Naval Offices, Brisbane

About

Naval Offices is a heritage-listed office building at 3 Edward Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Department of Public Works and built from 1900 to 1901 by J Mason. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 March 2013.

The brick former Naval Offices at 3 Edward Street in Brisbane was constructed in 1900–01 by the Queensland Department of Public Works as the first purpose-built headquarters for naval forces in Queensland. Built for the Queensland Marine Defence Force (QMDF), it was soon used by the Australian Commonwealth Navy (ACN). It was transferred to Commonwealth ownership in 1911 and was used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

The former Naval Offices is located midway along the Town Reach ( Petrie Bight to Gardens Point ) of the Brisbane River, within a block bounded by Margaret, Edward and Alice streets and the river. Over time this area was used by a number of Queensland Government entities dedicated to commercial shipping, including: the Government Shipping Office, Port Office, Marine Board Office, Harbours and Rivers Department, Hydraulic Engineers and Shipping Master's departments, Marine Department and the Government Seamen's Saving Bank. A Reserve for the Harbour Master's Department of 1 rood 30 perches (1,800 m 2 ) was surveyed in 1862 between the corner of Alice and Edward streets and the river, and a stone and brick building was erected that year. Later known as the (first) Port Office, it included offices on the ground floor and store rooms and a boatshed underneath. Prior to this date the Harbour Master was based in George Street.

Military use of the immediate area started c.1886, when the QMDF occupied the 1862 Port Office. The QMDF was created in 1885 in response to fears that Queensland's coastal settlements were vulnerable to Russian warships. In the late 1870s tensions between Britain and Russia had raised concerns regarding the defence of Britain's overseas colonies. Colonel Sir William Jervois of the Royal Engineers, assisted by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Scratchley, toured the Australian colonies to make recommendations for defence arrangements and the pair visited Queensland in August 1877. To deal with the perceived Russian naval threat to Brisbane they recommended using small naval vessels to disrupt enemy landings, a coastal fort with submarine mines across the river at Lytton, and a mobile field force of infantry and engineers with artillery. A Naval Brigade and a Torpedo Corps was also required. When the Defence Act 1884 was gazetted on 25 February 1885, the existing Queensland Volunteer Force (land forces) became the Queensland Defence Force (QDF). The Queensland Defence (Marine) Force was gazetted on 3 March 1885.

Lieutenant Walton Drake had taken command of the Naval Brigade from 1 January 1885, tasked with training volunteers. Two 50-strong companies of Brisbane naval volunteers were announced that month and additional naval brigades were later formed at other Queensland ports, including Townsville, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Cairns, Cooktown, Bundaberg, Thursday Island and Mackay.

Naval vessels were also ordered as part of the proposed plan to defend Queensland. The first vessel of Queensland's new navy to be delivered was the steel, second-class spar torpedo boat "Mosquito", which arrived as deck cargo in Brisbane in October 1884. Prior to this the closest thing that Queensland had to a naval vessel was the Queensland Government schooner "Pearl", which conducted survey work and guarded the pearling fisheries in northern Queensland waters.

The main strength of the QMDF, the sister Alpha class gunboats " Gayundah " (meaning Thunder) and " Paluma " (Lightning), ordered from Britain in 1883 and launched in 1884, arrived in March 1885 and May 1885 respectively.

The "Gayundah" sailed to Queensland under Commander (later Captain) Henry Townley Wright, a retired Royal Navy officer. Wright was appointed as Senior Naval Officer (SNO) and Superintendent of the QMDF on 30 March 1885, as well as remaining in command of the "Gayundah". Those of the crew who elected to remain in Queensland's service became the first permanent members of the QMDF. The "Gayundah" was used to train QMDF seamen, while the "Paluma" was used on survey work by the British Admiralty until being handed back to Queensland in 1895. The last regular vessel of the QMDF was the " Midge ", a mahogany timber picquet boat/spar torpedo boat, which arrived in 1888.

Auxiliary vessels in the QMDF included a locally-built steamer " Miner ", and the government steamer " Otter ". Five steam hopper barges of the Harbours and Rivers Department ( Queensland Maritime Defence Force Auxiliary Gunboats ), the "Bonito", "Stingaree", "Dolphin", "Bream" and "Pumba", could also be armed if required for port defence.

A Permanent Force, HMQS Gayundah, QDF (Marine), was established in February 1892, but most of its full-time crew were paid off in 1893 as part of cutbacks during the 1890s depression, as was the 'Paluma's' crew after the ship had completed its survey work. For most of the 1890s the gunboats were used by naval brigade crews solely for training.

