King George Square, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
, located between Adelaide Street
Adelaide Street, Brisbane
Adelaide Street, which is a major thoroughfare in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, runs parallel to Queen Street and Ann Street.Notable buildings and parks along Adelaide Street include Brisbane City Hall, King George Square, ANZAC Square with the Shrine of Remembrance , ANZAC Square Arcade, Law...
and Ann Street
Ann Street, Brisbane
Ann Street runs parallel to Adelaide Street and is the northern-most street in the Brisbane CBD in Queensland, Australia. It is a major thoroughfare, running straight through the city and linking the suburb of Fortitude Valley with the Riverside Expressway....
(and between two sections of Albert Street
Albert Street, Brisbane
Albert Street is a road in Brisbane, Australia. It was named after Prince Albert, the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and it runs between George Street and Edward Street, and from Alice Street to Wickham Terrace....
), in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Adjacent to King George Square is Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street...
Originally, Albert Street ran west from the Botanic Gardens
Brisbane City Botanic Gardens
The City Botanic Gardens is located on a point known as Gardens Point on the Brisbane River adjacent to the central business district of the city of Brisbane...
as far as Ann Street and the original city markets. A square was located between Ann Street and Adelaide street, south of Albert Street and was called Market Square. This became the site of the Brisbane City Hall (which was completed in 1930). The City Hall was set back from Albert Street and this widened area of the street, and some land north of Albert Street, was renamed Albert Square in honour of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
Following the death of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1936, the square was widened to include the area which had been Albert Street, and renamed King George Square in honour of the King. The bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s, which "guard" the King George Square entrance to the Brisbane City Hall, were initially on large sandstone plinths, as part of the George V memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
, which was unveiled in 1938, as a tribute to the King from the citizens of Brisbane.
Vehicular traffic, including a trolley-bus route, operated through the square until 1969, when the roadway was closed to traffic (a zebra crossing
Zebra crossing
A zebra crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing used in many places around the world. Its distinguishing feature is alternating dark and light stripes on the road surface, from which it derives its name. A zebra crossing typically gives extra rights of way to pedestrians.The use of zebra...
, on the roadway between Brisbane City Hall and King George Square, can be seen in one of the photos in the 'photo gallery'). Buildings on the northern side of the square were acquired by the City Council and demolished and work commenced on the construction of the underground King George Square Car Park. At the time of the construction, the statues, including that of King George V and the brass lions, were relocated to their present positions in the square and, between the statues and King George Square, there is now a narrow laneway (replacing the former roadway) for the infrequent passage of Government vehicles (or work vehicles) to be driven to the front of the City Hall.
A round-shaped fountain, located in the centre of King George Square, was also demolished, and a rectangular-shaped fountain built. As a direct result of the current (2005–2007) drought, the water in the rectangular-shaped fountain has been temporarily replaced by a special "Watersense garden" with drought-resistant plants.
There are statues of some famous Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
ers in a special section of King George Square, which is called "Speakers' Corner". The statues are of Steele Rudd
Steele Rudd
Steele Rudd was the pseudonym of Arthur Hoey Davis an Australian author, best known for On Our Selection.-Early life:...
(1868–1935), Emma Miller
Emma Miller
Emma Miller was a pioneer trade union organiser, suffragist, and founder of the Australian Labor Party in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-Early life:...
(1839–1917), and Sir Charles Lilley
Charles Lilley
Sir Charles Lilley was a Premier and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He had a significant influence on the form and spirit of state education in colonial Queensland which lasted well into the twentieth century.Lilley was born at Newcastle on Tyne, England, the son of Thomas...
(1830–1897).
Bronze sculptures from the Expo '88
Expo '88
World Expo 88, also known as Expo '88, was a World's Fair held in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia, during a six-month period between Saturday, 30 April 1988 and Sunday, 30 October 1988...
site have also been incorporated into the square's design.
In October 2009 the new King George Square was opened after 16 months' redevelopment. The square's design is by UbrisJHD selected in a national design competition.
The square redevelopment followed the conversion of the underground lower two levels of the King George Square Car Park into the King George Square busway station.
Albert Square
To see photographs of Albert Square, which pre-date King George Square in its present form, see photos and.When Albert Square was redeveloped into King George Square, the fountain at Albert Square was relocated to Wynnum :File:OldFountain114.jpg.JPG
External links
- Brisbane City Council e-Library Catalogue (elibcat)image BCC-T120-94615 1994 aerial view of Brisbane City Hall and King George Square looking south along Albert Street. The photo also shows the round fountain in King George Square which was later demolished.
- 2700 Second Challenge workshop
- Google map