Bishop's House, Cairns
Designations | |
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Official name |
|
Type | State heritage (built) |
Designated | 1 July 1997 |
Reference no. | 601747 |
Significant period | 1930s (fabric) 1930s– (historical, social) |
Significant components | Furniture/fittings, steps/stairway, verandahs – arcaded, statue, residential accommodation – bishop's house, fence/wall – perimeter |
Builders | Michael Garvey |
Cairns, Cairns Region, Queensland | |
Country | Australia |
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Coordinates | 16°55′00″S 145°46′21″E / 16.9168°S 145.7724°E |
Bishop's House is a heritage-listed former
History
The Bishop's House at Cairns, a two-storeyed
Cairns was established in October 1876, as a port to service the
St Monica's Monastery was erected during a flurry of Catholic building activity in Cairns, which included
The old St Monica's presbytery was demolished June–July 1930, and by the time the foundation stone of the new monastery was laid by the Bishop of Townsville on 31 August 1930, the exterior walls were half completed. The building was officially opened on 21 December 1930 by Archbishop James Duhig of Brisbane, who described it as "the finest episcopal residence in Australia".[2] The design is attributed to Father Phelan, who supervised construction along with Cairns builder Michael Garvey, who had constructed St Monica's Church-School in 1927 and St Augustine's College in 1929. The monastery was erected in less than 6 months, using day labour and Father Phelan's volunteer week-end working-bee. The plumbing and electrical work was contributed free of charge, and an altar for the oratory was donated as a memorial to a former parishioner.[2] The staircase reputedly was donated by the English family of Malanda, who owned a sawmilling business. Total cost was about £7,430.[1][2]
Construction of the new Augustinian monastery in Cairns illustrated the strength of the Catholic Church in the Cairns district in the 1920s. The effects of the February 1927 cyclone, followed by flood damage, a severe trade depression, and waterfront disputes affecting the city's building industry, did not deter the predominantly working-class Catholic community of Cairns from contributing funds and labour. The rapid construction was a tribute to the zeal of the Augustinian Fathers at Cairns, particularly Father Phelan, and the enthusiasm they inspired in the local parish.[1]
St Monica's Monastery was erected during the third major phase of Cairns' development, which saw the city boom in the 1920s and 1930s. The Cairns hinterland
In 1941 the Vicariate of Cooktown was raised to the status of the Diocese of Cairns, with Bishop John Heavey - Vicar Apostolic of Cooktown since 1914 - appointed the first Bishop of Cairns.[3] At this time St Monica's Monastery became known as the Bishop's House. Bishop Heavey was the last of the Augustinian Bishops in the Diocese of Cairns. Following his death in mid-1948,[4] administration of the Diocese was handed over to Diocesan clergy, severing an association with the Irish Augustinians which had lasted over 65 years. From this period, the Augustinian priests began to scale down their involvement in pastoral care in the Diocese, and were replaced mostly with Queensland-born priests trained at the Seminary in Banyo, Brisbane. The Bishop's House remains the residence of the Bishop of Cairns.[1]
Description
The Bishop's House, situated at the corner of Abbott and Minnie Streets, is a two-storeyed building constructed in reinforced concrete in a style reminiscent of colonial India. It has a rectangular plan form with a wide open verandah along Abbott Street. Verandahs that return halfway down the southeast and northwest elevations have been enclosed. A toilet block extends at the western corner and a rear verandah has been enclosed. A two-storeyed c. 1960s addition extends from the southern corner of the building.[1]
A fence contemporary with the construction of the building survives along Abbott Street and returns down Minnie Street. It consists of a low concrete wall with evenly spaced piers and "Cyclone" chain mesh infill panels running up to paired concrete gate posts in line with entrances at Abbott and Minnie Streets.[1]
The Lake Street
The entrance is accentuated at
The rear elevation has three sash casement window frames with small hoppers over located between the symmetrical concrete frame and enclosing a rear verandah. Windows at ground level have window hoods supported on decorative timber brackets.[1]
The main entrance to the building is up wide concrete steps to a timber
The floor plan is designed around a central hall on both levels that typically have French doors opening onto the verandahs. To the right of the main foyer at ground level is what is now a conference room. A small chapel is located in the southern corner of the ground floor in which is situated a white painted timber altar. Other ground floor rooms are now used as offices. The first floor landing extends across the width of the building through a
The detailing of the doors and windows is Edwardian in clear finished silky oak. Doors are both panelled with patterned opaque hopper over lights or half glass with panelling below. Ceilings are plaster with simple coved
The Bishop's House is very intact.[1]
Heritage listing
Bishop's House was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 July 1997 having satisfied the following criteria.[1]
The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.
The Bishop's House survives as important evidence of the re-building of Cairns in the 1920s and 1930s, during which period the city's status as the principal port of Far North Queensland was consolidated and the city centre was re-built. It also illustrates a tradition of building in re-inforced concrete, favoured in cyclone-prone Cairns since the early 1900s.[1]
Together with St Monica's Old Cathedral, these buildings form a highly intact ecclesiastical group, and are important in illustrating the evolution of the Catholic Church in Cairns and district.[1]
The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.
Despite some minor refurbishment, the Bishop's House survives substantially intact. It remains a fine example of a monastery building designed to function in a tropical climate, and is of interest for its re-inforced concrete construction, considered more cyclone-proof than masonry.[1]
The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.
Together with the nearby St Joseph's Convent and St Monica's High School Administration Building, Bishop's House is part of a grouping of pre-1945 20th century buildings which, although of different styles, are all of similar scale, materials and planning. Both individually and as a group, these buildings make a significant aesthetic contribution to the Cairns townscape and Abbott Street streetscape, and contribute markedly to the city's sense of physical identity and history.[1]
The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.
The place has a strong association for residents and visitors alike with the earlier development of Cairns, and has a strong and special association for the Catholic parish of St Monica's, with the evolution of their parish and Diocese.[1]
The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.
The Bishop's House is important also for its close association with the work of the Augustinian fathers, particularly Father Phelan (parish priest of Cairns 1927-37), in the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown / Diocese of Cairns.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Bishop's House (entry 601747)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Cairns Post. No. 9118. Queensland, Australia. 22 December 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 3 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "First Bishop of Cairns is Rt. Rev. John Heavey". Sunday Mail. No. 587. Queensland, Australia. 20 July 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 3 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. LXIX. Queensland, Australia. 14 June 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 3 November 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
Attribution
External links
Media related to Bishop's House, Cairns at Wikimedia Commons