 5 of the EPA Act: Environmental Assessment.

Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012

The site of The Mint is situated within the boundaries of the land affected by the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012 (Sydney LEP 2012). See Figure 5.1 for a graphic summary of the local level

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planning controls affecting the site. The Mint is a listed item on Schedule 5 of the Sydney LEP 2012 (Item No. 1866) and is identified as the Former Royal Mint Building including interior, forecourt, courtyards, cartway, entrance gates, fence and archaeology, and former police station building.

As a listed heritage item, potential impacts to the site’s heritage significance must be considered in line with Clause 5.10 (Heritage Conservation) of the Sydney LEP 2012. The relevant objectives of the heritage conservation clause are listed in Clause 5.10 (1) as:

(a) to conserve the environmental heritage of the City of Sydney, (b) to conserve the heritage significance of heritage items and heritage conservation areas, including associated fabric, settings and views, (c) to conserve archaeological sites, (d) to conserve Aboriginal objects and Aboriginal places of heritage significance.

Clause 5.10 (2) establishes the requirements for development consent as it applies to heritage items:

(2) Requirement for consent Development consent is required for any of the following:

(a) demolishing or moving any of the following or altering the exterior of any of the following (including, in the case of a building, making changes to its detail, fabric, finish or appearance):

(i) a heritage item, (ii) an Aboriginal object, (iii) a building, work, relic or tree within a heritage conservation area,

(b) altering a heritage item that is a building by making structural changes to its interior or by making changes to anything inside the item that is specified in Schedule 5 in relation to the item, (c) disturbing or excavating an archaeological site while knowing, or having reasonable cause to suspect, that the disturbance or excavation will or is likely to result in a relic being discovered, exposed, moved, damaged or destroyed, (d) disturbing or excavating an Aboriginal place of heritage significance, (e) erecting a building on land:

(i) on which a heritage item is located or that is within a heritage conservation area, or (ii) on which an Aboriginal object is located or that is within an Aboriginal place of heritage significance;

(f) subdividing land:

(i) on which a heritage item is located or that is within a heritage conservation area, or (ii) on which an Aboriginal object is located or that is within an Aboriginal place of heritage significance.

Clause 5.10(5) outlines the requirement for assessing the impact of development on heritage items:

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(5) Heritage assessment The consent authority may, before granting consent to any development:

(a) on land on which a heritage item is located, or (b) on land that is within a heritage conservation area, or (c) on land that is within the vicinity of land referred to in paragraph (a) or (b),

require a heritage management document to be prepared that assesses the extent to which the carrying out of the proposed development would affect the heritage significance of the heritage item or heritage conservation area concerned.

Clause 5.10(7) addresses the requirements for archaeological sites:

(6) Archaeological sites The consent authority must, before granting consent under this clause to the carrying out of development on an archaeological site (other than land listed on the State Heritage Register or to which an interim heritage order under the Heritage Act 1977 applies:

(a) notify the Heritage Council of its intention to grant consent, and (b) take into consideration any response received from the Heritage Council within 28 days after the notice is sent.

Clause 5.10(8) establishes guidelines in relation to places of Aboriginal significance:

(8) Places of Aboriginal heritage significance The consent authority must, before granting consent under this clause to the carrying out of development in a place of Aboriginal heritage significance:

(a) consider the effect of the proposed development on the heritage significance of the place and any Aboriginal object known or reasonably likely to be located at the place by means of an adequate investigation and assessment (which may involve consideration of a heritage impact statement), and (b) notify the local Aboriginal communities, in writing or in such other manner as may be appropriate, about the application and take into consideration any response received within 28 days after the notice is sent.

Given the heritage significance of The Mint under the Sydney LEP 2012, the consent authority will consider the effect of a proposed development on the heritage significance of the item or area concerned. Further, and contingent on the nature and extent of a proposed development, the consent authority can—under section 5.10(5) and 5.10(6)—require the preparation of a heritage impact assessment report and a heritage conservation management plan prior to granting consent. Consistent with the Heritage Division guidelines, a heritage impact statement would assess the known and potential impacts arising from the proposed activity on the heritage significance of the site. The impact assessment would include consideration of impacts on the potential

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archaeological resource, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, setting, views, significant fabric, listed heritage items in the vicinity, and other relevant matters.

Sydney Development Control Plan 2012

Development Control Plans (DCP) support LEP planning controls through more detailed provisions that guide design and development. The City of Sydney’s Development Control Plan was adopted in 2012 (DCP 2012).

The aims of the DCP 2012 are to:

provide controls which guide development in order to:

(a) encourage development to respond to its context and is compatible with the existing built environment and public domain;

(b) recognise and reinforce the distinctive characteristics of the City of Sydney’s neighbourhoods and centres;

(c) build upon the detailed objectives and controls under Sydney LEP 2012;

(d) protect and enhance the public domain;

(e) achieve the objectives of the City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 Strategy;

(f) encourage design that maintains and enhances the character and heritage significance of heritage items and heritage conservation areas; and

(g) encourage ecologically sustainable development and reduce the impacts of development on the environment.

The heritage section of the DCP General Provisions (Section 3.9) sets out a number of provisions related to development which affects heritage listed items and conservation areas and is guided by the following objectives:

(a) Ensure that heritage significance is considered for heritage items, development within heritage conservation areas, and development affecting archaeological sites and places of Aboriginal heritage significance.

(b) Enhance the character and heritage significance of heritage items and heritage conservation areas and ensure that infill development is designed to respond positively to the heritage character of adjoining and nearby buildings and features of the public domain.

Within the Sydney LEP 2012 a number of Special Character Areas are identified. These areas are understood to contribute significantly to the quality of the public domain and the distinctiveness of Central Sydney. Macquarie Street in its entirety is identified as a Special Character Area, with specific controls regarding building setbacks and street frontage heights stipulated in the Section 5

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of the DCP (Specific Areas). It is important to note however that for buildings on the eastern side of Macquarie Street the DCP defers to the conservation management plan controls specific to particular sites and buildings.

Central Sydney Archaeological Zoning Plan

The Central Sydney Archaeological Zoning Plan is referred to in the DCP 2012 determines whether a development site has archaeological potential. The survey informing the document was carried out in August 1992, and the report completed in February 1993. The Mint is identified as an area of archaeological potential (AAP) containing both building shadow (BS) and remnant structure (RS) within this plan. See Figure 5.3 for the detailed Archaeological Sensitivity Plan of the Mint prepared by GML.

Figure 5.1 Graphic Summary of City of Sydney Planning Controls affecting the Mint (Source: Story of Sydney Business Case, prepared by SLM with FJMT Architects)

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5.3.5 Historic Houses Act 1980

The study area is regulated under the Historic Houses Act 1980 (as amended) (HH Act). SLM, formerly the Historic Houses Trust of NSW (the Trust), has legislative control for the administration and management of several historic properties in NSW.

SLM forms part of the NSW OEH and was established to manage, maintain and interpret historic buildings and places of importance in NSW.

The HH Act provides for the ‘care, control and management of certain houses, and other buildings and places, of historic importance’.

Section 7 of the HH Act outlines the principle objects of SLM, which include:

7. Principle objects of Trust

(a) to control, manage, maintain and conserve historic buildings or places, having regard to the historic, social and architectural interest and significance of those buildings and places,

(b) to collect, manage, maintain and conserve objects and materials associated with, and of significance to, those buildings and places,

(c) to research and interpret the significance of those buildings, places, objects and materials, having regard to their historic, social and architectural interest and value,

(d) to provide educational, cultural and professional services (including by way of research, publications, information, public programs and activities) in respect of those buildings, places, objects and materials that, in the opinion of the Trust, will:

(i) increase public knowledge and enjoyment of, and access to, those buildings, places, objects and materials, and (ii) promote their place in the heritage of the State.

The HH Act allows SLM, under control and direction of the Minister, to direct expert staff in conservation and land management operations. SLM must consider potential environmental issues before they undertake or approve activities that do not require development consent. This is done through a Review of Environmental Factors (REF), which considers the significance of the likely environmental impacts associated with the proposed works and identifies the mitigative measures necessary to alleviate any adverse environmental impacts.

Section 10 of the HH Act also provides guidance to making alterations to historic buildings or place and the CMP endorsement process:

10. Alterations to historic buildings or places

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(1) The Trust may carry out or authorise the carrying out of alterations and improvements to a historic building or place.

(2) Such alterations and improvements may be carried out or authorised to be carried out only in accordance with a conservation plan (as in force from time to time) applying to the historic building or place.

(3) The Trust may prepare a conservation plan applying to any one or more historic buildings or places.

(4) A conservation plan has no effect unless it is approved by the Minister.

Conservation Management Plans

A CMP provides a useful framework for an agreed upon management approach to a heritage item, particularly where the item is managed by several different managers or there are complex relationships between elements of various degrees of significance.

CMPs can be endorsed by the Heritage Council of NSW. Endorsement may alleviate the need for Section 60 applications for works that are consistent with the conservation policies in the endorsed CMP. Fees are charged for review and endorsement.3

5.3.6 Non-Statutory Listings

The Mint is listed on the following non-statutory heritage registers. These registers do not afford any statutory protection to the site, however they are further indicators of the esteem in which the place is held by the Australian public, the architectural industry and heritage experts. They also often form a precursor to statutory listing.

• Australian Institute of Architects, Register of Significant Buildings in NSW (FJMT in association with Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners 2004)—Register No. 4703539

This register has been maintained by NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects since October 1948 and focuses on twentieth century buildings of aesthetic, architectural and technical significance. The Mint was added to the register after the completion of the award winning adaptive re-use project at the site designed by FJMT.

• Register of the National Estate (lapsed)—Place ID 1825

The Register of the National Estate (RNE) was originally established under the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975, an act which was repealed by the introduction of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The RNE was the first federal statutory list of significant places throughout Australia. The RNE is now an archive of information about more than 13,000 places throughout Australia.

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• National Trust of Australia (NSW) Register—Item No. 6373

The National Trust of Australia (NSW) maintains a register of landscapes, townscapes, buildings, industrial sites, cemeteries and other items or places which the Trust determines have cultural significance and are worthy of conservation. To access or obtain information about the items and details included on the register the National Trust NSW must be contacted directly.

• Hyde Park Barracks World Heritage Buffer Zone

The site is within the World Heritage Buffer Zone of Hyde Park Barracks. World Heritage listing indicates that a site or group of sites have been determined to hold outstanding universal value to humanity. The World Heritage list is maintained and administered by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Buffer zones are established around World Heritage sites in order to safeguard their significance and setting and to ensure that their visual prominence, including views and vistas to and from, are not diminished or lost over time. Hyde Park Barracks is the subject of a separate CMP prepared by Clive Lucas Stapleton and Partners in 2016 and this document should be referred to for more detailed information on the Barracks’ setting and curtilage.

5.3.7 Macquarie Street East Strategic Framework

Property NSW has launched a public consultation process seeking community and stakeholder feedback on the future of the Macquarie Street and the Macquarie Street East Precinct (the precinct).

The precinct is defined as the public sites on the eastern side of Macquarie Street, from the Land and Property building at the southern end to the State Library at the northern end, and is home to some of Sydney's most important heritage buildings, including:

• the State Library of NSW, Australia's oldest library;

• NSW State Parliament;

• Sydney Hospital, Sydney's oldest hospital;

• The Mint, Sydney's oldest existing public building, built in 1816;

• Hyde Park Barracks, a UNESCO World Heritage site; and

• the Land and Property Information (LPI) building (Registrar General's Building).

The NSW Government Architect has drafted the Macquarie Street Strategic Framework to help the NSW Government assess future proposals and opportunities for Macquarie Street and the

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Macquarie Street East Precinct. It presents a holistic consideration of the street and the precinct to guide future planning and ensure the cultural, civic and heritage significance of the area is protected for future generations.

Property NSW is intending to lead revitalisation of the precinct and is seeking to:

• improve public access to state owned sites within the precinct;

• improve connectivity through the precinct to the CBD, the Domain and key public sites to the east of the Sydney CBD;

• enhance cultural facilities within the precinct; and

• revitalise heritage buildings within the precinct.

5.4 Sydney Living Museums Management

SLM manages a portfolio of 12 properties, including significant historic houses, gardens and museums within the greater Sydney region of NSW. SLM was established in 1980 as the Historic Houses Trust (the Trust) and re-branded as Sydney Living Museums in 2013.

SLM is administered by the Trust, which reports directly to the NSW Minister for Heritage through the OEH. The Executive Director of SLM reports directly to the Trust and the Chief Executive of the OEH. Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the Trust complies with the HH Act and other relevant legislation.4

SLM administers the Trust’s historic houses, museums and associated collections in accordance with the HH Act as outlined in Section 6.2.6 of this CMP. Under the HH Act, the Trust is assigned powers to manage and operate the properties and their collections for public education and cultural benefit. To further the agency’s purpose, it has developed a strategic vision to revitalise visitor experiences by way of participation in programs and visits to exhibitions and events that enable them to journey through and connect with the living history of the city.

5.4.1 SLM Business Plan 2015–2016

The SLM Business Plan for 2015–2016 includes a broad range of objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets across each of the agency’s four functional areas. The four functional areas are:

• Heritage and Collections;

• Curatorial and Public Engagement;

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• Commercial and Marketing Services; and

• Operations and Governance.

Key objectives included in the business plan relevant to The Mint include objectives across the board to increase and sustain SLM’s earned income enabling the organisation to become more self-sufficient. As one of the highest earning SLM sites, The Mint has a key role to play in achieving these business targets. Also relevant are SLM’s objectives to grow targeted audiences and increase the brand awareness and profile of Sydney Living Museums. As the headquarters and operational heartland of the organisation The Mint holds the potential to affect and influence these objectives. The business plan highlights that achieving these objectives requires increased repeat visitation and the fostering of effective corporate/industry partnerships. There is also an emphasis within the document of the need to strengthen and grow the curatorial narrative for The Mint, as well as the need to collate more accurate and detailed visitation data.

5.4.2 Story of Sydney

The Story of Sydney is an SLM project proposal to construct a purpose-built museum which would affect The Mint’s immediate curtilage. The proposed new museum would tell the story of Sydney’s evolution and development, from its beginnings as an ancient natural landscape managed by the first Australians to today’s international city with over four million inhabitants.

Centered on The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks, the Story of Sydney proposal includes two new built elements connected by a glazed link and ground-floor cultural precinct that would host a new Museum of Sydney. The demolition of the 1960s Supreme Court and Land and Property Information buildings, located behind The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks along Hospital Road, is proposed as part of the redevelopment scheme. The redevelopment of this area of land as part of a new cultural precinct would also provide the opportunity to improve connections between Macquarie Street and The Domain, and the Art Gallery of NSW beyond.

5.5 Curtilage and Setting

The current SHR curtilage for The Mint includes Hyde Park Barracks. However, although the two properties are closely related both physically (particularly through their sharing of a boundary wall) and historically (as part of Sydney’s colonial and convict past), and should continue to be considered as a significant group of buildings, it is proposed that a separate curtilage be established for The Mint. The proposed new curtilage extends to the full extent of the original walled compound of the south wing of the former Rum Hospital, including the footpath area to Macquarie Street (where the original front boundary wall and former guard houses were located) and the wall on the former Hospital Road boundary. The curtilage is shown on Figure 5.2.

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Figure 5.2 Recommended Heritage Curtilage for The Mint, for the updated SHR listing. The curtilage includes the whole of the original compound surrounding the south wing of the former Rum Hospital.

The site of The Mint is generally contained within its boundary walls. However, the eastern portion of the site, which is beyond the scope of this report, is occupied by a building that is currently used by the NSW District Court. The future of this building is currently unknown. As the building is located within the SHR curtilage for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks and within the heritage curtilage of The Mint, it is appropriate that policies be developed to guide future development of the District Court portion of the site so that any new development on the site does not negatively impact The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks and their significant settings.

The Mint is also an important part of the larger precinct of Macquarie Street East, which has also been identified as being of national significance. The contribution of The Mint to this precinct, and the relationship between The Mint and its neighbours, Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Hospital, as

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well as both Macquarie Street and the Domain, must also be considered in future planning of the precinct.

The Macquarie Street forecourt to the former Rum Hospital building and the central courtyard to the former coining factory complex are essential elements to understanding The Mint’s formal site layout. The forecourt also contributes to the presentation of the Rum Hospital building to the streetscape of Macquarie Street. The central courtyard is the centrepiece of the complex, with all the individual built elements laid out axially around it. The southern carriageway provides an important physical connection between the public domains of Macquarie Street, Hospital Road and the Domain. The service road between The Mint complex and the District Court currently provides some separation between the two parts of the site, but in any future development of the site may provide the opportunity for connectivity between the two portions of the site.

