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the balmainassociat ion

J incorporatedII news sheet

T H e P e n i n s t i l a

V o l 3 0 N o 1 i s s u e 2 3 3 F o u n d e d 1 9 6 5 F e b r u a i y / M a r c h 1 9 9 4

Worker's CottagesOne of the most common types of

house in the Le ichhard t Counc i l a rea i s

the worker's cottage that occurs throughall periods of development, it usuallycopied the architectural styles of theirtime in simplified form but often withgreat invention in ornamentation. Thesmall residences are generally less than100 m ,̂ with 4 rooms under the mainroof with front verandah and ancillaryr o o m s u n d e r a r e a r s k i i l i o n . T h e m o s t

enduring form is the double-frontedcottage with a pair of windows and acentral door. The origins are in thesimple slab wattle and daub of Sydneyreflecting in turn English 18th centuryrural cottages. Later at the turn of thecentury, single fronted timber cottagesbecame common as a cheaper option tobrick as pressure on land increased.

As the cottages were often built onlarger lots they have been prone to redevelopment from the late 19th century.Many on the slopes to Mort Bay werereplaced by terraces. Timber structuresare easy to change and relatively fragile.Often their individuality and details ofornaments, including picket fences,have been lost. Many of these houses arebeing demolished and replaced bymodern two storey dwellings. This tends

to reduce the stock of affordable housinga n d i n c r e a s e s l a n d v a l u e s .

Leichhardt Council is considering ap o l i c y t o p r o t e c t s m a l l r e s i d e n t i a lbuildings from demolition or substantialalteration. Factors to be appraised arethe suitability of these modest structuresfor contemporary purposes; the loss ofsignificance and context if simplest ructures are extended: the quant ification of work required for renovation;off-street parking can compromiseexisting dwellings and streetscapes.Small residential buildings should not bed e m o l i s h e d u n l e s s i t c a n b e d e m o n

strated that retention of the building isnot possible. As the new Town Plan is

some months away it is imperative thatthe policy be implemented now.

A d d i t i o n s a n d a l t e r a t i o n s s h o u l dretain major form, scale, materials androof form of the existing structure.Additions should generally be to the rearto avoid changing the relationship of thebuilding to the street when viewed fromt h e s t r e e t , e x t e n s i o n s s h o u l d n o t b e

greater in size than the existing building.They do not have to imitate the buildingbut should be complimentary to existingdetailing and form.

Very few such buildings (actuallyeight) are included in the register ofheritage items so there is little statutoryprotection available.

Worker's cottage A Clayton St, Balmain. No2 was Identical

Heritage Week 1995T h i s y e a r t h e N a t i o n a l T r u s t o f

Australia (NSW) will celebrate 50 yearsof conserving Australia's heritage andthe Ba lma in Assoc ia t i on ach ieves i t s 30

y e a r s o f p r e s e r v a t i o n o f B a l m a i n ' sunique history. The Trust, as part of ayear long celebration will award a "greenribbon" to every building the trust helped"save" over the 50 years. Some Balmainbuildings will be proud to wear a "ribbon".

Heritage Week is an annual eventaimed at drawing attention to Australia'snatural, built and cultural heritage. Thetheme for 2-9 April 1995 is "Heritage inyour hands". On Saturday, 1st & 8th,Sunday 2nd & 9th, 11am to 3pm an

E x h i b i t i o n a t t h e W a t c h H o u s e w i l l

feature early maps, etc in associationwith the publication Streets, Lanes andPlaces, free entry. A guided HeritageWalk of Balmain, Saturday, 1st & 8th,departs 2pm from the Watch House. Aguided Heritage Walk of Rozelle, Sunday,2nd & 9th, departs 2pm from the main

gates of former Rozelle Hospital,Balmain Road. Cost $5 pp, to WatchHouse restoration. Bookings 8184954.

