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'Arsenal FC' logojet.
First flown in Jul-13 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAD, this aircraft was ferried to the Airbus Factory airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for cabin fitout and painting. it was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EES in Dec-13.
The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Dubai-World Central due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was moved back to Dubai-International in Oct-21 and returned to service in late Nov-21 after repainting in the 'DUBAI EXPO' special livery. Current, updated 05-Jan-22.
The Queen Victoria Building was designed by City Architect George McRae as Sydney's central market, and constructed between 1893 and 1898. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria in celebration of Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The site, an entire city block, had previously been occupied by a produce market and the Central Police Court. These uses ceased in 1891 and the land was purchased by Sydney City Council. McRae submitted four proposals for the building. The Australasian Builder and Contractors' News described the designs in July 1893 as "scholarly Renaissance", "picturesque Queen Anne", "classic Gothic" and "American Romanesque". The style chosen was the latter and the foundation stone was laid in December 1893 by the Mayor, Sir William Manning. This foundation stone was a five-tonne block of granite, levered and lowered into position at the corner of George and Druitt Streets. The ceremony was the first of a series in which successive mayors laid stones and plaques to mark the progress of construction. The building was notable for its employment in the expansive barrel-form roof of engineering systems which were very advanced at the time of construction. McRae is considered by architectural historians to have been one of the leading protagonists of the new construction methods and materials which were then beginning to break down the conservatism of building techniques. In achieving the strength and space of the building McRae used steel, iron, concrete, reinforcing, machine-made bricks, glass, imported tiles, fire-proofing, riveting and hydraulics on an unprecedented scale. The huge building was finally completed and opened with great ceremony on Mayor Matthew Harris on 21 July 1898. In a lavish ceremony, Alderman Harris said that the building was intended to be more than a municipal market. With judicious management, he said "a marvellous centre of trade will be established here." (SCC)
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 611 feet long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages. (NT)
In the first few decades the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills. There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
The building was heavily criticised in the early years of its operation due to its poor financial return. Original real estate advice indicated the building could pay for itself from rents received, within thirty years. The first few years were slow. In 1898 only 47 out of about 200 available spaces were tenanted. This improved by the following year with another 20 tenants joining the list. By 1905, there were 150 tenants, but it was not until 1917 that the building was reaching its maxim tenancy rate. Up until that time there was a continual shortfall between the costs to Council and the rents received and Council was constantly looking at ways of improving its return.
A remodelling scheme was finally adopted by Council in May 1917. McLeod Brothers were awarded the contract for the work in June 1917 at a cost of (Pounds)40,944.
These alterations in the name of economy and increased floor space destroyed much of the magnificent interior spaces and character of the building. The ground floor arcade was obliterated, the light quality in the basement reduced, the southern entry devalued and the internal voids and galleries reduced and devalued. The alterations were undertaken to remove what Council saw as, 'inherent flaws', in what its Victorian creators considered, an architectural triumph. One of the disturbing aspects of these radical alterations was that now that the building's internal character had been violated and devalued, there was little resistance to further alterations.
The building continued to incur losses and by 1933 the accumulated debt was announced as (Pounds)500,000. No major alterations occurred between 1918 and 1934, but many small alterations to the individual shops such as new partitions, fitouts, and mezzanines were continually taking place.
By the mid 1930s the depression was receding, employment growing, building and business reviving. Time had come to rework the building to further reduce the debt and hopefully return a profit. The Council decided to move the rapidly expanding Electricity Department out of the Town Hall and relocate it in the QVB.
In December 1933, Council voted to approve a major proposal to alter the Queen Victoria Building to suit the requirements of the Electricity Department. Approval was also given to invite tenders for the work. The majority of the work was confined to the central and northern section of the building. Essentially this scheme was to convert the interior to a general office space and install floors in what remained of the Grand Victorian internal spaces. The work costing (Pounds)125,000 was completed by 1935.
Many of the shops at ground floor level in the southern part of the building were retained although they received new shopfronts in line with the updated Art Deco image. The library in the northern area was retained with no new major alterations. The basement was subject to various alterations such as new concrete stairs, timber framed mezzanines and some new plant equipment, but the long term tenants remained in the basement ensuring little need for alterations.
These extensive alterations attracted little public comment at the time. They were accepted within the name of progress as a necessary solution. It is fortunate that the majority of the facade fabric was not altered above the awning line. Perhaps the strength of the architectural image was too strong even for the most practical minded official. An enduring quality the building has always retained is in its ability to change without loosing its external imagery and architectural strength as an element in the city. Up until the early 1970s the building became the home of the SCC and much of its identity in the city was based on this use even though the external envelope had not changed.
The occupancy by the SCC did however provide some security for the building by providing a constant income base. The SCC undertook continual changes to the building, some being significant alterations but the majority were minor such as new partitions, showrooms and fitouts. For example in the thirty years between 1936 and 1966 a total of 79 separate building applications were lodged with the City Council by the SCC. There is little evidence that any of this work, which was basically related to functional uses and the needs of occupants, proceeded with any concern for the architectural strengths of the building.
Proposals for demolition of the building gained strength by the late 1950s in a city eager to modernise and grow rapidly. The post war boom was in full swing and business confidence high. In 1959, Lord Mayor Jensen suggested a scheme demolishing the QVB and replacing it with a public square. Revenue from a badly needed underground carpark would pay for the demolition of the QVB and construction of the square. This scheme gained much support both from the public and the design professions in general. Jensen further suggested an international design competition similar to the competition for the Opera House site and won much support for the idea.
Demolition proposals at the time were largely postponed by the continued presence of the SCC in the building. The SCC required another long lease which was granted by the City Council in 1961. The SCC was planning a new large building opposite town hall and required the existing facilities in the QVB to be retained until its completion. The City Council was in no position to refuse the SCC and thus the demolition proposals were temporarily thwarted, although opinion was always behind demolition and a reuse of the site at the time.
A form of demolition actually started in 1963 with removal of the cupolas on the roof. Concern about their stability was given as the reason for their removal. The contractor paid for their removal, in fact made a larger profit out of the sale of the salvaged cupolas as souvenirs and garden decorations, than for the contract to remove them.
As the new SCC building was nearing completion the question of the QVB's ultimate fate was approaching again. The debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s were largely deflated by the continued occupation of the SCC and other long term tenants, but, as this was not an issue any more, the debate was to enter another stage.
By 1967 calls for its preservation were being made by the National Trust declaring it should be saved because of its historical importance. Calls were also made not only for its preservation but also for its restoration by stripping away the numerous disfigurements, restoring the glass vaulted roof, ground floor arcades, tiled floors, and stone stairs. Many schemes were promoted such as linking the building by underground tunnels to the Town Hall and other city buildings, schemes involving constructing nightclubs or planetariums under the dome, with shops on the lower levels, art galleries, hotel rooms etc on the upper levels. Although these plans would have to wait, the Council actually spent considerable funds on renovating the City Library.
Demolition was still the favoured option by many in the Council. Even as late as 1969 the Labour Party candidate running for mayor in the City Council elections stated that, if elected he would propose demolition of the QVB, which he said was 'a firetrap to make way for a new civic square'. Shortly after and perhaps as a threat to possible demolition, the National Trust upgraded its classification to category 'A', which defined it as 'urgently in need of acquisition and preservation'. By 1971 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects entered the debate advocating preservation, on the grounds of the QVB's historical importance.
In 1971 the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Emmet McDermott, leader of the Civic Reform Group, announced that the QVB would be 'preserved and restored to its original state'. There was no suggestion of how that was going to take place, but such a statement became very much the turning point in the buildings history and eventual fate.
The building was to be saved, but there was no plan or suggestions about where the funds were to come from. In 1979 the Town Clerk, Mr Leon Carter stated; 'The Council is determined that the high cost of rebirth of the QVB will not fall on the blistered shoulders of the weary ratepayer'.
Restoration proposals were held up by a combination of lack of funds and continuing disagreements between Council, potential operators and stakeholders such as the National Trust and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Finally in 1979 a team was established between Architects Stephenson & Turner and Rice & Daubney, Engineers Meinhardt and Partners, Kuttner Collins & Partners for administration, with financial backing by IPOH Garden Berhad. Key conservation groups backed the plan. Negotiations about plans and leases continued for almost three years, but eventually on 1 August 1983 the Lord Mayor and IPOH Garden, signed a ninety-nine year profit-sharing lease.
The building reopened at the end of 1986 in time to catch the busy Christmas trading season. The work took almost four years to complete and included a new underground carpark, linking tunnels and a restored interior. As almost nothing of the original interior fabric was left intact the work largely involved reconstructing the details and atmosphere of the place. The completed project can be considered a sound commercial scheme, but not a true reconstruction. A museum approach to conserving the building was recognised by all authorities as being unworkable as the building would be empty and devoid of the life the restoration brief considered essential.
By 2006, after successfully trading for twenty years, comprehensive plans were being prepared to conserve the exterior and refurbish the interior of the building to ensure the place was commercially viable as an ongoing retail complex. The major upgrade of the building's interiors were designed by the architectural firm Ancher Mortlock and Woolley in association with interior design firm Freeman Rembel.
The recent conservation and refurbishment approach has aimed to clarify the legibility between historic fabric and the new fabric which must be continually updated to ensure the building is viable as an ongoing commercial complex. After its successful refurbishment, the QVB was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on 25th August 2009.
Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.
Jumping aways back in the memory - I went down to Detroit on the 12th of March in 1993 to get a picture of the 1927 built steamer S.T. Crapo a cement carrier as I had heard her spring fitout had began as she was one of the few remaining coal burning Lakers. It was a cold 14 degree morning right after sunrise and yes she had steam up and a little whisp of coal smoke and steam rising from her stack. Suddenly a voice called down from the deck . . . "if you want better pictures, come on up on deck " . . . "sure thank you" . . . I answered . . . . . and climbed the ladder up to the deck. It was slippery with a fine coat of snow and deckhands were working everywhere prepping for her first trip of the season to Alpena for a return load of cement for Detroit in a couple days.
It was a stark contrast looking aft at the stern with that tall stack topped with twin steam whistles, the coal bunker pile with traces of snow and the Detroit Rennaissance Center rising behind her. Looking toward the bow with the rising sun above the still ice covered Detroit river, the Crapo was usually the first boat to head up in the spring, breaking her way north thru remaining winter ice most years. A number of days later in the morning I heard the traffic chopper on the radio, remark of the wonderful view of a lake boat smoking it up working her way across Lake St. Clair in the ice.
Exchange Tower is located in the core of the Perth CBD where the legal precinct meets the financial heart of the city. Situated in a prime position just off St Georges Terrace and adjacent to Elizabeth Quay. Exchange Tower is close to everything including public transport, restaurants, bars, hotels and Perth's retail malls.
This prestigious 40 storey office tower affords tenants sought after building facilities such as a 125 seat conference centre, optional gym membership, ground floor cafe' and state-of-the-art end-of-trip facilities. The friendly on-site management team are available to cater for tenant requirements.
Serviced by high-speed passenger lifts, the floors are largely column free allowing for flexibility for fitout design. Exchange Tower offers outstanding river views from a majority of floors.
If you notice the work site to the bottom of the picture, Chevron confirms $360 million high-rise headquarters for Perth's Elizabeth Quay, to build a 29-storey tower on the corner of Barrack Street and the Esplanade at Elizabeth Quay.
Construction of the $360 million project is due to begin , with the tower expected to be completed in 2023.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAD in Mar-12. After interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder the aircraft was delivered to Malaysia Airlines as 9M-MNC in Oct-12.