5.6 Current Use of the Site

Generally, The Mint offers a range of facilities for multiple contemporary uses. It provides a range of different spaces, some with elegant finely finished nineteenth century qualities, others that are industrial and raw, and yet others that are shiny, slick and modern.

The Mint is the current headquarters of SLM. The SLM offices generally occupy the former coining factory buildings and several of the new buildings constructed on the coining factory site in 2004. They also occupy spaces in the gatehouse. The Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre is housed within the former Mint Superintendent’s office located at the centre of the factory group and is open to the public.

The spaces within the Rum Hospital building are leased. A café/gift/flower shop (No. 10 Store) is located in the Bullion room at the north end of the building at ground floor level, and a restaurant (No. 10 Bistro) is located at the southern end of the first floor. The café has rustic tables and chairs set out on the northern ground floor verandah and on the gravelled forecourt area in front of the building. As these are visible from the street they bring life to the front of the building and encourage visitors to the site. The bistro uses the two central rooms on the upper floor as dining rooms (one as a private function room) as well as the southern half of the first floor verandah. A full commercial kitchen occupies the southern room on this floor. Unless there is a special pre-booked evening function, both the café and the restaurant only operate during daylight hours. The remainder of the rooms in the Rum Hospital building are made available for corporate functions (meetings, seminar rooms and break out spaces for conferences), most of which also occur during normal business hours.

The foyer, bar and auditorium spaces are also available for lease and are very popular for larger events, with visitors often spilling out into the central courtyard. These spaces operate during the

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daytime and the evening. Thus, special lighting has recently been installed not only for the safety of patrons, but also to illuminate the buildings and external spaces and bring them to life.

The buildings and site, especially the central courtyard, are also used for social functions such as weddings and cocktail parties.

SLM has endeavoured to make the site accessible to the public and encourage visitors to use the courtyard during the day. Volunteer guides greet visitors at the main entrance and show them around the site, including through the exhibition space on the rear gallery on the ground level of the Rum Hospital. There is some on-site interpretive signage within the coining factory for visitors to the SLM reception, library or auditorium.

5.6.1 Constraints on Use

Access Requirements

Although ramp access has been provided throughout the ground floor of the Rum Hospital building, the main auditorium areas and the office areas in coining factory buildings, at present there is no access to the first floor of the Rum Hospital building and limited access to the first floor of the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre. These areas are only accessible by stairs. In order to increase public use of spaces on the upper floor of the Rum Hospital it will be necessary to provide lift access.

Interpretation for the deaf and blind is limited.

Restricted Public Access to Factory Buildings

Public access to the factory buildings is limited by the need to provide security to the SLM offices within these buildings. However, the use of glass walls, particularly around the library and research centre, allows views into the former coining room with its roof trusses and clerestory. The reception area to the SLM offices is located within the engine room, allowing this space, with its bow trusses and pits, to be visited by the public.

Much of the archaeology located in the public circulation spaces between the factory buildings and the new buildings, and within the central courtyard, is open to the public. However, interpretation of the archaeology is limited.

The Growth of SLM

SLM has continued to grow and expand since the construction of the new buildings on the site in 2004, and now almost fills the available office areas on the site, including spaces in the gatehouse.

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Meetings with clients and visitors are generally held in the meeting rooms located in the Rum Hospital building.

5.6.2 Issues relating to Current Use

SLM Offices

The current office fitouts in the larger factory spaces of the SLM offices divide the spaces visually and do not provide flexible workspaces for the staff.

Tenant Fitouts

New fitouts by tenants, including the installation of such items as shelving, benches, services, lighting, etc, have the potential to change the significant character of the spaces within the buildings and the way in which they are presented to the public. They also have the potential to impact the significant fabric of the place. The introduction of such items are carefully managed to minimise their impacts.

Strict conditions regarding the installation of new fitouts are included in SLM’s tenant lease agreements. These are aimed at protecting the significant fabric of the place. No new penetrations are allowed through significant fabric, fixings to original fabric are restricted, and all new work must be removeable without damaging the fabric of the place. Proposals for new fitouts must be reviewed and approved by SLM prior to any change being undertaken.

Signage

SLM have a Signage Masterplan which includes a hierarchy of signage for all their sites and includes specific guidelines for signage on The Mint site. There is a single sign located on the Macquarie Street boundary fence at the entrance to the site. This sign identifies The Mint site as the head office of SLM. It does not include tenants.

Signage for the current café/shop and restaurant is limited to and signage on the red awning hung between the columns on the upper verandah (one each over the entrance) and a sandwich board in the forecourt area. Signage is restrained to reflect the general character of the government precinct on the eastern side of Macquarie Street.

Temporary signage for special events must be removed at the end of the function.

Food and Wine Service

Spillages and breakages associated with the service of food and drinks can damage to porous surfaces such as stone flagging, timber floors and old painted walls. Restrictions on types of food and drink and areas where they may be served can be managed through venue hire and events

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guidelines that form part of the contract conditions for hire. Waterproof floor coverings may be necessary in some areas to reduce risk of staining.

Deliveries

Vehicle access and trolley usage for the delivery of goods, equipment and furniture must be managed to prevent damage to the gates and gate piers, gravel paths, stone flagging, garden areas, walls and all leading edges inside and outside the buildings. Restrictions on access and parking and guidelines for the use of vehicles and trolleys may be managed through venue hire and events guidelines. These would form part of the contract conditions for both the regular tenants and short term venue hire lessees. Staff supervision may be necessary to ensure the conditions are met.

Furniture

Furniture has the potential to damage walls and floors, and soft gravel surfaces. Guidelines on the type of furniture used by tenants and venue hire lessees, where it may or may not be used and the way in which it is delivered to site, should also form part of the contract conditions of hire.

SLM have endeavoured to clearly differentiate between historic and new buildings and fitouts within those buildings. This principle may be extended to the type of furniture used in public areas on the site.

Marquees

Marquees are restricted to the grassed area of the central courtyard and may only be used for short term events. Guidelines for the installation of temporary marquees on the site must be developed to prevent damage to the courtyard surfaces and archaeology, and the fabric of the cartway leading into the courtyard.

Removal of Waste

Removal of waste following functions also needs to be managed, to ensure that the site is always well presented to the public and to make sure that, as with deliveries, waste removal does not result in damage to the significant fabric.

5.6.3 Use related Opportunities

Increased Commercial Use

The commercial use of the site has been increasing since its redevelopment in 2004, with most of the spaces in the Rum Hospital building now in use as either a shop/café/restaurant or meeting space for corporate hire. The auditorium and bar are also very popular corporate venues with 250

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functions booked annually in these spaces. There are currently 80 bookings per year in the Rum Hospital spaces for meetings and corporate functions. SLM have removed their own activities from the building to open more spaces for venue hire, which would potentially include food and beverage service.

Extended Hours

The Rum Hospital building is rarely used at night. There is an opportunity to extend the hours for restaurant operation and for venue hire of the meeting rooms within the building to the evening.

Colour Schemes

At present the colour schemes in the Rum Hospital building are contemporary and involve a single colour scheme throughout. Although many of the early colour schemes are known, these have not been used in the building and thus the character and complexity of the nineteenth century spaces is not fully realised. Although it is acknowledged that current restrained scheme works well with the use of the spaces for corporate meeting hire, there is an opportunity to reinstate early colour schemes and decorative features to improve the interpretation of these spaces, particularly in the southern stair hall, Sovereign Room and Boardroom.

5.7 Integrity and Authenticity

5.7.1 Rum Hospital

Although the Rum Hospital building has undergone many repairs and changes since its construction it still retains much of its original fabric (wall, floor and roof structures; some floorboards, some plaster wall and ceiling finishes; double hung multipaned windows, internal shutters and reveal linings) and its original layout. The surrounding timber verandah structure has been replaced more than once (by Vernon and during the 1980s) with the stone columns being replaced during the latter works, but to the original detail. Some surviving stone columns (which appear to have decayed or been damaged by late nineteenth and early twentieth century infill works) remain on display in the eastern gallery. There are none left in their original locations.

The insertions to the various rooms within the building and the eastern verandah were all removed during the 1970s/1980s work to convert the place to a museum. However, much of the joinery and other elements removed during these and more recent works have been placed in storage.

The building structure retains a high degree of integrity, despite the later alterations. The early hospital layout of the building is clearly understandable as the buildings stands now, but the later subdivisions and uses of the spaces are far less legible. The 1890s interiors in the southern apartment are substantially intact and clearly convey the character of the principal spaces of the

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Deputy Mint Superintendent’s residence from that period. The interiors of the spaces in the northern apartment are less legible in relation to their origin and use, except for the strong room.

New elements introduced during the 1970s and 1980s work have followed the principles set out in the Burra Charter (which post-dates the work) in that the new elements are clearly distinguishable from the older elements. For example: the 1970s/80s joinery includes half glazed doors and fanlights with bevelled edge glass, although the form of the doors matches those from the late nineteenth century (rounded heads to the glass doors). Early openings that have been blocked (eg window opening on south verandah) up or opened up (eg window opening in space 1.4) have been left exposed. Evidence of early lathe and plaster ceilings survives in the roof space, although the age of the current ceilings is unknown due to the history of collapses and replacement.

5.7.2 Royal Mint Factory Buildings

The surviving original fabric of the former factory buildings has been left in a raw state as part of the recent refurbishment so that all the layers of change remain visible in the wall and ceiling surfaces. Partitions from the twentieth century office use have been removed however. Surviving early joinery is retained and new joinery is distinguishable either in its glazing bar arrangement (or lack thereof) or its use of steel framing.

The new structures are clearly distinguishable as twenty-first century in their simple rectangular forms, transparency, use of materials (glass, steel, polished concrete and laminate) and construction systems (concrete slabs, light-weight steel frame and prefabricated wall panel systems). The new buildings do not copy the original, but respect them in their form and layout on the site. The steel structure supporting the roof at the southern end of the coining room replicates the form of the original buildings, but does not replicate its structural system and this is clearly visible and understandable within the space.

Thus, the factory buildings and the associated new buildings have a high degree of authenticity.

5.7.3 Gatehouse

The gatehouse retains its original form and plan, although the western porch has been infilled. The building also retains a high degree of its original fabric (stone walls, timber structural elements, timber joinery, including the stair, and pressed metal ceilings). Later elements are clearly different, but respect the original in scale and material (eg later architraves).

Thus, the building has a high degree of integrity and authenticity.

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5.7.4 Archaeology

Extensive archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site and the findings recorded. As much as possible of the remains has been retained in situ and, where possible, exposed to view. Interpretive signage has been used to explain what the remains are from.

An archaeological sensitivity plan was developed for the site by GML in 2001. It identifies the degree of disturbance on the site and where there is still potential for archaeological remains. Refer to Figure 5.3.

5.8 Potential for Change

5.8.1 SLM Office Fitout

SLM are currently reviewing their office fitout, particularly within the former coining room and the workshops on the southern side of the courtyard. There is an opportunity to remove dividing partitions and make these spaces more open. This would facilitate more flexible workspaces and provide a better opportunity for appreciating the full volume of these former factory spaces.

5.8.2 Lift Access

At present there is no lift access to the upper floor of the Rum Hospital building and this limits its capacity to be used for corporate or other functions to which the public is invited. It is not appropriate that a lift be included within the Rum Hospital building as it would have substantial heritage impacts on the significant fabric and spaces of the building.

There is some potential, however, to include a new lift in a separate structure located outside and to the rear of the building. Two options have been considered acceptable. A lift may be introduced as:

• a small separate light-weight freestanding element within the central courtyard. This would be connected lightly to the rear (eastern) façade of the building, but not obstruct significant openings or the principle axes of the building (ie through the stair/entrance halls), and respects the significant view lines through the courtyard, particularly those of the Rum Hospital building from the foyer and entrance to the SLM offices; or

• within the footprint of the former melting house, connected to the northern end of the enclosed eastern verandah. The location and height of a structure here would need to be considered carefully so that it remains below the eaves line of the Rum hospital building and does not obstruct key views of the building from Macquarie Street.

In both cases the form, scale and symmetry of the Rum Hospital building must be respected.

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Figure 5.3 Archaeological Sensitivity Plan from the Archaeological Research Design for the Mint Head Office Development Project, prepared by GML in 2001. The plan does not show all the buildings existing on the site in 2016.

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5.8.3 Public Toilets

The number of toilets included in the Rum Hospital building currently limits the number of people using the building. The toilets are currently located on the first floor of the enclosed eastern verandah, which is appropriate as it is consistent with the nineteenth century use of the verandah. The significance of the spaces fabric of the Rum Hospital building precludes installation of new toilet facilities within the main hospital spaces.

There are separate toilets available for those using the foyer, bar and auditorium facilities, or visiting SLM, which are located within the new auditorium facilities building on the ground floor.

If additional toilets are required, there may be some potential to include these facilities, including accessible facilities, in association with a new lift in a new structure located on the site of the former melting house. Refer to the discussion in 5.10.3 below.

5.8.4 New Buildings on The Mint Site

As the current northern foyer building is substantially smaller than the original melting house that previously occupied the northern side of the central courtyard, there is some potential to add a second storey to the northern foyer and entry building. It will be important that the location, form and scale of any new structure in this area is controlled to ensure that it:

• respects the form, fabric and scale of the former Rum Hospital building, as well as the former Royal Mint factory buildings and the auditorium;

• does not obscure the northern wall of the Rum Hospital from view from Macquarie Street or compete with it visually;

• is contained within the footprint and volume of the former melting house; and

• continues to respect the axial layout of the central courtyard.

A two storey building in this location would provide a greater sense of enclosure to the central courtyard, interpreting the containment of the space as it was at the time the Royal Mint was operating. It would also partially obscure and provide a graded transition to the much larger 1980s hospital building located immediately to the north of the site.

5.8.5 New Buildings to the East of the Study Area

There are very limited opportunities for new buildings to be located on other parts of The Mint site within the current study area. However, there are opportunities for new development on the eastern portion of the site outside the current study area. If development is to be undertaken in this area, it should:

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• maintain enclosure of the site (boundary walls);

• retain the physical connection between The Mint site, Hospital Road and the Domain that exists along the southern side of the site;

• consider opportunities to enhance connectivity between The Mint, any new development and Hospital Road; and

• be of a scale that respects and does not dominate the existing heritage buildings on The Mint site or the central courtyard.

5.8.6 New Uses for The Mint Site

The Mint is located in an important government precinct (Macquarie Street), which includes NSW Parliament House, public administration, legal and corporate offices, the NSW District and Supreme Courts, Hyde Park Barracks Museum and Sydney Hospital. There is little retail activity within the precinct beyond the cafés and small gift shops located at Hyde Park Barracks, in the hospital and at The Mint. The current uses of the spaces on the Mint site reflect the public nature of the precinct. Any new activities at The Mint must be consistent with the restrained and dignified character of the government precinct.

The Mint is also located in a larger precinct that includes major cultural sites: Hyde Park Barracks, the State Library of NSW, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum, St James Church and St Mary’s Cathedral. Although SLM has no immediate intention of vacating the site, it has considered future options for the site. The proposal for the Storey of Sydney includes The Mint as part of a larger integrated museum and educational precinct that also includes Hyde Park Barracks and a new Museum of Sydney.

This use would potentially enable greater public access to the buildings than is currently available, particularly to the former coining factory buildings, which could be used as new museum, gallery or expanded library spaces. By connecting Hyde Park Barracks with The Mint within an integrated complex, there is an opportunity to facilitate greater understanding of the historic connection between the two complexes as part of Sydney’s convict heritage.

Under this proposal, SLM would remain closely connected with the site, but located in a new building to the rear of the site.

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5.9 Interpretation and Public Engagement

5.9.1 On-site interpretation

Although The Mint is not presented as a museum, the public are welcome to explore the site. SLM provides various types of on-site interpretation to promote greater enjoyment of the site by visitors and to facilitate their understanding of the history of the place. Interpretation is provided through:

• displays of artefacts in the museum space located on the eastern gallery of the Rum Hospital building;

• smaller display cases of artefacts located elsewhere in the Rum Hospital building and in the coining factory buildings—some displays include items from the Caroline Simpson Collection and others display artefacts recovered from The Mint site;

• signage to interpret some of the archaeological remains exposed around the auditorium and factory buildings;

• the coining press located in the northern foyer (Melting House Bar);

• thematic brochures available from the SLM reception in the Coining Factory and from the ground floor café of the Rum Hospital;

• volunteer guides who engage with visitors, explain the history and workings of the place, and how the buildings are and have been used;

• organised tours of the complex for special interest groups; and

• open days, such as SLM’s Sydney Open program.

