The Barn Scout Hall is a

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

former whaling boat servicing facility and now

Scout hall A Scout hall (also Scout hut, Scout den or Scout headquarters) is a building owned or rented and used as a meeting place by a Scout Group. General description A Scout hall typically consists of one or more large rooms which are used for games an ...

and community facility at 3a Avenue Road,

Mosman Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...

in the

Mosman Council Mosman Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area on the North Shore (Sydney), Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The mayor of Mosman Council is Councillor, Cr. Ann Marie Kimber, a representative of ...

local government area of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It was built by

Archibald Mosman Archibald Mosman (15 October 1799 – 29 January 1863) was a Scottish-born merchant, grazier and whaler in New South Wales, Australia. Early life Archibald Mosman was born on 15 October 1799 in Scotland to Hugh Mosman, convener of Lanark and Agn ...

. It is also known as Whaling Station. In 1925, the property was purchased by parents for the 1st Mosman

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

, which was founded in 1908. 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

Mosman Bay Mosman Bay is a bay of Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour adjacent to the suburb of Mosman, New South Wales, Mosman, 4 km north-east of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD in New South Wales, Australia. Three ferry wharves are withi ...

had been explored by Captain John Hunter as early as 1789. He mentions the bay as

Careening Cove Careening Cove, is a bay on the northern side of Sydney Harbour, near Milsons Point. The cove lies in the traditional lands of the Cammeraygal people, who called it Wia Wia. Its English name comes from the early days of European settlement i ...

, and Charles Grimes, an early surveyor, notes it as such on his map of 1796, apparently because HMS ''Sirius'' was careened in the bay in 1789. In following years the bay's name varied. A survey by Roe in 1822 marked it as Careening Cove, but a map by Cross in 1825 called it Sirius Cove. A grant made in the area was called "land at Great Sirius Cove" while the parish map of 1871 registers the name Great and Little Sirius Cove. It became a popular picnic area in the 1920s. Careening Cove now applies to the inlet east of

Kirribilli Kirribilli is a Suburb (Australia), suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local governm ...

.Pollan, 1988, 180 The Barn was erected by

in 1831 as a storehouse for his whaling business. Called "The Barn" in earlier times, it is thought to be the oldest stone building surviving in the lower North Shore and is claimed to be "the last maritime industrial structure remaining in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

dating from the early Colonial period". Archibald Mosman (1799-1863) and his twin brother George arrived in Sydney in 1828. In 1831 they moved to a 4-acre grant in this area and became engaged in the shipping and whaling industries, using as headquarters a deep, sheltered bay on the north side of the harbour, which became known as Mosman's Bay. Brother George soon took up grazing, but Archibald continued with his whaling activities. It was part of Mosman's grand scheme for centralising whaling ship servicing. The station was made up of a stone wharf and five strong stone buildings, including the barn, a large storehouse and quarters for the ships' officers and crew. The area is also significant for 'Tarpot's Cave' an Aboriginal heritage- listed cave, directly behind the Barn in the middle of the cliff face.DEWHA, 2008, 22 By 1838 when Mosman owned along the local waterfront, he decided to sell his whaling interests and retire to a country property near Glen Innes. On his death in

Randwick Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government ar ...

in 1863 he was buried at St. Jude's cemetery, Randwick, in a grave now maintained by

. The Barn subsequently had a range of uses, including being the site of the first meeting that led to the formation of the Mosman Municipal Council, a roller skating rink and other uses. In 1925, the Barn was saved from property developers when it was purchased by parents for the 1st Mosman Scout Troop, which was founded in 1908 and was one of earliest formed

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

organisations in Australia and the world. The property was later vested, in trust, in The Boy Scouts Association New South Branch. The Barn was used as the headquarters of the 1st Mosman Scouts. In 2002, wild weather severely damaged its roof. The entire site was then declared dangerous, due to mud and rock slides from an unstable cliff behind the Barn and the risk of a block of home units coming down on top, resulting in the temporary relocation of the scouts. Recognising the historic significance of their Scout Hall, the Scout group embarked on a successful six-year campaign to restore and conserve the Barn, beginning with a five-year fundraising campaign that raised almost one million dollars. Godden Mackay Logan heritage consultants sponsored the project, preparing a conservation management plan to enable the Scouts to apply for heritage funding. After stabilising the cliff face and restoring the building, the Scouts returned home to the Barn. The Barn is now viewed by the local community as the heart of Mosman, a valued community facility and home to the resident Scout group.

Description

A two-storey building with a symmetrical front addressing Avenue Road. It has walls of narrow-coursed squared

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

rubble with more substantial

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

stones, some window dressings and

lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of ...

, and basework. There is evidence in the hen-pecked sandstone block finish of former lime-wash finish. The lintel over the wide main doorway appears to be concrete and there is a metal-barred toplight above the transom of the timber double doors. The gabled roof is covered with slates. Windows are fairly small and have casement

sashes A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...

. There is a narrow rear entrance on the eastern (rear) side, where the site has been cut into the rockface, and here there is also a narrow skillion appendage with a brick

chimney 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 typical ...

, and a concrete slab. Beside the main doors there is a stone base bearing a plaque dedicated in 1981, on which the significance of the building is briefly set out. In front of the building are rare, mature African yellow wood/plum pine trees (''

Afrocarpus falcatus ''Afrocarpus falcatus'' ( syn. ''Podocarpus falcatus'') is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the montane forests of southern Africa, where it is distributed in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini. Common na ...

'' (syn. '' Nageia falcata'')) which are fine old trees in their own right. These do, by their size and density of canopy, detract visually from an appreciation of Mosman's oldest building.Read, Stuart. pers.comm., 3 September 2009.

Condition

As at 8 March 2004, simplified Colonial Georgian style.

Modifications and dates

Pre 1831: The area is also significant for 'Tarpot's Cave' an Aboriginal heritage- listed cave, directly behind the Barn in the middle of the cliff face. *1831 erected as a storehouse, part of Mosman's grand scheme for centralising whaling ship servicing. The station was made up of a stone wharf and five strong stone buildings, including the barn, a large storehouse and quarters for the ships' officers and crew. Only one, the barn, remains today. *1925 purchased by parents for use by the 1st Mosman Scout Troop (formed 1908) as their headquarters *2002 wild weather severely damaged its roof. The entire site was then declared dangerous due to mud and rock slides from the nearby cliff, resulting in the temporary removal of the scout group. *2007-8: restored, cliff face stabilised, reopened to community use and Scout group.

Heritage listing

Associated with Archibald Mosman, after whom the suburb was named, "The Barn" is believed to be the oldest stone building surviving in the lower North Shore and Sydney's only remaining maritime industrial structure dating from the early Colonial period. The Barn Scout Hall was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

* *

Attribution

{{NSW-SHR-CC, name=The Barn - Scout Hall, dno=5045118, id=00188, year=2018, accessdate=1 June 2018 New South Wales State Heritage Register Scouting and Guiding in Australia Mosman, New South Wales Clubhouses in New South Wales Shipyards of New South Wales Community buildings in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Scout halls Mosman family