It was withdrawn from service in Feb-20 and stored at Kuala Lumpur at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was test flown at Kuala Lumpur every three months but never returned to service. The aircraft was ferried to Lourdes, France in mid Nov-22 and permanently retired. Updated 15-Nov-22.
First flown in Dec-13 at Toulouse, France with the Airbus test registration F-WWSA, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting.
It was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EEV in May-14. It was withdrawn from service in Jul-20 and stored at Dubai - World Central due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and returned to service in Jun-21. Current, updated 18-May-23.
Replacing an earlier photo from Apr-15 with a better version.
HISTORY UPDATED - Permanently retired at Lourdes, France.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAJ in Jan-12. After interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder the aircraft was delivered to Malaysia Airlines as 9M-MNB in Jul-12.
The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was stored at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines decided to sell their A380 fleet and the aircraft never returned to service.
They were unable to find a buyer and the aircraft was ferried to Lourdes, France in Nov-22 and permanently retired after less than 8 years in service. Updated 01-Dec-22.
Finally departing Manchester after diverting in the previous day (28-Mar-16) because of the effects of storm 'Katie' at London-Heathrow. It was ferrying back to Kuala Lumpur empty.
With additional '100th A380' titles.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWSG in Oct-12, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting.
It was delivered to Malaysia Airlines as 9M-MNF in Mar-13. It was wet-leased to NAS National Air Services (Saudi Arabia) between Jul/Sep-19 on Haj Pilgrimage services.
The aircraft was contracted by the UK CAA for two weeks between Sep/Oct-19 to operate repatriation flights after Thomas Cook Airlines UK ceased operations. It was based at Manchester and operated twice daily, returning Thomas Cook passengers from Palma, Majorca, Spain.
At the start of the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic, in Apr-20, the aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It never returned to service. It was ferried to Lourdes, France in mid Dec-22 and permanently retired.
Departing LHR for LAX.
VIP fitout recently completed at Fokker Techniek in Woensdrecht.
This is only the 2nd operational A319neo, the other being D-AVWA of Airbus.
The Queen Victoria Building was designed by City Architect George McRae as Sydney's central market, and constructed between 1893 and 1898. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria in celebration of Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The site, an entire city block, had previously been occupied by a produce market and the Central Police Court. These uses ceased in 1891 and the land was purchased by Sydney City Council. McRae submitted four proposals for the building. The Australasian Builder and Contractors' News described the designs in July 1893 as "scholarly Renaissance", "picturesque Queen Anne", "classic Gothic" and "American Romanesque". The style chosen was the latter and the foundation stone was laid in December 1893 by the Mayor, Sir William Manning. This foundation stone was a five-tonne block of granite, levered and lowered into position at the corner of George and Druitt Streets. The ceremony was the first of a series in which successive mayors laid stones and plaques to mark the progress of construction. The building was notable for its employment in the expansive barrel-form roof of engineering systems which were very advanced at the time of construction. McRae is considered by architectural historians to have been one of the leading protagonists of the new construction methods and materials which were then beginning to break down the conservatism of building techniques. In achieving the strength and space of the building McRae used steel, iron, concrete, reinforcing, machine-made bricks, glass, imported tiles, fire-proofing, riveting and hydraulics on an unprecedented scale. The huge building was finally completed and opened with great ceremony on Mayor Matthew Harris on 21 July 1898. In a lavish ceremony, Alderman Harris said that the building was intended to be more than a municipal market. With judicious management, he said "a marvellous centre of trade will be established here." (SCC)
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 611 feet long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages. (NT)
In the first few decades the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills. There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
The building was heavily criticised in the early years of its operation due to its poor financial return. Original real estate advice indicated the building could pay for itself from rents received, within thirty years. The first few years were slow. In 1898 only 47 out of about 200 available spaces were tenanted. This improved by the following year with another 20 tenants joining the list. By 1905, there were 150 tenants, but it was not until 1917 that the building was reaching its maxim tenancy rate. Up until that time there was a continual shortfall between the costs to Council and the rents received and Council was constantly looking at ways of improving its return.
A remodelling scheme was finally adopted by Council in May 1917. McLeod Brothers were awarded the contract for the work in June 1917 at a cost of (Pounds)40,944.
These alterations in the name of economy and increased floor space destroyed much of the magnificent interior spaces and character of the building. The ground floor arcade was obliterated, the light quality in the basement reduced, the southern entry devalued and the internal voids and galleries reduced and devalued. The alterations were undertaken to remove what Council saw as, 'inherent flaws', in what its Victorian creators considered, an architectural triumph. One of the disturbing aspects of these radical alterations was that now that the building's internal character had been violated and devalued, there was little resistance to further alterations.
The building continued to incur losses and by 1933 the accumulated debt was announced as (Pounds)500,000. No major alterations occurred between 1918 and 1934, but many small alterations to the individual shops such as new partitions, fitouts, and mezzanines were continually taking place.
By the mid 1930s the depression was receding, employment growing, building and business reviving. Time had come to rework the building to further reduce the debt and hopefully return a profit. The Council decided to move the rapidly expanding Electricity Department out of the Town Hall and relocate it in the QVB.
In December 1933, Council voted to approve a major proposal to alter the Queen Victoria Building to suit the requirements of the Electricity Department. Approval was also given to invite tenders for the work. The majority of the work was confined to the central and northern section of the building. Essentially this scheme was to convert the interior to a general office space and install floors in what remained of the Grand Victorian internal spaces. The work costing (Pounds)125,000 was completed by 1935.
Many of the shops at ground floor level in the southern part of the building were retained although they received new shopfronts in line with the updated Art Deco image. The library in the northern area was retained with no new major alterations. The basement was subject to various alterations such as new concrete stairs, timber framed mezzanines and some new plant equipment, but the long term tenants remained in the basement ensuring little need for alterations.
These extensive alterations attracted little public comment at the time. They were accepted within the name of progress as a necessary solution. It is fortunate that the majority of the facade fabric was not altered above the awning line. Perhaps the strength of the architectural image was too strong even for the most practical minded official. An enduring quality the building has always retained is in its ability to change without loosing its external imagery and architectural strength as an element in the city. Up until the early 1970s the building became the home of the SCC and much of its identity in the city was based on this use even though the external envelope had not changed.
The occupancy by the SCC did however provide some security for the building by providing a constant income base. The SCC undertook continual changes to the building, some being significant alterations but the majority were minor such as new partitions, showrooms and fitouts. For example in the thirty years between 1936 and 1966 a total of 79 separate building applications were lodged with the City Council by the SCC. There is little evidence that any of this work, which was basically related to functional uses and the needs of occupants, proceeded with any concern for the architectural strengths of the building.
Proposals for demolition of the building gained strength by the late 1950s in a city eager to modernise and grow rapidly. The post war boom was in full swing and business confidence high. In 1959, Lord Mayor Jensen suggested a scheme demolishing the QVB and replacing it with a public square. Revenue from a badly needed underground carpark would pay for the demolition of the QVB and construction of the square. This scheme gained much support both from the public and the design professions in general. Jensen further suggested an international design competition similar to the competition for the Opera House site and won much support for the idea.
Demolition proposals at the time were largely postponed by the continued presence of the SCC in the building. The SCC required another long lease which was granted by the City Council in 1961. The SCC was planning a new large building opposite town hall and required the existing facilities in the QVB to be retained until its completion. The City Council was in no position to refuse the SCC and thus the demolition proposals were temporarily thwarted, although opinion was always behind demolition and a reuse of the site at the time.
A form of demolition actually started in 1963 with removal of the cupolas on the roof. Concern about their stability was given as the reason for their removal. The contractor paid for their removal, in fact made a larger profit out of the sale of the salvaged cupolas as souvenirs and garden decorations, than for the contract to remove them.
As the new SCC building was nearing completion the question of the QVB's ultimate fate was approaching again. The debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s were largely deflated by the continued occupation of the SCC and other long term tenants, but, as this was not an issue any more, the debate was to enter another stage.
By 1967 calls for its preservation were being made by the National Trust declaring it should be saved because of its historical importance. Calls were also made not only for its preservation but also for its restoration by stripping away the numerous disfigurements, restoring the glass vaulted roof, ground floor arcades, tiled floors, and stone stairs. Many schemes were promoted such as linking the building by underground tunnels to the Town Hall and other city buildings, schemes involving constructing nightclubs or planetariums under the dome, with shops on the lower levels, art galleries, hotel rooms etc on the upper levels. Although these plans would have to wait, the Council actually spent considerable funds on renovating the City Library.
Demolition was still the favoured option by many in the Council. Even as late as 1969 the Labour Party candidate running for mayor in the City Council elections stated that, if elected he would propose demolition of the QVB, which he said was 'a firetrap to make way for a new civic square'. Shortly after and perhaps as a threat to possible demolition, the National Trust upgraded its classification to category 'A', which defined it as 'urgently in need of acquisition and preservation'. By 1971 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects entered the debate advocating preservation, on the grounds of the QVB's historical importance.
In 1971 the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Emmet McDermott, leader of the Civic Reform Group, announced that the QVB would be 'preserved and restored to its original state'. There was no suggestion of how that was going to take place, but such a statement became very much the turning point in the buildings history and eventual fate.
The building was to be saved, but there was no plan or suggestions about where the funds were to come from. In 1979 the Town Clerk, Mr Leon Carter stated; 'The Council is determined that the high cost of rebirth of the QVB will not fall on the blistered shoulders of the weary ratepayer'.
Restoration proposals were held up by a combination of lack of funds and continuing disagreements between Council, potential operators and stakeholders such as the National Trust and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Finally in 1979 a team was established between Architects Stephenson & Turner and Rice & Daubney, Engineers Meinhardt and Partners, Kuttner Collins & Partners for administration, with financial backing by IPOH Garden Berhad. Key conservation groups backed the plan. Negotiations about plans and leases continued for almost three years, but eventually on 1 August 1983 the Lord Mayor and IPOH Garden, signed a ninety-nine year profit-sharing lease.
The building reopened at the end of 1986 in time to catch the busy Christmas trading season. The work took almost four years to complete and included a new underground carpark, linking tunnels and a restored interior. As almost nothing of the original interior fabric was left intact the work largely involved reconstructing the details and atmosphere of the place. The completed project can be considered a sound commercial scheme, but not a true reconstruction. A museum approach to conserving the building was recognised by all authorities as being unworkable as the building would be empty and devoid of the life the restoration brief considered essential.
By 2006, after successfully trading for twenty years, comprehensive plans were being prepared to conserve the exterior and refurbish the interior of the building to ensure the place was commercially viable as an ongoing retail complex. The major upgrade of the building's interiors were designed by the architectural firm Ancher Mortlock and Woolley in association with interior design firm Freeman Rembel.
The recent conservation and refurbishment approach has aimed to clarify the legibility between historic fabric and the new fabric which must be continually updated to ensure the building is viable as an ongoing commercial complex. After its successful refurbishment, the QVB was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on 25th August 2009.
Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.
A nice BizJet movement.
First flown in Mar-11 with the Airbus test registration D-AUAG, this aircraft was re-registered F-WHUI in Apr-11 for Airbus flight tests. It became D-AUAG again in May-11 and was ferried to Tulsa, UK, USA in Jun-11 for VIP interior fitout. It returned to Airbus in Feb-12 and became F-WHUI again the following month before being delivered to Kutus Ltd as M-HHHH in Apr-12. Current (Apr-19).