At present people participating in functions at The Mint may not be aware of the history the place, its importance to the people of Sydney or to Australia’s economic development. There may be opportunities to engage with these incidental visitors to The Mint in a more proactive way, which does not conflict with the commercial use of the place. This engagement could be enhanced through increased interpretive signage and a more substantial site history display.

Contextualisation of Artefacts

Generally, artefacts are displayed as objects accompanied by interpretive signage that gives their history and often includes a photograph or drawing showing their historic and physical context. However, the items are not generally displayed in the spaces to which they relate. This is largely due to the many competing uses of the site and the fact that many areas are inaccessible to the

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public. Contextualisation is provided through the stories told by the volunteer guides or presented in the brochures provided.

The coining press is displayed as a sculptural as well as interpretive object within the northern foyer (Melting House Bar), on the site of the former melting house and is accompanied by an explanatory sign (refer to Figure 2.41 and subsections 3.7 for images). The placement of the press in this area ensures that it is accessible and able to be viewed by the public. Its original location within the coining room, where it once functioned as a vital part of production process, is currently not publicly accessible.

Presentation of Spaces

There is an opportunity to provide interpretation that is more contextually based at The Mint, especially within those areas of the complex where visitors are welcome. For example, the foyer bar area, located on the site of the former melting house, could potentially offer the opportunity of providing a more experiential understanding of the melting of gold (eg through projected images, sound and light). The glass wall of the library which looks through into the coining room could potentially provide an opportunity for interpreting the activity of the former factory (eg through images etched in the glass).

Because of the commercial use of the publicly accessible spaces in the former Rum Hospital for corporate functions, these spaces are all painted in a single relatively subdued colour scheme and are not furnished in a way that gives a good understanding of their previous use. There may be an opportunity in some of the spaces to reflect some of the previous interior decorative treatments (based on site evidence) that have existed within the building. For example, the southern stair hall and main function rooms on the ground floor could be painted in the colours from the 1890s when the southern apartment was refurbished. This would be consistent with the joinery and plaster finishes that survive in these spaces.

The south wing of the complex is currently lined and fitted out in a totally contemporary way, which does not give any indication of its former use as workshops for the coining factory. There is an opportunity in its next fitout to remove some of the more recent partitions that divide the space and to expose more of its original finishes.

5.9.2 Untold Stories

The on-site displays are mostly focused on the Royal Mint. There is limited interpretation of any of the other periods of occupation, such as the former hospital use, the parliamentary garage use, the court use or the administrative use. There is an opportunity to expand the stories associated with the various uses of the site.

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The convict hospital period would be of particular interest in the interpretation of the Rum Hospital building, linking it to the convict history of Hyde Park Barracks. The parliamentary garage may be of interest within the foyer/melting house.

Many of the lesser-known phases of the site’s history are explored digitally via posts on the SLM website authored by the site curators.

5.9.3 Offsite Interpretation

The SLM website forms the main source of offsite interpretation for The Mint. The website contains subsections dedicated to each of SLM’s 12 sites, with the homepage for each property containing links to information on planning visits, current events and site specific stories and articles written by SLM curators can be accessed and viewed. New content is continually being developed by the SLM curators and marketing team for this section. Stories from The Mint published on the website currently include:

• What was the Rum Hospital?;

• How the ‘Sidney Slaughter House’ got its name;

• Convicts and scorbutus at the General ‘rum’ Hospital;

• Francis Greenway: the ‘future safety’ of the Rum Hospital Buildings;

• Moonlite at the Sydney Mint; and

• The Mint transformed.

The website essentially functions as an interactive digital interpretative device which provides the general public with valuable information on the history and significance of The Mint and the stories which have arisen from it. Opportunities to explore increased connectivity between on-site interpretation and the website could be explored and would benefit the overall visitor experience.

5.10 Condition

5.10.1 Generally

As major works were carried out in 2004, most of the buildings are in reasonably good condition.

5.10.2 Leaking Roof

There is some evidence of a leaking roof in the northern stair hall of the Rum Hospital building. One of the open trough gutters leading from the central box gutter appears to be overflowing. There is a need to review the roof drainage system to ensure that the box gutter is draining properly and

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that the trough gutters are all connected to the downpipes on the outside of the building and not leaking. A regular maintenance regime for the roof drainage system is required.

5.10.3 Rising Damp

There is evidence that in the past rising damp has been an issue in basement areas (particularly under the Dorothea Mackellar Room), but also in some of the factory buildings. Sacrificial render has been applied to walls and air drains constructed around the outside of South Wing. Most of the render is still intact indicating that the damp problem has been substantially resolved. However, careful monitoring is still required.

5.10.4 Verandah Columns

Several of the timber column bases on the upper verandah of the Rum Hospital building have rotted and are in need of repair or replacement.

5.11 Maintenance

The site is generally well maintained. A property manager is employed to undertake basic maintenance tasks and ensure that appropriately skilled tradespeople are engaged to undertake the larger or more technical tasks when needed. The landscape is also well maintained.

Development and implementation of a cyclical maintenance plan would ensure that the place is kept in good condition. The plan should clearly set out regular maintenance tasks for the buildings, landscape, site drainage and surfaces, specifying how they should be carried out (what should and shouldn’t be done), who should undertake them (their skills and expertise) and how often they should be undertaken.

5.12 Sustainability

Generally, the successful conservation and adaptation of The Mint buildings has extended the life of the buildings considerably, providing them with viable new uses and ensuring they are treasured and conserved for future generations.

The re-use of existing buildings is a highly sustainable practice that reduces the consumption of valuable resources and minimises the production of waste. In addition, The Mint site contributes to the social and cultural sustainability of the city, by opening its doors to the public and promoting connectivity between the people of the city and their heritage. The active use of the buildings provides an income that helps to maintain and sustain them into the future so that they can continue to be shared with future generations.

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5.12.1 Re-use and Retention of Fabric

Future repairs and adaption should continue the current policy of retaining as much of the existing fabric of the place as possible and maintaining it in good condition so that it has a long life. New works should endeavour to retain, re-use and complement the existing site development, which is of a high standard, rather than replace it with new.

5.12.2 Ventilation, Heating and Light

Most spaces within the buildings have been designed to maximise natural light and ventilation. The Rum Hospital building was designed with large windows and glass doors in opposing walls to facilitate cross ventilation. The verandah, supplemented by the canvas awnings hung on the western side, provides shade in summer to keep the building cool. The thermal mass provided by the masonry walls stores heat to keep the building warm in winter.

The former factory buildings all had large clerestory windows to provide good natural light so that the factory workers could undertake their tasks with efficiency and accuracy and louvred vents to exhaust the rising heat generated through the factory processes.

Some of the former factory spaces are currently darker than they would have been during the late nineteenth century as some of the windows have been blocked up or reduced in size and some of the clerestory glazing has been painted over. Internal partitions inserted within the spaces also block light and air movement within the interiors. External venetians provide shading to the windows overlooking the central courtyard. However, although these are adjustable, they are seldom used by the building occupants to moderate the level of light and heat entering the building at different times of year (eg raised in winter to maximise light and warmth, and lowered in summer to reduce the heat entering the building).

During the 2004 works, a mechanical ventilation system was designed by Steensen Varming to supplement the traditional manual systems that already existed within the buildings. This system includes warming of the new concrete floor slabs in winter and the use of ventilation systems to circulate the air through the building. Although there is flexibility for occupants to regulate their own environments manually, however, most of the building occupants seem unaware of this. Despite the heating of the concrete slabs, the large factory spaces with their high ceilings are still found to be cold by their occupants in winter.

Education and the introduction of responsive monitoring systems that highlight energy use within the buildings should help to build awareness among building occupants and managers, encourage them to use the systems as designed and improve the energy efficiency and costs associated with running the mechanical systems.

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5.13 Hazards and Risks

As The Mint is a site of exceptional heritage significance, it is important that risks to the property are well understood and managed. The vulnerability and exposure of the buildings to the following natural and manmade hazards should be evaluated to determine the level of risk they pose to the buildings. Disaster risk management planning should include appropriate protection of the buildings, risk management of activities within the buildings, and strategies for the efficient and effective evacuation of people and important collections.

5.13.1 Fire

Fire is a common hazard in any built environment. The buildings have fire detection, suppression and warning systems installed throughout. These should be inspected on a regular basis to make sure they are functional. Staff need to know how to use the equipment and evacuation drills should be undertaken at least annually.

The shingle roof on the Rum Hospital is be vulnerable to fire and further protection measures, such as sprinklers, may be considered necessary to protect it.

5.13.2 Leaks

Leaking roofs and plumbing, burst water tanks, and overflowing drains can all cause substantial damage to buildings and their contents. Any leaks detected should be investigated immediately so that measures can be taken to minimise damage.

5.13.3 Storms

Sydney experiences major storms on a regular basis. These bring risks associated with large hail, torrential rain that can cause flooding and lightning strikes that can cause fire. Gutters, downpipes and drains must be well maintained and lightning protection installed on any tall elements such as chimneys. As basements are prone to flooding valuable items should not be stored in these areas.

5.13.4 Earthquake

Sydney is located in a moderate earthquake zone. Earthquake is considered high risk for traditional unreinforced load bearing masonry buildings in Sydney. The Rum Hospital building has had steel beams added to some of the floors (possibly all, but these could not be inspected) and some strengthening added within the roof. A review of the remedial works undertaken during the 1970s and subsequently would indicate whether those works are considered adequate to mitigate the impacts of an earthquake on The Mint.

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5.13.5 Public Protests

The Mint is located in Macquarie Street close to Parliament House. As such it can be vulnerable to unruly protests that take place in Macquarie Street. Violent protesters can cause serious property damage.

5.14 Endnotes

1 Australia ICOMOS Inc, The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 2013, Australia ICOMOS Inc, Burwood, VIC. 2 Office of Environment and Heritage 2012, ‘Regulation of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage’, viewed 20 September 2012 . 3 Office of Environment and Heritage, ‘Conservation Management Plans’, viewed 12 March 2016 . 4 Sydney Living Museums, Code of Conduct: Trustees, Document P15/14 Version 1.0, issued 10 August 2015, viewed 18 April 2016 .

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6.0 Conservation Policies

6.1 Introduction

This section sets out conservation policy recommendations to guide the conservation, care, use, management and development of The Mint. The conservation policy framework will facilitate ongoing management and conservation of The Mint, and provide guidance on managing potentially conflicting objectives. Where a matter falls outside the jurisdiction/scope of the specific conservation policies, the conservation objectives can inform decision making that reflects The Mint’s multiple values. The objectives focus on the key concepts of significance, custodianship, evolution and engagement.

The policies seek to:

• retain the cultural significance of the place, including its significant character, elements and fabric as well as its relationship to its wider setting;

• provide recommendations for the conservation (including adaptation) of areas, elements and fabric of the place;

• identify where and how adaptation and new works can be carried out to ensure compatibility with maintaining the significance of the place and provide for the conservation and long-term security of the significant features of the place; and

• identify how conservation requirements should be coordinated with other demands on the site (functional, financial etc) to ensure appropriate solutions for its ongoing management and development in the short and longer term.

The conservation policies are numbered sequentially and accompanied by explanatory text where appropriate. The policies should be read in conjunction with the associated text to make the context clear and aid interpretation.

The policies include overall procedural matters, issues related to treatment of the significant features and fabric of the place (including buildings, landscape, archaeology and relationship to context), and recommendations for future development.

6.2 Conservation Principles

• The Mint is of exceptional significance historically to both the state of NSW and the nation.

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• The Mint includes an array of individually significant elements, including the Rum Hospital building, the Royal Mint Factory buildings, the Gatehouse, 2004 buildings, the compound walls, courtyard and landscape elements.

• All the significant elements, from all periods of the place’s history, including the current period, contribute to the cumulative heritage value of the site.

• The Mint is a place where conservation is intertwined with day-to-day operations. The management, development and conservation of The Mint should respond to its heritage value.

• The Mint should remain an accessible public asset, used and valued by the community for a broad variety of reasons including its historical, educational and recreational uses.

• The principles of the Burra Charter and Australian Natural Heritage Charter (2013)1 should apply to all decisions that have the potential to impact upon the heritage significance of The Mint.

• The history and significance of The Mint should be made known and accessible to site patrons and visitors through coordinated interpretation that increases visitor engagement and understanding of the place and its elements.

• All actions at The Mint should comply with applicable legislation and regulations at all times.

6.3 General Policies

6.3.1 Basis of Approach

Policy 1.1—Conservation Approach

Policy 1.1

The ongoing conservation and development of the place should be carried out in accordance with the principles of the Australia ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance 2013 (the Burra Charter).

Policy 1.2—Relationship to Significance

Policy 1.2

The statement of significance and assessments of the significance of individual elements set out in this report should guide all planning for and carrying out of work on the site.

The assessments of significance (Section 4.0) and supporting analysis (Sections 2.0 to 3.0 and reports referred to in Section 1.0) should guide the conservation of significant areas, elements and fabric of the place as well as key visual and functional relationships. In this context conservation includes all

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the activities ascribed to it in the Burra Charter including maintenance, restoration, reconstruction and adaptation.

The following table sets out, in general terms, the appropriate treatment for areas, elements and fabric related to their level of significance.

Level of Significance Appropriate Treatment

E—Exceptional Preservation, restoration, reconstruction. Adaptation and/or interpretation where significant layout, elements and/or fabric are altered or missing.

H—High As for E with greater allowance for adaptation where this is in accordance with overall significance, intactness/integrity and use.

M—Moderate Retention and conservation where possible. Adaptation and/or alteration permissible. Removal possible subject to Policy 1.4 (below).

L—Little As for M (above) with fewer constraints on removal.

I—Intrusive Remove/modify to reduce adverse impacts.

Policy 1.3—Conservation in Accordance with Significance

Policy 1.3

The components and attributes of The Mint that contribute to its significance (particularly its historic, aesthetic and technological significance) should be appropriately conserved and interpreted as part of the use and development of the place.

This policy builds on Policy 1.2 by highlighting the need to ensure that treatment of all site attributes and components (including areas, elements and fabric) is directly related to the nature and degree of their significance with priority given to the conservation of attributes and components of highest significance.

Policy 1.4—Damage to Significant Aspects

Policy 1.4

Works that would adversely impact on significant areas, elements or fabric or other aspects of significance of the place should only be permitted where: • the work makes possible the recovery of aspects of greater significance; • the work helps ensure the security and viability of the place; • there is no feasible alternative (eg to meet safety and/or legal requirements); • the area, element, fabric or other aspect of significance is adequately recorded and, where appropriate, interpreted; and • full assessment of alternative options has been undertaken to minimise adverse impacts.

This policy, in conjunction with Policies 1.2 and 1.3, seeks to ensure that the major aspects of significance (including areas, elements and fabric) are given priority and protection in the

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conservation, adaptation and development of the place. It also takes into consideration the extent of alteration to original/early layouts, elements and fabric. Whilst a number of these changes have contributed to the historic layering of the place, other works have detracted from and/or effectively obscured more significant values.

6.3.2 Adoption and Review of Policies

Policy 2.1—Adoption and Endorsement

Policy 2.1

The conservation policies set out in this document should be adopted and endorsed as a guide to future conservation, management and development of the place.

Copies of this CMP should be lodged with the NSW Heritage Council and the City of Sydney.

Policy 2.2—Regular Review of Policies

Policy 2.2

The conservation policies should be reviewed by SLM at least every five years to ensure that they remain responsive and relevant to proposed changes in use, management or ownership. The conservation policies should also be reviewed when major works are proposed to ensure that they are adequately addressed.

Specific policies may need to be amended in the light of new circumstances. The first review should be carried out within five years, or when there is a proposed change of use or ownership of the place, or when major works are proposed.

Policy 2.3—Review Significance of 2004 Work

Policy 2.3

The cultural heritage significance of the 2004 elements on The Mint site should be reviewed within the next 10 years. If they are determined to have cultural heritage significance, the policies relating to their conservation, management, adaptation and use should also be reviewed to reflect their significance.

