Queen's Square, Sydney

Last updated

Queen's Square
SydneyStJames gobeirne.jpg
View across Queen's Square from inside the gates of Hyde Park Barracks towards St James' Church. The Supreme Court building is to the right, and the statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Hyde Park, are to the left.
OSM central Sydney.png
Red pog.svg
Location in the Sydney CBD
Former name(s) King Street
Namesake Queen Victoria
Type Public square
AddressesJunction of King, Phillip and Macquarie streets and bounded on the south by St James and Prince Albert roads.
Location Sydney central business district, New South Wales
Nearest metro station St James
Coordinates 33°52′10″S151°12′43″E / 33.8695°S 151.2120°E / -33.8695; 151.2120 Coordinates: 33°52′10″S151°12′43″E / 33.8695°S 151.2120°E / -33.8695; 151.2120
Construction
Completionc.1977

Queen's Square is a public square in central Sydney, Australia. The square is located at the junction of King Street with Phillip Street and Macquarie Street. It is bounded on the south by St James Road and Prince Albert Road.

Contents

Description

Law Courts building. The open space on the right is the northern end of Queen's Square. Supremecourtnsw.jpg
Law Courts building. The open space on the right is the northern end of Queen's Square.

Arranged around Queen's Square, clockwise from the north, are the Law Courts Building, the Sydney Mint, [1] [2] the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Hyde Park Barracks, [3] [4] the Land Titles Office, [5] Hyde Park, [6] St James' Church, [7] and Sydney Law School. These buildings, other than the Law Courts Building and Sydney Law School, are all heritage-listed constructions, mostly dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Named in honour of Queen Victoria, a statue erected in her honour stands on the south-western corner of the square, and faces northward towards the Law Courts building. Another statue, of Prince Albert, stands on the south-eastern corner, and faces across Macquarie Street towards the statue of the Queen. Another memorial located on the square is that to Francis Greenway, NSW Colonial Architect responsible for some of the surrounding buildings, which is a mosaic and relief set into the ground in front of the Law Courts Building.

Being a public square adjacent to the state's Supreme Court, and also close to Parliament House, the square is often the scene of political and individual protests.[ citation needed ]

St James station is located underground to the south of the square, accessible by a pedestrian underpass below St James Road. [8]

History

Governor Lachlan Macquarie planned a public square on the location in the early nineteenth century. The square was originally named King's Square, but was renamed Queen's Square when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837. [9] The statue of Queen Victoria was unveiled by Lady Carrington, the wife of the Governor of New South Wales in 1888, for Australia's centenary. It was in the middle of a circle of roads, which soon became a loop of tramways. [9] In the late 1970s when the Law Courts Building was constructed, King Street was terminated at its junction with Phillip Street, and the former thoroughfare between Phillip Street and Macquarie Street became part of the square. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hyde Park, Sydney

Hyde Park is a heritage-listed 16.2-hectare (40-acre) urban park located in the central business district of Sydney, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest public parkland in Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern fringe of the Sydney city centre and is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the southern end and rounded at the northern end. It is bordered on the west by Elizabeth Street, on the east by College Street, on the north by St. James Road and Prince Albert Road and on the south by Liverpool Street.

Macquarie Place Park

The Macquarie Place Park, also known as the Macquarie Place Precinct, is a heritage-listed small triangular urban park located in the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The former town square and milestone and now memorial, public park and monument is situated on the corner of Bridge Street and Loftus Street. It is named in honour of Governor Lachlan Macquarie. The precinct includes The Obelisk or Macquarie Obelisk, the Sirius anchor and gun/cannon, the Statue of Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, the historic Underground Public Conveniences and the Christie Wright Memorial Fountain. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.

Wynyard Park, Sydney

Wynyard Park is a 0.7-hectare (2-acre) urban park in the Sydney central business district, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Wynyard Park is bounded by York, Carrington, Margaret and Wynyard Streets. Surrounded by modern high-rise buildings it is one of the most densely built-up and intensively used parks in Sydney. Entrances to Wynyard railway station are located on the north-eastern and north-western corners of the park.

Francis Greenway architect

Francis Howard Greenway 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 first government architect. He became widely known and admired for his work displayed in buildings such as St Matthew's Church in Windsor, New South Wales, St James' Church, Sydney and Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney.

Macquarie Street, Sydney

Macquarie Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House at its northern end. Apart from connecting these two major landmarks, the key government institutions of the state of New South Wales are all located on this street.

Sydney central business district Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Sydney Central Business District (CBD) is the historical centre and the main commercial centre of Sydney, located on iconic Sydney Harbour. The Sydney CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. The CBD or city centre is often referred to simply as "Town" or "the City". The Sydney city centre extends southwards for about 3 km (2 mi) from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement in which the Sydney region was initially established. Due to its pivotal role in Australia's early history, it is one of the oldest established areas in the country.

