conservation area study historical context...

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I I MARRICKVILLE

I CONSERVATION AREA STUDY HISTORICAL CONTEXT

I 'I' I I I I I I I I 'I 'I CUL TURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

I FOR BRIAN MCDONALD AND ASSOCIATES

I 1995

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Historical Context. Marrickvilie Conservation Areas Study 1995

SECTION 1.0 , INTRODUCTION . .

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The purpose of this report is to provide a framework for appreoiating the place of the several retail areas within the development of Marrackville. This section provides the context for evaluating the significance of those places and, on this basis, how they are best managed in the future. Generally it may be said that each of the retail areas are absolutely typical of the evolution of the area. They have responded to the major influences that have been catalysts in its historical development and, as such, demonstrate those influences. These is nothing unusual or outstanding about these p~aces. They illustrate the ~ajor . periods of building hi the district, later nineteenth and early tWentieth century aI,ld post WWII, 'which in themselves have arisen from factors that have included th~ subdivil)ion of ea~ly esta~es and the impact of roads, rail and tram systems.' .:" ' ',. "~"'; :,' ',,"

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The form of individual buildings within each area a~d the changys ~ad~:t~::;~~~~'b~ildings document fashionable architectural styles current at the time of th.~ir ,con'stm({tio.ri or' , , alteration including Victorian Classical, Arts and Crafts and Art Dec,ci.' The funttion o( buildings reflect the changing needs of the local population (blacksrnitiis;',bakers, take-away:food shops) as, well as new populations with different ~ultura1. backgrounds.

To describe their development it was considered most appropriate to continue to u'se the themes established by the historical component of the Marrickville Heritage Study. In this way this more specific history 11.1ay be equated with the regional histo.ry. To 'this end the following themes from that work have been re-used in this s~dy: , '

f/I F arm Grants and Country Estates

C ,Villages and Market Gardens

o Suburbs and Municipalities

o New Industrial Development

o PostWorldWarII

It is also now a normal procedure to nominate the relevant themes from the SHIP (State Heritage Inventory Project) methodology used by the Department of Urban Mfairs and Planning. The SHIP initiative is designed to provide an equitable means of comparing or identifying like sites across the state. The historica1 themes used by this project are one

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Historical Context Marrickville Conservation Areas Study 1995

such means of comparison. To this end the following SHlP historical themes are relevant to this discussion: .

~ Land Tenure

• Townships

Cl Migration

e Ethnic Influences

Cl Transport

0 Communication

• Utilities

e Industry

e Commerce

• Housing

• Cultural Sites

0 Lesiure

Wendy Thorp

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. Historical Context

SECTION 2.0 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

2.1 Farm Grants and Country Estates

Marrickville Conservation Areas Study 1995

The first land grants in the district were made during the 1790s. These comprised several large estates as well as a number of small farms. The intention of the Governor in granting land in this district was to create a chain of farms between the two settlements of Parramatta and Sydney thereby linking the two. The scheme also had the advantage of opening up viable tracts of agricultural land. All of the early land grants were in the northern portion of the district close to the Parramatta Road it being the only thoroughfare through the district at that time and the principal link between Sydney and Parramatta. By the 1820s this road had been paved and a regular coach service provided between the two towns. This further encouraged the establishment of hotels and ,other retail outlets to service travellers. The Cooks River Road was opened in the early years of the nineteenth century making the district the centre for two extremely important lines of communication

. throughout the colony.

The Parramatta Road Retail Area traverses portions of three major properties. These were the Hammond Hill Farm, the Annandale Farm and Kingston Farm. These grants were all made in 1793 the first to Surgeon John White, the second to Captain George Johnston and the third to Lieutenant Thomas Rowley. All the estates initially comprised 100 acres. The Percival Road Area is also contained in the original area of Kingston Farm. The New Canterbury Road Retail Area is partially contained in the area ofHammond Hill Farm and partly in an adjoining property known as Glendarvell Farm. The latter was a grant of sixty acres made to Ensign Nial McKellar in 1794; it was extended by another forty acres later in the same year. The Crystal Street Retail Area generally encompasses a small portion of a 470 acre property known as Douglas Farm which was given to Thomas Moore in 1799. The Dulwich Hill Retail Area encompasses land that was first alienated during 1795 in three separate small farms each of twenty-five acres made to Michael Griffin, William Adams and Thomas Bolton. Most of the farms were developed as small self contained holdings during the later years of the eighteenth and early years of the nineteenth century. Governor Macquarie described them as generally possessing good houses and cleared land although of poor quality for farming. The land either side ofParramatta Road was described in 1823 as being thickly covered with heavy timber with a poor soil. The road was defined by a post and rail fence.