The significance of the 2004 buildings has not been fully assessed as part of this CMP as these elements are relatively recent additions to site. However, their award-winning status, their association with FJMT, multi-award winning architects of high repute, and their aesthetic qualities, do indicate that they would potentially have cultural heritage significance as they mature. The significance of the 2004 buildings should be reviewed as part of the regular review process for the CMP. The conservation policies relating to these buildings should also be reviewed in accordance with their identified significance.

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Policy 2.4—Professional Advice on Policies

Policy 2.4

Appropriate professional advice should be obtained to help review and/or amend specific policies when required.

6.3.3 Managing Change

A competent and coordinated decision making process is required in order to develop and maintain the property, and manage change within the property.

Policy 3.1—Coordinated Planning

Policy 3.1

Proposed changes to use or fabric and/or development of any part of the site should always be considered as part of a coordinated and documented plan for the whole.

This approach is intended to facilitate an orderly and methodical approach to the care and management of the place (including any new development). It seeks to encourage careful investigation of alternative uses or developments in order to retain and minimise adverse impacts on the significant values of the place.

Policy 3.2—Responsible Approach

Policy 3.2

A responsible approach to design, planning and maintenance should be developed within the guidelines of this plan. The objective should be to make appropriate, efficient and safe use of the place having regard to its amenity, character and cultural significance.

Policy 3.3—Flexible Approach

Policy 3.3

The management of the property should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the daily operations and special programs operating on the property, whilst maintaining a high standard of conservation management.

6.3.4 Conservation Advice

The involvement of skilled and competent advice is essential to the successful long-term implementation of this CMP. SLM has highly evolved expertise in the effective conservation and management of heritage places, as evidenced by its care of 12 different historic sites for which it has received multiple awards. However, beyond the diverse knowledge, skills and expertise available

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within SLM, additional specialist advice may be required from time to time to provide the necessary expertise for the consistent implementation of this CMP.

Policy 4.1—Expert Conservation Advice

Policy 4.1

Persons with relevant expertise and experience in conservation projects should be involved in the consistent interpretation of this CMP and the resolution of conservation issues, including the design and supervision of work on the existing buildings, interiors, grounds and archaeological remains.

This policy seeks to ensure that consultant advice and contractual work on significant elements and/or fabric are carried out by firms or persons with proven expertise in conservation-related projects in the relevant field(s). This includes both professional advice and tradespeople.

Professional archaeological advice should also be obtained as part of planning for any work which will disturb subsurface areas (including conservation or additional development).

Policy 4.2—Coordinated Approach

Policy 4.2

A coordinated approach should be taken to the investigation, understanding, conservation planning and interpretation of all the elements associated with The Mint that are linked to its history.

6.3.5 Contents, Documents and Research

Architectural plans of the buildings and sites were prepared as part of the 2004 works, but they have not been updated since that time to include more recent changes. Maintenance of accurate records will assist in the management of the place and in planning future development.

Ongoing input from historians, archaeologists, conservation specialists, architects and engineers, and information gleaned from detailed site investigations will continue to be collated and to inform future decision making and management of the place.

The contents should be carefully managed and, where possible, new acquisitions made to support the exceptional significance of the place.

Policy 5.1—Archival Recording

Policy 5.1

Accurate and up-to-date records should be maintained of the site, building and significant elements to archival standards.

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At present the plans of several of the historic buildings on the site (specifically the Rum Hospital building and the Gatehouse) are not up to date and do not accurately reflect the current configuration of the buildings. This information is critical as a starting point for undertaking any new works to the place or for installing new services. It also provides an important record of what exists and which may be used for the assessment and reconstruction of severely damaged or destroyed elements in case of disaster, such as a fire.

Archival records should include up-to-date and accurate drawings of the buildings (measured plans, elevations and sections), a survey of the grounds (landscaping, drainage and services) and photographs of all significant components of the site.

Once completed, copies of the records should be maintained on site in the Caroline Simpson Library and Resource Centre. Copies should also be lodged with at least one of the following archives located offsite: the City of Sydney, State Library of NSW and/or the NSW Heritage Division of the Department of Environment and Heritage.

Policy 5.2—Mint Archive

Policy 5.2

A Mint archive should be maintained (within The Mint complex) and documents and contents relating to the place should continue to be gathered, stored, catalogued and displayed in accordance with the SLM Collections Management Policy.

Policy 5.3—Mint Contents

Policy 5.3

The collection of contents should be assessed and items of value and significance should be accessioned as part of the 'Mint Collection'. The collection should be recognised as being inherently linked to The Mint (and specific locations within the place), and essential to the retention of the significance of the place.

Only items that originated at The Mint, were made there or were found there, would be regarded as being inherently linked to The Mint. There are many other items in The Mint collection that have an associative value, enhancing the understanding of the place, but are not essential to the significance of the place (eg artists representations from the 1920s and 1930s showing The Mint in Macquarie Street; photographs of William Standley Jevons etc). These items are not considered to be inherently linked to The Mint.

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Policy 5.4—Ongoing Collecting and Research

Policy 5.4

The collection should continue to be researched, catalogued, conserved and used in accordance with SLM’s Collections Management Policy.

Policy 5.5—Access to Collections

Policy 5.5

The study of The Mint should continue to be facilitated. Access to the buildings (and its collections and documents) should be made available to people with a professional interest in the place for research, interpretation and study, and the public so that they may understand the history and significance of the place and its role in society.

6.3.6 Future Use of the Place

The site has accommodated many functions since European settlement began in Sydney, including as: a hospital and residence; the Royal Mint factory, offices and residences; government offices; courts; a garage and museum. All of these diverse functions were in the service of government.

The diversity of use continues on the site today, as does the institutional use of the place. The Rum Hospital building currently houses meeting rooms, a café/gift shop and restaurant. The Royal Mint factory buildings accommodate the SLM offices and reception, and the new buildings house an auditorium and bar area with supporting service facilities. These uses continue the tradition of government ownership and institutional use of the site. This most recent change of use will not be the last, but the site should continue to accommodate public institutional functions.

Policy 6.1—Consistent Approach Irrespective of Use

Policy 6.1

The policies set out in this part of the document should be applied irrespective of the uses to which the place is put.

Policy 6.2—Government Ownership and Use

Policy 6.2

The ownership of the site should continue to remain with government and the use and functions accommodated on the site should continue to be those of government institutions.

If the Government determines that it must sell the property, the policies of this CMP must be reviewed in accordance with Policy 2.2. New policies will need to be developed to ensure that the significance of the place is retained and managed by the new owners.

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Policy 6.3—Evidence of Early Uses

Policy 6.3

Surviving evidence of the nineteenth-century uses of the buildings and their component parts should be retained and not obscured by any future use of the buildings or their parts.

Policy 6.4—Evaluating Potential Uses

Policy 6.4

In evaluating potential uses for the spaces within the buildings, the approach should, where possible, ensure that the buildings and their parts retain their character and significance.

Thus, the character imparted by the high-quality finishes installed as part of the Royal Mint refurbishments of the Rum Hospital building should be retained in the spaces where these exist, and the plainer character associated with the much simpler finishes of the former Rum Hospital should be retained where they exist. The factory buildings have their own more industrial character which should be incorporated into any new use associated within these spaces.

Policy 6.5—Compatible Uses

Policy 6.5

In areas where adaptations are proposed, new uses should be selected that are compatible with the structure, circulation, room size, fabric and access for services in those areas.

Policy 6.6—Incompatible Uses

Policy 6.6

Uses requiring subdivision or services requirements that would have a strong adverse effect on the significance and character of the space are unacceptable.

The Royal Mint was established in the 1850s and ceased to operate on this site in 1926. However, while the occupants and operational functions have changed many times during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the identification and name of the place has remained constant both within government and by the public. This matter of identity and public affection for the place is part of its significance. In changing the uses on the site, a new name should not be forced upon the place.

Policy 6.7—Name of the Place

Policy 6.7

Regardless of its use, the name of the place should remain 'The Mint'.

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6.3.7 Public Access

The site is generally accessible to the public, although the Mint offices have restricted entry.

Policy 7.1—Public Access to the Site

Policy 7.1

The Mint and its associated objects and documentation should be accessible to the public within the constraints of providing appropriate and secure working conditions for staff.

Policy 7.2—Public Access to Significant Spaces

Policy 7.2

The most significant and interesting spaces and fabric should be able to be visited and viewed by the public.

Policy 7.3—Protection of Significant Fabric and Contents

Policy 7.3

Public access should be controlled so that it does not place significant fabric and contents in jeopardy. Care should be taken to protect significant fabric and contents.

6.3.8 Existing and New Fabric and Spaces

The following policies should be read in conjunction with Section 6.2.6—Future Use of the Place.

Policy 8.1—Retention of Fabric and Spaces

Policy 8.1

All original and early fabric and spaces in the buildings and grounds should be retained intact unless stated otherwise in these policies.

Policy 8.2—Record Changes

Policy 8.2

All future changes to the building fabric should be carefully recorded.

Policy 8.3—New Elements and Spaces

Policy 8.3

The provision of new elements and spaces within the existing buildings should be limited to those which are appropriate, having regard to: • the significance of the spaces and fabric;

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Policy 8.3

• the spatial qualities of the rooms to be adapted; and • the key relationships created by the location of windows, doors, floors, trusses and other relevant architectural features.

This policy should be read in conjunction with Policy 1.2. Spaces and fabric of exceptional or high significance are generally less tolerant of change than spaces of moderate or low significance.

Policy 8.4—Coordinated Design and Planning

Policy 8.4

Additional elements and spaces should not be planned in isolation but in the context of the whole building complex, its layout and use.

Policy 8.5—Reversibility

Policy 8.5

Alterations and additions to existing buildings should enable subsequent removal with little or no damage to significant fabric and spaces.

Policy 8.6—Existing Planning Regime

Policy 8.6

The provision of new spaces within the complex should respond to the nineteenth century site layout and hierarchy of buildings and spaces. Refer also to policy 15.1.

Policy 8.7—Scale, Form and Fabric of New Structures

Policy 8.7

The scale and massing of new elements should not dominate the significant elements of the site and planning should retain the strong symmetry of the nineteenth century site layout. New additions should also respect the form and fabric of the existing structures, particularly those of the nineteenth century, including the remnant fabric of demolished nineteenth century structures.

Policy 8.8—Technical Innovation

Policy 8.8

New additions should endeavour to continue the tradition of technical innovation that was displayed on the site during the nineteenth century.

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6.3.9 The Urban Context

The Mint is located on the eastern edge of Sydney’s central business district where it provides a link between the dense urban landscape of the city and the open green spaces of Hyde Park and The Domain.

It is one of a significant group of government buildings which define the character of the eastern side of Macquarie Street. These buildings all contribute a consistency in scale and formality in building design, as well as a consistency in setback from the street, which allows each building to have an enclosed forecourt.

With Hyde Park Barracks, St James’ Church and Queens Square, The Mint assists in defining one of Sydney’s few grand public spaces designed during the Macquarie era.

Policy 9.1—Streetscape

Policy 9.1

The Mint should maintain its presentation to Macquarie Street, including retention of its landscaped forecourt and palisade boundary fence and gates.

Policy 9.2—Pedestrian Thoroughfare

Policy 9.2

Future development of the site should include retention of the pedestrian thoroughfare that exists along the southern boundary of the site from Macquarie Street to The Domain.

Consideration may be given to the provision of additional connectivity through the existing Mint complex, but this must not compromise the early layout of the site, its sense of enclosure within a walled compound and its grouping of buildings around the central courtyard. This central area must remain enclosed.

Policy 9.3—Development on or near the Place

Policy 9.3

Proposed new developments on or near the site must respect the cultural significance of The Mint. Any adverse impact on The Mint by such development should be identified and highlighted to the government and planning authorities. Similarly, as opportunities become available for the recovery and enhancement of the significance of the place, these should be rigorously pursued.

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6.3.10 The Setting and Views

Views of The Mint are principally relatively short views along Macquarie Street from the north and south. However, the most important view is that from Queens Square to the southwest. The principal views out from The Mint are those over Queens Square to Hyde Park and the city skyline beyond.

Originally, the General Hospital was conceived and erected along the highest part of the ridge with views to it from all directions, and importantly from the harbour channel—the first sight when rounding Bradleys Head. The surrounding verandahs, or grand classical colonnades, gave the impression of a massive group of public buildings, signifying a grand town beyond. The views out from the verandahs were in all directions and quite commanding—the harbour and signal station to the east, the mountains to the west, and rolling hills to the north and south.

Today these views are obscured by the mature planting of The Domain and the Supreme Court building on the eastern portion of the site. The buildings that line the ridge and define the city edge are far taller.

Policy 10.1—Views and Site Development

Policy 10.1

The views of the buildings should be maintained, and enhanced where possible, by the careful management of the design of any new structures and plantings within the grounds, particularly along the front perimeter of the site (Macquarie Street).

Policy 10.2—Views to and from The Domain

Policy 10.2

Where possible, views to and from The Domain to the east of the site should be retained in any future development of the Supreme Court site, but be cognisant of the Macquarie era perimeter wall that enclosed the former Rum Hospital compound. Thus views would be over or through selective openings in the perimeter wall.

Policy 10.3—Views to and from Hyde Park Barracks and Queens Square

Policy 10.3

The views to and from Hyde Park Barracks and Queens Square should be carefully considered in the future conservation and development of the place. The urban landscape setting of The Mint in the Queens Square precinct should be enhanced wherever possible.

6.3.11 Subsurface Remains and Archaeology

The site's archaeological resource is a significant aspect of The Mint’s remains, and although disturbed in many areas by various phases of development, including both demolitions and

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additions, the site retains the ability to demonstrate physical aspects of various construction and occupation phases and their relationships through time. Parts of the site have already been extensively studied by archaeologists, particularly those areas around the coining factory and within the Rum Hospital. However, other areas have not been investigated to date (such as the eastern portion of the site occupied by the Supreme Court). An Archaeological Research Design was prepared by Godden Mackay Logan in 2001 to guide the 2004 works, including planning and building design, structural design, excavation and installation of services on the site, so that as much of the remains as possible could be retained in situ.

To limit potential adverse impacts on the archaeological resource of the site (and the information it can reveal) from building demolition, new construction, modification of existing open spaces and the provision of underground services (sewerage, stormwater, power, etc), the following policies are recommended.

Policy 11.1—Archaeological Research Design

Policy 11.1

The Archaeological Research Design (prepared by Godden Mackay Logan, 2001) should continue to provide a guide to future development on the site, including the site of the Supreme Court building to the east. It should be used to inform planning and building design, structural design, excavation and installation of services on the site. Interaction with the archaeologists should take place to enhance and share knowledge and to evaluate risks.

Policy 11.2—Archaeological Investigations

Policy 11.2

Archaeological investigation by qualified archaeologists should be carried out prior to the commencement of any excavation work or development on the site, in areas which have not previously been subject to detailed investigation.

The aim of this archaeological investigation is to ensure that previously undiscovered archaeological remains are not inadvertently disturbed or destroyed by any new development. Information gathered would inform future conservation, interpretation and upgrading work.

Policy 11.3—Archaeological Monitoring

Policy 11.3

All ground disturbance associated with future development of the site in areas not previously investigated through archaeological excavation should be undertaken under the supervision of a monitoring archaeologist. The progress of such excavation work should be appropriately documented (in written and photographic form).

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Policy 11.4—Documentation of Archaeological Relics

Policy 11.4

In the event that historical archaeological relics are exposed on the site, they should be appropriately documented according to the procedures outlined in the investigation set out in the Archaeological Research Design.

Policy 11.5—Site Planning for New Works

Policy 11.5

Site planning and development should be carried out so as not to remove significant subsurface remains, elements and fabric, but rather retain those remnants in situ. Excavation for new building work on the site should be for the provision of footings and services only, and to remove contaminates. Alternatives should be investigated in order to minimise impacts on significant remains (eg a valid option is to build above the ground on piers).

Policy 11.6—Subsurface Disturbance

Policy 11.6

Subsurface disturbance should be restricted where possible to reduce the impact on archaeological remains at the site.

Policy 11.7—Works Adjacent to Relics

Policy 11.7

Where works are proposed to be carried out in close proximity to known or probable archaeological relics able to be retained in situ, strategies should be put in place to ensure that construction work and/or heavy machinery does not disturb or damage those relics.

Policy 11.8—Archaeological Monitoring of Non-SLM Sites within the Heritage Curtilage

Policy 11.8

SLM should continue to monitor the long-term management of those areas of The Mint site considered as archaeologically sensitive but not specifically under the control of SLM, such as the Macquarie Street footpath and the Supreme Court building to the east of The Mint.