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 is the highest New South Wales court in the Australian court hierarchy, an appeal by special leave can be made to the High Court of Australia.

City of Campbelltown (New South Wales) Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Campbelltown is a local government area in the Macarthur region of south-western Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. The area is located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south west of the Sydney central business district and comprises 312 square kilometres (120 sq mi).

Sydney Mint

The Sydney Mint in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the oldest public building in the Sydney central business district. Built between 1811 and 1816 as the southern wing of the Sydney Hospital, it was then known as the Rum Hospital. In 1854 a mint was established on the site with the hospital building used to house mint staff as well as providing a residence for the Deputy Mint Master. A coining factory was built at the rear. Both of these structures have exceptional heritage significance and have been associated with major events in the colonial history of New South Wales.

Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney

The Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney is a heritage-listed former barracks, hospital, convict accommodation, mint and courthouse and now museum and cafe located at Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Originally built from 1811 to 1819 as a brick building and compound to house convict men and boys, it was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. It is also known as the Mint Building and Hyde Park Barracks Group and Rum Hospital; Royal Mint - Sydney Branch; Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary; Queen's Square Courts; Queen's Square. The site is managed by the Sydney Living Museums, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, as a living history museum open to the public.

Parliament House, Sydney

The Parliament House in Sydney is a heritage-listed complex of buildings housing the Parliament of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The building is located on the east side of Macquarie Street in Sydney, the state capital. The façade consists of a two-storey Georgian building, the oldest public building in the City of Sydney, flanked by two Neo-gothic additions containing the parliamentary chambers. These buildings are linked to a 1970s 12-storey block at the rear, facing onto the Domain. It is also known as Parliament of New South Wales, Parliamentary Precincts and the Rum Hospital.

Australian non-residential architectural styles are a set of Australian architectural styles that apply to buildings used for purposes other than residence and have been around only since the first colonial government buildings of early European settlement of Australia in 1788.

Mortimer Lewis

Mortimer William Lewis was an English-born architect, surveyor and public servant who migrated to Australia and became Colonial Architect in the colony of New South Wales from 1835 to 1849. Lewis was responsible for designing and overseeing many government buildings in Sydney and rural New South Wales, many of which are heritage listed.

George McRae

George McRae was a Scottish architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career in Sydney, where he became Government Architect of New South Wales and designed some of Sydney's best-known buildings, including completion of the Sydney Town Hall, the Queen Victoria Building, and the lower entrance to Taronga Zoo.

Bridge Street, Sydney

Bridge Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Bridge Street runs for 500 metres (1,600 ft) in a west–east direction with traffic flowing in both directions. It is situated in the northern portion of the central business district. The western terminus of Bridge Street is at George Street, with the eastern terminus at Macquarie Street, adjacent to the Chief Secretary's Building. From west to east, Bridge Street crosses Pitt and Phillip streets.

York Street, Sydney

York Street is a street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. York Street runs 1.050 kilometres (0.652 mi) in a north to south direction only and is used predominantly by buses from the northern districts of Sydney.

Registrar-Generals building

The Registrar-General's building, also called the Land Titles Office, is a heritage-listed building located in the Sydney central business district, in New South Wales, Australia. The building is currently used by the Land and Property Information division of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation, part of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Greenway Wing (Supreme Court of New South Wales)

The Greenway Wing of the Supreme Court of New South Wales is a heritage-listed courthouse located at the junction of King and Elizabeth Streets, in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Francis Greenway, Standish Lawrence Harris, and James Barnet and built from 1820 to 1828. It is also known as Sydney Supreme Court House and Old Court House. The property is owned by the Department of Justice and Attorney General, departments of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Banco Court (Supreme Court of New South Wales)

The former Banco Court of the Supreme Court of New South Wales is a heritage-listed courthouse at St James Road, Sydney, Australia. It was designed by Walter Liberty Vernon and built from 1895 to 1896. It is also known as Sydney Supreme Court House , St James Law Courts and King Street Courts. The property is owned by the Department of Justice, a department of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. "Mint Building". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. "Mint Building and Hyde Park Barracks Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre World Heritage Committee inscribes seven cultural sites on World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre website. United Nations. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. "Hyde Park Barracks". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  5. "Land Titles Office". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  6. "Hyde Park". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  7. "St. James' Anglican Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage . Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Law Courts building". Supreme Court of New South Wales . Government of New South Wales. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Queen's Square". Visit Sydney Australia. 2017.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Queen's Square, Sydney at Wikimedia Commons