Consolidation of these various small estates began in the early years of the nineteenth century especially consequent upon the death of some of the earliest landholders. The process escalated through the purchase of the majority ofthe Marrickville area during the

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1820s by Robert Wardell who ultimately bought 800 acres in the district. This purchase included all of the areas included in this discussion except those which remained in the Annandale Estate, principally being the Percival Road Area and part of the Parramatta Road Area. The large consolidated land holdings were developed by the various owners as country estates built around a mansion house. The Annandale Estate centred on Annandale House and Robert Wardell's property on Petersham House. Each estate supported communities of people devoted to maintaining and running these estates. Away from these individual centres, however, the district was isolated, thinly populated and a lair for escapees. Wardell was shot and killed by such in 1834. His death precipitated the next maj or phase of development in the district.

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2.2 Villages and Market Gardens

Wardell's untimely death made available a very large portion of land that otherwise might and is likely to have stayed as one estate for a much longer period of time. The Annanadale Estate, for example, remained intact and in the hands ofthe one family until the 1880s. The availability of Ward ell's large portion of land coincided with a vigorous boom in Sydney's land values during the 1830s. The former estate was divided into several subdivisions. The Dulwich Hill Area comes within two areas the Petersham Farms and Canterbury Farms. New Canterbury Road Retail Area is also within the Petersham subdivision. Crystal Street Retail Area encompasses portions of two subdivisions known as Norwood and the Sydenham Farms. Part of the Parramatta Road Area remained within the Annandale Estate while the rest was split between three subdivisions Sydenham, Wardellville and Kingston. Percival Road remained within Annandale Estate.

Part of the Canterbury Road Area and the portion ofParramatta Road between Palace Street and Andreas Street were offered for sale in 1848. Lots were offered for sale during the mid 1850s in the subdivisions ofWardellville, Norwood and Sydenham amongst others. The properties along Parramatta Road between Palace Street and Crystal Street were, for example, first subdivided and offered for sale in the Sydenham Estate in 1854. These comprised both building and villa lots the latter encouraging the development of several properties that encompassed a grand house surrounded by gardens and orchards. The extension of the railway line into the district during the 1850s, Petersham Station was opened in 1857, gave some focus for settlement and small villages grew up around Newtown, Camperdown and on the Cooks River. However, despite extensive advertising praising the rural qualities of the district and its potential for market gardening, the majority of the area remained largely as scrub interspersed with estate houses, a few smaller holdings and villages right through to the 1860s.

More roads, however, were laid out in response to the growing settlement. Stanmore Road was laid out in 1835 after the first subdivision of the Wardell Estate although it was still described as a bush track in the 1840s. New Canterbury Road was marked out in 1859.

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2.3 Suburbs and Municipalities

From the 1850s the population of Sydney began a steady and then rapid increase owing at the time to the influx of fortune hunters brought by the gold rushes. The need for settling these people and the commercial opportunities offered by this need encouraged the growth of closer settlement. Areas previously subdivided were again divided into smaller allotments and new lands were put up for sale and subdivision. Annandale Estate was finally subdivided in the 1880s and many of the earlier divisions were again put up for sale including the Sydenham Estate and the Petersham Estate. Balliere's Gazette of 1866 described Petersham as a small postal town and a place of residence for people working in the city and living out of it characterised by villas and cottages and several shops. Norwood was known as a small residential suburb on Parrramatta Road. Generally Marrickville was considered to be a beautiful rural area with large areas of cultivation and only a few small shops.