6.3.12 Interpretation

Detailed interpretation strategies and policies were developed by HHT in parallel with the design development and documentation phases of the 2004 project. These strategies have since been developed and will be reviewed again in light of future development on the site and the opportunities that it brings for engaging with the public. The current Interpretation Strategy focuses primarily on the Royal Mint occupation of the site. SLM is considering expanding interpretation on the site to

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include the convict hospital period of the site and the important associations that existed between The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks.

Policy 12.1—Interpretation Generally

Policy 12.1

The Mint should be interpreted and clearly presented to the public, to increase understanding of the place, the precinct and the city.

Policy 12.2—Interpretation Plan

Policy 12.2

The current Interpretation Strategy should be reviewed and expanded to include the convict hospital period of the site’s history and the important links that exist between The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks.

Policy 12.3—Public Engagement and Access

Policy 12.3

Interpretation of the history and fabric of The Mint should continue within the site and the public should continue to have access to the research and other materials collected about the place. Opportunities to engage proactively with incidental visitors to the site should be explored.

6.3.13 Review of Heritage Listings

Policy 13.1—Review SHR Listing

This CMP takes into account changes that have occurred at the site since the SHR listing was prepared.

Policy 13.1

The present SHR Listing for The Mint should be reviewed to take account of the additional documentary and physical evidence and significance assessment of the site set out in this CMP, and the revised Statement of Significance.

Policy 13.2—New Individual SHR Listing

Policy 13.2

A separate individual SHR listing for The Mint should be lodged with the Department of Environment and Heritage (NSW Heritage Council) that is additional to its group listing with the Hyde Park Barracks.

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Policy 13.3—New SHR Curtilage

Policy 13.3

The heritage curtilage for The Mint should take account of the analysis and assessment of significance of the site set out in this CMP and the curtilage policy recommendations.

Policy 13.4—Nomination to National Heritage List

Policy 13.4

Nominate The Mint for inclusion on the National Heritage List using the analysis and significance assessment included in this CMP.

6.4 Policies for Specific Elements

6.4.1 Compound Walls

The Mint complex has existed within a walled enclosure since 1811. The existing walls, which include surviving portions of the original wall (southern boundary to Hyde Park Barracks), nineteenth century portions from the period of the Royal Mint (northern boundary and western end of southern boundary), and more recent reconstructions (eastern boundary to Macquarie Street, and the eastern wall to Hospital Road), all contribute to the retention of the historic compound that has always defined the site boundaries.

Policy 14.1—Compound Walls

Policy 14.1

The walled compound that encloses The Mint site must be retained. The significant fabric of the original wall to Hyde Park Barracks, the nineteenth century northern stone and brick walls to the Sydney Hospital boundary and the iron palisade fence to the Macquarie Street boundary (including iron palisade on stone plinth, iron gates set between stone piers, and iron archways and lanterns over the gates).

Even though the Macquarie Street fence is a reconstruction it is based on physical and documentary evidence and, with the exception of the southwest inset corner, is set on the 1871 alignment, which resulted from the widening of Macquarie Street at that time.

Policy 14.2—Sense of Enclosure

The sense of enclosure is extremely important, both historically and aesthetically, to the setting of The Mint. In any future development on the site (including on the eastern portion occupied by the Supreme Court), this sense of enclosure must be retained. This area, although not currently within

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the property owned and managed by SLM, is identified as being part of the significant heritage curtilage for the site.

Policy 14.2

In any future development on the site or on the adjoining eastern portion of the site currently occupied by the Supreme Court, the enclosure of the site along its boundaries must be retained. A wall (with access openings through it) must be included along the Hospital Road boundary of the site.

Policy 14.3—Physical Connections to Adjoining Sites

Currently there are doorways in the southern boundary wall that connect The Mint to Hyde Park Barracks. These are important to maintaining connectivity between the two sites. There are also important connections between The Mint site and Macquarie Street, and The Mint site and Hospital Road and The Domain (through the Supreme Court site).

Policy 14.3

Physical connections between The Mint, Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie Street and Hospital Road should be retained through gateways or doors (as appropriate) in the boundary walls.

6.4.2 Site Configuration

The Mint site has been laid out on formal axes that intersect through the central courtyard. The Rum Hospital building provides the public face of the site to Macquarie Street and originally set the main east-west axis of the site, although this is less obvious in the courtyard since the late nineteenth century enclosure of the building’s rear verandah. The north-south axis is established by the centreline of the courtyard. The former factory buildings and the new buildings on the site are set out around the courtyard in response to these axes. New axes were established during the 2004 redevelopment of the site, overlaying the original axes—these axes run east-west through the northern stair hall and entrance to the SLM offices, and north-south through the cartway in the southern workshop wing. The buildings comprising the Royal Mint, including the Rum Hospital building, form an enclosed compound around the central courtyard.

A driveway runs along the southern edge of the site and is framed at its western end by the gatehouse and the Dorothea Mackellar Room at the western end of the southern workshop wing.

During the Royal Mint occupation of the site, various houses accommodated mint officers on the eastern portion of the site. The current eastern driveway occupies the open space that existed between the Mint factory buildings and these residences. During the hospital period, this portion of the site had the dissecting room. This range of buildings was removed for the construction of the Supreme Court building.

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Policy 15.1—Maintaining Legibility of Early Site Configuration

Policy 15.1

The legibility of the early configuration and layout of the site should be maintained by: • conserving the complex of buildings that comprise The Mint; • conserving the significant open spaces within and around which the building complex is arranged; • conserving and responding to the significant axes that guided the early layout of the site; • conserving the arrangement of buildings around the central courtyard; and • conserving the driveway along the southern portion of the site and the gatehouse that sits adjacent to its entrance.

Policy 15.2—Open Space

Policy 15.2 The significant open spaces of the site, the forecourt, central courtyard, southern and eastern driveways, should remain open and not be built over.

6.4.3 The Rum Hospital Building

The south wing of the former Rum Hospital is exceptionally significant as part of Sydney's Convict Hospital (General Hospital), as well as for its use as the administrative offices, residence and public face of the Royal Mint. Together with the central block of NSW Parliament House (the north wing of the former Rum Hospital), it is the oldest public building in central Sydney. It was also an important component in Governor Macquarie's most ambitious architectural project.

The Rum Hospital building has been modified many times for new occupants (various government offices), with significant changes also taking place in 1981 when the building was adapted as a museum. In 1997, following transfer of ownership to the Historic Houses Trust, the Rum Hospital building was modified again with installation of a café on the upper floor and provision of meeting rooms and support facilities in other spaces. These uses have continued and gradually been expanded.

Evidence of almost all various phases of development of the Rum Hospital building is still evident in its fabric.

Policy 16.1—The Rum Hospital

Policy 16.1

As one of Sydney’s oldest public buildings, the south wing of the former Rum Hospital should be conserved. It is important as part of the first medical institution built in NSW for the care of convicts and the poor of the colony and its role in accommodating the assistant surgeons, pharmacy and

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Policy 16.1 military hospital wards should be interpreted to the public. Fabric associated with this important phase of use should be conserved.

Policy 16.2—Public Face of the Royal Mint

Policy 16.2

The important role of the Rum Hospital building as the public face of the Royal Mint should also be interpreted to the public. Fabric associated with this use should be conserved.

Policy 16.3—Classical Form and Detail

The Rum Hospital building is one of Sydney’s iconic colonial buildings. Its simple rectangular form with its hipped roof, symmetrical arrangement of windows and doors and encircling verandah, set on a raised platform, make it an excellent example of British colonial architecture in Australia. The simplified classical form of the building is further enhanced by the tapered Tuscan style columns that support the two-storey verandah and which are reputed to be the first attempt at architectural refinement in Australia. Other key features include its simple symmetrical layout, multipaned double- hung windows, arched fanlights over its central entrance doors, stone quoins and restrained detailing.

Policy 16.3

No alterations should be made to the building that will compromise its simple classical form and detailing, or its symmetrical arrangement of window and door openings. The existing open verandahs should not be enclosed, except where historical evidence indicates otherwise.

Policy 16.4—Layout

The building retains its original layout with two separate symmetrically arranged apartments, each with their own entrance and rooms flanking the central stair hall on each floor. The rear (eastern) verandah was enclosed during the early period of the Royal Mint to provide essential internal bathroom and kitchen facilities for the residents and workers. With the exception of the strong room, located in the Bullion Room, later partitions within the original hospital spaces (as well as those on the rear verandah) have been removed, allowing the original layout and form of the spaces to be fully appreciated.

Policy 16.4

The original spatial configuration of the building should be retained and continue to reflect the two separate symmetrically arranged apartments of the Rum Hospital, each laid out about their central stair halls.

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Policy 16.4 The strong room (including its linings, door and original fittings) and the enclosed eastern verandah should be retained.

Policy 16.5—Fabric and Layering of History

The building retains much of its original fabric, including its stone walls and stone flagged ground floor terrace, northern entrance doors, arched fanlights, double-hung window joinery, internal reveal linings and shutters, timber floor and roof structures, wide shot timber floorboards, wall and ceiling plaster, plaster cornices, fireplaces and chimney breasts. The original hearthstones and the chimney pieces appear to have been removed.

The building also retains significant fabric and internal finishes from its use as the administrative offices of the Royal Mint and residence of the Deputy Mint Superintendent. These include the wall enclosing the eastern verandah, the stone flagged ramp, the two timber staircases in the entrance halls, the panelled windlock in the northern entrance, the various sets of French doors and fanlights, the panelled timber doors (southern entrance and internal doors), arched casement and double- hung window joinery in the eastern wall, leadlight in the doors, windows and fanlights, decorative door cases with their Adam style pediments in the southern apartment, moulded skirtings, architraves, dado rails and picture rails, panelled dados, chimneypieces and grates, timber and plaster pilasters, plaster arches, columns and brackets, decorative plaster friezes, cornices and ceiling roses, and pressed metal and timber boarded ceilings. All these elements and finishes give the spaces their distinctive character and are of exceptional significance.

Except for the c1920s door case in the upper northern stair hall, most of the fabric associated with the twentieth-century administrative use of the building was removed during the museum restoration and refurbishment of the 1980s. New joinery (mainly glass doors and fanlights) and tongue and groove floorboards introduced at the time are clearly distinguishable and, although they have been sensitively introduced, are of lesser significance. Insertions, such as the kitchen in the southern space on the first floor, have generally been carried out so that they are reversible and cause minimum disturbance to the fabric.

Policy 16.5

The historic layering of fabric reflects the adaptation of the Rum Hospital building to new uses and contributes to the understanding of the place’s history. • All original fabric and that from the nineteenth century refurbishments for the Royal Mint (both 1870s and 1896 refurbishments) is of exceptional significance and should be conserved. • Fabric from other periods is of moderate significance and may tolerate some change. • Fabric surviving from the various phases of development should be conserved in accordance with its relative level of significance.

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Policy 16.6—Reconstruction of Missing Elements

From the physical and documentary evidence available, the detail and configuration of the original staircases are still unknown, as well as the openings that existed in the eastern wall of the stair halls, and it is not proposed to reconstruct these.

The original window openings in the original eastern wall of the Rum Hospital building have all been altered or blocked up.

Policy 16.6

Reconstruction of missing elements from the Hospital and Mint periods should only be considered if there is sufficient physical and documentary evidence to justify its reconstruction and it does not involve changes to or removal of fabric of exceptional or high significance.

Some key elements have been reconstructed to their original detail (based on documentary and physical evidence), including the verandah with its tapered Tuscan style columns (both stone and timber) and Chinoiserie balustrade, the shingled cladding to the roof and the chimneys above roof level.

Policy 16.7—Verandah Columns

Surviving remnants of the original c1811–16 stone columns have been retained on site, some on display in the eastern gallery.

Policy 16.7

The remnant original stone columns should be retained as part of the place and interpreted to the public.

Policy 16.8—Window and Door Openings

The original symmetrical arrangement of openings in the walls of the Rum Hospital building is an important attribute of the building’s significance. Although most of the original windows survive in the western elevation, in many cases the windows have been replaced with doors, including French doors installed during the 1896 refurbishment works and a variety of internal doors from different periods opening onto the eastern and southern verandah. Several of the openings have been blocked up (in the eastern and southern wall) and some have been adapted for the installation of fire services. Despite these changes, the rhythm and scale of the openings has been retained substantially intact.

Several of the openings in the eastern wall of the eastern verandah have been altered. The small window openings associated with bathroom facilities on the ground floor (now removed) were replaced with larger windows during the 1980s museum adaptation. These match the general design

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and spacing of the larger windows that line this wall and have contributed to a strengthening of the rhythms of openings in this wall.

Policy 16.8

• Original window and door openings in the stone walls of the former Rum Hospital may not be altered in size or location. Where original window openings have been blocked up, they may be reopened to their original size. Doors may be used in place of windows in the eastern wall if the openings have already been modified. • No new openings are permitted in the original stone walls of the building. • The rhythm of openings in the walls enclosing the eastern verandah should be retained. Non- original windows may be altered or adapted if required, provided they are consistent with the original double-hung windows on each floor in width, height and form (ie arched heads on the ground floor and square heads on the first floor). • Joinery from the latter part of the twentieth century may be replaced if necessary. • The window opening in the east wall of the first floor dining room may have timber window joinery reinstated.

Policy 16.9—Internal Partitions

Several of the main spaces in the building have been subdivided into smaller spaces in the past. Although the partitions have since been removed, the finishes and arrangement of doors within the spaces provide evidence of their various configurations. It is acknowledged that, even though the partitions reflected the adaptation of the spaces to various uses over time, the subdivision of the spaces detracted from their spatial and aesthetic qualities. Thus, it is not recommended that the partitions be reintroduced, particularly in the spaces identified as being of exceptional significance.

When the eastern verandah was enclosed during the early 1870s, it was divided into numerous small spaces. The partitions were removed with the 1980 museum conversion to create the two long galleries on the ground and first floors. Although these have removed evidence of former use and adaptation, the work has enabled the spaces to be better appreciated as part of the original verandah. The northern and southern ends of the upper verandah have been repartitioned to accommodate service facilities.

Policy 16.9

• Spaces of exceptional significance should not be subdivided, except where historical evidence indicates otherwise. • Spaces of high significance may be altered, provided the work does not impact on spaces of higher significance and that the sense of the spaces being part of an enclosed verandah is retained. • Spaces of lower significance may be subdivided or reconfigured, provided the work does not impact on spaces of higher significance.

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Policy 16.10—Fitouts and Services

Recent fitouts within the building have generally endeavoured to have minimal impact on the significant fabric of the building. The kitchen and scullery fitout incorporates a raised floor so that plumbing services can be accommodated with minimal impact on the floor structure and the ceiling of the space below. A separate service duct has been included on the eastern side of the Sovereign Room and air conditioning ducts have generally been accommodated within the subfloor and roof spaces. Plant is located within at the southern end of the enclosed eastern verandah (first floor) and the basement of the Dorothea Mackellar room.

Policy 16.10

• New fitouts and services must not impact on the significant fabric of the building. • No new penetrations, fixings or alterations are permitted to fabric of exceptional or high significance. Penetrations, fixings or alterations may be permitted to fabric of low or moderate significance. • All new fitout elements must be designed to be fully reversible. • Functions that require high impact services such as plumbing should be restricted to those spaces that are already accommodating such services, such as kitchens, bathrooms and plantrooms. These spaces may be refitted.

Policy 16.11—Access

The upper floor of the building is not currently wheelchair accessible. This limits the use of the upper floor of the building.

Policy 16.11

A lift should not be installed within the historic Rum Hospital building. An alternate access solution should be investigated that is external to the building.

Policy 16.12—Additions

The simple rectangular form of Rum Hospital building, with its hipped roof and encircling verandahs, is an important attribute of the building’s significance. When the factory buildings were added to the site in 1854, they were laid out in such a way that the Rum Hospital building remained as the centrepiece to the complex. The north and south wings of the factory did not impact on the overall form of the building, but only touched the building at its northeast and southeast corners with minimal intrusion into the verandah area. By the 1870s the northern, eastern and southern verandahs had been infilled, but with the exception of the eastern verandah, these infills were removed during the 1980s work as they were regarded as intrusive and the eastern façade was ‘tidied up’.

Generally, additions to the building for installation of services that are essential to the reasonable functioning of the building may be permitted:

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• where these services cannot be accommodated within the building as a result of compliance with other policies in this CMP (such as a lift to ensure equal access to all visitors); and

• where they cannot be accommodated within another building on the site.

