The Newcastle Customs House is a heritage listed building located on the corner of Bond and Watt Street in Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The building was designed in the Italianate Renaissance Revival style by New South Wales Colonial Architect, James Barnet, in 1877, with a wing added in matching materials in 1899 under the direction of Walter Liberty Vernon. The building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 14 July 2000.
Video Newcastle Customs House
History
The building is constructed from dark cream brick with contrasting sandstone detailing. The western end has a 32-metre-high (105 ft) clock tower, lantern and time ball, one of three examples in Australia that are relatively intact. The time ball would fall at 1 PM everyday until World War II in which it was stopped to hide it from the enemy. The building has two floors and a basement area.
Maps Newcastle Customs House
Heritage listing
The Newcastle Customs House was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 14 July 2000 as a site of state significance with the following citation:
The Newcastle Customs House is historically, aesthetically, socially and scientifically significant as a public building designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet for the collection of customs duties. It represents a significant landmark in Newcastle with its distinctive Italianate Renaissance Revival design. The Customs House is an important element in the townscape of Newcastle and contributes strongly to the city's special sense of place. The visual relationship to the harbour and the city is significant and symbolises the associational relationship of the Customs House to the maritime and commercial history of Newcastle.
The building demonstrates a process and function: the administration of Customs and Excise. Areas in the building such as the Long Room are unique to the operation of Customs authorities (formerly at the upper level from 1877, and later at the south end ground level).
The architectural excellence of Barnet's original 1877 building, including external fabric and details, is largely intact. The 1899 wing was added sensitively by adopting almost identical materials and details.
Current use
The building is currently owned by Fernance Family Holdings and is known as the Customs House Hotel. The hotel comprises a restaurant and bar on the lower level and a function room on the upper level.
References
Attribution
This Wikipedia article was originally based on the Newcastle Customs House, listed on the "New South Wales State Heritage Register" published by the Government of New South Wales under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 21 September 2017).
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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