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) under construction and fitout at Rosyth Dockyard, Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, UK.
Replacing an earlier photo from Sep-17 with a better version.
First flown at Toulouse in Apr-11 with the Airbus test registration F-WWSV. After fitout and painting at Hamburg-Finkenwerder, the aircraft was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EDQ in Oct-11.
It was withdrawn from service and stored at Dubai World Central in Feb-20 as a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The aircraft was moved to Dubai International in Feb-22 and returned to service in May-22 after post storage maintenance.
In Jan-24 the aircraft was stored at Dubai International again and returned to service in Jun-24. Current, updated 17-Nov-24.
Named: "Tokio".
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAK in Apr-10, the aircraft was flown to the Airbus factory at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting and was delivered to Lufthansa as D-AIMD in Oct-10.
It was stored at Munich, Germany in Mar-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and moved to Frankfurt in May-20 for further storage. In Mar-21 the aircraft was ferried to Teruel, Spain for long-term storage. As of 24-Oct-24, storage continues.
First flown in Nov-14 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAY, this aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting. It was delivered to Etihad Airways as A6-APC in May-15. Current (Sep-18).
Die AIDAnova ist ein für AIDA Cruises vorgesehenes Kreuzfahrtschiff der neuen Helios-Klasse von Carnival Corporation & plc. Aktuell wird das Schiff auf der Meyer-Werft in Papenburg gebaut.
(Wikipedia)
AIDAnova wurde am Dienstag, den 21. August 2018 ausgedock und am Freitag, den 31. August 2018 auf der Meyer Werft in Papenburg getauft.
Die Überführung ist für Mitte bis Ende September 2018 geplant.
NEU.
Überführung voraussichtlich Anfang Oktober 2018
Sie soll Ende 2018 in Dienst gestellt werden.
AIDAnova is an upcoming cruise ship under construction by Meyer Werft of Germany for AIDA Cruises. The first of the new Excellence-class ships, she was launched on 31 August 2018 and is due to undergo final fitout and sea trials in September 2018.
Wikipedia
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) under construction and fitout at Rosyth Dockyard, Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, UK.
The Dool is finally out of drydock at Fraser. It appears that the lake level is up pretty high right now as you can usually walk to the edge of the grass here on Connors Point.The Anderson is just behind the Dool, waiting for it's turn in drydock for repairs and fitout.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAM in Jan-13, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting. It was delivered to Emirates as A6-EEI in Jun-13. Current, updated 10-Oct-22.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAK in Oct-16. After interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder the aircraft was delivered to Etihad Airways as A6-API in Mar-17.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic the aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Abu Dhabi, UAE.
It was ferried to Lourdes, France in Jan-21 for long term storage and it was thought it might not return to service. However, it was ferried back to Abu Dhabi in May-23 for post storage heavy maintenance and returned to service on 27-Jul-23. Current, updated 17-Jul-25.
Still in the street of the ancient fisher village in Xiamen, were the sea-foods play a major role there. All the shops are competing with each other where the most attractive stand get the best chance to attract customers. The cooking skills is no longer the key of success, the fit out skills of the chef are their most important weapon... along with the price, of course!
This is China~~
With additional 'England - Rugby World Cup 2015' titles and graphics.
First flown in Jul-13 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAD, this aircraft was ferried to the Airbus Factory airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for cabin fitout and painting. it was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EES in Dec-13.
The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Dubai-World Central due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was moved back to Dubai-International in Oct-21 and returned to service in late Nov-21 after repainting in the 'DUBAI EXPO' special livery. Current, updated 05-Jan-22.
The Queen Victoria Building was designed by City Architect George McRae as Sydney's central market, and constructed between 1893 and 1898. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria in celebration of Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The site, an entire city block, had previously been occupied by a produce market and the Central Police Court. These uses ceased in 1891 and the land was purchased by Sydney City Council. McRae submitted four proposals for the building. The Australasian Builder and Contractors' News described the designs in July 1893 as "scholarly Renaissance", "picturesque Queen Anne", "classic Gothic" and "American Romanesque". The style chosen was the latter and the foundation stone was laid in December 1893 by the Mayor, Sir William Manning. This foundation stone was a five-tonne block of granite, levered and lowered into position at the corner of George and Druitt Streets. The ceremony was the first of a series in which successive mayors laid stones and plaques to mark the progress of construction. The building was notable for its employment in the expansive barrel-form roof of engineering systems which were very advanced at the time of construction. McRae is considered by architectural historians to have been one of the leading protagonists of the new construction methods and materials which were then beginning to break down the conservatism of building techniques. In achieving the strength and space of the building McRae used steel, iron, concrete, reinforcing, machine-made bricks, glass, imported tiles, fire-proofing, riveting and hydraulics on an unprecedented scale. The huge building was finally completed and opened with great ceremony on Mayor Matthew Harris on 21 July 1898. In a lavish ceremony, Alderman Harris said that the building was intended to be more than a municipal market. With judicious management, he said "a marvellous centre of trade will be established here." (SCC)
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 611 feet long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages. (NT)
In the first few decades the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills. There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
The building was heavily criticised in the early years of its operation due to its poor financial return. Original real estate advice indicated the building could pay for itself from rents received, within thirty years. The first few years were slow. In 1898 only 47 out of about 200 available spaces were tenanted. This improved by the following year with another 20 tenants joining the list. By 1905, there were 150 tenants, but it was not until 1917 that the building was reaching its maxim tenancy rate. Up until that time there was a continual shortfall between the costs to Council and the rents received and Council was constantly looking at ways of improving its return.
A remodelling scheme was finally adopted by Council in May 1917. McLeod Brothers were awarded the contract for the work in June 1917 at a cost of (Pounds)40,944.
These alterations in the name of economy and increased floor space destroyed much of the magnificent interior spaces and character of the building. The ground floor arcade was obliterated, the light quality in the basement reduced, the southern entry devalued and the internal voids and galleries reduced and devalued. The alterations were undertaken to remove what Council saw as, 'inherent flaws', in what its Victorian creators considered, an architectural triumph. One of the disturbing aspects of these radical alterations was that now that the building's internal character had been violated and devalued, there was little resistance to further alterations.
The building continued to incur losses and by 1933 the accumulated debt was announced as (Pounds)500,000. No major alterations occurred between 1918 and 1934, but many small alterations to the individual shops such as new partitions, fitouts, and mezzanines were continually taking place.
By the mid 1930s the depression was receding, employment growing, building and business reviving. Time had come to rework the building to further reduce the debt and hopefully return a profit. The Council decided to move the rapidly expanding Electricity Department out of the Town Hall and relocate it in the QVB.
In December 1933, Council voted to approve a major proposal to alter the Queen Victoria Building to suit the requirements of the Electricity Department. Approval was also given to invite tenders for the work. The majority of the work was confined to the central and northern section of the building. Essentially this scheme was to convert the interior to a general office space and install floors in what remained of the Grand Victorian internal spaces. The work costing (Pounds)125,000 was completed by 1935.
Many of the shops at ground floor level in the southern part of the building were retained although they received new shopfronts in line with the updated Art Deco image. The library in the northern area was retained with no new major alterations. The basement was subject to various alterations such as new concrete stairs, timber framed mezzanines and some new plant equipment, but the long term tenants remained in the basement ensuring little need for alterations.
These extensive alterations attracted little public comment at the time. They were accepted within the name of progress as a necessary solution. It is fortunate that the majority of the facade fabric was not altered above the awning line. Perhaps the strength of the architectural image was too strong even for the most practical minded official. An enduring quality the building has always retained is in its ability to change without loosing its external imagery and architectural strength as an element in the city. Up until the early 1970s the building became the home of the SCC and much of its identity in the city was based on this use even though the external envelope had not changed.
The occupancy by the SCC did however provide some security for the building by providing a constant income base. The SCC undertook continual changes to the building, some being significant alterations but the majority were minor such as new partitions, showrooms and fitouts. For example in the thirty years between 1936 and 1966 a total of 79 separate building applications were lodged with the City Council by the SCC. There is little evidence that any of this work, which was basically related to functional uses and the needs of occupants, proceeded with any concern for the architectural strengths of the building.
Proposals for demolition of the building gained strength by the late 1950s in a city eager to modernise and grow rapidly. The post war boom was in full swing and business confidence high. In 1959, Lord Mayor Jensen suggested a scheme demolishing the QVB and replacing it with a public square. Revenue from a badly needed underground carpark would pay for the demolition of the QVB and construction of the square. This scheme gained much support both from the public and the design professions in general. Jensen further suggested an international design competition similar to the competition for the Opera House site and won much support for the idea.
Demolition proposals at the time were largely postponed by the continued presence of the SCC in the building. The SCC required another long lease which was granted by the City Council in 1961. The SCC was planning a new large building opposite town hall and required the existing facilities in the QVB to be retained until its completion. The City Council was in no position to refuse the SCC and thus the demolition proposals were temporarily thwarted, although opinion was always behind demolition and a reuse of the site at the time.
A form of demolition actually started in 1963 with removal of the cupolas on the roof. Concern about their stability was given as the reason for their removal. The contractor paid for their removal, in fact made a larger profit out of the sale of the salvaged cupolas as souvenirs and garden decorations, than for the contract to remove them.
As the new SCC building was nearing completion the question of the QVB's ultimate fate was approaching again. The debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s were largely deflated by the continued occupation of the SCC and other long term tenants, but, as this was not an issue any more, the debate was to enter another stage.
By 1967 calls for its preservation were being made by the National Trust declaring it should be saved because of its historical importance. Calls were also made not only for its preservation but also for its restoration by stripping away the numerous disfigurements, restoring the glass vaulted roof, ground floor arcades, tiled floors, and stone stairs. Many schemes were promoted such as linking the building by underground tunnels to the Town Hall and other city buildings, schemes involving constructing nightclubs or planetariums under the dome, with shops on the lower levels, art galleries, hotel rooms etc on the upper levels. Although these plans would have to wait, the Council actually spent considerable funds on renovating the City Library.
Demolition was still the favoured option by many in the Council. Even as late as 1969 the Labour Party candidate running for mayor in the City Council elections stated that, if elected he would propose demolition of the QVB, which he said was 'a firetrap to make way for a new civic square'. Shortly after and perhaps as a threat to possible demolition, the National Trust upgraded its classification to category 'A', which defined it as 'urgently in need of acquisition and preservation'. By 1971 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects entered the debate advocating preservation, on the grounds of the QVB's historical importance.
In 1971 the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Emmet McDermott, leader of the Civic Reform Group, announced that the QVB would be 'preserved and restored to its original state'. There was no suggestion of how that was going to take place, but such a statement became very much the turning point in the buildings history and eventual fate.
The building was to be saved, but there was no plan or suggestions about where the funds were to come from. In 1979 the Town Clerk, Mr Leon Carter stated; 'The Council is determined that the high cost of rebirth of the QVB will not fall on the blistered shoulders of the weary ratepayer'.
Restoration proposals were held up by a combination of lack of funds and continuing disagreements between Council, potential operators and stakeholders such as the National Trust and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Finally in 1979 a team was established between Architects Stephenson & Turner and Rice & Daubney, Engineers Meinhardt and Partners, Kuttner Collins & Partners for administration, with financial backing by IPOH Garden Berhad. Key conservation groups backed the plan. Negotiations about plans and leases continued for almost three years, but eventually on 1 August 1983 the Lord Mayor and IPOH Garden, signed a ninety-nine year profit-sharing lease.
