The steel spiral staircase that winds its way to the top of the Newcastle City Hall clocktower is beautiful but a little bit wobbly in places and, while not as high as the belltower on Christ Church Cathedral, offers its own exceptional views over the city.
Unlike the cathedral tower, however, the clocktower is not open to public so I was very privileged to be allowed inside one of Newcastle's secret spaces.
Constructed over 1928/29, Newcastle City Hall was originally planned to be clad in concrete and brick. Fortunately, the council of the time changed the plan:
In November 1927, Council decided to change the external cladding material from brick and cement to freestone. Within three weeks the decision had been made and the building was to be faced with 30,000 super feet of stone from Waverley in Sydney, increasing the cost of the project by 26,480 pounds. The work was suspended until government approval was granted for an additional loan of 81,000 pounds to cover the cost of the stone and increased land acquisition costs. (The loan was finally repaid in 1960.)
According to the NSW state heritage register, seven tons of BHP steel were placed underneath the tower.
The clock was initially to be a gift to the city but the cost of 850 pounds was borne by the Council. At the time the clock was seen as a worthy rival to London's Big Ben. The clock and bell were supplied by Prouds, together with 15 small electric clocks which were synchronised with the father clock.
Newcastle City Council heritage strategist, Sarah Cameron, says the clock is now fully automated.
The tower itself is internally braced against movement from wind or earthquakes but the restoration of the tower is complex.
"The tower is built of yellow sandstone from Waverley in Sydney but needs repairing as it is starting to crack. Erecting scaffolding around the tower will put it out of action for a year or so while the work is done but we have the right people here in Newcastle with the expertise to do the job.
"Council has been working with the government's heritage architects to ensure we get the right sandstone for the work as the original quarry no longer exists and you need sandstone with the right particle size to withstand rain, pollution, etc, to last one or two hundred years.
"Laying the stone in the right manner, with the correct strata alignment, is also crucial to reducing cracking and to ensure its longevity."
"Council has tested some stone on the east elevation which came from a quarry at the George's River and it's likely that it will be the source for the next phase of conservation."
No comments:
Post a Comment