More intensive settlement commenced from the 1870s and subdivisions began to accommodate small manufacturers that supported the suburban expansion. A considerable amount of work was done on the roads at this time which permitted greater access to the district. Reticulated water and services were commenced during the 1880s. The connection of this district to the city by tram in 1881 (with later extensions to places such as Dulwich Hill in 1889) was of immense importance. Subdivision and development were encouraged around these now more accessible areas. The construction of more railway stations at this time supported the process of suburbanisation, for example, Stanmore opened in 1878 and Dulwich Hill in 1895. A growing population required the establishment of community services, commercial and other outlets. The construction of the Gladstone Hotel at Dulwich Hill, established in 1884, is part of this trend.

The buoyant economic climate of the 1880s encouraged the development of shops, houses and combined premises along major thoroughfares. The bidding for lots along Parramatta Road first offered from the Annandale Estate in 1884 saw spirited bidding. Many of the buildings seen in the several retail areas reflect the combination of available land, greater accessibility and a buoyant economy and, as such, document this important transitional phase for the district. Subdivision plans of the period, however, show how sparsely occupied were some streets even as late as the 1890s. The portion of the New Canterbury Road Area, for example, that housed the Gladstone Hotel for several blocks only had a couple of blacksmiths, a few shops and a hall. However, generally it can be seen that the building boom of the 1880s finally created a single and continuous area of development in an area that, until that time, had been a semi-rural area with several villages.

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2.4 New Industrial Development

Early in the 1890s Australia entered a severe economic recession. It was followed by a general period of stagnation that reached its nadir in 1899 and commenced its upward climb from that year. Subdivisions of property made in this period were generally unsuccessful or only partially unsuccessful. The first subdivision and auction of part of the Percival Road Area was made in 1892 as part of the South Annandale Estate. Most of these lots were again offered in 1900 and again in 1901 and some in 1906. Part of the Dulwich Hill Area was also offered for sale in 1894 with mixed success.

During the new century, up to the period of the First World War, the economy generally became more buoyant and in Marrickville it was marked by another period of economic development particularly for small manufacturers. The extension of tramways in the area between 1900 to 1917 also encouraged the subdivision of remaining land for suburban housing. Many of the few remaining older estates and their houses were subdivided at this time and smaller estates advertised housing appealing to local workers. The portion of Parramatta Road between Northumberland and Bridge Streets was offered for sale in 1916. To encourage locals and those from farther afield to shop in the area, in phrases reminiscent of similar problems today, in 1913 the Parramatta Shopkeepers' Association issued a souvenir booklet that urged people to try some comparative shopping;

"The public .... are cordially and respecifully invited to compare the values offered in ParramattaRoadwith other offerings ... Comparison is the basis of all trade and the most important factor in every business transaction. This is respecifully urged on behalf of your local stores. No charity is asked for; all that is requested is that you will visit this shopping centre and in all cases where values are equal to any other offerings you will spend the same money locally as you would pay elsewhere for exactly similar goods. The saving on both time andfares and other incidental expenses will be yours. While, in addition, you will be assisting to stillfurther develop an already healthy, vigorous and prosperous local trade. "

The 1920s in fact afforded the last real opportunity for significant subdivision and development as the remaining large estates were subdivided due to the relocation of people to areas outside the municipality that has less of an industrial profile than Marrickville was acquiring by that time. By 1925 there was practically no spare land left in Marickville. The last major area was the Abergeldie Estate at Dulwich Hill which was influenced by Art Deco Planning. These lots were all sold on the first day of auction in 1928. New businesses introduced to the area reflected a growing sophistication of the local population, for example, the construction ofthe Orion Vaudeville Theatre at 49-59 New Canterbury Road in 1921. It later became a cinema. Other established buildings were remodelled to catch the flavour of the times. The Gladstone Hotel was one such which was extensively remodelled in the 1930s. Others, such as the Petersham Inn, were built in the most up-to-date Art Dec styling. The period between 1910 and 1929 generally represents the greatest time of building in the history of the area until that time. It was then followed by the slump caused by the effects of the Great Depression.

