Cannon Hill State School is a heritage-listed state school at 845 Wynnum Road, Cannon Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 12 June 2015.
History
Cannon Hill State School opened in 1915 on a site in the suburb of Cannon Hill, approximately east of central Brisbane, to meet the demand for primary school education in the area. Suburban development after World War II spurred the construction of additional buildings to accommodate the school's growing pupil numbers. Cannon Hill State School comprises a complex of six school buildings, including one suburban timber school building (1915); a building designed to match it (1947, with 1957 highset timber building extension); a temporary classroom building (), one highset timber school building (1954); a timber-framed school building incorporating open web floor trusses (1959); and one of the earliest state school swimming pools (1921); set in landscaped grounds with mature trees. The school has been in continuous operation since its establishment and has been a focus for the local community as a place for important social and cultural activities.
The provision of state-administered education was important to the colonial governments of Australia. Following the introduction of the Education Act 1860, which established the Board of General Education and began standardising curriculum, training and facilities, Queensland's national and public schools grew rapidly.Thom Blake, "Educating Queenslanders" in Queensland Historical Thematic Framework, 2007 (rev. ed. 2013 by EHP), p.2. The State Education Act 1875 provided for free, compulsory and secular primary education and established the Department of Public Instruction. This further standardised the provision of education, and despite difficulties, achieved the remarkable feat of bringing basic literacy to most Queensland children by 1900.Greg Logan and Eddie Clarke, State Education in Queensland: a brief history, a report for the Department of Education, Queensland, 1984, p.2.
Prior to 1900, the development of the suburb of Cannon Hill was strongly linked to the establishment of local industries and the arrival of affluent settlers in the 1860s – including the Weedon family who, in 1867, built one of the earliest residences in Cannon Hill, known as "Cannon Hill House".John Gilfoyle, Remember Cannon Hill. Boolarong, Salisbury, Qld, 2009, p.24. Cannon Hill and its surrounding district were pastoral and agricultural during this time and the cultivation of sugar cane was the major local industry.Annette Wilson and 60 & Better Cannon Hill History Group. A History of the local people, Volume 2. Morningside, Qld: A Wilson, 2000, n.p. A brickworks operated in Cannon Hill from about 1875 and by the late 1800s the suburb had become semi-industrial, although much of the area remained open bushland. With the establishment of a slaughterhouse in 1906, and the construction of abattoirs and livestock saleyards, Cannon Hill became known as a meatworkers' area in the early 1900s.Annette Wilson et al, A History of the local people, Volume 2, n.p.
The growth of the suburb was stimulated by the establishment of the Swift Company, which built a large abattoir in 1913, described as one of the largest industrial operations undertaken in Queensland at the time.Brisbane City. A history of Bulimba Creek Valley, <http://www.members.optusnet. com.au/belmont.history/history.htm>, accessed March 2015. With the influx of residents, created by employment in the flourishing meatworks business, the demand for a local school in Cannon Hill increased significantly. The lack of a local school meant many children had to travel several kilometres to Bulimba, Norman Park or Hemmant to attend primary school.Keith Day, Of Cannon Hill - A Few Reflections. Brisbane: K. Day, 1998, n.p.
The establishment of schools was considered an essential step in the development of early communities and integral to their success. Locals often donated land and labour for a school's construction and the school community contributed to maintenance and development. One of the most prominent families residing in Cannon Hill in the early 1900s was the Bartlett family, who owned a significant amount of land, including the portion of land that would later become the site for Cannon Hill State School. According to oral histories, the Bartlett family was strongly associated with the establishment of Cannon Hill State School, intentionally acquiring land for a local school, and subsequently selling four acres to the Department of Public Instruction in 1914.Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM), Titles, Surveys, Plans. Walker James Bartlett was a member of the 1913 committee that promoted the establishment of a state school and once the school opened in 1915, became chairman of the first school committee.
To help ensure consistency and economy, the Queensland Government developed standard plans for its school buildings. From the 1860s until the 1960s, Queensland school buildings were predominantly timber-framed, an easy and cost-effective approach that also enabled the government to provide facilities in remote areas. Standard designs were continually refined in response to changing needs and educational philosophy and Queensland school buildings were particularly innovative in climate control, lighting and ventilation. Standardisation produced distinctly similar schools across Queensland with complexes of typical components.Burmester et al, Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, pp.84, 120-1.