In and near Brisbane, a number of buildings were erected for the QMDF. The Naval Stores ( Naval Stores, Kangaroo Point ) and a wharf were built at the base of the Kangaroo Point cliffs in 1886–87, across the river from the QMDF headquarters on Edward Street. A sub-marine mining ( naval mine ) store was erected c.1886 at Fort Lytton ( Fort Lytton National Park ), and a sub-marine mining drill hall was later built at the west end of Alice Street in 1900.

By 1896, the old Port Office used by the QMDF was in a poor state and the foundations, inundated during the 1893 floods, were settling and causing wall cracks. On 1 August 1899 the QMDF's Staff Paymaster, Edward Vincent Pollock, also complained that the roof was leaking water onto his paperwork. Later that month £ 1500 was allocated by the Department of Public Works for the construction of new offices.

In May 1900 it was decided by Queensland's new Naval Commandant, Captain William Rooke Creswell, that the new offices would replace the cottage of the Marine Department's messenger/caretaker at the corner of Edward and Alice Streets. Tenders were invited in late August and the cottage was demolished.

Plans for the new Naval Offices were approved by AB Brady, the Government Architect within the Department of Public Works (DPW), on 14 September 1900, but since he was trained as an engineer it is unlikely to be his design. The DPW employed a number of accomplished architects at this time and the work could be attributed to Thomas Pye (First Assistant Architect from July 1899), John Smith Murdoch (Second Assistant Architect from 1 July 1899), or George David Payne (Temporary Draughtsman 1898–1901). Pye supervised larger works, while Murdoch took charge of the designing and drafting staff.

The Department of Public Works was involved in the design and construction of Queensland's most important buildings and capital works following its formation in 1866. Employing a succession of highly talented architects, the Department produced many fine buildings of high architectural merit. Prior to World War II these buildings were characterised by: highly-functional, rational plan arrangements that were commodious and accommodating; use of high- quality, durable materials, preferably sourced from Queensland; and a quality of civic dignity brought about through style, scaling, and form.

The tender of James Mason of Brisbane of £ 1845/17/6 for the Brisbane Naval Offices was accepted in October 1900, and the building was completed by late June 1901. " The Queenslander " reported on 16 November 1901 that the building's facing bricks were dark-brown, relieved with cement dressings and rough-cast work. The roof was covered with rolled galvanised iron. The Annual Report for DPW to 30 June 1901 (where the Naval Offices was listed under principal works completed during the year) mentioned internal fittings of pine and cedar. No other Australian colony built naval offices in this period, just prior to Federation and the transfer of defence assets. Queensland may have done so to ensure the continued use of Brisbane by the Commonwealth Navy.

As a naval headquarters, the building was designed with spaces for the senior naval officers and their administrative staff, along with a strong room for the Staff Paymaster. The original ground floor plan included an entry porch off Edward Street, with double doors leading north-west into a public space which was separated by a counter from the Clerk's office. There was also a set of double doors leading north-east into a vestibule between the front offices, and onwards into a central hall. To the rear of the Clerk's Office was the Paymaster's Office, which included a projecting strong room at the rear of the building. The right front (southern) office was for the Commandant, while the right rear (eastern) office was for the Officer of the Naval Corps. Each had a fireplace.

Behind the Naval Corp's office was the separate Brigade Entrance. From this entrance the ground floor rear verandah could be accessed, as well as a stairway up to a landing from which people could either descend to the ground floor offices, or continue up to the first floor. The latter was a large open space used as an Orderly (Administrative) Room, with four fireplaces and a small lavatory and store at the right rear (eastern) corner. This space may have been later partitioned for sleeping quarters and offices. The 1900 plans do not show the ventilation fleche which was present on the roof when the building was finished. This fleche was removed by the mid 1980s, and was replicated in the 1990s.

Although the QMDF existed when the building was started, the first occupants were technically the Queensland components of a Commonwealth Navy. After the Australian Commonwealth was formed on 1 January 1901 the defence forces of the separate colonies were transferred to the new Federal Government in March. However, procedural delays meant arrangements were not completed until 1902.

At the time of Federation, Queensland's naval forces numbered 750 men of all ranks, and it was one of four states (including Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia) to contribute ships to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Force (ACNF), formed on 1 March 1901 – handing over the "Gayundah", "Paluma", "Mosquito" and "Midge". Captain Creswell remained the Commandant of the Queensland-based flotilla of the ACN. In late 1904 Captain Creswell was appointed Director of Commonwealth Naval Forces, and his place as Queensland Naval Commandant was taken by Captain Frederick Tickell (to 1907). By 1904, 49% of Australia's serving naval officers had served in the QMDF.