There has been some good news,would you believe, from the Tax Office.No, not an oxymoron — not for heritageowners anyway! This year the FederalG o v e r n m e n t h a s i n t r o d u c e d a n e w t a xincentive to encourage owners of listedheritage i tems to carry out approved

conservat ion work . A rebate o f 20 centsin the dollar is available. In order to qualify for assistance owners must apply tot h e F e d e r a l M i n i s t e r f o r C o m m u n i c a t i o n s

and Arts for a provisional certificatebefore work commences; prove that theitem is listed on either the Register of theNational Trust, the Heritage CouncilRegister or in a heritage schedule to aregional or local environmental plan;u n d e r t a k e w o r k t h a t w i l l c o s t a t l e a s t

$5,000; and complete the work withintwo years. The incentive is capped toachieve a total of $9.5mill worth ofconservation work each year. ContactVictoria Throp or Dennis McManus at theHer i tage Branch , Depar tment o fPlanning on 391 2045or391 2061.

Kid Sister Part 2

School, Church and Sunday Dinner^ I "'he Primary School was in Nicholson

Street, only a hundred yards or soaway from our front gate, which wassomething else to be pleased about inour new abode. For me, going to schoolwas just something we had to do. I didn'tlove it, I didn't hate it. One grievoustrouble was, there was never enough toread. We'd get our School Magazineonce a month, and that was good, but I'dread it through in one afternoon. Therewas a class set of books for our ReadingLesson, in fourth class, and we read bitsa l o u d - b u t t h e o n e b o o k l a s t e d u s awhole year. The name of it was "TheH a r e i n t h e M o o n " .

F o u r t h a n d fi f t h c l a s s e s w e r e t a k e n

both together, by Mr Jory. (It wasn't avery big school.) The top half of hisclassrooms was made of glass, so youcould see a bit of what was going on inthe next room, if there was any excitement, like some luckless boy getting thecane, which happened pretty often.(Only boys copped it. I can't rememberit happening to a girl ever - or 1 wouldhave, by the time I was in sixth class witha h o r r i b l e t e a c h e r . W e w e r e a m u t u a l

hate society, he and I.) I'm sure Mr Joryprided himself on being a virtuoso. Hemade a ful l-scale, first-class performance out of giving the cuts. I can see himnow, clear as day. He'd stand therepuffed up with menace, pull himself upto his full height, stretch the arm that washolding the cane slowly, slowly back asfar as possible, bending backwards andsticking out his round tummy, and whenhe'd got to full stretch he'd give the canea little shake and it would quiver dreadfully, and then he'd swipe it down on tothe poor little trembling hand.

Because not all the family were at oneschool at once, we might drib and draboff on week days to different schools orto work, but on Sundays we all went offtogether, excepting for the big girl whoseturn it was to stay home and get thedinner. Our parents went to the ChristianScience Church in Riley Street, in thecity, and Sunday School was next door.Children went there tilt they were twenty- it was presumed it took a young persona long time to learn and apply theprecepts of this faith.

Whichever sister's turn it was to stayhome, it would have taken her the wholemorning to prepare the dinner for elevenof us and one or two more in case our

parents invited friends home. Put theroast in the oven with plenty of drippingand settle down to do the vegies - half anhour most like Just to peel the potatoesand pumpkin, and another for doing thebeans, which had to be strung and slicedvery finely. Then the pudding - half anhour again for peeling and slicing apples,and rubbing of fat into flour, if we werehaving my favourite, which was fruits t e a m e d i n a s u e t c r u s t . O f c o u r s ethere'd always be a potful of custard togo with whatever we had.

