The Greenway Wing of the

Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...

is a

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

located at the junction of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

Streets, in the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

, in the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

local government area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It was designed by

Francis Greenway Francis Howard Greenway (20 November 1777 – September 1837) was an English-born architect who was transported to Australia as a convict for the crime of forgery. In New South Wales he worked for the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie, as Australia's ...

Standish Lawrence Harris Standish may refer to: Places England * Standish, Greater Manchester, a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan ** Standish Hall, a demolished estate and country house * Standish-with-Langtree, a former urban district of Lancashire * Standish ...

, and

James Barnet James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890. Early life Born the son of a ...

and built from 1820 to 1828. It is also known as Sydney Supreme Court House (Old Court House) and Old Court House. The property is owned by the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, departments of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

The original Old Supreme Court House was designed by the colonial architect Francis Greenway under

Governor Macquarie Major General Lachlan Macquarie, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, an ...

. Designed in 1819 and building began in 1820, Greenway was dismissed before the building was completed in 1828. The building was occupied by the Supreme Court in 1827. Additions were designed by Barnet in the 1860s. This building forms part of the centre axial group designed by Greenway with the Hyde Park Barracks and St James' Church that cover a historical period from 1801 to 1826, and 1851 to 1875.

Description

The Old Supreme Court building is a two-storey rectangular building which consists of the original Georgian building with an additional

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

and

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

added in 1868 which gives the building a Victorian Italianate appearance evident in the arched

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

and raised

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...

concealing the roof. Original Greenway elements include windows, fine detail, recessed wall panels, arches, cedar joinery, staircase and

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

. This

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

along with the Old Registry and Banco Rd Court from the Supreme Court Group. Other accommodation include Sheriffs office, legal rooms, judges chambers, library/conference rooms, chief executive offices, toilets. The Old Supreme Court is constructed in face sandstock brick with rendered moulded details and slate roofing. The exterior materials include brick and render, with slate roofing. The building is in a good condition. Major additions designed by Barnet include the loggia, later timber additions. File:1 Supreme Court b.JPG, Close up of the building's arches File:(1)Supreme Court of New South Wales 046.jpg, Exterior arches File:King Street Court House, Sydney 06.jpg, One of the numerous courtrooms File:King Street Court House, Sydney 11.jpg, One of the numerous courtrooms File:King Street Court House, Sydney 17.jpg, One of the numerous courtooms File:King Street Court House, Sydney 13.jpg, Library/conference room

Heritage listing

As at 30 June 2011, the Greenway Wing Old Supreme Court building is located at the corner of Elizabeth and King Streets has historic significance as one of the three remaining Greenway designed buildings in the immediate area, the others are the Hyde Park Barracks and St James' Church. The building has aesthetic significance as a design of Australia's first trained architect, Francis Greenway, and as a fine rare and largely intact, if modified, example of the Old Colonial Georgian style as used in a judicial building. The building as historic and social significance as part of the early colonial legal system and as part of Macquarie's vision for Sydney. The site is significant as the location chosen for Macquarie's first Georgian public School which was apparently modified during construction to accommodate the Supreme Court. Representative of the style as used in a courthouse building and representative of the importance given to judicial buildings in the early days of the colony.Peddle Thorp and Walker Pty Ltd, 1998 There are substantial later additions by

. It is prominently sited and forms a major part of the Court group in Queen's Square and part of the earliest civic group with the Hyde Park Barracks and St James' Church. Sydney Supreme Court House was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

* * * John Michael Bennett, ''A History of the Supreme Court of New South Wales'', Sydney: Law Book Co, 1974. ISBN 0455192405.

Attribution

External links

* * {{Sydney central business district historical attractions, state=collapsed New South Wales State Heritage Register Supreme Court of New South Wales Courthouses in Sydney Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Buildings and structures completed in 1828 Francis Greenway buildings James Barnet buildings in Sydney Georgian architecture in Australia Supreme Court of New South Wales, Greenway Wing Government buildings in Sydney King Street, Sydney Elizabeth Street, Sydney