Walls of Iron: Nineteenth Century Prefabricated Iron Buildings in Australia

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between nineteenth century prefabricated iron buildings and the unique conditions that facilitated their use in Australian colonies. Nineteenth century prefabricated iron buildings form a significant but largely unrecognised part of the Australian built environment, particularly in terms of their contribution to the progressive development of remote areas of the continent. Initially imported from Britain during the mid-nineteenth century and, later, fabricated from imported iron components in Australia colonies, prefabricated iron buildings reflect a particular period in architectural history, when the technological and scientific advances of the Victorian era coincided with a period of rapid change in the settlement patterns of the Australian colonies. Within the thesis, a system of classifying prefabricated iron buildings has developed and used as a classificatory schema to examine the diverse range of building types and the multiple driving factors associated with their use in the Australian colonies. The innovative qualities of iron building components and their use in prefabricated iron buildings form a remarkable and important part of the story of nineteenth century advances in building technologies. In the rapidly expanding colonies of Australia, prefabricated iron buildings, not only provided a solution to the chronic shortage of building infrastructure, but also ushered in a new and exciting form of architecture.