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Civic improvements greatly contributed to the amenity and success of the area. In 1926, for example, the section ofParramatta Road between Palace Street and Johnson's Creek was improved through the upgrading of the central hanging street lamps from 2000 c.p. to 2500 c.p. A major road improvement scheme was also initiated in the 1920s to upgrade existing roads. New Canterbury Road, for example, was reconstructed in 1925 and Crystal Street in 1926.

By 1936 the area was described in Council reports as,

"well drained, well lighted, with wide main streets and abundant shopping facilities .... wherever you go, north towards Stanmore Road, west to Dulwich Hill or south along the river you see rows on rows of brick villas, each with its well kept lawn and garden plot ... "

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2.5 Post World War Two

In the years after the Second World War the Australian Government actively sought migrants to increase the population of the country. Marrickville attracted large numbers of Greek and Italian people due to the quantity of low cost housing and the possibility of work from the numbers of factories established in the area. From the 1960s different nationalities assumed more prominent profiles including Lebanese, Yugoslavian, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Indian. The effect of numerous populations re-using the same building stock, rather than constructing large expanses of new development as had been the case in earlier times, becomes most evident in this period. The impaot of new groups arriving in the area is most clearly seen by the imposition of a cultural identity over an existing profile rather than the complete removal of the earlier identity.

The need to "modernise" may be seen in the reconstruction of older buildings or the imposition of new elements on older buildings, for example, at 120-124 Percival Road where a 1950s facade has been constructed over an earlier and by then unfashionable building. The most visible impact of the new populations of the area, however, has been in the variety of new businesses and the ethnic variety offered by those businesses.

During the last few decades of the twentieth century the housing stock of the area has attracted a new population that has recognised a value in the age and character of the district. This has corresponded with a wider community appreciation of heritage values and this has found expression in Marrickville through heritage studies and others that are seeking to maintain these qualities while allowing change to keep pace with the needs of the community.

Wendy Thorp


Historical Context

SECTION 3.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Books, Reports and Others

R. Cashman and C. Meader Marrickville Rural Outpost to Inner City Hale and Iremonger. 1990.

Fox and Associates Marrickville Heritage Study Marrickville Municipal Council. 1986.

S.T. Leigh Handbook of Sydney and Suburbs 1867. S.T. Leigh and Co. 1867.

Marrickville Municipal Council


A History of Marrickville to Commemorate the Seventy-fifth Anniversary 1861 - 1936 The Harbour Newspaper and Publishing Co. 1936.

C. Meader, R. Cashman and A. Carolan Marrickville People and Places A Social History of Marrickville, N ewtown, Camperdown, Petersham, Stanmore, St Peters, Tempe and Dulwich Hill Hale and Iremonger. 1994.

Municipality of Petersham 1871-1931 Brief Historical Review and Triennial Report for the Period Ending 31st December 1931 Municipality of Petersham. 1932.

Municipality of Pewter sham Municipal Reports 1904/5 -1906/7, 1908-1931.

Parramatta Road Shopkeepers Association Souvenir Parramatta Road Grand Shopping Carnival 1913.

Sands Sydney Directory

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A.M. Shepherd The Story of Petersham 1793 - 1948 The Council of the Municipality of Petersham. 1948.

W.Wells A Geographical Dictionary and Gazetteer of the Australian Colonies. (Facs.) The Council of the Library of New South Wales. 1970.

3.2 Journal and News Articles

J. Jervis "The Road to Parramatta Some Notes on its History" Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society Volume 12 1927.

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XII Petersham and Stanmore Evening News 13 August 1904.

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XIV Petersham A History of Its Progress The Echo 24 July 1890

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XV Marrickville - A History of Its Progress The Echo 31 July 1890.

3.3 Maps and Plans

J. AlIen Subdivision Plan of Petersham 1848 ML M2 811.182/1848/1

P.L. Bemi Kingston Estate 1840 ML M2 811. 1824/1840/1

Brownrigg and Roe Plan of Sydenham 1854 ML M2 811.1824/1854/1

Burrowes Plan of Petersham 1840 ML M2 811. 182/1840/1

WendyThorp


Historical Context

F. Clarke Parish of Petersham 1839 ML M2 811.182/1839/1

Higginbotham and Robinson


The Municipality of Petersham, Parish of Petersham 1887 ML M4 811.1824/1887/1

Parish of Petersham County of Cumberland Showing Land Grants ND. SAONSW AO Map 262.

