The Tenterfield Post Office 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 ...

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

located at 225 Rouse Street,

Tenterfield Tenterfield is a regional town in New South Wales, Australia. At the , Tenterfield had a population of 4,066. Tenterfield's proximity to many regional centres and its position on the route between Sydney and Brisbane led to its development as a ...

Tenterfield Shire Tenterfield Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the New England Highway. The mayor of the Tenterfield Shire Council is Cr. Bronwyn Petrie, an una ...

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 NSW Colonial Architect's Office under

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 1881 to by T. & J. McGuaran, later T. A. Lewis. It is also known as the Tenterfield Post Office and Quarters. The property is owned by

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post o ...

. 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 17 December 1999.

History

The first official postal in Tenterfield was established on 1 January 1849, and has been operated by numerous people in a variety of premises since that time. The significance of Tenterfield in the post and telegraph system was limited, however, until 1861 when it was established as the last repeating station between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. In 1876 tenders were called for construction of a new building adjacent to the then Post and Telegraph Office. However, this appears to have been abandoned and the present site purchased instead, with fresh tenders called in 1878. The building was not opened until 1881 and the clock was completed in 1891–92. Extensive repairs were carried out in 1894–1895.Tenterfield Main Street Heritage Study

Description

A two-storey stuccoed

Victorian Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

post office with single-storey parapeted

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 three-storey clock tower with Victorian Second Empire

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

. The colonnade has arched openings with drip moulds and rendered

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

, and the

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 ...

has a deep

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

with detail moulding. A front extension continues the theme of the colonnade, but in a more austere manner. The upper floor windows are segmentally arched, with a deep string course, and there are paired

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

to the

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...

of the hipped

corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America) and occasionally abbreviated CGI is a bu ...

roof. The clock tower has Tuscan corner

pilasters In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wall ...

to the third level and features clock faces to all sides. The steep mansard roof has a widow's walk with cast iron

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

, and large ocular vents to each face. The Quarters are entered from the side street through a skillion-roofed timber

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 with paired posts.

Condition

As at 1 December 1999 the physical condition was good.

Modifications and dates

Extensive repairs were carried out in 1894–1895. The date of the addition to the Rouse Street facade is not known.

Heritage listing

As at 10 December 1999, the Tenterfield Post Office and Quarters was important at the State level as a substantial Italianate public building with corner tower, representative of the work of the Colonial Architect's Office under the direction of James Barnet. Its picturesque massing and French Second Empire influence are important elements the, design of the tower roof comparing with

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

(1881). It is one of the grandest and most prominent buildings in Tenterfield and an intrinsic part of the towns social history. It forms part of a group which includes the School of Arts, a hotel and several shops.Australia Post Historic Properties Survey - NSW Tenterfield Post Office was listed on the

on 17 December 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. Significant as the last repeating station in the post and telegraph system between Sydney and Brisbane (established in 1861). Representative of the work of James Barnet, Colonial Architect. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The Tenterfield Post Office and Quarters is a substantial Victorian Italianate building with some Second Empire style elements. It is one of the grandest buildings in Tenterfield. The picturesque massing and corner tower have landmark qualities. The Post Office forms part of a group, which includes the School of Arts, a hotel and several shops. 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. An intrinsic part of the town's social history, the Post Office is considered to be significant to the Tenterfield community's sense of place. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The site has the potential to contain an archaeological resource, which may provide information relating to the previous use of the site, and to the use by the Post Office. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Not assessed as being rare. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The Tenterfield Post Office and Quarters is representative of the Victorian Italianate and Second Empire styles. It is also representative of the work of Colonial Architect James Barnet. Representative of the group of NSW post offices.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

* at

{{Australian Post Offices, state=collapsed New South Wales State Heritage Register Tenterfield, New South Wales Post office buildings in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register James Barnet buildings Victorian architecture in New South Wales Government buildings completed in 1881 1881 establishments in Australia Italianate architecture in New South Wales Second Empire architecture in Australia