Queen Victoria Building

The Queen Victoria Building, or QVB, is a Victorian building in the Sydney central business district, in Australia. The Romanesque Revival architecture building is 190 metres long by 30 wide, and fills an entire city block, bounded by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets. It is currently a shopping centre, but has had a variety of roles in its life.

History

The site QVB site was once home to the George Street Markets, and was selected for the construction of a grand government building. Architect George McRae designed the QVB in a Romanesque style to employ a great number of skilled craftsmen who were out of work due to a severe recession. The building was completed in 1898 and named the "Queen Victoria Building" after the monarch.

The completed building included coffee shops, showrooms and a concert hall. It provided a business environment for tradesmen such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers, and florists. The concert hall was later changed to a municipal library and offices for Sydney City Council.

The building steadily deteriorated and in 1959 was threatened with demolition. It was restored between 1984 and 1986 by Ipoh Ltd under the terms of a 99-year lease from the City Council and now contains mostly upmarket boutiques and "brand-name" shops.

Architectural features

The dominant feature is the central dome, consisting of an interior glass dome and a copper-sheathed exterior, topped by a domed cupola. Smaller domes of various sizes are on the roofline, including a pair overtopping each end of the rectangular building.

Stained glass windows, including a cartwheel window depicting the ancient arms of the City of Sydney, allow light into the central area, and the roof itself incorporates arched skylights running lengthways north and south from the central dome. The intricate colonnades, arches, balustrades and cupolas make the exterior a visual feast of Victorian fussiness.

Inside, the building consists of four main shopping floors, the top three pierced by voids protected by decorated cast-iron railings. Much of the tilework, especially under the central dome, is original, and the remainder is in keeping with this style. Underground passageways lead off to Town Hall Station at the southern end, and to a food court at the north.

Interior displays

Two mechanical clocks, each one featuring dioramas and moving figures from moments in Australian history, can be seen from the adjacent railed walkways. The Royal Clock, designed by Neil Glasser and made by Thwaites & Reed of Hastings in England, shows scenes of English royalty from King John signing the Magna Carta to the execution of King Charles I. The Great Australian Clock, designed and made by Chris Cook, weighs four tonnes and stands ten metres tall. It includes 33 scenes from Australian history, seen from both Aboriginal and European perspectives. An Aboriginal hunter circles the exterior of the clock continuously, representing the never-ending passage of time.

The building also contains many memorials and historic displays. Of these, two large glass cases stand out. The first display case contains an Imperial Chinese Bridal Carriage made entirely of jade and weighing over two tonnes, the only example found outside China. The second is a lifesize figure of Queen Victoria in historical costume on her coronation day, and surrounded by replicas of the British crown jewels of the time. Her enthroned figure rotates slowly throughout the day, fixing the onlooker with her serene and youthful gaze.

Exterior features

At the southern end of the building is the Bicentennial Plaza, facing the Sydney Town Hall across Druitt Street. Another statue of Queen Victoria can be found here, arrayed on a light grey stone plinth, the work of Irish sculptor John Hughes. This statue stood outside the Irish Houses of Parliament in Leinster House, Dublin, until 1947 and was given to the people of Sydney by the Government of the Republic of Ireland. It was placed on its present site in 1987.

Nearby stands a wishing well featuring a bronze sculpture of Queen Victoria's favourite dog "Ivan". A recorded message voiced by John Laws urges onlookers to give a donation and make a wish. The tens of thousands of dollars cast into this well annually benefit deaf and blind children.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.qvb.com.au/default.asp QVB official website]
* [http://www.qvb.com.au/IPOH/QVB/me.get?site.sectionshow&PAGE002 History of the QVB]