Peppin Heritage Centre Refurbishment

Project Overview

Location: Peppin Heritage Centre, 295 George Street, Deniliquin NSW  |  Project Value: $350,000  |  Completed: December 2022  |  Role: Project management — scoping, procurement and contractor management

In8 provided project management for the refurbishment of the Peppin Heritage Centre, a State and locally listed heritage building in Deniliquin, NSW, on behalf of Edward River Council. Our scope covered detailed scoping, procurement and contractor management through to project completion, delivering conservation-grade repair works to a heritage-listed former public school building while it remained in continuous public use as a visitor centre, museum, gallery and café precinct.

Heritage Significance

The Peppin Heritage Centre occupies the former George Street Public School and Headmasters Residence, State listed as Heritage Item 00144 and locally listed as Heritage Item I26 under the Deniliquin Local Environmental Plan 2013. The school building dates to 1879, with the adjoining schoolmaster's residence built in 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. The school closed in 1972 and the site was adapted for reuse as a Bicentennial project, opening as the Peppin Heritage Centre in April 1988.

The centre now houses the Deniliquin Visitor Information Centre, the Peppin Gallery, and a museum interpreting the Peppin Stud merino and wool industry that shaped the region, including the Warriston Ram Shed and the "Settling the Edward" exhibition. The site attracts over 17,000 visitors a year.

In8's Role

• Scoping and heritage assessment: Detailed scoping of works undertaken on a "like for like" basis, consistent with the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter's cautionary principle, given the building's State and Local heritage listing.
• Procurement: Managing procurement of contractors capable of delivering conservation-grade heritage repair works.
• Contractor management: Overseeing contractor performance and delivery through to project completion.
• Live-site delivery: Coordinating works while the centre remained in continuous public use as a visitor centre, museum, gallery and café precinct.

Scope of Works

• Repairs and partial replacement of the slate roof, including slate, flashings, valleys, ridge roll capping, dormer verts and spouting/gutters
• Renewal, replacement and painting of external timber work, including fascia, barge boards, vents, finials and spire
• Replacement of the external verandah, including substructure, posts, decking, roof structure, corrugated roofing, flashings and guttering
• Repair of external walls, including rectification of cracking in mortar and brickwork
• Repair of structural roof members
• Replacement of the Ram Shed thatch roof
• General repainting of external finishes, matched to the existing heritage colour scheme
• Internal repainting of the Visitor Information Centre, Gallery and Office
• Replacement and reinforcement of timber floors to the Visitor Information Centre and Gallery, sanded, sealed and polished
• Repair of cracked internal brickwork between the Gallery and Old Classroom
• New internal partition wall and lighting upgrades to the Office and Visitor Information Centre

Outcomes

• Conservation-grade refurbishment of a State and locally listed heritage building, completed while the site remained operational to the public
• Extended the service life of the building's roof, structural and external timber elements while retaining original heritage fabric
• Delivered within Council's capital works program, on behalf of Edward River Council