Bathurst Courthouse conservations works
2020-2022

Impressive

The Bathurst Courthouse complex was completed in 1880 to great fanfare. On the official opening day, a half-holiday was observed, complete with an afternoon banquet and an evening ball which was attended by parliamentarians and other dignitaries including Sir Henry Parkes. The Courthouse, including its former Post and Telegraph Office wings, is Bathurst’s most prominent public building, deservedly anointed ‘a Palace of Justice’ by the Sydney Morning Herald on its opening. One of the State’s finest Victorian-era buildings, it symbolises the growing confidence of regional centres at that time.

Its scale, quality and grandeur reflect Bathurst’s late-nineteenth-century prosperity, founded on gold discoveries as well as pastoral farming and other industries. The building is also an outstanding example of Colonial Architect James Barnet’s work, being the biggest Victorian-era regional courthouse in NSW and its majestic copper dome soaring to a height of over 30 metres.

However, by 2019 its facades and roof were in dire need of repair: the cracked chimneys, deteriorated high level stone and rotten timbers were all a major cause of concern. Facade and roof conservation works were therefore undertaken in 2021 and 2022. This was the culmination of much research and planning and involved multidisciplinary heritage trades – stonemasons, lead workers, roofers and carpenters; architects; engineers and technical-heritage specialists.

Ornate

Bathurst Courthouse has a wealth of decorative elements, and a distinctive feature of the conservation project was restoring a diverse mixture of materials. These included the copper dome and bell tower; cast-iron ridge cresting; bronze lettering glazing; stonework, brickwork and timberwork; renders and mortars; complex colour schemes and the historic clock.

The objective was to undertake catch-up maintenance to best-practice standards and provide quality long-term repairs. The conservation approach aimed to retain as much of the original fabric as possible, replacing ‘like for like’ and recording the interventions. Before repairs began, studies and analysis were carried out by a multidisciplinary team. They included a condition assessment, tender documentation, mortar-and-render lab analysis, with samples and trials for repointing, cleaning, paint colours and reconstructing missing details.

Although much of the material for the construction of the courthouse complex was sourced locally, more than 900 tons of Pyrmont sandstone was transported from Sydney to Bathurst where it was worked and carved on site. The conservation project included replacing the dome’s deteriorated stone cornice and the wings’ base stone with Yellow Block Sandstone from the Minister’s Stone Stockpile, harvested from a Pyrmont development site in 2017.

Many of the 27 rendered brick chimneys were extensively cracked and had to be dismantled and rebuilt with seismic strengthening. The corroded galvanised steel, flat-pan roof sheeting was replaced where required with specially made sheets to match the original profile. Missing decorative, metal ridge cresting and timber pediment finials were reconstructed using original drawings and historical photographs; and the 1880's colour scheme was reconstructed as authentically as possible, based on physical and documentary evidence; and used 16 different colours.

Additional works were extensive and varied. They included stone desalination, installation of bird proofing, biocide treatment, masonry repointing, refixing loose copper seams, timber repairs and the installation of protective lead weathering.

The completed conservation works, by giving positive protective measures to significant cultural fabric, have greatly enhanced the feeling of civic pride inspired by this important regional landmark.