Policy 16.12

• No additions should be permitted that obscure the Rum Hospital building and its simple built form from view, particularly from Macquarie Street. • No additions are permitted to the north, west or south sides of the building, other than within the footprint of the former melting house. • Any addition must not intrude into the Rum Hospital building’s footprint, including that of its verandahs (including the enclosed eastern verandah and ramp). • Any addition must sit below the eaves of the Rum Hospital building, so that the roof form and eaves line is not compromised. • Any addition should not attempt to mimic or copy the original form and detailing of the colonial building and should visually complement it. Ideally, it would touch the building lightly. • It must not obscure the axial layout of the site, including the axes through the stair halls. • It must be subservient to the Rum Hospital building. • It must be consistent with Policy 16.7 in regard to the openings in the eastern wall of the enclosed verandah.

Policy 16.13—Colour Schemes

The existing interior colour scheme for the building does not recreate any historic scheme. Investigations into early colour schemes were undertaken during the 1980s museum refurbishment. The use of historic colour schemes, particularly in the stair halls and principal rooms, would enhance the historic presentation of these spaces.

Policy 16.13

The Mint may be repainted in the existing colour scheme or in a scheme that is based on physical investigation and research.

6.4.4 The Royal Mint Factory Buildings

Policy 17.1—The Royal Mint Factory Buildings and Remains

The Sydney Royal Mint was the first Royal Mint to be established outside London and for a period produced coinage for all the colonies of the British Empire.

The surviving factory buildings of the Royal Mint are remnants of a much larger group of buildings. They comprise the centrally located Mint Superintendent’s Office (now the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre), the northern half of the coining room (now SLM offices), the northern half of the engine house (SLM reception), the former workshops in the south wing (now the SLM Directorate)

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and the northern wall of the former melting house (now the foyer and bar). Archaeological remains survive of other buildings that formed this group, including the rolling room, grinding room, boiler room and yards.

Policy 17.1

The surviving buildings and remains of the Royal Mint should be conserved and its former industrial use interpreted to the public.

Policy 17.2—Built Form

The 1850s factory group consists of a series of interconnected buildings, generally rectangular in form and enclosing large voluminous spaces in which the structural elements are clearly expressed.

The Mint Superintendent’s Office, which is the centrepiece of the complex, is a simple rectangular block with a series of parallel shallow pitched gabled roofs that cover the original flat roof structure. The engine house also has a simple rectangular form with a shallow roof over the original flat roof. The roofs were constructed over the original flat roofs to these buildings to improve weathertightness. A clerestory was built over the centre of the engine house roof in the 1870s, but has since been removed.

By contrast, the former coining room has a large gabled roof with distinctive high hipped roofed clerestory that straddles the north–south ridge. Only the northern portion of this roof structure is original and the clerestory dates from the 1870s. However, the southern portion built in 2004 was constructed to continue the 1870s built form so that the building presents as a cohesive whole when viewed from the courtyard.

The south wing has a hipped roof, but no clerestory, this having been removed when a second storey was added during the early twentieth century. The reconstructed roof form reflects the form of the original roof.

Policy 17.2

• The simple forms of the factory buildings should be retained. • Any alterations to the roofs must not impact the original structural elements of the buildings and should respect the design intent of the original buildings, including the provision of natural light into the buildings. • The large hipped roof and high clerestory over the coining room should be retained. • The hipped roof form over the south wing should also be retained, although it may be modified to reintroduce natural light and ventilation into the building. • A skylight or clerestory may be reintroduced over the engine house.

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Policy 17.3—Skylights and Clerestories

The factory buildings were all designed with skylights to provide good natural light into the buildings. Remnants of these survived over the Mint Superintendent’s Office and the engine house enabling their recent reconstruction to the original detail. However, they are currently covered over and do not function as intended.

The 1870s clerestory over the coining room has been retained and extended at its southern end with a modern structure. It incorporates openable windows and louvres to provide natural light into the building and to facilitate air circulation.

Originally there were also skylights over the south wing running parallel with the ridge. These were replaced in the 1870s with a clerestory similar to that over the coining room. This was removed when a second storey addition was added. Although this has now been removed and the roof form reconstructed, neither the skylights nor the clerestory have been reintroduced.

Policy 17.3

• The clerestory over the coining room should be retained and operationally maintained to facilitate natural light and air flow into the building. • The skylights over the Mint Superintendent’s Office and the engine house may be uncovered to allow natural light into these buildings. A tall clerestory would not be appropriate over the Mint Superintendent’s Office, but would be acceptable over the engine house. • Skylights or a clerestory similar in form to that of the 1870s may be reintroduced over the south wing.

Policy 17.4—Prefabricated Iron and Roof Structures

The surviving 1850s prefabricated cast iron structures of the Mint Superintendent’s Office, the coining room and the engine house were all specifically designed and fabricated in Britain, and then erected in Australia by a specialised team of engineers. They are rare examples of their type in Australia and of exceptional significance. The iron structures (columns, beams, roof trusses and rafters) are clearly expressed elements within the buildings and reflect the industrial nature of the buildings. Some, such as the columns and girders within the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre, retain their early colour schemes.

The Superintendent's Office and the engine house were originally built with flat roofs using a prefabricated construction system comprising iron columns (in the central building) and iron trusses with iron Ts supporting slate with cementitious grout and asphalt roofing. These roof systems are highly unusual for the 1850s in Sydney and survive substantially intact. The trusses over the coining room are very early examples of lightweight trusses in Australia.

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Policy 17.4

The 1850s cast iron structures within the buildings and the surviving asphalt-on-slate flat roofs of the Superintendent’s Office and the engine house must be retained and conserved. The structures must continue to be exposed to view within the buildings and not covered up. Their integrity as structural systems must be maintained. Thus, the structural elements must not be sacrificed for the introduction of new elements.

Policy 17.5—Spatial Volumes

Several of the factory spaces are characterised by the large spatial volumes. This is particularly the case for the coining room and the engine house, where the clear span roof trusses are exposed to view. The light provided by the clerestory over the coining room increases the appreciation of this space. In the former workshop area of the south wing, the ceiling and internal partitions prevent the volume of the space from being fully appreciated.

Policy 17.5

No new structures (floors or partitions) should be introduced to the coining room or engine house spaces that detract from the full appreciation of the volume of these spaces. The clerestory over the coining room should remain open to the space and consideration should be given to reopening the skylight over the engine house. Consideration should be given to opening up the former workshop space within the south wing to enable it to be better understood as a factory space.

Policy 17.6—Fabric and Layering of History

The 1850s factory buildings generally retain their external stone walls (with some alterations to accommodate new openings) and the masonry (stone and brick) walls that separate the buildings (also with a variety of openings). The floors generally consist of concrete slabs introduced in 2004, but also include timber floors within the Mint Superintendent’s Office, which have been patched many times. The details, surface finishes and texture revealed through the 2004 conservation works provide evidence of different eras of occupation and use, as well as evidence of neglect and decay. They contribute to the rich ‘gritty’ industrial character of the buildings.

The materiality of the structural elements and finishes introduced as part of the 2004 works are very distinct from the previous fabric layers in that they comprise contemporary prefabricated elements with smooth, shiny finishes.

Policy 17.6

The factory buildings should retain evidence of their past uses and where possible enable interpretation of them. The ‘grit’ and ‘texture’ of the factory buildings should be retained, as well as their ruinous qualities.

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Policy 17.6 All original fabric is of exceptional significance and should be conserved. Fabric from other periods may tolerate some change, but this should be clearly identifiable and not confuse the historic layering of the buildings.

Policy 17.7—Openings to the Central Courtyard

Many of the original windows in the factory buildings had cast iron sashes imported along with the original prefabricated components from England. These are shown in the early photographs taken in the courtyard but none remain. There are some extant I850s timber windows and some remain from the 1890s, but the majority are mid-twentieth century timber windows.

The window and door openings in the stone walls of the factory buildings surrounding the central courtyard are consistent in size and regularly spaced. Although much of the joinery has been replaced, the openings and symmetry of each of the building elevations facing the courtyard have been retained. Contemporary external timber venetian blinds added as part of the site’s redevelopment in 2004 contribute another layer to the uniformity of the ensemble.

Policy 17.7

The original window and door openings to the central courtyard walls must be retained. Twentieth-century joinery may be replaced if necessary, provided it contributes to the uniformity of the whole and does not detract from the symmetry of each elevation. Retain the external timber venetian blinds.

Policy 17.8—Openings Relating to Factory Operation

A large number of openings exist in the walls that relate to the operation of industrial processes on the site. They include doorways, windows, furnace openings, ports and other services penetrations. These early openings are important elements in understanding the coining factory operation.

Policy 17.8

Original and early openings (eg doorways, windows and services penetrations) enhance the understanding of the functions and interconnectivity between the factory spaces. They should be retained and used in preference to cutting new openings. Where new openings are required, these shall be located carefully and designed and constructed so as to be clearly identifiable as new work.

Policy 17.9—Other Openings

The openings in the walls facing onto southern and eastern lanes have generally been introduced in an ad hoc fashion over the years, but mostly to meet the needs of the post factory administrative functions housed within the buildings during the twentieth century. The 2004 works introduced a

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degree of regularity to the southern elevation of the south wing and south end of the coining room with the introduction of new regularly spaced pairs of windows.

Policy 17.9

Windows in the south and east elevations may be altered, but should consider the consistency of the elevations into which they are inserted.

Policy 17.10—Mint Superintendent’s Office—Symmetry

The formal, symmetrical design of the industrial Mint buildings, as shown on the drawings by Captain Ward and Joseph Trickett, is highly significant but was obscured by later demolitions and changes. The two-storey Superintendent’s Office was designed and built as the centrepiece of this group of factory buildings, with the office, strong room and engine room chimney consciously aligned on the central east–west axis of the Mint offices. During the 2004 works, the building was adapted as the Caroline Simpson Library and Research Centre. The symmetry of the western façade was reinstated and the strong room has been conserved.

Policy 17.10

Conserve the symmetry of the western façade of the Mint Superintendent's Office and its layout through the strong room.

Policy 17.11—Mint Superintendent’s Office—Stair

The current stair introduced in 2004 interprets the original stair. It is based on physical evidence and is located as shown on the 1854 Trickett plan.

Policy 17.11

The stair, which is a contemporary interpretation of the original stair, should be retained in its current location.

Policy 17.12—Coining Room—Fabric and Fitout

During the 2004 works the twentieth-century court fitouts were removed from the coining room to reveal the original factory space, its roof trusses, clerestory, early wall finishes and ceiling linings.

The coining room currently consists of two portions—the northern portion, which retains its original structure, and the southern portion, which has a new contemporary steel structure that replicates the form of the original building, including its lantern (clerestory), but not its detail. The two portions are open to each other to create a single space. The southern portion, however, contains a mezzanine over the top of compartmentalised offices. Although the new structure is regarded as significant for its interpretation of the original structure, the contemporary office fitouts within the space are considered to be only of moderate significance and therefore tolerant of change.

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Policy 17.12

The two portions of the coining room should continue to be treated as a single space. Remnant early fabric should be retained and conserved. Fitouts used within the space should ensure that the full volume of the space can still be appreciated.

Policy 17.13—Engine House—Fabric and Fitout

During the 2004 works the twentieth-century court fitouts were removed from the engine house to reveal the original factory space. The space retains some original details such as the moulded dado run in the wall plaster and a section of herringbone terracotta floor tiles. Pits associated with its original industrial use are also evident under the floor and interpreted through signage.

The original southern wall of the space is missing and a contemporary mezzanine structure has been inserted over a group of individual offices. The contemporary office fitouts are not considered to be significant.

Policy 17.13

The surviving early fabric of the engine house should be retained and conserved. Fitouts used within the space should ensure that the full volume of the space can still be appreciated.

Policy 17.14—Dorothea Mackellar Room

The Dorothea Mackellar Room was refurbished as the Mint Superintendent’s Library during the latter part of the nineteenth century. It has a bow window that provides symmetry to the western end of the south wing and very high quality finishes.

Policy 17.14

The interior finishes of the Dorothea Mackellar Room should be retained and conserved. The symmetry of the room should also be conserved.

Policy 17.15—Coal Store

The coal store building was one of the improvements made to the Mint as indicated in drawings dated 1896. It is a modest utilitarian building designed by the office of the Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon, along with many other additions, now demolished. Its retention and exposure enhances an understanding of the history and evolution of the site.

The building was refurbished during the 2004 works and has been adapted to plant, storage and office use. As part of this refurbishment, the principal openings in the south wall were reopened. The fitout is ordinary.

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Policy 17.15

The coal store should be retained and its surviving original fabric conserved. The building may be adapted to new uses, provided these do not impact the openings in the south elevation.

6.4.5 The Gatehouse

Policy 18.1—Gatehouse Exterior

The gatehouse was constructed against the southern boundary wall to replace the guardhouses that were demolished in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It is a finely detailed sandstone building with a hipped roof and quality timber joinery. The original entrance porch has been enclosed, with some of the window joinery being relocated from the small room adjacent to the entrance and now occupied by the strong room. The original entrance door does not survive, although the original tiling survives on the porch floor.

Policy 18.1

The gatehouse should be retained and its surviving original fabric conserved. No new openings should be made in its walls other than as described in this policy. The entrance porch may be reopened, but the existing windows should be retained in situ. A new timber entrance door should be provided in the west wall of the principal ground space, with proportions based on the original documentation for the building. No additions are permitted to the north, west and south elevations, although it may be possible to add a second storey to the rear service wing, provided it does not impact the Hyde Park Barracks guardhouse adjacent. The design of the new addition should be contemporary and lightweight, and consistent with other new works on the site. The former opening onto the roof of the rear wing may be reopened. The building may be adapted to an appropriate new use that is integral to the Mint site.

Policy 18.2—Gatehouse Layout

With the exception of its entrance porch and guard room (now enclosed as a strong room with a safe door), the gatehouse retains much its original layout with a pair of rooms flanking the central stair case on each floor. The stair occupies a very small footprint within the building due to its innovative use of an angled bay around it on the first floor level. The principal spaces on each floor retain their original configuration. The bathroom and kitchen facilities in the rear service wing have been reconfigured.

Policy 18.2

The original layout of the gatehouse should be retained, and the principal rooms should not be subdivided. The rear wing may be reconfigured internally.

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Policy 18.3—Gatehouse Fabric

The gatehouse retains much of its original fabric, including timber newel stair, timber floors, plaster walls with staff moulds to the chimney breasts, pressed metal ceiling, moulded timber skirtings, architraves and cornices, timber window and door joinery, including sill boards, mouldings and slate thresholds, hearth stones and blind arch to the stair hall. Later joinery is clearly distinguishable by its relative plainness. The fireplaces have been blocked up, but are still legible.

Policy 18.3

All original fabric should be retained and conserved. More recent fabric may be altered within the existing openings. Any replacement joinery must reflect the pattern of the original windows in its configuration (ie multipaned double-hung sash windows or pivot windows as appropriate).

6.4.6 New (2004) Buildings

The buildings constructed in 2004 have significance as contemporary award-winning buildings that respond positively to the historic layout of the site, its important axes and sense of enclosure. The new buildings at the northern end of the courtyard comprise a group of transparent glass boxes with expressed steel frames. In materiality, they act as a foil to the historic buildings on the site. However, their scale, form and sensitivity in their placement on the site complements rather than competes with the historic buildings. Thus, they contribute to the sense of place experienced in the central courtyard.

The foyer and auditorium are outward looking spaces that orient the visitor and encourage engagement with the site and the historic buildings surrounding the central courtyard. An operable wall of copper coloured timber louvres wraps around the western side of the auditorium. The louvres enable the building to appear solid when they are closed, semi-transparent when they are open and transparent when they are lifted to open the interior of the building out to the courtyard. They provide shade, but they also link visually to the external venetian blinds fitted to the northern and western windows of the historic buildings surrounding the courtyard.

The form and proportions of the 2004 buildings located on the eastern portion of the site also fit comfortably within The Mint complex, although they do not contribute to the setting of the central courtyard.

Policy 19.1—Relationship to the Courtyard

Policy 19.1

The buildings surrounding the central courtyard should continue to contain the courtyard, both visually and physically, and maintain their open relationship with the courtyard.

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Policy 19.2—Form and Materiality

Policy 19.2

As with the 2004 buildings, any new work on the site should respect the simple forms and volumes of the existing buildings, both historic and contemporary. The careful balance between lightness, transparency and solidity that is evident in the 2004 work should be respected. The use of articulated façade elements to tie the new and old buildings together visually around the courtyard is acceptable, provided such features respect the simplicity of the historic building facades and do not obscure them.

