The Maclean Police Station is a Queen Anne design building, built in 1895.
The current building is the third, the first station being built in 1874. In preparation for the new police station, it was demolished together with the courthouse in 1891.
The police station sits between the Maclean Post Office and the Maclean Courthouse . There are some design similarities such as the arched feature window, however, the post office has a Swiss-style architecture.
Costing £1787, the police station contains four large rooms. A kitchen and a small room for single officers to reside in was connected to the main building with flooring and a roof.
The lockup has three cells and is still in good condition, however, they are no longer used by the Maclean Police.
Maclean Talking Trail
The Maclean police station was part of the Maclean talking trail, the brown sign is there as part of the talking trail. Headphones were borrowed and audio played as you walked the trail. Below is what was included in the talking trail audio.
History
The Maclean Police Station was the third building to be constructed in what may be regarded as the civic precinct of the town.
The building contract was won by Messrs Crimson and Pantlin with a tender quote of £1,787. Completed in March 1896, the Police Station sits alongside the Post Office and was designed to provide a suitable architectural compliment.
As you can see, the Police Station features a number of similar architectural motifs in common with the Post Office, such as the main arched window, bulls‐eye vent and French roof tiles. The station replaced a temporary lock‐up criticised by many of the townsfolk on its unsuitability for human habitation.
The new building boasted a separate kitchen and commodious little room for a single man as well as a pantry and bathroom. Most importantly the station featured a prisoner’s yard and three substantial cells. Although the cells are in excellent condition, they are no longer used by the Maclean Police.
Story
My full name is Harley Willox. I’m a sergeant of Police currently stationed at Grafton.
I was stationed at Maclean from October 1993 until July 2007. It’s a good strong sturdy building, and they’re beautiful old cells. The work and the craftsmanship and the bricks and things like that.
For the years it’s been there the only damage at the time that I can remember was from that cyclone or heavy storm that we had in about 2001. That big round curved window at the front of the station was blown in to the station and that just shows the craftsmanship that went into the building. For it to stand that time and I just suppose it weakened in water and things like that its just lucky that there were not police in the muster room that would have been crushed by it. Yes, but it’s a good old building.
Harley Willox, Maclean Talking Trail
To get there
From the Pacific Hwy, take the Yamba Rd exit for Maclean. Turn left (west along the Clarence River) and from the brown sign for Tourist Drive 22, follow Yamba Rd for 5km. Passing the pedestrian crossing at Woolitji House on the left, continue through the main shopping street in Maclean for another 300m to a roundabout. Continue straight ahead through the roundabout, then the first right into MacNaughton Pl. The police station is on the left.