The building reopened at the end of 1986 in time to catch the busy Christmas trading season. The work took almost four years to complete and included a new underground carpark, linking tunnels and a restored interior. As almost nothing of the original interior fabric was left intact the work largely involved reconstructing the details and atmosphere of the place. The completed project can be considered a sound commercial scheme, but not a true reconstruction. A museum approach to conserving the building was recognised by all authorities as being unworkable as the building would be empty and devoid of the life the restoration brief considered essential.
By 2006, after successfully trading for twenty years, comprehensive plans were being prepared to conserve the exterior and refurbish the interior of the building to ensure the place was commercially viable as an ongoing retail complex. The major upgrade of the building's interiors were designed by the architectural firm Ancher Mortlock and Woolley in association with interior design firm Freeman Rembel.
The recent conservation and refurbishment approach has aimed to clarify the legibility between historic fabric and the new fabric which must be continually updated to ensure the building is viable as an ongoing commercial complex. After its successful refurbishment, the QVB was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on 25th August 2009.
Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.
Queensland State Archives Item ID3014596, Aerial photographs
Roma Street Railway Station occupies a 0.55ha site within the extensive Roma Street Station transit complex, located on the western side of the Brisbane central business district. The substantial masonry station building (1875) is set back from and faces Roma Street (although partially obscured by later development), and has a prominent centred entrance to the front (south) and a platform along the rear (north). A later platform and awning to the south is associated with the former Country Station development (1939/40).
Features of Roma Street Railway Station of state-level cultural heritage significance are:
Station building (1875)
Platform (1875)
Country Station platform and awning (1939)
Views
The state-level periods of significance of the place are layered and relate to its origins and use as a passenger station (1875-1940) and railway design, traffic and management offices (1875-1974), and the establishment of the former Country Station (1939/40).
A large iron-roofed shelter (c1980) to the east of the station, small buildings to the west, and a lift, stairs and escalators accessing the modern subway below, are not of state-level cultural heritage significance.
The Roma Street Railway Station was opened in 1875 as the first Brisbane Terminal Station for use on the Brisbane end of the Southern and Western Railway Line from Ipswich. The two-storey station building was designed by Francis Drummond Greville (FDG) Stanley, the Colonial Architect and Superintendent of Public Buildings, in 1873 and built over the next two years by Brisbane builder, John Petrie. The station operated as the Brisbane terminal station until 1889, as a major passenger and administration station until 1940, and Brisbane’s primary railway goods facility until 1991. It served as offices for the Queensland Railway Department (later Queensland Railways, later Queensland Rail) staff for over 100 years, and is the one of the oldest surviving railway buildings in Queensland.
In the Australian colonies, governments fostered the development of railways as a means of developing the country and encouraging settlement. It was argued that rail would reduce freight costs and save travel time for passengers.[1] Queensland’s first railway survey was undertaken by the New South Wales Government in 1856, and following separation, Queensland Parliament passed the Railway Act in 1863, enabling railways to be constructed in the colony. The railway network developed along decentralised lines extending from ports to pastoral and mining centres. The first line, between Ipswich and Bigge's Camp, 34km west of Ipswich (later Grandchester, QHR600729), was opened in 1865. This was the first stage of the four-stage Southern and Western Railway project which linked Ipswich to Toowoomba in 1867, Warwick in 1871, and Dalby in 1878. New railways opened west from Rockhampton in 1867 (the Northern Line, later renamed the Central Railway), west from Townsville in 1880 (the Great Northern Line), Cairns in 1887, and south from Normanton in 1891.
The Southern and Western Railway served the pastoralists and industrialists of Ipswich and the Darling Downs, and was primarily for goods, rather than passengers. With the railhead at Ipswich, a railway to Brisbane was not initially considered essential, as goods could be shipped from Ipswich to Brisbane’s port for export. However, the Bremer and upper Brisbane rivers could not cope with large shipping, and lobbying began for an extension to Brisbane. A preliminary survey of possible lines was completed in 1865,[4] but concerns over the extension’s financial viability put work on hold. A Royal Commission on Railway Construction was called in the 1870s, and recommended the extension: the business generated by it was likely to be profitable, and the colony’s economy, which had collapsed in the mid-1860s, had been bolstered by the Gympie gold rush and was better able to afford new infrastructure.
The extension between Ipswich and Oxley was approved in August 1872,[6] and, the first sod on the extension was turned at Goodna in January 1873. From Oxley, two lines had been surveyed, terminating either at North or South Brisbane. After extensive debate, the route to North Brisbane, via a bridge at Oxley Point (Indooroopilly), was chosen as more cost-effective. The terminus of this route, selected by Railway Department Chief Engineer HC Stanley, was located within the Grammar School reserve at the base of the ‘Green Hills’ (Petrie Terrace). The site was unused by the school and was large enough for a major passenger station and goods yard.
The section between Oxley and Brisbane was approved in October 1873,[9] and the Government called for tenders for the construction of the railway terminus station in Brisbane. FDG Stanley, the recently-appointed Colonial Architect and Superintendent of Buildings within the Public Works Department, was the designer of the building. Stanley had commenced with the Public Works Department in 1863, serving as Superintendent of Buildings after Charles Tiffin vacated the Colonial Architect’s position. He was the official Colonial Architect from 1873-1883, when the colony, recovering from the economic collapse of the 1860s, began to invest in public buildings. Stanley’s designs, balancing classical styles and stylistic features with climate-appropriate adaptations and economic restraint, helped define public architecture in Queensland. Extant examples of major works, designed while he was Colonial Architect, include the original State Library (1876-9, QHR600177); Toowoomba Court House (1876-8, QHR600848); Townsville Magistrates Court (1876-7, QHR600929); Townsville Gaol (now part of Townsville Central State School, 1877, QHR601162); Brisbane’s Port Office (1880, QHR600088); Toowoomba Hospital (surviving kitchen wing 1880, QHR601296); post offices at Gympie (1878-80, QHR600534), South Brisbane (1881, QHR600302) and Toowoomba (1880, QHR600847); as well as the Brisbane Supreme Court (no longer extant). As Superintendent of Buildings he designed the Toowoomba Railway Station (1874, QHR600872), Government Printing Office (1873, QHR600114) and Lady Elliott Island Lighthouse (1872-3).
The Brisbane Courier provided a detailed description of the proposed Terminus Passenger Station in October 1873:
The general style of the building will be that known as the Italian Gothic order of architecture. The material used...will be pressed brick with cut stone facings, this being chosen on account of its durability and as also affording the greatest consonant with economy. The station will consist of a main building, two storeys high, flanked at each end by a single storey wing.
The building was designed to house both a passenger station and railway administrative offices. Passengers would access the station from Roma Street via a carriageway, disembarking at the station’s central carriage porch. The porch fronted a 10ft (3m) wide arcade running the length of the main building. From the arcade, passengers would enter either the first-class booking office on the east or the second-class booking office on the west, both served by a semi-circular ticket office on the rear (northern) wall. Female passengers travelling on second-class tickets could wait in a small room located along a western passage, while separate waiting rooms for first-class male and female passengers were east of the first-class booking office. Doorways in the rear wall of the booking offices and waiting rooms led directly onto the 190-foot (58m) long departure platform. Arriving passengers exited the station via a second platform across the rail line. Luggage was loaded onto trains via the luggage passage, on the eastern end of the building. The guards and porters room, staff facilities, a lamp room and stairs to the upper floor were situated in the eastern wing. The western side of the building held public services, including the telegraph office, station master’s office, and parcel and book office, accessible via a public lobby at the end of the arcade. A private staircase to the traffic managers’ office, a staircase to the traffic department, and toilet facilities were located in the western wing. An office or book stall space, in the northwestern side of the building, was accessible from the platform.
Upstairs, the offices of the traffic department, clerks, accountant, draughtsmen, Railways Engineer, Resident Engineer and contractors were accessed from a central passageway which ran almost the length of the building; with a small S-bend in the western end. An arch in the centre of the corridor marked the separation of the traffic department from the Chief Engineer’s office. Both wings hosted staircases.
The building included adaptations for the climate. The arcade sheltered the ground floor rooms from the sun, while skylights in the ceiling and a ventilated lantern provided light and ventilation to the upper floor. All public rooms and most of the offices were fitted with fireplaces. A platform shade, installed on the northern wall of the building over the platform, sheltered passengers from the weather, and was composed of material from an iron station building imported from England for use at Toowoomba. It was supported by brick buttresses at both ends of the building (extant) and on the arrivals platform (no longer extant).
Commensurate with Stanley’s design approach, materials used for the station reflected elegance but economy. Apart from the recycled iron roof trusses and columns, the building was constructed of machine-pressed bricks made from locally-sourced clay, more affordable than stone, and praised as ‘cleaner, sharper [and] finer’ than Brisbane bricks used in earlier buildings. Freestone for the building dressings and columns was sourced from Murphy’s Creek.
Construction work took place over two years, after contractor John Petrie’s tender of £11,845 was accepted in December 1873. Progress was slow, with the stonework foundations underway in June 1874, and the building only ten foot above the ground by September. The line from Ipswich to Brisbane was opened without ceremony on 14 June 1875. The platform at Brisbane Terminus Passenger Station was half-paved, the rooms and corridors incomplete, the roofing over the platform in progress and there was no permanent lighting. Nonetheless, an interested crowd gathered to watch the first outbound services leave the station. The building was sufficiently complete by August 1875 for the Brisbane Courier to describe it as ‘in all respects convenient, handsome, and well-designed’. The station’s arcade was later highlighted as one of Brisbane’s valued architectural features.
The Brisbane to Ipswich route quickly became the busiest section of line in Queensland. Merchandise and imported goods from the ports were despatched along the line, while produce from the Darling Downs and surrounds – including coal, flour, wool, hay, maize, livestock, vegetable and dairy produce – was brought to Brisbane. A central goods handling facility was opened at the Terminal Station, including a large (64m long) goods shed and two sidings, erected in 1875-6 (no longer extant), while railway produce markets opened outside the station, along George and Roma streets. A maintenance yard also operated at Roma Street, including locomotive and carriage sheds. By 1882 the Terminal Station platforms had been extended to cope with the traffic and trade. Traffic reduced slightly after some export goods were diverted to South Brisbane in 1884,[32] but expanded again.[33] Cattle yards, produce sheds, carriage sheds, gas works, goods sheds, coal stages, cold stores, additional locomotive sheds and siding extensions were all added to Roma Street’s goods yard. None of these structures survive in 2020.
Passengers also used the line. Residential occupation of Toowong and Indooroopilly boomed as middle-class city workers took advantage of the four daily train services. In 1882 rail lines were opened from the Terminal Station to Sandgate and the Racecourse, taking day-trippers to the seaside and races, and bringing northern suburbs passengers into Brisbane. In January 1888, the first through-service to Sydney departed from the Terminal Station. However, travellers criticised the lack of direct access from the Terminal Station to the central business district, and in 1889, the Brisbane Central Railway Station was opened. Central Railway Station (QHR 600073) – located closer to the General Post Office and city office buildings – became Brisbane’s main passenger station, and the original Terminal Station was renamed Roma Street Railway Station.
Despite its diminished status, Roma Street remained a major centre for passengers and travellers. Through the 19th and early 20th centuries, guards of honour lined Roma Street to greet and farewell significant visitors and figures, including premiers Morehead and Griffith, governors Norman and Lamington; Governor-General Munro-Ferguson; the late politician JM Macrossan, who had died in Sydney; singer Nellie Melba; Lord Kitchener; and Salvation Army General Booth. Roma Street continued to operate as the Sydney Mail terminus until 1931, when the service shifted to South Brisbane. Crowds thronged to Roma Street Station as soldiers departed for the South African War and World War I. Travelling circuses performed in the Roma Street yards, and an historic parade in 1936 included a ‘Puffing Billy’ locomotive, which was displayed at the yards until 1959. Roma Street also continued as the city’s primary goods terminus.
