RESTORING THE LIGHT TOWERS

BY PETER HARRIS

Four imposing towers have stood as sentinels watching over Victoria’s national memorial for 88 years. Unremarkable and mostly unnoticed, they serve a pivotal role in illuminating the memorial at night and providing ceremonial support. They also provide a glimpse into early Melbourne construction methods.

Construction of the Shrine of Remembrance began in October 1927 and the memorial was dedicated in 1934. it remains an impressive and imposing structure—one of the first concrete and steel-cored buildings in Melbourne. A building project brimming with purpose, meaning and symbology, the Shrine represented hope, healing and an opportunity to support local trades. Selection of its labour force was weighted heavily in favour of returned servicemen and contracts were issued to local businesses perceived to have sufficient ‘digger credentials’. The Shrine Reserve occupies 13 hectares of prime land in the heart of the Kings Domain precinct that was cleared and graded by hand with shovel and pick. Over seven years a truly amazing monument slowly rose from the foundations.

Early designs of the Shrine indicate that the tower lights were a late inclusion to original plans; however, their addition made a bold statement to the world. One can only image the sight when the 1000-watt projectors first fired up on an October night in 1932. The incomplete structure of freshly hewn Tynong granite would have blazed, demonstrating the glory yet to come.

Controversy accompanied plans to illuminate the Shrine, with many deriding such an extravagance during times of economic depression. Some likened it to casting ‘a carnival aura’ over hallowed ground. Rival opinion pushed heavily for the Shrine to be a beacon in the night as the memorial was visible as far as the Port Phillip Heads. Perhaps more practically, the provision of lights assisted to deter material theft of brick and steel from a large open building site. However viewed, given Sir John Monash’s role as Chairman of Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (SEC), it’s not hard to infer his posthumous approval.

As a late inclusion, the light towers are absent from the 1928 architectural plans and their original renderings have been lost in time. A long-held anecdote suggested they were cobbled together from leftover rock and filled with rubble. A 2019 penetrative survey, however, confirmed a purpose-built construction of pressed cement blockwork surrounding a reinforced concrete core. Densely formed with fine aggregates, the surface had the appearance of granite. A single hefty capping piece provides downward compression, holding the blockwork in position and supports the massive vertical array of stacked light projectors. Like the Shrine itself, the towers were made to high standard and designed to last.

The Southern tower indicating surface cracks

Changes in technology have seen the towers take on new roles. Speakers were mounted to support major service days when thousands of people assemble on the Second World War Memorial Forecourt. CCTV cameras hover over the capped peak where once the lights were affixed. The towers now provide power, data, sound and video connectivity for external broadcasters.

350mm core sample taken from the East tower 2020

In the 1970s the stacked lighting arrays were removed, which reduced the overall height of each tower by a third. High pressure sodium flood lights were installed, now affixed to facing edges, these ‘new’ lights continued to bathe the Shrine in a distinctive yellow glow, unchanged for almost 50 years. in 2018, with the support of the City of Melbourne, the tower lights were replaced with modern LED luminaires. That same year, the Shrine led many public buildings across Melbourne in illuminating their facades in a hue of red to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War (1914-1918). The ‘Red to Remember’ illumination is now an annual event.

Time and the rigours of Melbourne weather have taken their toll on the towers. They were obscured by a dense growth of ivy for many decades, causing extensive surface damage necessitating restoration work in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the chosen repair methodology was not sympathetic to the materials used in their original construction. Damaged substrate material was roughly excised, holes and cracks patched over with mortar and the towers skimmed in cement-based slurry to conceal the repairs. Effective enough to last 30 years but not a permanent fix.

The Shrine illuminated red for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War 2018

An expert conditions report prepared by conservation specialists in May 2020 provided a clear assessment of the light towers: they are in overall poor condition. Extensive tests were conducted including core sampling, penetrative surface scanning to map reinforcement, trial surface treatments for the removal of the skim layer, mortar and petrographic analysis (an investigation of the chemical and physical features of a rock sample) and overall load capacity calculations. Core sampling showed that the inner structures remain strong however significant issues exist in the 170mm thick outer cladding blocks. The exhaustive report included a full restoration and repair plan, detailing the exact methodology required to achieve long-lasting results that restore the towers to their original appearance following international conservation standards.

The outermost skim will be dissolved to expose the original blockwork, new reinforcing rods will be threaded throughout the pylons and coatings applied to ensure damp proofing. Granite cladding will be replicated by matching the aggregates closely to the base materials of the Shrine itself. Noting that the Tynong granite used throughout the Shrine proper has aged more than 86 years and has a natural oxidised appearance, the appearance of the towers will be closer to the granite used in the southern courtyards, which were installed in 2014 and are near pristine by comparison.

On 20 May 2021, the Victorian Government announced a multi-million dollar funding package to repair and improve the Shrine’s facilities—including the Light Towers. The project will be staged across two to three years.

Peter Harris is Facilities Manager at the Shrine. Peter has the honour of being responsible for the presentation, upkeep and restoration of the Shrine and its Reserve. It’s a challenging, yet highly rewarding role, a once-in-a-career opportunity to help preserve one of the most iconic sites in Melbourne.