Mitchell Library Subdivision Plans for Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Petersham, Stanmore.

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2.5 Post World War Two

In the years after the Second World War the Australian Government actively sought migrants to increase the population of the country. Marrickville attracted large numbers of Greek and Italian people due to the quantity of low cost housing and the possibility of work from the numbers of factories established in the area. From the 1960s different nationalities assumed more prominent profiles including Lebanese, Yugoslavian, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Indian. The effect of numerous populations re-using the same building stock, rather than constructing large expanses of new development as had been the case in earlier times, becomes most evident in this period. The impact of new groups arriving in the area is most clearly seen by the imposition of a cultural identity over an existing profile rather than the complete removal of the earlier identity.

The need to "modernise" may be seen in the reconstruction of older buildings or the imposition of new elements on older buildings, for example, at 120-124 Percival Road where a 1950s facade has been constructed over an earlier and by then unfashionable building. The most visible impact of the new populations of the area, however, has been in the variety of new businesses and the ethnic variety offered by those businesses.

During the last few decades of the twentieth century the housing stock of the area has attracted a new population that has recognised a value in the age and character of the district. This has corresponded with a wider community appreciation of heritage values and this has found expression in Marrickville through heritage studies and others that are seeking to maintain these qualities while allowing change to keep pace with the needs of the community.

Wendy Thorp

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Historical Context

SECTION 3.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

3.1 Books, Reports and Others

R. Cashman and C. Meader Marrickville Rural Outpost to Inner City Hale and Iremonger. 1990.

F ox and Associates Marrickville Heritage Study Marrickville Municipal Council. 1986.

S.T. Leigh Handbook of Sydney and Suburbs 1867. S.T. Leigh and Co. 1867.

Marrickville Municipal Council


A History of Marrickville to Commemorate the Seventy-fifth Anniversary 1861 - 1936 The Harbour Newspaper and Publishing Co. 1936.

C. Meader, R. Cashman and A. Carolan Marrickville People and Places A Social History of Marrickville, Newtown, Camperdown, Petersham, Stanmore, St Peters, Tempe and Dulwich Hill Hale and Iremonger. 1994.

Municipality of Petersham 1871-1931 Brief Historical Review and Triennial Report for the Period Ending 31st December 1931 Municipality of Petersham. 1932.

Municipality of Pewter sham Municipal Reports 1904/5 -1906/7,1908-1931.

Parramatta Road Shopkeepers Association Souvenir Parramatta Road Grand Shopping Carnival 1913.

Sands Sydney Directory

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A.M. Shepherd The Story of Petersham 1793 - 1948 The Council of the Municipality of Petersham. 1948.

W. Wells A Geographical Dictionary and Gazetteer of the Australian Colonies. (Facs.) The Council of the Library of New South Wales. 1970.

3.2 Journal and News Articles

J. Jervis "The Road to Parramatta Some Notes on its History" Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society Volume 121927 .

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XII Petersham and Stanmore Evening News 13 August 1904.

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XIV Petersham A History of Its Progress The Echo 24 July 1890

The Suburbs of Sydney No. XV Marrickville - A History of Its Progress The Echo 31 July 1890.

3.3 Maps and Plans

J. AlIen Subdivision Plan of Petersham 1848 ML M2 811.182/1848/1

P.L. Bemi Kingston Estate 1840 ML M2 811. 1824/1840/1

Brownrigg and Roe Plan of Sydenham 1854 ML M2 811.1824/1854/1

Burrowes Plan of Petersham 1840 ML M2 811. 182/1840/1

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Historical Context

F. Clarke Parish of Petersham 1839 ML M2 811.182/1839/1

Higginbotham and Robinson


The Municipality of Petersham, Parish of Petersham 1887 ML M4 811.1824/1887/1

Parish of Petersham County of Cumberland Showing Land Grants ND. SAONSW AO Map 262.

Mitchell Library Subdivision Plans for Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Petersham, Stanmore.

Wendy Thorp

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