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First Railway Workshops - Tarpaulin Stores (Stores 1878-79)
The following is an extract from the Queensland Heritage Council's website:
Railway Historical Centre
Other Name Railway Store
Other Name Railway Administration Building
Place ID 600604
Status Permanent Entry
Address The Terrace
Town/Suburb NORTH IPSWICH
LGA IPSWICH CITY COUNCIL
Theme Moving goods and people
Theme Administering Australia
Theme Remembering significant phases in the development of settlements, towns and cities
Significance
The Railway Historical Centre (R1) is the only remaining building on the southern section of the site, it is evidence of the first period of development of the railway workshops 1864-1885. The building retains evidence of its various uses as stores, administration, and tarpaulin store. It is fine example of a Victorian brick and stone warehouse and is of particular architectural merit.
History
This building, the oldest remaining on the workshops site, was built in 1878-9 by Ipswich contractors, McGregor and Brown. It was initially used as a Store. It was later used for Administration and then as a Tarpaulin Shop. In 1990, the Tarpaulin Store was converted into the Railway Historical Centre and was used for housing railway archival material and for other related functions.
As the railways expanded so the capacity of the Workshops needed to increase. A series of workshops for various trades was built close to the northern bank of the Bremer River near the combined road/rail bridge built in 1864-65 thee was no further room for expansion on this site and the new workshops were started 1.5 km to the north of the existing site. This building served in the 1880's as the administration offices of the workshops including that of the Locomotive Engineer. It then became the tarpaulin shop. It was converted to the Queensland Railways Historical Centre in 1990.
Description
This is a fine example of a Victorian warehouse constructed of load-bearing brick on two levels. Outwardly, the building is a symmetrical gable ended structure with a centrally projecting transverse gable to the northern and southern facades. The formal entry is defined by a round headed arch and stairs leading up from The Terrace. Immediately opposite this on the southern side, is an upper level loading platform.
The symmetry of the building is reinforced by equally spaced segmental arch windows on both levels, and ridge ventilators at each end of the corrugated custom orb profile roof.
Internally, the upper floor is dominated by Queen Post trusses which meet at the gable crossing with cruciform trusses. Along each end of the bottom chord are support rails with rope eyelets for suspension of tarpaulins. The original windlass is supported at the centre trusses for hoisting goods to and from the upper and lower levels through a timber trapdoor.
From the lower level, two large doors lead to the southern aligned railway tracks, and a tramway runs through the centre of the floor longitudinally. There is evidence of earlier service entry doors or cartways entering from the Terrace side.
The main timber floor frame is supported on sturdy hardwood columns with timber headstocks. Each bearer is jointed over the headstock with a scarfed joint and square timber key.
An early office compartment exists at the western end of the upper floor, constructed with a raised timber floor and tongue and groove timber partitions. At the eastern end there is a single storey timber frame extension which is not original .
Special Note: The Wharf Branch railway and the sandstone abutments of the Heiner Road Overbridge can clearly be seen only a short distance away from the Tarpaulin Shop in the photos above. It hard to imagine any one walking around the site not being able to see them? Especially since they have been on the Ipswich Heritage Register since 1991.
Since the opening of the Railway Museum the building has not been used and rumours have it that the termites have moved in. It is proposed to be restored for use as commercial building in the Riverlink development.
Heritage Registers :
Queensland Heritage Register List No: 600604
Ipswich Heritage Register Item No: 45-1727-0002
© youripswich.com 2004, 2004-08-08
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