The Justice and Police Museum is a heritage-listed former water police station, offices and courthouse and now justice and police

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

located at 4-8

Phillip Street Phillip Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. While the street runs from King Street in the south to Circular Quay in the north, the present street is effectively in two sections, sepa ...

on the corner of Albert Street, 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

Edmund Blacket Edmund Thomas Blacket (25 August 1817 – 9 February 1883) was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St. Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn. Arriving in Sydney from Engl ...

, Alexander Dawson 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 1854 to 1886. It is also known as Police Station & Law Courts (former) and Traffic Court. 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 ...

, a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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

Pre 1856

In 1851 the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

General approved the Colonial Architect's plan for a new Water Police Office. By November the site had been chosen. In 1853 work began on quarrying the sandstone at

Bennelong Point Bennelong Point, a former island in Sydney Harbour, is a headland that, since the 1970s is the location of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. History Bennelong Point is known to the local Gadigal people of the Eora ...

for the Water Police Office but work was delayed because of high prices and a labour shortage caused by the gold rushes. A sum of was allocated in 1854 for the construction of the Water Police Station on Phillip Street to the south of the Water Police Office. The new Water Police Office on the eastern side of

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...

was completed. The building, designed by Edmund Blacket, consisted of a main court and four adjoining offices. In April the buildings were occupied by the Water Police Magistrate, Hutchinson Hothersal Brown, and court staff consisting of a Clerk of Petty Sessions and a second clerk. Cases heard in the court related to the workings of the Harbour Regulations Act and the Act for Establishing a Water Police. In May permission was granted for the Steam Navigation and Pilot Boards to take possession of one room. The Water Police moved from Cadman's Wharf to the Water Police Station located in Phillip Street to the south of the Water Police Office. It was designed by Colonial Architect Alexander Dawson and construction commenced in 1857. The building consisted of a ground floor with Charge Room, adjoining offices, cells to the rear, a kitchen, store room and exercise yard. Upstairs was a barracks providing accommodation for four water policemen and their families. It also contained a kitchen and wash house. The original police station design was based on stations at

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

, Newtown and Balmain. The building was intended to accommodate six cells and a lock-up keeper. However, due to financial constraints and delays caused by labour shortages during the Gold Rush period, the station was completed as a modest two storey building. The second court, designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, was completed during this period. It consisted of a court room and two Magistrates Offices at the rear. While it functioned as a Summons Court hearing cases of petty crime, the Blacket Court became a Charge Court. This period witnessed a growth of police and court operations. The buildings were affected by a number of alterations and additions caused by changes to the nature of the courts and the business they attracted. In 1913 the Water Police who lived at the station were removed to their new accommodation on the north-western side of the Quay at

Dawes Point Dawes Point is a suburb of the City of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dawes Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The R ...

, providing two locations for their activities. The station became known as the Phillip Street Police Station from this time although it was still often referred to as the Water Police Station. The activities of the station were incorporated more fully into the Metropolitan Policing District, becoming the head station for Number 4 Division by 1933. It seems that the Water Police held the two locations at least until this time, when the split between the metropolitan (essentially foot) duties associated with the Station and the Water Patrol had become more definite. However, the adjacent court continued to be referred to as the Water Bench until late 1940. In 1917 the Police Traffic Branch moved into offices at the Water Police Court and remained there until 1924. In 1918 the Water Police Court closed for alterations and was reopened in 1924. By 1924 special arrangements had been made for hearing traffic offences in the Water Police Court in addition to those concerning shipping, military trainees and children. From 1926 the courts became known as Traffic Courts 1 and 2 for hearing all traffic and parking offences in the Sydney district. They also continued to hear cases relevant to shipping and cases arising from Water Police activity. The courts were vacated by court staff, providing valuable space for the police in the adjoining station in late 1979. ;Court functions, 1890-1924 *1890s - Licensing Court *1917-1924 - Traffic Office *1918 - Fair Rents Court *1919-1933 - Small Debts Court *1924-1980 - Traffic Court ;Other occupants of Water Police Courts, 1890-1918Historic Houses Trust 1990:15-17 & Section 14 *1890-1933 - Clerk of petty Sessions and Chamber Magistrate *1890-1897 - Stipendiary Magistrate *1890-1918 - Chief Clerk *1890-1904 - Accountant *1890-1902 - Clerks *1891-1902 - Bailiff of the Small Debts Court *1894-1902 - Messenger *1914-1918 - Chief Industrial Magistrate The site is run by

Sydney Living Museums Sydney Living Museums is the trading name of the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales (HHT), a statutory corporation entrusted with the care and maintenance of historic sites throughout New South Wales, Australia, including various gardens, ...

(formerly the Historic Houses Trust of NSW) as a Police & Justice museum. The Friends of the Historic Houses Trust have been responsible for fundraising through interpretive tours and events to acquire the Neville]Locker collection of convict artefacts for Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, Hyde Park Barracks and the Police & Justice Museum.Watts, 2014

Description

The Justice and Police Museum comprises two main elements, the Museum Buildings and the Museum Collection.

