During the early days of the colony of New South Wales the Naval Ordnance and powder came, as was the case in Great Britain, under the control of the Master General of the Ordnance through the Board of Ordnance which existed between 1597 and 1855. The Master General of the Ordnance had both a military role, as commander of the Artillery and the Engineers, and a civil role, as head of the Ordnance Department.
On the civil side, the Board of Ordnance controlled stores, lands, geographical and geological survey, defensive works, barracks, military hospitals, factories and contracts.
In 1855 the responsibility for the administration of ordnance passed to the Secretary of State for War by royal decree "revoking the letters patent of the Master General, Lieutenant-General and Principal Storekeeper of the Ordnance".
Until 1836 there was no branch of the Ordnance Department in New South Wales; the Commissary kept a separate account of Ordnance stores received, issued and remaining. On 1 January 1836 the Royal Engineer and Ordnance Storekeeper, who had arrived from Britain late in 1835, commenced duties. In 1837 the Colonial Stores were placed under Ordnance Superintendence and on 1 January 1839 the Ordnance Storekeeper took charge of the Colonial Store Department.
On 1 January 1845 the Colonial Storekeeper's Department was separated from Ordnance control because of the expansion in Colonial business. In 1870 the Ordnance Storekeeper's Department was abolished with the withdrawal of Imperial forces from the Colony.
The situation therefore was that up to 1870, the Naval Ordnance and powder on shore had been under the control of either the Commissary or the Military (the Ordnance Storekeeper). The withdrawal of the Imperial troops in 1870 forced the Navy to appoint a paymaster to take charge of the naval and victualling stores and a first class gunner to take charge of the ordnance stores.
The construction of the Spectacle Island powder magazine was a direct result of the overcrowding of the Goat Island magazine; the latter being used for storage of merchant's powder as well as the military and naval powder. For example, on 12 February 1861 the Foreman of Magazines at Goat Island wrote to the Assistant Military Storekeeper:
Sir,
I beg leave to acquaint you, that the consignment of Merchant Gunpowder 749 Barrels received per Ship "Calabar" have been stored in the passages of the Magazines, the whole of the Racks and Bays being quite full. - The Passages of the Large Magazine are full, as are also the Passages of Nos 1 and 3 Colonial Magazines - No. 1 almost crammed.
Should another consignment of Gunpowder arrive shortly there is no space for storage in the Magazines.
I am
Most Respectfully
Sir,Your obedient humble servant
Midgley(?)
Spectacle Island had been canvassed as a site for a magazine as early as 1848, although in early 1862 a site at the rear of Victoria Barracks was also being considered. The latter site was dismissed by Percival Wilkinson, the Assistant Military Storekeeper, because of "the inconvenience of such considerable land conveyance of large quantities of Ammunition and the ground being low and damp". By May 1862 the Colonial Architect had finalised and costed a plan of works for the magazine, based on advice from the Brigade Major and the Assistant Superintendent of Stores. The estimated cost of the works comprising a "Gunpowder Magazine with Guard House and other necessary buildings" was 7,000 pounds; this was placed on the estimates for 1863 and was approved by 23 January 1863 when the Colonial Architect was requested to carry out the works.
Tenders were called for the work; the highest tender being for 11,350 pounds and the lowest for 6,430 pounds. The successful tenderer was Mr. John Gwynneth who tendered 7,439 pounds. The contract for the work was issued about 26 August 1863. Mr. Gwynneth went bankrupt with the work only partially completed and despite a request from the Official Assignee that the contact not be re-tendered, this course of action was taken and a contract for completion was let to Mr. William Thornton on 21 November 1864 for the sum of 4,450 pounds.
Contracts were let in 1865 to equip the new magazine; items provided included furniture, powder wagons and magazine trucks.
The buildings of the new magazine were completed by about the 20th of September, 1865.
Maintenance of the new buildings was a problem, the more so as tradesmen were reluctant to travel to the Island for small jobs. Thus, in 1868, the job of painting the magazine was undertaken, no doubt in their off duty hours, by the men of the Royal Artillery who were paid six pounds ten shillings for their efforts. Within a few years termites had eaten their way into the magazine as was duly reported by the Assistant Superintendent of Stores to the Under Secretary for Finance and Trade:
Sir,
I have the honour to report for the information of the Honourable the Treasurer that the white ant has made its appearance in one of the magazines at Spectacle Island.
The ravages of the "white ant" (termites) figure prominently in the periodic maintenance requests in the files of the Colonial Architect.
In 1871 a tender was accepted for the erection of cottages on the Island; these were in addition to the Foreman's quarters originally provided. These cottages were evidently located hard by the magazine and by 1876 were being regarded, probably as a result of the recommendations of the 1875 Storage of Gunpowder Board, as a safety hazard. In the additional estimates for 1876 the sum of 800 pounds was voted for the erection of two replacement cottages (to the 1871 specification). 350 pounds was also voted for the extension of the wharf, this work being necessary as due to a miscalculation when first constructed, lighters could not be brought alongside at low water.
The two cottages were under construction in March 1877 when a requisition was submitted for the construction of a new laboratory. Stone for the cottages was being quarried on the island, and the site proposed for the laboratory was where the quarrying was being done. It is apparent that at this time the island comprised two parts connected only by a narrow isthmus possibly under water at high tide, as the construction of a road to connect the two islands was proposed using the stone "ballast" from the quarrying operation.
The laboratory, a boatshed and a new "temporary" magazine all appear to have been completed about 1878.
About this time negotiations were proceeding between the Commodore in Charge of the Australia Station, on behalf of the Admiralty, and the Colonial Government for the provision of naval facilities on the station. The Government wanted to shift the powder from Goat Island due to the danger to the population of Sydney and, because the new flagship, HMS Nelson, required extensive warlike stores, it was suggested that Spectacle Island was a suitable site for their storage. Also of concern was the powder and guns for arming merchant ships as cruisers in wartime.
Following the agreement for the transfer of the Island, work quickly went ahead on the necessary works. These included:
These works were progressively completed during 1884 and 1885.
