Judith Nissen - Historian

Judith Nissen is a professional historian with wide-ranging interests in Queensland history. She also works in the heritage field, including significance assessments, citations for heritage registers and conservation management plans. Judith has served on the state and national management committees of Professional Historians Australia, is a founding committee member Mt Crosby and Moggill Historical Societies.

Judith has contributed to the Ipswich Architects, Builders & Tradespople project with a professional biography and catalogue of works for architect Bruce Buchanan and was a co-presenter of Chasing Our Past At Home: Buioding Ipswich - Three Ipswich Architects. 

Other works of Judith's available on Picture Ipswich include:

• Rhondda Offices and Carport Conservation Management Plan - History, 2016
• Cooneana Conservation Managment Plan - History, 2017
• Ipswich Bowls Club: Chronicle of a Century 1910-2010
• Central and North Ipswich Engineering Heritage: A walk / drive tour

Heritage Advisory Committee, 1996

This group includes people who have had an influence on my professional work and have produced research I have used time and again … From left: First on left is Rob Swenson, a luminary in the local history of Mount Crosby where I live (and a founder of the Mt Crosby Historical Society, where I have served on committee for many years); fifth from left, Ray Whitmore, a legend in the engineering heritage field and author of many incredibly useful books and papers; third from right, Bruce Buchanan, heritage architect and the subject of my professional biography; and Leon Satterthwaite on the far right, who authored a number of heritage reports.

Bruce Buchanan

Bruce Buchanan Professional Biography

Bruce Buchanan, architect and heritage expert, practiced in Ipswich, and much further afield, for 35 years. He is probably best known for his extensive work in heritage conservation. It was a delight and a privilege to write his professional biography, in consultation with the subject of course. This photo by Lyle Radford captures the truly lovely man.

Panorama of Ipswich from Limestone Hill, taken by Biggingee Sorabjee Poochee, Ipswich, 1865

From 1979, Bruce and Robyn leased Claremont, built in c. 1857 and Ipswich’s oldest surviving house. The family lived in Claremont, whilst also restoring it and opening it to the public. Bruce Buchanan Architects won the 1986 Queensland RAIA Award for Conservation for their work on Claremont. Here is Claremont in the centre of this stunning 1865 panorama.

Disused coke ovens at Haighmoor Colliery, Tivoli, Ipswich, 1991

I selected this 1991 photo of the 1897 Haigmoor Colliery coke ovens at Tivoli because of my interest in engineering history, and because they are little known to the public. They stand on private property.

Mount Crosby Wier looking towards intake tower, Mt Crosby, Ipswich, 2011

I had to include one Mt Crosby photo because that’s where I live! Even though the place is now in Brisbane City, Mt Crosby was, and still is in many ways, more closely linked with Ipswich. The weir bridge over the Brisbane River was damaged in the 2011 floods. Happily this damage was able to be repaired; in 2022 we weren’t so lucky. This is also a lesson that recent photographs are still part of our history.