Policy 19.3—Connection and Separation between New and Old

A glass roof covers the links between the new buildings on the northern part of the site and the old factory buildings. The rough faces of the stone walls enclosing the historic factory buildings are counter-balanced by the opposing smooth finishes of the prefabricated panels and glass walls enclosing the new structures.

Policy 19.3

There should continue to be a clear distinction between the new and old buildings on the site in their materiality and physical separation.

Policy 19.4—Entrance, Foyer and Auditorium

The entrance to the 2004 foyer (also known as the Melting House Bar) extends forward to greet visitors, but remains low and unobtrusive when viewed from Macquarie Street. It allows views of the Rum Hospital building to remain unobstructed.

The foyer and auditorium, with their open glass walls provide open views of the courtyard and the buildings surrounding it thus introducing and engaging visitors with the site.

The rough face of the northern wall of the foyer contrasts with the clean lines of the modern structure and introduces the visitor to the industrial history of the site.

The low floating roof over the entrance extends the full length of the northern wall to a secondary entrance at the eastern end of the building.

Policy 19.4

The contemporary buildings on the site should continue to have a role in orientating visitors to the significance of the historic site.

240 The Mint—Conservation Management Plan—Conservation Policies, March 2017 THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN CONSERVATION POLICIES

Policy 19.5—Additions over the 2004 Entrance Foyer

There is an opportunity for a narrow second storey addition over the entrance/foyer, provided it complies with all other policies in this CMP relating to site configuration, the courtyard and its axes, the Rum Hospital building, the compound wall and the entrance foyer.

Policy 19.5

A low flat roofed second storey addition may be possible over the link between the 2004 entrance and the eastern portion of the site. Any new additions over the northern entrance foyer (Melting House Bar) must not extend outside the footprint of the former melting house and not project above the eaves of the Rum Hospital building. It must not obscure views of the Rum Hospital building from Macquarie Street.

Policy 19.6—Potential for Other Alterations and Additions

The 2004 buildings located to the east of the courtyard group are not as important to the understanding of the site.

Policy 19.6

The 2004 buildings located on the eastern portion of the site may be altered. If the site of the Supreme Court building to the east is redeveloped, it may be possible to provide a bridge over the eastern lane.

Policy 19.8—Potential for Refurbishment of Offices and Service Facilities

Most of the interior spaces have modern fitouts with suspended ceilings and prefabricated wall panels. Generally, the 2004 fitout has been designed as a series of independent and mostly freestanding elements within the shell of the nineteenth century buildings to allow for future change.

Policy 19.8

The offices, kitchen, bathrooms and other service spaces in the 2004 buildings may be reconfigured and/or refurbished, provided the work does not impact on significant spaces or historic fabric of The Mint buildings. The principle of using freestanding elements that are not fixed to the nineteenth century structures should be continued in future fitouts.

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6.5 Other General Policies

6.5.1 Sustainability

Policy 20.1—Sustainable Management

Sustainability and risk management in this context involves balancing environmental, cultural, social and economic demands to deliver intergenerational equity—meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.

Policy 20.1

The heritage values of The Mint should be sustainably managed and used to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Policy 20.2—Natural Light, Ventilation and Shading

The nineteenth century buildings were all designed to take advantage of natural light and ventilation.

The ventilation system installed in the factory buildings as part of the 2004 redevelopment of the site was designed to supplement the natural systems. However, the effective operation of the system has not been well understood or used by occupants.

Policy 20.2

Actively monitor the energy systems in the factory buildings and ensure that occupants are aware of how to manage them appropriately. Ensure that windows are openable and shading devices are used to regulate heat loads and light. Make the clerestory windows openable.

6.5.2 Maintenance

A regular program of maintenance should continue to form part of the core operations in all parts of The Mint.

Policy 21.1—Maintenance

Policy 21.1

Cyclical maintenance of significant buildings, structures and archaeological resources should be undertaken as a part of day-to-day site management. Modern materials should be avoided where they may be likely to impact upon or cause damage to significant original fabric. Appropriately skilled heritage personnel should be involved in documentation, supervision and implementation of maintenance works on significant fabric at The Mint. If damage to significant fabric occurs during works, work in the area should cease and appropriate advice should be sought.

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Policy 21.2—Cyclical Maintenance Plan

Policy 21.2

A Maintenance Plan should be developed for the site, its buildings and landscape elements. The plan should include a description of tasks, when or how often they should occur, how they should be done, who is responsible for them and whether specialist expertise is required.

6.5.3 Disaster Risk Management

The Mint is a place of exceptional significance and as such should be protected from potential risks. Likely risks to the property should be identified and then strategies developed to protect the place from them or minimise their impact on the place—its heritage values, its fabric, its setting and its significant collections.

Policy 22.1—Disaster Risk Management Plan

Policy 22.1

Develop a Disaster Risk Management Plan (DRMP) for the place, which identifies likely risks to the place, its heritage values, its significant fabric, its setting and its collections, and includes preparation, mitigation and response strategies to minimise the risks and potential losses. The strategies identified in the DRMP should be implemented.

6.6 Endnotes

1 Australian Heritage Commission in association with the ACIUCN 2002, Australian Natural Heritage Charter, second edition, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra, ACT.

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7.0 Implementation Plan

7.1 Implementing Conservation Policies at The Mint

This section sets out actions for implementing conservation management policies at The Mint. These are based on the specific policies set out in Section 6.0, as well as issues identified in section 5.0.

Table 7.1 Priority Levels of Actions Necessary to Conserve The Mint.

Priority Timing Actions

High <1 year Actions needed to rectify problems that could cause imminent risk of damage, loss or detriment to significant fabric, areas or infrastructure

Medium 1–5 years Actions that should be planned and implemented within 1 to 5 years in order to reduce the risk of damage, loss or detriment to significant fabric, areas or infrastructure

Low 5–10 years Actions forming part of a longer term management or maintenance strategy, to maintain and enhance significance

Ongoing Actions to be commenced within the next financial year and implemented cyclically or continuously in line with work programs

Table 7.2 Implementation Plan

Action Priority

SLM to adopt CMP for ongoing management of the property High

Submit CMP to OEH and City of Sydney for endorsement High

Review CMP in 5 years or when a major change is proposed, including Medium change in ownership or use, whichever is sooner

Provide information to OEH on revised values and history of the place based High on findings of the CMP to enable correction and update of the current SHR joint listing for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Provide information to OEH on the place based on findings of the CMP to Medium enable preparation of an individual SHR listing for The Mint, including the new heritage curtilage

Nominate the Mint to the national Heritage List using the significance Medium assessment included in this CMP.

Undertake repairs to the timber verandah columns of the Rum Hospital High building

Investigate and repair leaks in the Rum Hospital building roof and undertake High the necessary repairs

Continue to monitor damp in the building Ongoing

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Action Priority

Review use options for the buildings that are consistent with the policies and Medium recommendations of this CMP

Investigate options for provision of new lift access to the Rum Hospital Medium building that will have minimum impact on the building and the courtyard

Prepare Venue Hire and Events Guidelines (similar to those for Hyde Park Medium Barracks)

Review the Interpretation Plan and Interpretation Strategy particularly in Medium relation to the place’s use as part of the former convict hospital and its links to the Hyde Park Barracks site

Prepare a Cyclical Maintenance Plan for the property (buildings and High landscape) which identifies tasks, regularity, responsibility and skills required

Prepare a Disaster Risk Management Plan for the property, its buildings and High collections.

Monitor energy use within the buildings and develop strategies for improving Medium use operation of the existing heating and ventilation systems.

Prepare an Archaeological Zoning Plan that reflects the current development When new works are on the site. This would build on the research already undertaken. proposed

Review any future development on the eastern portion of the site to ensure it When development is is consistent with the policies and recommendations of this CMP. proposed

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246 The Mint—Conservation Management Plan—Implementation, March 2017 THE MINT CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN APPENDICES

8.0 Appendices

Appendix A

Current State Heritage Register Curtilage for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Appendix B

Historical Chronology of The Mint Site, Prepared by Fiona Starr and Elisha Long

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248 The Mint—Conservation Management Plan—Appendices, March 2017

Appendix A

Current State Heritage Register Curtilage for The Mint and Hyde Park Barracks

Appendix B Historical Chronology of The Mint Site, Prepared by Fiona Starr and Elisha Long

Historical chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Complied by Fiona Starr, Sydney Living Museums, 2016

Year Event Source 1810 Contract signed for the construction of the General Wentworth Family Papers, ML A761; HRA Series 1, Volume 7, 401- Hospital 405. 1811 Compound wall and hospital construction begins The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser , 16 March 1811, 2

1816 Patients move into the hospital; William Redfern moves The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser , 6 April 1816, 1. into the south wing 1819 Prisoners Barracks opens adjacent to the hospital

1820 Structural changes made to the hospital buildings as Lachlan Macquarie memoranda and related papers, 23 November recommended by Francis Greenway 1820, CY reel 301, A772, 150-151.

1822 Dissecting room constructed at rear of south wing yard Watson 1911, p 66.

1823 Military hospital on top floor, ground floor medicine Brisbane to Earl Bathurst, 28 April 1823, HRA Series 1, Volume 2, 78. store

1833 Repairs and alterations made to the south wing Estimated expense of new Shingling and Repairs to the South Wing of the General Hospital, Sydney, CO 201/233, f.454 1835 Extensive repairs made to hospital buildings The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser , 30 April 1835, 2.

1836 Hospital administration turned over to Army Ordnance The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser , 27 February 1836, 2a. Department; Deputy Purveyor Jonathon Croft and family move in to south wing 1840 Convict transportation to NSW ends

1841 Murder of assigned convict at the south wing Sydney Monitor and Commercial Advertiser , 22 September 1841, 2.

1842 Sydney Dispensary moves in to the south wing Conversion of south wing into a public dispensary, Gipps to Stanley, 18 January 1845, HRA Series 1, Volume 24, 197. 1847 First use of ether anaesthesia for surgery in Australia; The Sydney Mo rning Herald , 28 June 1847, 2. use at the Sydney Infirmary & Dispensary by Dr Charles Nathan

1848 General Hospital in central building closed; Sydney Watson 1911, p 78. Infirmary and Dispensary moves into the main building

1848-54 Military offices occupy the south wing NSW Legislative Council Votes & Proceedings 1853-1854, 4 July 1854, 2, ML SLNSW Ref 1 MAV/FM4 10867. 1851 Gold discovered in NSW; proposal for a colonial assay Report from the Select Committee on the Proposed Assay Office and office and mint Mint, NSW Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council, 1851, vol

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 1

2. 1854 Construction of Royal Mint coining factory at rear of Branch of the Royal Mint Plans and Estimates of Buildings, NSW Rum Hospital south wing, conversion of south wing into Legislative Council Votes & Mint offices and accommodation Proceedings 1853-54, ML Ref 1/MAV/FM4 10867

1855 Royal Mint, Sydney branch opens (14 May) and begins SRNSW 2/765, ref R72 minting sovereigns 1857 Sydney sovereigns become legal tender in Hong Kong, ‘Sydney Mint Coinage ’, NSW Legislative Assembly, 22 January Ceylon and Mauritius 1857, Sydney: Government Printer, 1857. 1858 First medal struck at Sydney Mint Letters Book, 2 January 1857 -17 October 1861, SRNSW 3/1663, p171 1860 Construction of assay office on site of former dissecting Deputy Master of the Mint to the Honorable the Treasurer room; general repairs to buildings forwarding estimates for 1860, 10 June 1859, SRNSW 3/1663; Colonial Architect’s Correspondence, Mint Building, Sydney, 1854-66, SRNSW 2/610 1860s Repairs and alterations to Mint buildings Statistic al Register of NSW ; Sydney Branch Royal Mint, Correspondence Respecting Repairs, NSW Legislative Assembly, Sydney: Government Printer, 1870. 1866 Sydney sovereigns become legal tender throughout Sydney Mint Act of 1865, NSW Parliamentary Papers, Sydney: British Empire Government Printer, 1865 1867 Sydney Mint invention of ‘Miller Process’ using chlorine NSW Letters of Registration of Inventions, patent No. 163, 1867, gas to refine and strengthen gold Vol 3. c1867- Eastern verandah enclosed due to failure of stone Elouis to the Governor, 17 July 1867, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, 1869 columns supporting the roof Copies of letters sent, SRNSW 3/1665 1869 Bushranger ‘Captain Moonlite’ sells stolen gold at the Receipts & deposits forms dealing with Scott’s transactions, PROV, Sydney Mint VPRS 4969/P0 unit 4 item 112. 1869 Extensive works conducted at the Mint including Sydney Branch Royal Mint Correspondence Respecting Repairs renewal of stone steps, stonework in foundations, &c to, NSW Legislative Assembly, repair of stone flagging, roof repairs, gold and marbled Sydney: Government Printer, 1870, pp536-544. wall papering, new brick wall in Melting House, installation of cast-iron furnaces 1870s Repairs and upgrades to the Mint Statistic al Register of NSW

1871 Sydney Mint gold sovereign design replaced with Third Annual Report of the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, London: standard British sovereign design Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1872, p50. 1874 Works including rebuilding of annealing furnaces, Elouis to Governor, 6 & 14 January 1874, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, construction of a brick enclosure against the Melting Copies of Letters Sent, SRNSW House for the Chilean Mill, northern staircase renewal, 3/1666 rebuilding of the Melting House furnaces and repairs to the stone flagging of the verandah 1879 Central Rum Hospital building demolished

1879 Silver coins first struck at the Sydney Mint ‘New Silver Coin’, Supplement to the NSW Government Gazette, 17 June 1879, p2701.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 2

1879 Sydney Mint exhibits at the Sydney International Sydney International Exhibition, 1879. Official Catalogue of exhibits , Exhibition; gold and silver medals for the exhibition New South Wales Court, Sydney : struck at the Sydney Mint Thomas Richards, Government Printer, 1879. 1889 New chimney constructed to replace the original two Twentieth Annual Report of the Deputy Master of the Mint, 1889, coining factory and melting house chimneys London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1890, p110. 1893 Works done to Mint offices building including a new Cameron to Premier of NSW, 25 September 1893, Royal Mint, staircase (southern hall), and a bay window installed in Sydney Branch, Letters Sent, Mint Master’s library, removing of the inclined stone SRNSW 3/1669 car-way from Bullion Office to Coining Factory, and installation of ventilation in the Melting House 1894, Substantial repairs and upgrades to Mint buildings and Statistical R egister of NSW (1894, 1896, 1897, 1898) 1896-8 machinery 1897 Construction of the Mint guardhouse completed Von Arnheim to Governor, 31 July 1897, Royal Mint, Sydney Branch, Copies of Letters sent, SRNSW 3/1670 1905 Sydney Mint converts all machinery from steam power Von Arnheim to Governor, 11 February 1905, Royal Mint, Sydney to electric Branch, Copies of Letters sent, SRNSW 3/1672. 1909 Royal Commission for the Improvement of Sydney Royal Commission for the Improvement of Sydney plan, 1909, recommends relocation of the Mint and demolition of SLNSW M Z/MT4 811.17/1909/1 the buildings to make way for law courts 1920 Bronze pennies first struck at Sydney Mint 51 st and 52 nd Annual Reports of the Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, 1920 and 1921, London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1923, p80. 1926 Royal Mint, Sydney Branch closes Royal Proclamation re the discontinuation of the Royal Mint Sydney Branch, 5 November 1926, London: His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1926. NAA A11804, 1927/2 1926-7 Government offices move in (incl. Govt Insurance Chronology table of Government Offices and Courts occupants of the Office, Local Govt Superannuation Board, Family Mint site, compiled 2000-2002. Endowment Dept, Ministerial Motor Depot) (Mint curatorial files, SLM). 1935-8 Macquarie Street Replanning Scheme underway, Minutes of Proceedings of the Macquarie Street Replanning includes plan to demolish The Mint; design competition Committee, SRNSW NRS12618; for new buildings won by Peddle Thorp and Walker Griffin 2009.

1937 Mint gates, piers and lanterns removed to Barker Correspondence with Sarah O’Neill, archivist of Barker College, August College and Springmead farm, Ingleburn 2012; Photo of Mint gate piers and lantern installed at ‘Springmead’, Ingleburn, 1950, NAA 817565, Series M914 1939 Outbreak of World War II halts plan to demolish the Mint 1944 NSW Housing Commission moves in (1944-1956) Chronology table of Government Offices and Courts occupants of the Mint site, compiled 2000-2002. (Mint curatorial files, SLM). 1954 Sydney District Court moves in (1954-1995) Chronology table of Government Offices and Courts occupants of the Mint site, compiled 2000-2002. (Mint curatorial files, SLM).