The station building played an important role as office accommodation for Queensland railway staff. Internal rearrangements were made to the building to accommodate growing staff numbers, and improve their working conditions. It was one of the first buildings in Queensland to feature electric light, installed in 1884.[50] The Chief Engineer vacated the building in 1901 and was replaced by the general traffic manager’s department, with a telephonic system of communication installed the same year. Bunker, lumber and message rooms were added to the wings by 1907; a traffic collector’s office and new strongroom were installed in 1911; and parcels, printing offices and machine rooms replaced the first-class waiting rooms, guards’ room and lamp room by 1920. In 1915, an additional storey was constructed atop the central carriage porch, providing more accommodation for the Traffic Branch on the first floor. A traffic control system, coordinating trains between Brisbane and Gympie, was installed and operated from the additional storey in 1927.
Queensland’s railway network extended dramatically in the 20th century. The North Coast line connected Brisbane to Gladstone in 1898, Rockhampton in 1904, and Cairns in 1924, providing a direct rail link between Brisbane and Mackay, Townsville, Winton, Forsayth, Cloncurry and Blackall. Southern and western trains reached Dirranbandi, Surat, Cunnamulla and Quilpie. Central Station initially hosted ‘country’ services, but it lacked room for expansion, and Roma Street’s larger site was earmarked for a new country station. Roma Street’s locomotive, carriage and marshalling yard facilities were transferred to the Mayne Rail Yards between 1911 and 1927, and work began on the new station. A 350ft (106m) reinforced concrete, tiled passenger subway was constructed from Roma Street to the platforms in 1936-7, replacing an overhead walkway. A new steel awning was installed above the southern platform (Platform 3 in 2020), in approximately 1939. It was used in conjunction with two platforms at the new country station (no longer extant) for country and other passenger services.
On 30 November 1940 the Country Station was opened at Roma Street Station. This low-lying face brick building and its additional platform sat directly between the 1873-5 building and Roma Street. The new passenger station relieved congestion at Brisbane Central Station and made Roma Street the chief station for long distance travel north. The original station was refurbished, its roof re-clad with corrugated fibrous sheeting; and its brick walls painted red and lined in cream to match the new station building. The southwest pediment was removed and replaced by a new storey on the western end of the building. A covered area was added east of the building where the subway stairs emerged. The original station building was turned over to the General Manager, with offices for clerks, traffic-, livestock-, coach- and wagon staff, maintenance and locomotive staff, telephone and telegraph exchanges, and the train control section.
Further plans to upgrade and alter the building were postponed by World War II, during which time troop trains departed from Roma Street, and the pedestrian subway served as an air-raid shelter.[66] In 1945, plans were drawn to alter doors, windows and stairs in the wings, and partitions on the first floor. A second storey was added over the west wing in 1953 (later removed), and the General Manager’s staircase was repositioned in 1961. Externally, the iron carriage shed platform shade over the northern platform was removed in 1959.
Extensive change was undertaken at Roma Street around the original station building in the late 20th century. The southern and northern Brisbane railway systems were directly connected in the 1970s, with the opening of the Merivale Bridge in 1978. In 1985, the country railway station (1940 building) was demolished and replaced by a multi-storey centre incorporating new railway and bus facilities, a hotel, offices and function centre. The original station building was left intact, and two new interstate platforms with standard gauge rails were built on its southern side. The pedestrian subway was refurbished in 1986, with a broom finish concrete and expansion joints, and grated drains were laid on the floor, and a ceramic tile finish on the wall faces to match the subway tiles at Central Station. Roma Street’s rail freight facility was moved to Acacia Ridge in 1991. During the mid-1990s the platforms north and south of the early station building were re-arranged and extended. A bricked waiting area and new roof were added east of the station. Underground, a new concourse was constructed to replace the pedestrian subway, and a 19m section of the original subway converted to a storage room.
The station building remained the General Manager’s Office until 1974. The station master, staff workers and archive storage occupied the building in the 1990s. By 1993, Roma Street was acknowledged as the oldest surviving railway station building in an Australian capital city, and one of the oldest surviving railway buildings in Queensland. A new office fitout was installed on the ground floor for Queensland Rail and the Queensland Police Rail Squad in 1999. Stabilisation, waterproofing and reconstruction works commenced in 2012, including restoration of the brick, plaster, lead flashings, window joinery and stone works. Replacement bricks were custom made in England; Welsh slate was imported from the UK; replacement stone came from Helidon; and rolled lead from England was installed. In 2015, a new steel beams and suspension system was installed between the two storeys, to lift a 65mm bow in the timber floor beams fit amongst the existing timber structures. The second storey of the west wing was removed and the roofline reconstructed to its original configuration. The restoration received an Australian Institute of Architects Queensland award in 2015.
In 2020 the building is vacant, pending further repairs.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) under construction and fitout at Rosyth Dockyard, Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, UK.
First time I have captured this beauty at Aberdeen Harbour Scotland, another fine addition to my archives, she was a mighty fine sight indeed.
The Sea Cloud II is a large barque built as a cruise ship, and operated by Sea Cloud Cruises GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. A luxury vessel, she sails under the Maltese flag. The Roman suffix II indicates that she is the company's second ship. She is neither a sister to, nor the successor of, the Sea Cloud (ex Hussar II), but a separate vessel.
Concept and construction
Due to the success of the operator's first ship, Sea Cloud, but also for economic reasons, the operator decided to put another sailing ship into service.
Unlike the Sea Cloud, the Sea Cloud II is a newbuilding. The contract for her construction was awarded to the Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán, SA. The keel laying was held there on 24 June 1998.
The rigging was planned and produced by Navicom in Wolgast. The 23 sails were made in Poland.
Sea Cloud II was launched on 18 March 1999.
However, the owner's exacting demands in relation to interior fitout caused delivery problems and personnel problems.
This led to a roughly one-year delay. The ship was eventually handed over to Sea Cloud Cruises on 29 December 2000, in a not yet completely finished state.
On 22 January 2001, the final work was completed.
The Sea Cloud II was christened on 6 February 2001 in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The sponsor was Sabine Christiansen.
Description
Hull
The Sea Cloud II has an overall length of 105.90 m (347 ft 5 in). Her maximum beam is 16.0 m (52 ft 6 in) and her draught is described as 5.70 m (18 ft 8 in). Her hull is built of standard shipbuilding steel, and is fitted with eight watertight bulkheads.
Three of the Sea Cloud II's decks are continuous. She has a 3,849 gross tonnage (GT), and is equipped with three anchors, weighing a total of 2,280 kg (5,030 lb).
Decks
The ship has five decks. The bridge deck is used as a sun deck behind the superstructure. Below it is the main deck, which is called the lido deck. It has a bar, lounge, the Owner Suites and the library.
The promenade deck, or first sub-deck, houses the reception area, restaurant, boutique, and the junior suites. Outside the windows of the suites is a promenade; no balconies are available.
Externally, the Sea Cloud II is recognizable by the long "cutouts" in her hull.
The cabin deck is the second sub-deck. As its name suggests, it houses the cabins, but also a fitness room, sauna and a room for medical care.
On the lowest deck are cabins for the crew members, along with the kitchen and other service facilities. A freight elevator connects the decks.
There is no pool aboard the Sea Cloud II. Instead, she has a foldable platform, which facilitates sea-based watersports.
Cabins and suites
In the cabins and suites, a maximum of 96 passengers can be accommodated. The interior of the Sea Cloud II is air conditioned, and in the cabins and suites, the temperature can be regulated.
There are 27 outside cabins with portholes. By price category, the room sizes range from 12 m2 (130 sq ft) to 20 m2 (220 sq ft).
They are always equipped with two beds, and a TV, safe, shower, toilet and marble vanity tops with gold-plated taps, amongst other features. In the three interior cabins, the lowest category, there are bunk beds.
The 16 "junior suites" are 23 m2 (250 sq ft) in size, and are equipped with large windows.
They also have more luxurious furnishings and interior decorations.
The bathrooms are slightly larger than in the cabins and have a bath. The two so-called "owner suites" differ from the "junior suites" by having a room size of 27 m2 (290 sq ft), more extensive furnishings (including a four-poster bed) and a much larger bathroom with tub and separate shower.
Rigging
The Sea Cloud II is a square-rigger with fore-mast, main-mast and mizzen-mast. The top of her main-mast is 57 m (187 ft) above deck. Her 23 sails have a total area of approximately 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft). She is sailed traditionally by hand, as is common, for example, on sail training ships.
Machinery
The vessel's main power plants consist of two four-stroke diesel engines made by Krupp MaK Maschinenbau GmbH, each developing 1,240 kW (1,660 hp) at 900 revolutions/minute. The propeller is driven via a gear mechanism. Using this means of propulsion, the Sea Cloud II achieves a top speed of about 13 knots. Additionally, she is equipped with a bow thruster.
Three main generators developing a total of 1,653 kW (2,217 hp) generate the on-board voltage of 380/220 V AC, 50 Hz. There is also a 187 kW (251 hp) emergency generator.
Service history
Cruise regions
The Sea Cloud II sails mainly in the Mediterranean in summer and in the Caribbean in winter. Her Atlantic crossings between these two regions are also marketed as cruises.
Rating
Comfort, service and cuisine are at the highest level on the Sea Cloud II. In 2004, the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships therefore gave her a five star rating.
Name:Sea Cloud II
Owner:Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Sea Cloud II mbH & Co KG
Operator:Sea Cloud Cruises
Port of registry:Valletta, Malta
Builder:Astilleros Gondán, S.A. (Spain)
Yard number:405
Laid down:24 June 1998
Launched:18 March 1999
Sponsored by:Sabine Christiansen
Christened:6 February 2001
Completed:22 January 2001
Acquired:29 December 2000
Identification:
Call sign: 9HUE6
IMO number: 9171292
MMSI number: 248953000
Status:In service
General characteristics
Type:Barque, Cruise ship
Tonnage:3,849 GT
1,154 NT
Length:105.90 m (347 ft 5 in)
Beam:16.0 m (52 ft 6 in)
Draught:5.70 m (18 ft 8 in) max
Decks:5
Installed power:2,480 kW (3,330 hp)
Propulsion:
23 sails (3,000 m² area)
2 Krupp MaK 8 M 20 diesels
Sail plan:Barque
Speed:13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) max
Capacity:
96 passengers
379 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Crew:63
First flown in Apr-10 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAO, this aircraft was ferried to the Airbus airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting. It was delivered to Emirates as A6-EDM in Sep-10. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Dubai-World Central because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. It's still stored. Updated 10-May-21.
Volvo Olympian/Alexander Bodied 99-D-453,formally Dublin Bus' RV453,laterly with Ovens Coaches in Cork, now plays host as the Balinadee Bus, a glamping bus in Ballinadee,Cork.
The bus was featured on Dermot Bannon's Super Small Spaces during it's fitout and has proven quite popular since going on hire. Complete with hot tub,bar,seating area and then the bus itself, which reintains many of its Dublin Bus features.
RV453 itself was new to Ringsend Depot as a Wedding bus and for some time was one of 6 RV Class vehicles there. After periods there, and in Broadstone,Summerhill and Phibsboro depot found its way to Cork.
