Queen Victoria Building: Sydney

The Queen Victoria Building, or QVB, is a grand Victorian building located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. The elaborate neo-Byzantine architecture presents a glittering contrast to the more severe modern buildings around it. Measuring 190 metres long by 30 wide, it fills an entire city block, bounded by George, Market, York and Druitt Streets. It currently serves as a shopping centre.

History

The site, originally the first Sydney markets, was selected for the construction of a grand government building, intended to employ skilled craftsmen, out of work during a severe recession. Designed by architect George McRae, it was completed in 1898. First known as the George Street Market, the Queen Victoria Building was designed as a monument to the then long reigning monarch.

The building as completed included a concert hall, and coffee shops and showrooms shared the interior arcade with tradesmen such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and florists. Over the years sometimes drastic changes were made, with the concert hall becoming the municipal library and Sydney City Council offices displacing many of the commercial tenants.

The building steadily deteriorated, and as recently as 1959 it was threatened with demolition. During the 1970s it was restored by AW Edwards, a construction company, and is now home to a wide variety of mostly upmarket boutiques and “brand-name” shops.

Architectural features

The dominant feature is the huge Centre Dome, consisting of an interior glass dome and a copper-sheathed exterior, topped by a domed cupola. Many smaller domes in a range of sizes dot the roofline, most notably 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, admit light into the central area, and the roof itself incorporates arched skylights running lengthways north and south from the central dome. The intricate collonades, 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 large mechanical clocks, each one featuring dioramas and moving figures, dominate the upper voids, and may be observed from the nearby railings. The Royal Clock, designed by Neil Glasser and made by Thwaites and 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 neverending passage of time.

Amongst many memorials and historic displays, two large glass cases stand out. The first contains an Imperial Chinese Bridal Carriage made entirely of jade and weighing over two tonnes. It is the only example found outside China. The second is a lifesize figure of Queen Victoria on her Coronation Day in historical costume, and surrounded by the British Crown Jewels of the time. Her enthroned figure rotates slowly, 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. It is dominated by a statue of Queen Victoria standing 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 in its present site in 1987.

Nearby stands a wishing well featuring a bronze sculpture of Queen Victoria’s favorite dog “Islay”. 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 benefit deaf and blind children.