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 3

1962 Rum Hospital/Mint Offices building listed as an historic building by Cumberland County Council 1965 Coining Factory partially demolished Griffin 2009

1973 Decision to convert The Mint & Hyde Park Barracks into DPW 1985 museums 1976 Structural investigation of the Rum Hospital building by Taylor Thompson Whiting 1976 Taylor Thompson Whiting 1977-9 Restoration of exterior and roof of the Rum Hospital by DPW 1977, c1978, 1979 a & b , 1979a-h, 1980, Government NSW Public Works Department (PWD) architect 1979, Colin Crisp 1978, Truss survey 1978. 1977- Chemical sandstone consolidants testing conducted by Alan H. Spry 1997 1983; Alan Spry & Assoc on north boundary wall, Coining 1997 Factory eastern and northern walls 1981 Permanent Conservation Order on The Mint and Hyde Gazette No. 144, p5177 Park Barracks 1980-2 Restoration and adaptive reuse of interior of the Rum DPW 1985 , Varman 1980 ; Lloyd 1980, Cleanstone/Insearch 1980-1; Hospital for fit-out of the Mint Museum; building Ken Green & Assoc 1981a & b archaeology study of the internal fabric; study of structural capacity of floors; removal of paint from exterior sandstone 1979–84 Archaeological excavations in the Rum Hospital Powell nd (in Thorp 1994b) ; Thorp 1980, 1981; Burritt et al c1981, building, courtyard and Coining Factory workshops; 1981a & b; Potter (ed) c1981; salvage excavation in courtyard and verandah Pinder 1983; Wilson 1981 1982 Museum of Decorative Arts opens in the Rum Hospital DPW 1985 building, managed by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS); courts and government offices remain in the Coining Factory 1982 Mint receives Merit Award in Recycled Buildings DPW 1985 category, RAIA (NSW) 1988 Review of policy and presentation of The Mint Broadbent 1988

1984 Archival and archaeological report prepared Thorp 1984

1989 Proposals for the future of the Mint and Barracks MAAS 1989 museums made by MAAS 1990 Conservation Guidelines for the Mint prepared by Moore & Walker 1990 Walker & Moore 1990 Conservation of Coining Room stone wall (western DPW 1990 façade) 1992-3 Maintenance and repairs to Rum Hospital building by PWD c1990-4 Catalogue of archaeological artefacts created in Minark Thorp & Campbell Conservation 1990 and 1994 (later corrupted) 1994 Environmental investigation into Melting House New Environment 1994

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 4

1994 Historical outline of the site and precis of the Thorp 1994 archaeological work produced

1994-5 Restoration of Melting House and PWD storeroom in Moore & Walker 1994, DPW 1994, Coining Factory; revision of conservation guidelines & Gooden Mackay 1994, 1995, 1996, statement of significance; structural review of coining Knox 1995, Various 1994. factory, archaeological monitoring by Godden Mackay 1995 Museum redeveloped to focus on gold and the Mint story 1995 Transfer of remainder of Coining Factory buildings from Measham 1994 Department of Courts Administration to MAAS, plans to extend the Mint Museum into the Coining Factory 1995 Hospital Road Court Complex review considering DPW 1995 potential uses for the site 1997 Mint transferred to Historic Houses Trust of NSW HHT 1997 (HHT), museum closed, courts vacate the Coining Factory

1997 Historical overview written Broomham 1997

1998- Maintenance and repair to Rum Hospital building by Root Projects 2000, Tanner & Assoc. 1999 2001 Root Projects and Tanner & Associates

1999 Listing of the Mint on the State Heritage Register Gazette No. 27, p1546

2000- Artefact catalogue re-entry and cataloguing of SLM Mint archaeology Access database; spreadsheet of ‘RM’ 2001 architectural remnants in Rum Hospital basement collection 2001 Fabric survey of Rum Hospital east wall and Coining Design 5 2001a,b,c Factory tank wall and report of roof structures by Design 5 architects 2001 Structural report and re-shingling of Rum Hospital roof Hughes Trueman 2001

2001-4 Historical research into Mint history and industrial Starr et al 2001 a & b ; primary sources research files (compiled by processes Jane Kelso) 2001 Assessment of historical and archaeological resources Crook et al 2003 of the Mint site for ‘Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City’ project 2002 The Mint Conservation and Management Plan McG regor 2002 produced 2002-4 Adaptive re-use of coining factory – demolition of Clive Lucas Stapleton 2002 ; Griffin 2009 internal partitions, conservation of historic fabric, hazardous materials removal, archaeology, design and construction of new buildings by FJMT 2003 Conservation guidelines for archaeological remnants of McGregor 2003 the Coining Factory prepared 2004 Works to Mint Masters library bow window, rear hall, Wilson & Griffin 2004 TRIM F2014/1402

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 5

level 2 café dining room and Mint Clerk’s Room 2004 HHT opens head office at The Mint (Sept-Oct) Griffin 2009

2004 Mint history brochures published Griffin 2004; Martin 2004

2008 Refurbishment of toilets in Rum Hospital/Mint Offices Clive Lucas Job notes and building works, building, level 2 TRIM F2014/1402 2013 HHT re-brands to new name ‘Sydney Living Museums’ (SLM)

2014 Adaptations to commercial kitchen and servery on level 2 of Rum Hospital/Mint Offices building 2015 Rum Hospital historical research and curatorial Starr 2015 narrative written 2016 SLM symposium to celebrate the 200 th anniversary of The Rum Hospital 200 symposium program, TRIM D16/19150 the opening of the Rum Hospital 2016 Mint visitor guide and site plan published Mint visitor guide 2016, TRIM, D16/33181

REFERENCES

Alan H. Spry & Associates, 1997, ‘Hyde Park Barracks Museum [& The Mint] Sydney Sandstone Preservation, Update on Amdel Experiment’, October 1997.

Betteridge, M, 1983, ‘The Architecture and Ornamentation of the Mint’, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Broadbent, J, 1988, ‘The Mint: Review of policy and presentation’, August 1988, unpublished manuscript held by Sydney Living Museums.

Broomham, R, 1997, ‘The Mint and its plan in the planning of Sydney’, Sydney, Vols 1 & 2, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Burritt, P. et al, c1981, Historical Archaeology at the Royal Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks 1980–1981, Draft of Preliminary Report, unpublished report to the Department of Environment and Planning and the Department of Public Works.

Burritt, P, 1981a, Historical Archaeology at the Royal Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks, draft report to Heritage Council and Public Works Department of NSW.

Burritt, P, 1981b, Site notes and day books, records created during the 1981 excavation, Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint Restoration and Archaeology archive 1980-81, held by Sydney Living Museums.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 6

Clean Stone Co/Insearch, 1980-81, ‘A Report on the Removal of Unwanted Coatings/Cleaning of Old Mint, Sydney’, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners, 2002, ‘Specification and schedule of works of materials and workmanship for advance conservation works for demolition works at The Mint Head Office’, August 2002.

Colin Crisp Consulting Engineers, 1978, ‘First, Second and Third reports on Renovations to the Mint Building’, Stage 1, North Sydney.

Crook, P., Ellmoos, L., Murray, T, 2003, Assessment of Historical and Archaeological Resources of the Royal Mint site, Sydney , Vol 6 of the Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City Series, Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1977 ‘The Mint Building Maintenance and Restoration Work: Stage 1A’, Department of Public Works, 1977.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1978, ‘The Mint Building Maintenance and Restoration Work Stage 1A’, Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1978, ‘The Mint Building Truss Survey’, Department of Public Works, February 1978.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1979a ‘The Mint Building Renovations – Stage 1 Restoration Report’, Department of Public Works, 1979.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1979b ‘Former south wing of the Rum Hospital, Report of Research into the Nature and Application of Exterior Finishes and Recommendations for Restoration’, Department of Public Works, August 1979.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979a, ‘The Mint Building – Early Building Fabric Report Stone Column Cap Piece – Parliament House’, Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979b, ‘The Mint Building – Early Building Fabric Report Shingles’, Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979c, ‘The Mint Building – Renovations Stage 1: Renewal of Balustrade’.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979d, ‘The Mint Building – Timber Wall Plate Pieces’.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979e, ‘The Mint Building – Early Building Fabric Report Timber Column Bases – TCN 30 and TCN 31’.

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979f, ‘The Mint Building – Renovations: Stage 1 Treatment of Stone Columns’.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 7

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979g, ‘Mint Building Restoration Phase 1’ (re stone column treatment).

Department of Public Works NSW, c1979h, ‘The Mint Building’ – summary of works from 1977-1979, Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1980a, ‘The Mint Building – Timber Columns and Lintels – Paint/Sand Finish’, Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1980b, ‘The Mint Building Internal Renovations Work List’, Department of Public Works, November 1980.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1985, ‘The Mint & Barracks project’, The Architecture Show , April 1985, pp16-35.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1990, ‘Mint Building Courtyard Repair of Coining Room Stone Wall’ (western facade), Department of Public Works, July 1990.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1991, ‘The Mint Building: Restoration 1977-1979’, (summary of restoration work), Department of Public Works.

Department of Public Works NSW, 1995, ‘Hospital Road Court Complex Site Sydney Background Paper’, Department of Public Works and Services.

Design 5 Architects, 2001a, ‘The Mint Building, Hyde Park Barracks Museum Precinct, Report of East Wall’, August 2001. TRIM D16/21154

Design 5 Architects, 2001b, ‘The Royal Mint, Hyde Park Barracks Museum Precinct, Report on Tank Wall, August 2001. TRIM D16/21225

Design 5 Architects, 2001c, ‘The Mint Factory Buildings, Hyde Park Barracks Museum Precinct, Preliminary Report of Roof Structures’, May 2001.

Godden Mackay, 1994, ‘The Mint Sydney: Archaeological Monitoring During Soil Sampling’, unpublished report prepared for Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences & the Heritage Council of NSW.

Godden Mackay, 1995, ‘The Melting House’ Site: The Mint Sydney, Archaeological Assessment and Management Strategy’, unpublished report prepared for Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences & the Heritage Council of NSW.

Godden Mackay, 1996, ‘Royal Mint Building, Sydney: Archaeological Monitoring, unpublished report prepared for The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Heritage Council of NSW.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 8

Ken Green & Associates Pty Ltd, 1981a, ‘Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks Museum: Specifications and Quantities for the South Wing Mint Building’, unpublished report prepared for the NSW Department of Public Works. TRIM D16/27437

Ken Green & Associates Pty Ltd, 1981b, ‘Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks Historical Museum: Specifications and Quantities for the Mint Interior’, unpublished report for the NSW Department of Public Works. TRIM D16/27618

Griffin, R, 2004, The Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint /10 Macquarie Street , Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Griffin, R (ed.), 2009, The Mint Project , Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Historic Houses Trust of NSW, 1997, ‘The Mint - Change Of Ownership - Transfer (MSD)’. TRIM Folder 07/3-01.

Hughes Trueman, 2001, ‘The Old Mint Roof Structural Reports Macquarie Street, Sydney’ , March 2001.

Knox & Partners, 1995, ‘Sydney Mint Museum Redevelopment Coining Factory – Structure Review, Report on Existing Building for Powerhouse Museum’, January 1995.

Lloyd, B D, 1980, ‘Mint and Barracks Museum – Floor Structures’, letter to Heritage Council of NSW, December 1980. TRIM D16/7702

Mcgregor, B (ed), 2002, ‘The Mint Conservation and Management Plan’, Version 4, April 2002, Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

McGregor, B, 2003, ‘Conservation Guidelines for Archaeological Remnants for the Coining Factory at The Mint’, May 2003. TRIM D16/24458.

Martin, M, 2004, Colonial Science & The Sydney Mint , Sydney: Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Measham, T, 1994, ‘Sydney Mint Museum Redevelopment Proposal’, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.

Moore, R. A. Architects and M. Walker, 1990, ‘Royal Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks Conservation Guidelines’, 3 Volumes, unpublished report prepared for the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences.

Moore, R.A. Architects and M. Walker, 1994, ‘Mint Museum Redevelopment: Conservation Guidelines Review’, unpublished report prepared for the Museum of Arts and Applied Sciences.

Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, 1989, ‘The Mint & Hyde Park Barracks Proposals for their Future’, Sydney.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 9

New Environment, 1994, ‘Air Monitoring and Supervision of Asbestos and Heavy Metal Removal at Coin Storage Building, Old Sydney Mint: Macquarie Street Sydney’, unpublished report prepared for Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.

New Environment, 1994, ‘Hazardous Materials Survey Report: Sydney Mint Macquarie Street, Sydney’, unpublished report prepared for Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.

New Environment, 1994, ‘Phase 1 Environmental Investigation, Former Melting House Old Sydney Mint’, unpublished report prepared for Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.

Potter, M (ed), c1981, ‘Historical Archaeology at the Sydney Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks 1980–1981: Excavation Report’, unpublished report for the Department of Environment and Planning and the NSW Department of Public Works.

Powell, C, nd, ‘Interim Report on Mint Basement’, in Thorp 1994, ‘Precis of Archaeological Work’.

Powell, C, c1981, ‘Historical and Archaeological report on ‘The Mint Building’ Macquarie Street’.

Pinder, E, c1983, ‘Archaeological Monitoring: Royal Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie Street, Sydney— November 1981 to July 1982 and January 1983 to June 1983’, unpublished report prepared by the Department of Anthropology.

Starr, F, C. Augustesen, M. Bogle, E. Cant, M. Quinlisk, N. Teffer, 2001a, ‘The Royal Mint 1853-1926’, paper presented at National Engineering Heritage Conference 2001, Historic Houses Trust of NSW. TRIM D16/31463.

Starr, F, C. Augustesen, M. Bogle, E. Cant, M. Quinlisk, N. Teffer, 2001b, ‘Royal Mint: A survey of historical documents’, Historic Houses Trust of NSW. TRIM D16/31502.

Starr, F, 2015, ‘General Hospital & The Mint - Curatorial Narrative, Part 1: Rum Hospital & Sydney Infirmary, 1811-1854’, Sydney Living Museums. TRIM D15/11236

Taylor Thompson Whiting, 1976, ‘The Mint Building, Macquarie Street, Sydney, Structural Investigation’, October 1976.

Thorp, W. & Australian Archaeological Resources, 1984, ‘Archival and Archaeological Report: former Mint industrial buildings and land and structures adjacent to the Domain’, unpublished report prepared for the Department of Public Works.

Thorp, W. & Campbell Conservation Pty Ltd, 1990, ‘Progress Report 1: Artefact Analysis the Hyde Park Barracks, Royal Mint Building and First Government House’, unpublished report for Department of Planning.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 10

Thorp, W. & Campbell Conservation Pty Ltd, 1994, ‘Management Programme and Assessment of Research Potential: Artefact Assemblages from the First Season, First Government House site, Sydney, Royal Mint Building, Sydney and the Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney’, unpublished report prepared for the Department of Planning.

Thorp, W, 1980, ‘Progress Statement of Archaeological Work: the Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Mint’, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Thorp, W, 1981, ‘The Hyde Park Barracks and Sydney Mint, Macquarie Street Sydney: Archaeological Report: Final Recommendations’, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Thorp, W, 1994, ‘Historical Context: The Royal Mint Building, Sydney: An Analysis of the Primary Documentary Evidence’, unpublished report prepared for the Powerhouse Museum, accompanied by a volume of references maps and plans and a ‘Precis of Archaeological Work’, November 1994. TRIM D16/31361.

Various authors, 1994, bound volume containing reports and correspondence relating to the Sydney Mint Museum Redevelopment project, held by Sydney Living Museums.

Varman, R, 1980, ‘The Mint Building: Report on the Internal Fabric, Comprising rooms G 1-5 and F1-6’, November 1980, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums. TRIM D16/24460

Watson, J F, 1911, The History of Sydney Hospital, 1811-1911 , Sydney: W.A. Gullick, Government Printer.

Wilson, D and Griffin, R, 2004. ‘The Mint Building: Building maintenance projects for The Sydney Restoration Company’, Historic Houses Trust. TRIM folder F2014/1402

Wilson, G, c1981, ‘Royal Mint, Sydney, NSW: Report on the excavations in Room G4 [Trench A], November– December 1980’, unpublished report held by Sydney Living Museums.

Historical Chronology of The Mint site, Sydney Page 11