For more information on the bus in it's currect guise click here:
www.airbnb.ie/rooms/49875618?source_impression_id=p3_1633...
September 2021
Sir Frank Brangwyn RA (1867 - 1956) was a noted artist excelling in etching and in lithography and undertook many commercial commissions for advertising including several posters for London Transport and the LNER. In poster it also appears he lettered the poster, something that he seems to have frequently undertaken.
Pollard's was a successful London store and shopfitters founded in 1895 by Edward Pollard. Based for many years to the north of the City they expanded and opened branches in Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin. As part of the trade they moved into architectural metal and bronze work and as well as shop fronts, such as the surviving facades at "Simpson's" on Piccadilly, they undertook liner fitouts. The company are, I think, still in business.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWAK in Oct-16. After interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder the aircraft was delivered to Etihad Airways as A6-API in Mar-17.
As a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic the aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Abu Dhabi, UAE.
It was ferried to Lourdes, France in Jan-21 for long term storage and it was thought it might not return to service. However, it was ferried back to Abu Dhabi in May-23 for post storage heavy maintenance and returned to service on 27-Jul-23. Current, updated 17-Jul-25.
The Unicorn Hotel. I went here tonight with the boys for a schnitzel based on it being on the top 10 schnitzel places in Sydney list. A very nice pub with the bistro downstairs. The old Fringe Bar is very different but I like what they have done. A very retro fitout but in a classic 'old Aussie pub' way. Great service and the schnitty was a good 'un.
Wood-fired locomotive no. 1694, better known as "Climax", slowly clunks uphill towards Menzies Creek station with a short string of empty carriages for the yearly Twilight Train to Lakeside. Of note is the second carriage behind the loco; this is the prototype for the new fleet of carriages being built in 2019. The frames for the new carriages are being built off-site by a contractor with the wood panneling and interior fitout being completed at the Emerald Car Shops.
HISTORY UPDATE... Returning to service after storage.
Named: "Dusseldorf".
First flown in Oct-13 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAO, this aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting before being delivered to Lufthansa as D-AIMK in Mar-14.
It was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and stored at Teruel, Spain. Lufthansa then decided that the A380 fleet wouldn't return to service and would be scrapped.
They have since decided to return some of their A380 fleet to service. This is the first and was ferried Teruel / Frankfurt on 02-Dec-22 prior to return to service. Updated 02-Dec-22.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWSA in May-15. After interior fitout and painting at Airbus Hamburg-Finkenwerder the aircraft was delivered to Etihad Airways as A6-APR in Oct-15.
It was repainted in the 'ADNOC - Choose the United Kingdom' special livery in Oct-19, The aircraft was withdrawn from service in Mar-20 and stored at Abu Dhabi, UAE as a consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In Jun-20 the aircraft was ferried to Teruel, Spain for long-term storage. With the downturn in passenger loads after the Pandemic, Etihad, in common with most of the other A380 operators looked likely to permanently retire the aircraft.
However, in Sep-24 the aircraft was ferried back to Abu Dhabi for heavy maintenance prior to return to service. Updated 02-Oct-24.
First flown in Oct-13 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAG, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder, Germany for interior fitout and painting. It was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EEQ in May-14.
It also carried the 'United for Wildlife' special livery in 2016. Due to the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic the aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Dubai-World Central in Mar-20. It returned to Dubai International in Sep-22 for post-storage maintenance and returned to service on 21-Nov-22. Current, updated 15-Jul-25.
The Queen Victoria Building was designed by City Architect George McRae as Sydney's central market, and constructed between 1893 and 1898. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria in celebration of Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The site, an entire city block, had previously been occupied by a produce market and the Central Police Court. These uses ceased in 1891 and the land was purchased by Sydney City Council. McRae submitted four proposals for the building. The Australasian Builder and Contractors' News described the designs in July 1893 as "scholarly Renaissance", "picturesque Queen Anne", "classic Gothic" and "American Romanesque". The style chosen was the latter and the foundation stone was laid in December 1893 by the Mayor, Sir William Manning. This foundation stone was a five-tonne block of granite, levered and lowered into position at the corner of George and Druitt Streets. The ceremony was the first of a series in which successive mayors laid stones and plaques to mark the progress of construction. The building was notable for its employment in the expansive barrel-form roof of engineering systems which were very advanced at the time of construction. McRae is considered by architectural historians to have been one of the leading protagonists of the new construction methods and materials which were then beginning to break down the conservatism of building techniques. In achieving the strength and space of the building McRae used steel, iron, concrete, reinforcing, machine-made bricks, glass, imported tiles, fire-proofing, riveting and hydraulics on an unprecedented scale. The huge building was finally completed and opened with great ceremony on Mayor Matthew Harris on 21 July 1898. In a lavish ceremony, Alderman Harris said that the building was intended to be more than a municipal market. With judicious management, he said "a marvellous centre of trade will be established here." (SCC)
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 611 feet long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages. (NT)
In the first few decades the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills. There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
The building was heavily criticised in the early years of its operation due to its poor financial return. Original real estate advice indicated the building could pay for itself from rents received, within thirty years. The first few years were slow. In 1898 only 47 out of about 200 available spaces were tenanted. This improved by the following year with another 20 tenants joining the list. By 1905, there were 150 tenants, but it was not until 1917 that the building was reaching its maxim tenancy rate. Up until that time there was a continual shortfall between the costs to Council and the rents received and Council was constantly looking at ways of improving its return.
A remodelling scheme was finally adopted by Council in May 1917. McLeod Brothers were awarded the contract for the work in June 1917 at a cost of (Pounds)40,944.
These alterations in the name of economy and increased floor space destroyed much of the magnificent interior spaces and character of the building. The ground floor arcade was obliterated, the light quality in the basement reduced, the southern entry devalued and the internal voids and galleries reduced and devalued. The alterations were undertaken to remove what Council saw as, 'inherent flaws', in what its Victorian creators considered, an architectural triumph. One of the disturbing aspects of these radical alterations was that now that the building's internal character had been violated and devalued, there was little resistance to further alterations.
The building continued to incur losses and by 1933 the accumulated debt was announced as (Pounds)500,000. No major alterations occurred between 1918 and 1934, but many small alterations to the individual shops such as new partitions, fitouts, and mezzanines were continually taking place.
By the mid 1930s the depression was receding, employment growing, building and business reviving. Time had come to rework the building to further reduce the debt and hopefully return a profit. The Council decided to move the rapidly expanding Electricity Department out of the Town Hall and relocate it in the QVB.
In December 1933, Council voted to approve a major proposal to alter the Queen Victoria Building to suit the requirements of the Electricity Department. Approval was also given to invite tenders for the work. The majority of the work was confined to the central and northern section of the building. Essentially this scheme was to convert the interior to a general office space and install floors in what remained of the Grand Victorian internal spaces. The work costing (Pounds)125,000 was completed by 1935.
Many of the shops at ground floor level in the southern part of the building were retained although they received new shopfronts in line with the updated Art Deco image. The library in the northern area was retained with no new major alterations. The basement was subject to various alterations such as new concrete stairs, timber framed mezzanines and some new plant equipment, but the long term tenants remained in the basement ensuring little need for alterations.
These extensive alterations attracted little public comment at the time. They were accepted within the name of progress as a necessary solution. It is fortunate that the majority of the facade fabric was not altered above the awning line. Perhaps the strength of the architectural image was too strong even for the most practical minded official. An enduring quality the building has always retained is in its ability to change without loosing its external imagery and architectural strength as an element in the city. Up until the early 1970s the building became the home of the SCC and much of its identity in the city was based on this use even though the external envelope had not changed.
The occupancy by the SCC did however provide some security for the building by providing a constant income base. The SCC undertook continual changes to the building, some being significant alterations but the majority were minor such as new partitions, showrooms and fitouts. For example in the thirty years between 1936 and 1966 a total of 79 separate building applications were lodged with the City Council by the SCC. There is little evidence that any of this work, which was basically related to functional uses and the needs of occupants, proceeded with any concern for the architectural strengths of the building.
Proposals for demolition of the building gained strength by the late 1950s in a city eager to modernise and grow rapidly. The post war boom was in full swing and business confidence high. In 1959, Lord Mayor Jensen suggested a scheme demolishing the QVB and replacing it with a public square. Revenue from a badly needed underground carpark would pay for the demolition of the QVB and construction of the square. This scheme gained much support both from the public and the design professions in general. Jensen further suggested an international design competition similar to the competition for the Opera House site and won much support for the idea.
Demolition proposals at the time were largely postponed by the continued presence of the SCC in the building. The SCC required another long lease which was granted by the City Council in 1961. The SCC was planning a new large building opposite town hall and required the existing facilities in the QVB to be retained until its completion. The City Council was in no position to refuse the SCC and thus the demolition proposals were temporarily thwarted, although opinion was always behind demolition and a reuse of the site at the time.
A form of demolition actually started in 1963 with removal of the cupolas on the roof. Concern about their stability was given as the reason for their removal. The contractor paid for their removal, in fact made a larger profit out of the sale of the salvaged cupolas as souvenirs and garden decorations, than for the contract to remove them.
As the new SCC building was nearing completion the question of the QVB's ultimate fate was approaching again. The debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s were largely deflated by the continued occupation of the SCC and other long term tenants, but, as this was not an issue any more, the debate was to enter another stage.
By 1967 calls for its preservation were being made by the National Trust declaring it should be saved because of its historical importance. Calls were also made not only for its preservation but also for its restoration by stripping away the numerous disfigurements, restoring the glass vaulted roof, ground floor arcades, tiled floors, and stone stairs. Many schemes were promoted such as linking the building by underground tunnels to the Town Hall and other city buildings, schemes involving constructing nightclubs or planetariums under the dome, with shops on the lower levels, art galleries, hotel rooms etc on the upper levels. Although these plans would have to wait, the Council actually spent considerable funds on renovating the City Library.
Demolition was still the favoured option by many in the Council. Even as late as 1969 the Labour Party candidate running for mayor in the City Council elections stated that, if elected he would propose demolition of the QVB, which he said was 'a firetrap to make way for a new civic square'. Shortly after and perhaps as a threat to possible demolition, the National Trust upgraded its classification to category 'A', which defined it as 'urgently in need of acquisition and preservation'. By 1971 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects entered the debate advocating preservation, on the grounds of the QVB's historical importance.
In 1971 the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Emmet McDermott, leader of the Civic Reform Group, announced that the QVB would be 'preserved and restored to its original state'. There was no suggestion of how that was going to take place, but such a statement became very much the turning point in the buildings history and eventual fate.
The building was to be saved, but there was no plan or suggestions about where the funds were to come from. In 1979 the Town Clerk, Mr Leon Carter stated; 'The Council is determined that the high cost of rebirth of the QVB will not fall on the blistered shoulders of the weary ratepayer'.
Restoration proposals were held up by a combination of lack of funds and continuing disagreements between Council, potential operators and stakeholders such as the National Trust and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Finally in 1979 a team was established between Architects Stephenson & Turner and Rice & Daubney, Engineers Meinhardt and Partners, Kuttner Collins & Partners for administration, with financial backing by IPOH Garden Berhad. Key conservation groups backed the plan. Negotiations about plans and leases continued for almost three years, but eventually on 1 August 1983 the Lord Mayor and IPOH Garden, signed a ninety-nine year profit-sharing lease.