Cannon Hill State School, which cost , was officially opened on 25 September 1915 by the Hon. Herbert Hardacre, Minister for Public Instruction.'Cannon Hill State School', Brisbane Courier, 27 September 1915, p.9. The original school building, (Block B), is an intact example of a suburban timber school building (Type C/T8), with a U-shaped plan, comprising classrooms and two teachers rooms.The Queenslander, 2 October 1915, p. 15; Burmester et al, Michael Kennedy Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, Part I, pp.23-4. The timber building was designed with one central and two side wings, roofed with Marseilles tiles, and metal ceiled. Each wing was divided into wide classrooms, divided by folding partitions. Ventilation features included hinged ventilation boards to floor level and prominent roof vents, or fleches, centrally mounted on the roof atop a system of metal ducts that ventilated the roof space.Project Services. "Cannon Hill State School" in Queensland Schools Heritage Study Part II Report, for Education Queensland, 2008. The functional and decorative fleches appear to have been removed between 1971 and 19741971 aerial, DNRM Smartmaps QAP2379-7: 1974 aerial, DNRM Smartmaps QAP2758-421. (possibly in association with the replacement of the terracotta roof tiles with corrugated metal sheeting). Battened gable infills were also visible in the original design documents and early images of the school.'Cannon Hill New State School Buildings', floor plan and front elevation, October 1914; Image of Cannon Hill State School, 1915, Brisbane City Council, DPW AR1914-15. This building type solved many of the problems of light, ventilation and classroom size that plagued previous school designs as well as providing what was considered the ideal, modern education environment.Burmester et al, Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, Part I, p.21. A significant feature was the construction of large windows, along with a particular classroom arrangement designed to maximise natural light from the left; a strategy developed by the Department of Works between 1894 and 1914.Project Services. "Cannon Hill State School".
Under the stewardship of the Department of Public Works, which retained responsibility for schools until 2013, and through the involvement of some of Queensland's most innovative architects, school buildings became more advanced and diverse. This was the outcome of years of systematic reform and experimentation.Burmester et al, Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, Part I, pp.17, 19-20. The suburban timber school building demonstrates these advances in school architecture, especially in lighting and the building layout. Visiting Cannon Hill State School in 1915, the Hon. Herbert Hardacre (Minister for Public Instruction) praised Cannon Hill State School as "best in the state on grounds of health and economy" and suggested it was a high-water mark in school architecture.'Cannon Hill SS', The Queenslander, 2 October 1915, p.15. John Douglas Story (Under Secretary, Department of Public Instruction) termed the school "the most scientific building yet erected" in Queensland and maintained that "it lent itself in every way to the healthy education of the children".
In 1916, the school's sports ground was established at a cost of , marking the start of a number of landscape modifications to Cannon Hill State School. The provision of outdoor play space was a result of the early and continuing commitment to play-based education, particularly in primary school. Trees and gardens were planted as part of beautification of the school. In the 1870s, schools inspector, William Boyd, was critical of tropical schools and amongst his recommendations stressed the importance of the adding shade trees to playgrounds. In addition, Arbor Day celebrations began in Queensland in 1890. Landscape elements were often constructed to standard designs and were intrinsic to Queensland Government education philosophies. Educators believed gardening and Arbor Days instilled in young minds the value of hard work and activity, improved classroom discipline, developed aesthetic tastes, and inspired people to stay on the land. Aesthetically designed gardens were encouraged by regional inspectors.Burmester et al, Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, Part I, pp.44-5. On Arbor Day 29 April 1916, 120 trees and shrubs were planted in the school grounds.'Metropolitan Districts' Brisbane Courier, 1 May 1916, p.9. The Minister of Education, visiting the school in September 1919 to open a tennis court, noted the school grounds had been transformed by two beautifully laid out gardens including rose bushes, sweet peas and carnations.'Cannon Hill School', The Telegraph, 20 September 1919, p.5.
Schools became a community focus, a symbol of progress, and a source of pride, with enduring connections formed with past pupils, parents, and teachers. The inclusion of war memorials and community halls reinforced these connections and provided a venue for a wide range of community events in schools across Queensland.Project Services, "Mount Morgan State High School" in Queensland Schools Heritage Study Part II Report, for Education Queensland, 2008, pp. 4-5; Burmester et al, Queensland Schools A Heritage Conservation Study, pp.91-2. On 23 September 1919, a war memorial comprising an avenue of various trees was planted in the grounds.'Honour Avenue', Brisbane Courier, 23 September 1919, p.9. These could not be identified in 2015. In 2007, a war memorial plaque was added to the school, next to a mature rosemary bush.'Monumental Australia', https://www.monumentaustralia.org/themes/conflict/multiple/display/94910-cannon-hill-state-school-war-memorial, accessed April, 2015.