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Christmas Island Archives Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) - Ruins, relics, stories and other interesting things

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The Mandors’ Quarters – A sad historical loss

An interesting historic site in the Settlement area is the Mandors’ Quarters (aka The Virgins’ Castle). The Mandors were the overseers of the Chinese indentured labourers known as “coolies”.

This photo was labelled “The Mandores’ Quarters” and taken on 20th May 1930. Source: National Archives of Australia R32:CIPC 7/​24B

Unfortunately their quarters are now a ruin and then I might add, just part of a ruin, as only the back remnants of the building remain. This was the part of the building that housed the utility areas such as kitchens, toilets, laundry. The front of the building that was demolished had separate accommodation units each consisting of a bedroom and small living area. A breezeway originally separated the two parts of the building.

In the 1960s single female, schoolteachers and nurses were housed there hence its nickname “The Virgins’ or Virgin Castle”. In the 1970s/80s married couples had moved in. The breezeway was converted into dining areas for each unit.

The photo below shows part of the old Mandors’ Quarters around the mid 1960s. Note the beautiful wooden doors and shutters and the wooden slats above them. The building looks well kept. What a pity its historical significance was never realised and valued in the proceeding years.

© Kit Chia. With thanks to Kit for this photo of him when he was a little boy playing outside his home at the former Mandors’ Quarters.

Here is another photo of the building below taken in the 1970’s/80s looking towards the supermarket in Settlement (formerly known as the Tradestore). Note the vegetable patches of the residents in the front yard and also the mature tree.

Side view of the Virgin Castle looking towards the supermarket
© Kenny and Pauline Yeoh – used with permission

In a 2012 report by the Heritage Council it was stated that:

The Mandor’s House has been substantially altered with internal partitions and enclosures of the breezeway and service block. White ant attacks are evident and spalling and cracking of the masonry has occurred. The building was assessed as unsound by the Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Territories and Tourism (DASETT) in 1991.

Some time after this the front half of the building (as seen above) was demolished by a developer but work was stopped leaving only the back utilities portion.

Fast forward to September 2018 the site was badly overgrown and fenced off.

© Mily Barrett – used with permission

By October 2022 the site was fully cleared of the jungle overgrowth and building debris. Select an image in the gallery below to see an enlarged version.

 

The fate of the mandors’ quarters aka The Virgin Castle has now been sealed. The final remnants of the building will be removed and new visitor accommodation built in its place.

Mandor quarters ruin October 2022
© Brigitte Lines – used with permission
October 2022 – The site has been cleared in preparation for final demolition.

Many things would have happened at this site and its surrounds from Christmas Island’s earliest days. As the site dates back to at least 1910, all the memories and layers of history hang in the air there. That’s something that can never be erased.

Let’s have a final walkthrough along the bottom floor of the ruin in the video below.

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Christmas Island Archives was selected for preservation by the State Library of Western Australia. It is now listed in perpetuity on PANDORA, Australia’s website archive established by the National Library of Australia.

Grant acknowledgement

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I came across this interesting little site in the I came across this interesting little site in the corner of the post office padang on Christmas Island. I have been told that this was the base of a short wave radio mast. It was a substantial tower about 30 metres high and connected to the radio building where the post office now stands. I was also told by another source that this was part of a weather station when the radio house was standing. Either way the steps are a bit of a mystery as the structure is, from memory, just over a metre wide.
#christmasisland #history #oldstructure #christmasislandarchives #ruin
An ammunition cave used by the Japanese during the An ammunition cave used by the Japanese during their occupation of Christmas Island in WW2. The circular opening in the wall is where I believe a ventilation pipe was inserted. Its purpose was to keep a stable temperature and extract noxious fumes. Its use as an ammunition cave may have predated WW2. To find out more about this cave read Helena van der Riet's excellent thesis "The Archaeology of the Japanese World War II Occupation of Christmas Island". It can be found on my website (see link in my bio) under the "Documents" section. 
#christmasisland #cave #ammunition #ww2 #ww2history #worldwar2 #worldwar2history #japaneseoccupation #ww2japanese #christmasislandarchives
I love Victor Purcell's observations of human beha I love Victor Purcell's observations of human behaviour on Christmas Island in 1926. The European community caused him the most angst.
#christmasisland #christmasislandhistory #history #islandlife #colonial #straitssettlements #christmasislandarchives
An old water tank near South Point located along t An old water tank near South Point located along the old railway track. I understand that a couple of years ago it was totally overgrown by the jungle and was invisible until it was cleared.
#christmasisland #ruin #relic #industrialrelic #watertank #colonial #christmasislandarchives
Back in 2020 as we were leaving the Old European C Back in 2020 as we were leaving the Old European Cemetery my sis-in-law @mily_barrett spotted this now 72 year old engraving in the concrete path. A nice little reminder from a long gone workman that he was once doing a job there.
"1.7.1951
Pipe Repar" ... 
The last seen letter is partially obscured. The word repair has likely been misspelt?
#christmasisland #history #christmasislandhistory #relic #cemetery #path #oldpath #christmasislandarchives
A sad end for Norman Howard. His gravesite lies in A sad end for Norman Howard. His gravesite lies in the Old European Cemetery on Christmas Island. His story and the mystery loss of his headstone lead to a surprising misidentification of his gravesite. Read about it now on my website. See bio for link. Look under “latest updates” for “Norman Howard - turning in his grave”.
"In memory of Norman Howard
European Overseer
Aged 32
Died 6.3.24"
#christmasisland #straitssettlements #christmasislandhistory #cemetery #headstone #gravesite #grave #colonialhistory #christmasislandarchives
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