The building reopened at the end of 1986 in time to catch the busy Christmas trading season. The work took almost four years to complete and included a new underground carpark, linking tunnels and a restored interior. As almost nothing of the original interior fabric was left intact the work largely involved reconstructing the details and atmosphere of the place. The completed project can be considered a sound commercial scheme, but not a true reconstruction. A museum approach to conserving the building was recognised by all authorities as being unworkable as the building would be empty and devoid of the life the restoration brief considered essential.
By 2006, after successfully trading for twenty years, comprehensive plans were being prepared to conserve the exterior and refurbish the interior of the building to ensure the place was commercially viable as an ongoing retail complex. The major upgrade of the building's interiors were designed by the architectural firm Ancher Mortlock and Woolley in association with interior design firm Freeman Rembel.
The recent conservation and refurbishment approach has aimed to clarify the legibility between historic fabric and the new fabric which must be continually updated to ensure the building is viable as an ongoing commercial complex. After its successful refurbishment, the QVB was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on 25th August 2009.
Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.
Arriving from Toulouse (TLS) on it's first flight for internal fitout.
Named: "Surat Thani".
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWDP, this aircraft was delivered to AWAS, leased to Thai Airways International and sub-leased to Thai Smile Airlines as HS-TXP in Sep-14. Current, updated (Aug-19).
First flown Jun-14 with the Airbus test registration F-WWSJ. The aircraft was ferried to the Airbus factory airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting.
It was delivered to Emirates Airline as A6-EOC in Nov-14. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Dubai-World Central in Jul-20 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It was moved back to Dubai-International in May-21 for further storage and returned to service on 01-Sep-21. Current, updated 09-Sep-24.
First time I have captured this beauty at Aberdeen Harbour Scotland, another fine addition to my archives, she was a mighty fine sight indeed.
The Sea Cloud II is a large barque built as a cruise ship, and operated by Sea Cloud Cruises GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. A luxury vessel, she sails under the Maltese flag. The Roman suffix II indicates that she is the company's second ship. She is neither a sister to, nor the successor of, the Sea Cloud (ex Hussar II), but a separate vessel.
Concept and construction
Due to the success of the operator's first ship, Sea Cloud, but also for economic reasons, the operator decided to put another sailing ship into service.
Unlike the Sea Cloud, the Sea Cloud II is a newbuilding. The contract for her construction was awarded to the Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán, SA. The keel laying was held there on 24 June 1998.
The rigging was planned and produced by Navicom in Wolgast. The 23 sails were made in Poland.
Sea Cloud II was launched on 18 March 1999.
However, the owner's exacting demands in relation to interior fitout caused delivery problems and personnel problems.
This led to a roughly one-year delay. The ship was eventually handed over to Sea Cloud Cruises on 29 December 2000, in a not yet completely finished state.
On 22 January 2001, the final work was completed.
The Sea Cloud II was christened on 6 February 2001 in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The sponsor was Sabine Christiansen.
Description
Hull
The Sea Cloud II has an overall length of 105.90 m (347 ft 5 in). Her maximum beam is 16.0 m (52 ft 6 in) and her draught is described as 5.70 m (18 ft 8 in). Her hull is built of standard shipbuilding steel, and is fitted with eight watertight bulkheads.
Three of the Sea Cloud II's decks are continuous. She has a 3,849 gross tonnage (GT), and is equipped with three anchors, weighing a total of 2,280 kg (5,030 lb).
Decks
The ship has five decks. The bridge deck is used as a sun deck behind the superstructure. Below it is the main deck, which is called the lido deck. It has a bar, lounge, the Owner Suites and the library.
The promenade deck, or first sub-deck, houses the reception area, restaurant, boutique, and the junior suites. Outside the windows of the suites is a promenade; no balconies are available.
Externally, the Sea Cloud II is recognizable by the long "cutouts" in her hull.
The cabin deck is the second sub-deck. As its name suggests, it houses the cabins, but also a fitness room, sauna and a room for medical care.
On the lowest deck are cabins for the crew members, along with the kitchen and other service facilities. A freight elevator connects the decks.
There is no pool aboard the Sea Cloud II. Instead, she has a foldable platform, which facilitates sea-based watersports.
Cabins and suites
In the cabins and suites, a maximum of 96 passengers can be accommodated. The interior of the Sea Cloud II is air conditioned, and in the cabins and suites, the temperature can be regulated.
There are 27 outside cabins with portholes. By price category, the room sizes range from 12 m2 (130 sq ft) to 20 m2 (220 sq ft).
They are always equipped with two beds, and a TV, safe, shower, toilet and marble vanity tops with gold-plated taps, amongst other features. In the three interior cabins, the lowest category, there are bunk beds.
The 16 "junior suites" are 23 m2 (250 sq ft) in size, and are equipped with large windows.
They also have more luxurious furnishings and interior decorations.
The bathrooms are slightly larger than in the cabins and have a bath. The two so-called "owner suites" differ from the "junior suites" by having a room size of 27 m2 (290 sq ft), more extensive furnishings (including a four-poster bed) and a much larger bathroom with tub and separate shower.
Rigging
The Sea Cloud II is a square-rigger with fore-mast, main-mast and mizzen-mast. The top of her main-mast is 57 m (187 ft) above deck. Her 23 sails have a total area of approximately 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft). She is sailed traditionally by hand, as is common, for example, on sail training ships.
Machinery
The vessel's main power plants consist of two four-stroke diesel engines made by Krupp MaK Maschinenbau GmbH, each developing 1,240 kW (1,660 hp) at 900 revolutions/minute. The propeller is driven via a gear mechanism. Using this means of propulsion, the Sea Cloud II achieves a top speed of about 13 knots. Additionally, she is equipped with a bow thruster.
Three main generators developing a total of 1,653 kW (2,217 hp) generate the on-board voltage of 380/220 V AC, 50 Hz. There is also a 187 kW (251 hp) emergency generator.
Service history
Cruise regions
The Sea Cloud II sails mainly in the Mediterranean in summer and in the Caribbean in winter. Her Atlantic crossings between these two regions are also marketed as cruises.
Rating
Comfort, service and cuisine are at the highest level on the Sea Cloud II. In 2004, the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships therefore gave her a five star rating.
Name:Sea Cloud II
Owner:Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Sea Cloud II mbH & Co KG
Operator:Sea Cloud Cruises
Port of registry:Valletta, Malta
Builder:Astilleros Gondán, S.A. (Spain)
Yard number:405
Laid down:24 June 1998
Launched:18 March 1999
Sponsored by:Sabine Christiansen
Christened:6 February 2001
Completed:22 January 2001
Acquired:29 December 2000
Identification:
Call sign: 9HUE6
IMO number: 9171292
MMSI number: 248953000
Status:In service
General characteristics
Type:Barque, Cruise ship
Tonnage:3,849 GT
1,154 NT
Length:105.90 m (347 ft 5 in)
Beam:16.0 m (52 ft 6 in)
Draught:5.70 m (18 ft 8 in) max
Decks:5
Installed power:2,480 kW (3,330 hp)
Propulsion:
23 sails (3,000 m² area)
2 Krupp MaK 8 M 20 diesels
Sail plan:Barque
Speed:13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) max
Capacity:
96 passengers
379 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Crew:63
Replacing a photo taken in Apr-15 with a better version.
First flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWST in Sep-13. After interior fitout and painting at Hamburg-Finkenwerder. It was apparently ready for delivery around Apr-14 but Qatar refused delivery because of a problem with the galley floor (a friend at Finkenwerder told me that the galley floor was fixed in less than a week and the real reason for the delivery delay was because the new A380 terminal at Doha wasn't finished!). The aircraft was delivered to Qatar Airways as A7-APA in Sep-14. Current, updated (Jun-20).
First time I have captured this beauty at Aberdeen Harbour Scotland, another fine addition to my archives, she was a mighty fine sight indeed.
The Sea Cloud II is a large barque built as a cruise ship, and operated by Sea Cloud Cruises GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. A luxury vessel, she sails under the Maltese flag. The Roman suffix II indicates that she is the company's second ship. She is neither a sister to, nor the successor of, the Sea Cloud (ex Hussar II), but a separate vessel.
Concept and construction
Due to the success of the operator's first ship, Sea Cloud, but also for economic reasons, the operator decided to put another sailing ship into service.
Unlike the Sea Cloud, the Sea Cloud II is a newbuilding. The contract for her construction was awarded to the Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán, SA. The keel laying was held there on 24 June 1998.
The rigging was planned and produced by Navicom in Wolgast. The 23 sails were made in Poland.
Sea Cloud II was launched on 18 March 1999.
However, the owner's exacting demands in relation to interior fitout caused delivery problems and personnel problems.
This led to a roughly one-year delay. The ship was eventually handed over to Sea Cloud Cruises on 29 December 2000, in a not yet completely finished state.
On 22 January 2001, the final work was completed.
The Sea Cloud II was christened on 6 February 2001 in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The sponsor was Sabine Christiansen.
Description
Hull
The Sea Cloud II has an overall length of 105.90 m (347 ft 5 in). Her maximum beam is 16.0 m (52 ft 6 in) and her draught is described as 5.70 m (18 ft 8 in). Her hull is built of standard shipbuilding steel, and is fitted with eight watertight bulkheads.
Three of the Sea Cloud II's decks are continuous. She has a 3,849 gross tonnage (GT), and is equipped with three anchors, weighing a total of 2,280 kg (5,030 lb).
Decks
The ship has five decks. The bridge deck is used as a sun deck behind the superstructure. Below it is the main deck, which is called the lido deck. It has a bar, lounge, the Owner Suites and the library.
The promenade deck, or first sub-deck, houses the reception area, restaurant, boutique, and the junior suites. Outside the windows of the suites is a promenade; no balconies are available.
Externally, the Sea Cloud II is recognizable by the long "cutouts" in her hull.
The cabin deck is the second sub-deck. As its name suggests, it houses the cabins, but also a fitness room, sauna and a room for medical care.
On the lowest deck are cabins for the crew members, along with the kitchen and other service facilities. A freight elevator connects the decks.
There is no pool aboard the Sea Cloud II. Instead, she has a foldable platform, which facilitates sea-based watersports.
Cabins and suites
In the cabins and suites, a maximum of 96 passengers can be accommodated. The interior of the Sea Cloud II is air conditioned, and in the cabins and suites, the temperature can be regulated.
There are 27 outside cabins with portholes. By price category, the room sizes range from 12 m2 (130 sq ft) to 20 m2 (220 sq ft).
They are always equipped with two beds, and a TV, safe, shower, toilet and marble vanity tops with gold-plated taps, amongst other features. In the three interior cabins, the lowest category, there are bunk beds.
The 16 "junior suites" are 23 m2 (250 sq ft) in size, and are equipped with large windows.
They also have more luxurious furnishings and interior decorations.
The bathrooms are slightly larger than in the cabins and have a bath. The two so-called "owner suites" differ from the "junior suites" by having a room size of 27 m2 (290 sq ft), more extensive furnishings (including a four-poster bed) and a much larger bathroom with tub and separate shower.
Rigging
The Sea Cloud II is a square-rigger with fore-mast, main-mast and mizzen-mast. The top of her main-mast is 57 m (187 ft) above deck. Her 23 sails have a total area of approximately 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft). She is sailed traditionally by hand, as is common, for example, on sail training ships.
Machinery
The vessel's main power plants consist of two four-stroke diesel engines made by Krupp MaK Maschinenbau GmbH, each developing 1,240 kW (1,660 hp) at 900 revolutions/minute. The propeller is driven via a gear mechanism. Using this means of propulsion, the Sea Cloud II achieves a top speed of about 13 knots. Additionally, she is equipped with a bow thruster.
