| Physical description: | A large public park bounded by the Great Western Highway to the north, Ross Street to the west, Park Street to the south and Green Street to the east.
A large playing area is located on the southeast corner of the site.
The northeast corner of the site, the former location of the public school and later of the School of Arts, is generally wooded with mature native trees including eucalypts, hakea, persoonia, casuarina, acacia as well as radiata pines.
In the centre of the park, towards the south, is a parking area and picnic shelters.
Plantings in the centre of the park are mainly scattered plantings of natives and two mature auracarias.
On the north side of the park, set down from the main area of the park is a Tourist information
centre accessed from the Great Western Highway by a side lane called Hamment Place. The tourist information centre is a single storey sandstone building with a low pitched shingled roof. To the east of the building is a landscaped area with native plantings and a flight of sandstone steps leading into the park. The stairs are carved with the names of the villages of the Blue Mountains.
A sandstone sculpture by the Graystone Carvers is located to the north of the information centre.
A pair of sandstone pillars on the north side of the park, near the information centre, are early entry gatepiers carved by John Colquhoun Dunn, a prominent local builder and stonemason. A recent brass plaque notes
"John Colquhoun Dunn, stonemason and resident of Glenbrook from 1885, erected these pillars in 1930 as the main entrance to Glenbrook Park."
In the northwest corner of the park is a theatre which has evolved from the second School of Arts building. The theatre is a large brick building. The original building with parapeted gables is clearly distinguishable beneath the hipped roof extensions at the north and south ends and the east skillion extensions. Plaques relocated to the new north wall, near the entry record
"Glenbrook School of Arts
This stone was laid by Mrs Colin Smith August 21 1909"
"The above stone from the original building destroyed by fire relaid by Mrs W.H. Williams 24 September 1927"
"This stone was laid by Herwald G. Kirkpatrick 24 September 1927"
Tennis courts are located on the southwest corner of the park. Originally 4 courts were arranged in a square formation. The northwest court has been removed c.1980s to provide space for a brick hipped roof pavilion with a verandah on the east and south sides, facing the courts.
The original small hipped roof brick tennis pavilion is located to the east of the courts. A flat roof toilet block is south of the original tennis pavilion.
An Early Childhood Health Centre is located on the south side of the park, west of the carpark and faces Park Street. Fenced off from the park, the health centre is a domestic style building with a hipped tiled roof and face brick walls. The commemorative plaque reads
"This building was officially opened by the Minister for Health, the Hon. W.F. Sheahan Q.C. L.L.B. M.L.A. on 13 August 1960."
A hipped roof bus shelter with rusticated weatherboard walls and a corrugated steel roof is located to the south of the tennis courts. |
