Grandchester Sawmills 1.55

Grandchester Sawmills is a heritage-listed sawmill business at Symes Street, Grandchester, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1941. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.HistoryThe Gillam brothers started the Grandchester Sawmills in 1941. While at this time World War II brought a severe reduction in housing activity, after a short resurgence when the depression lifted, the declaration of war with Japan at the end of 1941 was followed by a huge upsurge of construction for military purposes. As structures were needed quickly and were expected to be temporary, the demand for milled timber grew rapidly.One of Queensland's earliest major industrial enterprises was William Pettigrew's sawmill in Brisbane. Opening in 1853, the sawmill predated the separation of Queensland as a colony by six years. Within two decades sawmills were commonplace and were an important investment in the regional economy.The Grandchester sawmill is powered by steam and this factor makes it an unusual phenomenon in Queensland and Australia. The steam engine was built by "Marshall Sons & Co. Ltd, Engineers, Gainsborough, England." The date of construction is unclear, however a small plate records a machinery inspection in 1911. The steam engine was first used in the Nestle's factory in Toogoolawah (since demolished). It was then used in the Lowood butter factory and afterwards in the Hoods Sawmill, Gatton.