The museum buildings

These are two 19th century courthouses and a police station built on the corner of Phillip and Albert Streets at the eastern end of Circular Quay for use by the Sydney Water Police, the Water Police Magistrate and the metropolitan police. *1856 - Court House - 4 Phillip Street *1858 - Police Station - 8 Phillip Street *1886 - Court House - 6 Phillip StreetHistoric Houses Trust 1990:1 ;The 1856 Blacket Court building area The Blacket Court building area is a single storey classic revival

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

building with an arched colonnaded

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

roofed with a Doric

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

. The facades comprises timber framed windows and doors with the main entrance to the northern wall enclosed with curved timber and glass walling. The Court House consists of five smaller roof areas. These include the main gabled or pedimented roof area to the court room, with two lower

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

areas on each side of the main court room area. The building area also includes a

flat roof A flat roof is a roof which is almost level in contrast to the many types of sloped roofs. The slope of a roof is properly known as its pitch and flat roofs have up to approximately 10°. Flat roofs are an ancient form mostly used in arid c ...

area to the rear or south end of the court which extends over a sandstone paved corridor between the Blacket Court Building (1856) and the Barnet Court Building (1886). The western wing has a lean-to

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

h roof extending along the Phillip Street facade. The main gabled ended roof and the two hipped roof areas are covered in slate with lead hip and ridge flashings. The flat roof area at the rear is covered in copper and contains three glazed skylights with steel

grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...

s. The western lean-to verandah roof is covered with corrugated steel "colourbond" roofing. There are four

chimneys A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typic ...

located on the main courtroom roof area. ;The 1886 Barnet Court building area The Barnet Court building area is a single storey sandstone building erected at the rear of the Blacket Court Room as an extension. It consists of an arched colonnaded portico, also roofed with a pediment to match the detail of the earlier Blacket Court Building. The main front entrance portico is enclosed with a curved timber and glass walling, The main roof area is gabled with slate roofing and the stair roof comprises a lean-to corrugated steel "colourbond" roof sheeting. ;The 1858 Police Station Area The Police Station Area is a two-storey Pyrmont sandstone building of simple Classical style with a pediment over the central section of the front facade. It has a "T" shaped hipped roof with lead ridge and flashings and slate tiles. The windows are timber framed. The front facade to Phillip Street has a metal pike fence and gate on a low sandstone wall extending the full extent of the facade.Heritage Group 1995:2-6

Museum collection

The collection is general and largely police-based in content. Its nucleus is formed from the 1910 Police Museum teaching collection of criminal implements. It contains few objects relating to the specific theme of the Water Police but covers a broader cross-section of policing activities and law related themes. The collection includes historical artefacts, photographs and documents. It is particularly strong in firearms of the colonial period and forensic evidence from famous crimes.Historic Houses Trust 1990: 1&23

Condition

As at 18 September 1997, physical condition is good. Archaeological potential is low.

Modifications and dates

*1862 - Alterations to Clerk of Petty Sessions Office and the Guard Room. Partitions removed. *1865 - Water Police Station supplied with gas

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

*1875-76 - Two stone cells added to the rear of the Water Police Station *1879 - A Court Keepers's cottage constructed from timber on the eastern side of the Water Police Court. *1885-86 - Second courthouse designed and completed by Colonial Architect James Barnet, Colonial Architect. *1897-99 - Office on northern end of Phillip Street frontage in Water Police Court converted into a courtroom. *1899-1900 - Timber and glass witness waiting rooms designed by Colonial Architect Walter Liberty Vernon and installed in the entrances to both courthouses. *1903 - Alterations and additions to officers quarters in the Water Police Station. *1912 - Prisoners dock in Court Number 1 altered. *1924-28 - Further subdivision of offices to create space *1930s - Toilets in glazed brick constructed at rear of Police Station *1933 - Phillip Street frontage of the Water Police Court altered to house a fibro cement infill and new waiting room. Internal work on ground floor. *1941 - Police Station

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

altered * - Reinforced concrete air raid shelter constructed on southern end of porch. *1947-48 - Levels of Phillip and Albert Street lowered. External

stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

, an elevated footpath and sandstone

retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...

s were constructed to provide public access and building support. *1986-1990 - Alterations, additions and reconstruction.Historic Houses Trust 1990: Section 14

Heritage listing

As at 26 September 1997, The buildings symbolically represent power and privilege. Architecturally and culturally they evoke a system of social control and relate to a specific power relationship.Historic HousesTrust 1990:23 The site's proximity to the waters of

Sydney Cove Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...

; its close and long continuing association with the colony and its classical architectural syntax and indeed, endearingly human scale, provides an important foil to multi-storeyed buildings and Circular Quay.

NSW Public Works NSW Public Works (or New South Wales Public Works), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, was responsible for providing expert advice to government and professional services to government agency clients in New South Wales, Australia. ...

1982. Justice and Police Museum was listed on the

on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The buildings were the headquarters of the Water Police, one of the earliest policing bodies in New South Wales, whose activities were closely related to Sydney's growth as a maritime and commercial centre. The complex of buildings reflects the work of four government architects over 48 years. The buildings have a continuous association with different law and policing functions in the inner metropolitan district. In their present form they demonstrate the architectural response to demands imposed by policing trends in the 19th century.Historic Houses Trust 1990:25 The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The buildings form part of a historic precinct within the Sydney Cove area, conspicuous for its sandstone buildings which include significant sites relating to the foundation of colonial government and administration. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The Justice and Police Museum holds the only public collection of artefacts in NSW relating to the history of crime, law and policing. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The reconstruction as of of the court and police station provide a unique opportunity to demonstrate the working relationship between the two in an experiential and interactive context and manner. The museum is unique among Sydney's museums in that it can communicate the activities of the law and the police today to the public. While it may disseminate information about the aims and methods of these institutions it should maintain an independent role as a commentator and interpreter.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

* at {{Sydney central business district historical attractions, state=collapsed Museums in Sydney Government agencies of New South Wales Prison museums in Australia New South Wales State Heritage Register James Barnet buildings in Sydney Edmund Blacket buildings in Sydney 1856 establishments in Australia Courthouses in New South Wales Police stations in New South Wales Office buildings in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Buildings and structures completed in 1856 Sydney central business district Law enforcement museums in Oceania