Three main generators developing a total of 1,653 kW (2,217 hp) generate the on-board voltage of 380/220 V AC, 50 Hz. There is also a 187 kW (251 hp) emergency generator.
Service history
Cruise regions
The Sea Cloud II sails mainly in the Mediterranean in summer and in the Caribbean in winter. Her Atlantic crossings between these two regions are also marketed as cruises.
Rating
Comfort, service and cuisine are at the highest level on the Sea Cloud II. In 2004, the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships therefore gave her a five star rating.
Name:Sea Cloud II
Owner:Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Sea Cloud II mbH & Co KG
Operator:Sea Cloud Cruises
Port of registry:Valletta, Malta
Builder:Astilleros Gondán, S.A. (Spain)
Yard number:405
Laid down:24 June 1998
Launched:18 March 1999
Sponsored by:Sabine Christiansen
Christened:6 February 2001
Completed:22 January 2001
Acquired:29 December 2000
Identification:
Call sign: 9HUE6
IMO number: 9171292
MMSI number: 248953000
Status:In service
General characteristics
Type:Barque, Cruise ship
Tonnage:3,849 GT
1,154 NT
Length:105.90 m (347 ft 5 in)
Beam:16.0 m (52 ft 6 in)
Draught:5.70 m (18 ft 8 in) max
Decks:5
Installed power:2,480 kW (3,330 hp)
Propulsion:
23 sails (3,000 m² area)
2 Krupp MaK 8 M 20 diesels
Sail plan:Barque
Speed:13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) max
Capacity:
96 passengers
379 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
Crew:63
The Queen Victoria Building was designed by City Architect George McRae as Sydney's central market, and constructed between 1893 and 1898. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria in celebration of Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The site, an entire city block, had previously been occupied by a produce market and the Central Police Court. These uses ceased in 1891 and the land was purchased by Sydney City Council. McRae submitted four proposals for the building. The Australasian Builder and Contractors' News described the designs in July 1893 as "scholarly Renaissance", "picturesque Queen Anne", "classic Gothic" and "American Romanesque". The style chosen was the latter and the foundation stone was laid in December 1893 by the Mayor, Sir William Manning. This foundation stone was a five-tonne block of granite, levered and lowered into position at the corner of George and Druitt Streets. The ceremony was the first of a series in which successive mayors laid stones and plaques to mark the progress of construction. The building was notable for its employment in the expansive barrel-form roof of engineering systems which were very advanced at the time of construction. McRae is considered by architectural historians to have been one of the leading protagonists of the new construction methods and materials which were then beginning to break down the conservatism of building techniques. In achieving the strength and space of the building McRae used steel, iron, concrete, reinforcing, machine-made bricks, glass, imported tiles, fire-proofing, riveting and hydraulics on an unprecedented scale. The huge building was finally completed and opened with great ceremony on Mayor Matthew Harris on 21 July 1898. In a lavish ceremony, Alderman Harris said that the building was intended to be more than a municipal market. With judicious management, he said "a marvellous centre of trade will be established here." (SCC)
The original concept was for an internal shopping street 611 feet long with two levels of shops on either side. In 1917 and 1935 alterations converted the interior to office space with shops to the external street frontages. (NT)
In the first few decades the QVB had the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar, and the earliest tenants conducted a mixture of commerce, crafts and skills. There were shops, studios, offices and workrooms for some two hundred traders, dealers and artisans. Housed within the upper galleries were more studious and scholarly tenancies, such as bookshops, sheet music shops, piano-sellers and piano-tuners, as well as the salons of private teachers of music, dancing, singing, elocution, painting, sculpting, drawing and dressmaking. There were also more decorous sports including a billiards saloon, a gymnasium for ladies and a table tennis hall.
The building was heavily criticised in the early years of its operation due to its poor financial return. Original real estate advice indicated the building could pay for itself from rents received, within thirty years. The first few years were slow. In 1898 only 47 out of about 200 available spaces were tenanted. This improved by the following year with another 20 tenants joining the list. By 1905, there were 150 tenants, but it was not until 1917 that the building was reaching its maxim tenancy rate. Up until that time there was a continual shortfall between the costs to Council and the rents received and Council was constantly looking at ways of improving its return.
A remodelling scheme was finally adopted by Council in May 1917. McLeod Brothers were awarded the contract for the work in June 1917 at a cost of (Pounds)40,944.
These alterations in the name of economy and increased floor space destroyed much of the magnificent interior spaces and character of the building. The ground floor arcade was obliterated, the light quality in the basement reduced, the southern entry devalued and the internal voids and galleries reduced and devalued. The alterations were undertaken to remove what Council saw as, 'inherent flaws', in what its Victorian creators considered, an architectural triumph. One of the disturbing aspects of these radical alterations was that now that the building's internal character had been violated and devalued, there was little resistance to further alterations.
The building continued to incur losses and by 1933 the accumulated debt was announced as (Pounds)500,000. No major alterations occurred between 1918 and 1934, but many small alterations to the individual shops such as new partitions, fitouts, and mezzanines were continually taking place.
By the mid 1930s the depression was receding, employment growing, building and business reviving. Time had come to rework the building to further reduce the debt and hopefully return a profit. The Council decided to move the rapidly expanding Electricity Department out of the Town Hall and relocate it in the QVB.
In December 1933, Council voted to approve a major proposal to alter the Queen Victoria Building to suit the requirements of the Electricity Department. Approval was also given to invite tenders for the work. The majority of the work was confined to the central and northern section of the building. Essentially this scheme was to convert the interior to a general office space and install floors in what remained of the Grand Victorian internal spaces. The work costing (Pounds)125,000 was completed by 1935.
Many of the shops at ground floor level in the southern part of the building were retained although they received new shopfronts in line with the updated Art Deco image. The library in the northern area was retained with no new major alterations. The basement was subject to various alterations such as new concrete stairs, timber framed mezzanines and some new plant equipment, but the long term tenants remained in the basement ensuring little need for alterations.
These extensive alterations attracted little public comment at the time. They were accepted within the name of progress as a necessary solution. It is fortunate that the majority of the facade fabric was not altered above the awning line. Perhaps the strength of the architectural image was too strong even for the most practical minded official. An enduring quality the building has always retained is in its ability to change without loosing its external imagery and architectural strength as an element in the city. Up until the early 1970s the building became the home of the SCC and much of its identity in the city was based on this use even though the external envelope had not changed.
The occupancy by the SCC did however provide some security for the building by providing a constant income base. The SCC undertook continual changes to the building, some being significant alterations but the majority were minor such as new partitions, showrooms and fitouts. For example in the thirty years between 1936 and 1966 a total of 79 separate building applications were lodged with the City Council by the SCC. There is little evidence that any of this work, which was basically related to functional uses and the needs of occupants, proceeded with any concern for the architectural strengths of the building.
Proposals for demolition of the building gained strength by the late 1950s in a city eager to modernise and grow rapidly. The post war boom was in full swing and business confidence high. In 1959, Lord Mayor Jensen suggested a scheme demolishing the QVB and replacing it with a public square. Revenue from a badly needed underground carpark would pay for the demolition of the QVB and construction of the square. This scheme gained much support both from the public and the design professions in general. Jensen further suggested an international design competition similar to the competition for the Opera House site and won much support for the idea.
Demolition proposals at the time were largely postponed by the continued presence of the SCC in the building. The SCC required another long lease which was granted by the City Council in 1961. The SCC was planning a new large building opposite town hall and required the existing facilities in the QVB to be retained until its completion. The City Council was in no position to refuse the SCC and thus the demolition proposals were temporarily thwarted, although opinion was always behind demolition and a reuse of the site at the time.
A form of demolition actually started in 1963 with removal of the cupolas on the roof. Concern about their stability was given as the reason for their removal. The contractor paid for their removal, in fact made a larger profit out of the sale of the salvaged cupolas as souvenirs and garden decorations, than for the contract to remove them.
As the new SCC building was nearing completion the question of the QVB's ultimate fate was approaching again. The debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s were largely deflated by the continued occupation of the SCC and other long term tenants, but, as this was not an issue any more, the debate was to enter another stage.
By 1967 calls for its preservation were being made by the National Trust declaring it should be saved because of its historical importance. Calls were also made not only for its preservation but also for its restoration by stripping away the numerous disfigurements, restoring the glass vaulted roof, ground floor arcades, tiled floors, and stone stairs. Many schemes were promoted such as linking the building by underground tunnels to the Town Hall and other city buildings, schemes involving constructing nightclubs or planetariums under the dome, with shops on the lower levels, art galleries, hotel rooms etc on the upper levels. Although these plans would have to wait, the Council actually spent considerable funds on renovating the City Library.
Demolition was still the favoured option by many in the Council. Even as late as 1969 the Labour Party candidate running for mayor in the City Council elections stated that, if elected he would propose demolition of the QVB, which he said was 'a firetrap to make way for a new civic square'. Shortly after and perhaps as a threat to possible demolition, the National Trust upgraded its classification to category 'A', which defined it as 'urgently in need of acquisition and preservation'. By 1971 the Royal Australian Institute of Architects entered the debate advocating preservation, on the grounds of the QVB's historical importance.
In 1971 the new Lord Mayor, Alderman Emmet McDermott, leader of the Civic Reform Group, announced that the QVB would be 'preserved and restored to its original state'. There was no suggestion of how that was going to take place, but such a statement became very much the turning point in the buildings history and eventual fate.
The building was to be saved, but there was no plan or suggestions about where the funds were to come from. In 1979 the Town Clerk, Mr Leon Carter stated; 'The Council is determined that the high cost of rebirth of the QVB will not fall on the blistered shoulders of the weary ratepayer'.
Restoration proposals were held up by a combination of lack of funds and continuing disagreements between Council, potential operators and stakeholders such as the National Trust and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Finally in 1979 a team was established between Architects Stephenson & Turner and Rice & Daubney, Engineers Meinhardt and Partners, Kuttner Collins & Partners for administration, with financial backing by IPOH Garden Berhad. Key conservation groups backed the plan. Negotiations about plans and leases continued for almost three years, but eventually on 1 August 1983 the Lord Mayor and IPOH Garden, signed a ninety-nine year profit-sharing lease.
The building reopened at the end of 1986 in time to catch the busy Christmas trading season. The work took almost four years to complete and included a new underground carpark, linking tunnels and a restored interior. As almost nothing of the original interior fabric was left intact the work largely involved reconstructing the details and atmosphere of the place. The completed project can be considered a sound commercial scheme, but not a true reconstruction. A museum approach to conserving the building was recognised by all authorities as being unworkable as the building would be empty and devoid of the life the restoration brief considered essential.
By 2006, after successfully trading for twenty years, comprehensive plans were being prepared to conserve the exterior and refurbish the interior of the building to ensure the place was commercially viable as an ongoing retail complex. The major upgrade of the building's interiors were designed by the architectural firm Ancher Mortlock and Woolley in association with interior design firm Freeman Rembel.
The recent conservation and refurbishment approach has aimed to clarify the legibility between historic fabric and the new fabric which must be continually updated to ensure the building is viable as an ongoing commercial complex. After its successful refurbishment, the QVB was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on 25th August 2009.
Source: New South Wales Heritage Register.
Taken in poor early morning light, so a bit grainy...
Named: "Bert Hinkler".
This aircraft was first flown in Sep-10 with the Airbus test registration F-WWAQ. It was ferried to the Airbus facility at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitout and painting before being delivered to QANTAS Airways as VH-OQJ in Apr-11. Current (Sep-18).