Torrens Parade Ground | |
---|---|
Location | King William Road, Adelaide, South Australia |
Coordinates | 34°55′4″S138°36′2″E / 34.91778°S 138.60056°E |
Design period | 1936 |
Built | 1936 |
Built for | Australian Government |
Owner | Government of South Australia |
Official name | Former Torrens Training Depot, including Drill Hall and Parade Ground |
Type | state heritage place |
Designated | 11 June 1998 |
Reference no. | 1686 |
Significant period | 1939-45 |
Significant components | Parade Ground; Military - Drill Hall |
Torrens Parade Ground, which includes the former Torrens Training Depot and Drill Hall, is a former military facility located in Adelaide, South Australia.
The Parade Ground lies behind Government House, between King William Street and Kintore Avenue, with Victoria Avenue on its southern border. The Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden lies to the north-west.
South Australia's Vietnam War Memorial, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial (by Robert Hannaford) are located in the grounds.
The area was formerly used as a quarry for extracting stone and fill for building government buildings. [1]
The Torrens Training Depot and Drill Hall were built in 1936. [1]
The parade ground and drill hall were listed on the South Australian Heritage Register on 11 June 1998. [1]
Its significance was reported as follows: [1]
The Torrens Training Depot was built in 1936 and is an excellent example of the Inter-War Stripped Classical style of architecture in Adelaide, particularly as interpreted by architects working for the Commonwealth Government. The strictly symmetrical design of the building and its low scale with simplified classical motifs and Art Deco decorative elements make this one of the most notable buildings in Adelaide of this style to be constructed pre World War Two. The internal arrangement of the building typifies the functional organisation of the Army and its physical requirements. All external detailing which is original to the 1936 building is significant. Internally the open unrestricted form of the drill hall is the most significant aspect. The topography of the Parade Ground indicates the previous use of this area as a quarry for stone and fill for the construction of government buildings, including Government House. [Adapted from Torrens Training Depot Conservation Plan (1992)]
In 1999, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate [2]
In 2002 Premier Mike Rann announced and funded a major restoration and upgrade of the Torrens Parade Ground and its heritage listed "Drill Hall and Training Depot" building, to be used as a headquarters for veterans' organisations, [3] and the main office of the History Trust of South Australia. [4]
In 2021, the government announced that there would be a significant development; the grounds would be ripped up and gardens would be put in its place. [5]
The Drill Hall underwent a major upgrade which was scheduled for completion at the end of January 2023. [6]
The History Trust of South Australia had its offices in the Drill Hall for 18 years, before relocating in 2022 to allow for the creation of a "veterans' hub" comprising the Department for Veteran Affairs, Returned Services League (RSL) South Australia, Vietnam Veterans Association, Air Force Association, and Legacy Club of South Australia and Broken Hill. [7]
The Torrens Parade Ground and Drill Hall are used as venues for various events, such as for the Adelaide Fringe, [6] fashion events and one-off markets. [8]
North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east–west along the northern edge of "the square mile". The western end continues on to Port Road and the eastern end continues across the Adelaide Parklands as Botanic Road.
The Adelaide Park Lands comprise the figure-eight configuration of land, spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton, which encloses and separates the City of Adelaide area from the surrounding suburbia of greater metropolitan Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. They were laid out by Colonel William Light in his design for the city, and originally consisted of 2,300 acres (930 ha) "exclusive of 32 acres (13 ha) for a public cemetery". One copy of Light's plan shows areas for a cemetery and a Post and Telegraph Store on West Terrace, a small Government Domain and Barracks on the central part of North Terrace, a hospital on East Terrace, a Botanical Garden on the River Torrens west of North Adelaide, and a school and a storehouse south-west of North Adelaide.
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Edmund William Wright was a London-born architect in the colony of South Australia. He was mayor of Adelaide for 10 months in 1859. He designed many civic, commercial, ecclesiastical, and residential buildings in Adelaide city centre and its suburbs, in styles influenced by French and Italian Renaissance, as well as Neoclassical architecture. He collaborated with other notable architects E. J. Woods, Isidor Beaver, and Edward Hamilton in designing some of the most notable buildings.
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Gona Barracks is a heritage-listed barracks at 3, 7, 12, 25 & 26 Gona Parade, Kelvin Grove, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from c. 1914 to 1960s. It is also known as Kelvin Grove Military Reserve and Kelvin Grove Training Area. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005.
The Torrens Building, named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens, is a State Heritage-listed building on the corner of Victoria Square and Wakefield Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It was originally known as the New Government Offices, and after that a succession of names reflecting its tenants, including as New Public Offices, the Lands Titles Office, and Engineering & Water Supply Department. It has been home to a number of government departments for much of its existence, and it currently holds offices for the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE) as part of the Government of South Australia.
Training Depot Drill Hall Complex is a heritage-listed former drill hall at Archer Street, Rockhampton City, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. The complex was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 June 2007.
Gawler Place is a single-lane thoroughfare in the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Somewhat narrower than other busy streets in the Central Business District, it runs north to south from North Terrace to Wakefield Street, parallel to and approximately midway between King William and Pulteney streets.
The Gladesville Drill Hall is a heritage-listed former drill hall and now residence located at 144 Ryde Road, Gladesville, Sydney, Australia. It was designed by NSW Government Architect's Office and built during 1900 by Mr Neely of Chatswood. It is also known as Drill Hall and Army Reserve Depot. The property is privately owned.
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The History Trust of South Australia, sometimes referred to as History SA, was created as a statutory corporation by the History Trust of South Australia Act 1981, to safeguard South Australia’s heritage and to encourage research and public presentations of South Australian history. It operates three museums in the state: the Migration Museum, the National Motor Museum and the South Australian Maritime Museum. It runs the month-long South Australia's History Festival annually, and manages the Adelaidia and SA History Hub websites. It also manages, in collaboration with the State Library of South Australia, the Centre of Democracy.