O u r f a m i l y d i n n e r w a s n o m e a nundertaking. First the bell would be rung,summoning us from the corners ofhouse or garden. Hands (and boys'faces) had to be washed. We'd standbeh ind our cha i rs , and when Father wassatisfied we were all there, quiet, cleanand in goodly frame of mind, he wouldsolemnly say Grace, and we could sit,except for the two runners (foodbearers). How hungry we used to be!W h a t a m a r v e l l o u s m o m e n t w h e n t h eroast leg of mutton, or sirloin of beef, wasbrought in and put in front of father - andgood, good, good it smelt. And smell hadto keep us going for what seemed likeeternity before we got fork into food and

Father's serving. Then, in order ofseniority, we'd put the plates in front ofeach person. By this time the smell wasexcruciating, as the rule was implacable- nobody started till all were served, andthe plates retrieved from the kitchen. Atlast Father would say, "You may begin,"and up would go elbows and downhands, and food at long length intoaching stomachs.

Then came the washing up, done byturns, same as the cooking, except thatthe young ones were included in ther o s t e r - n o o n e w a s e v e r t o o y o u n g t o

wipe up. But she who cooked was out ofit. The dining room went off the hail, atthe back of the house. To get to thek i t c h e n w e w e n t d o w n t w o s t e p s ,through what was known as theChildren's Room, and along a passage,past the pantry. Bringing in the meal wasquite a performance - clearing the tablew a s a n o t h e r .

Next came the packing up. We'dscrape the plates, putting the scraps intoa saucepan to be boiled up with pollardfor the chooks. Washing was done in thescullery, a gloomy little cave with a widestone sink. There'd be one child to wash,one to wipe, and one to put away. The

Mlcholson Street Public School

food in between jaws.Father was head of the family and

head of the table, deliberate and pompous about carving the joint. First hewould flash the carving knife and steel,a maestro showing his skill. He wouldselect the choicest cut, put it on a plateand hand it to the runner saying "That'sfor your mother". The runner would rundown to the vegetable end, where there'dbe at least three covered dishes and a bigjug of gravy, and then take the plate outto the kitchen to be kept hot in the oven.T h e o t h e r r u n n e r w o u l d d o t h e s a m e w i t h

s i n k h a d a w o o d e n r a c k a b o v e i t f o r

plates, which were done first. Then camethe knives, forks and spoons, all ladenonto a big oval tin tray, which we carriedinto the kitchen where the wiping wenton, meanwhile the washer filling anothertray. So it went on. And Oh! the pots! Wehad nothing more for their cleaning thansand soap and monkey soap. The wholejob seemed to take most of theafternoon, and be just finished in time toget afternoon tea for our parents andthe i r f r i ends .

Barbara WhiUey (ed D Nlcholls)

M e m o r i e s

As the granddaughter of ThomasStevenson Rowntree I feei close t ieswith Balmain - more so as my ownmother, Emelia Sommer, lived next doorto T S Rown t ree Jn r i n No r thumber l andHouse and married the son, MormanRandle Rowntree. My mother's parentslater lived in the home Cliffdale Houseat 8 Lookes Avenue. It was a great disappointment and a wrench when flatswere built where a gracious home, theAnchorage (as my grandparen tsnamed it), existed with, for us, wonderfulm e m o r i e s .

This home played a big part in ourfamily's life where it was a treat to visitand explore the many rooms and roamthe shore l ine to watch the B lue Funne lLine ships manoeuvering to their berths.The building of the Sydney HarbourBridge was another awe inspiring sightfor us from the top floor of the house.

Grandfather (Papa Sommer) grewbananas and vegetables in his quite sizeable garden at the side of the house. Itwas a gracious living area with tall palmsin well kept lawns. Gnder the taps werehuge white clam shells, where I, as a verysmall chi ld, tr ied to bath the cat.

There was a mangle for pressingclothes in the huge laundry which wasseparate from the main house. It backedagainst a stone wall which must havebeen cut originally and was always moistwith ferns growing down the sides; Thepaths were huge flat black pieces ofr o c k .

On the ground floor at the back of thehouse and opposite the bath- room, halfthe width of the house, was a store roomand this was only unlocked by request ifyou had been good. Such a treat; therewere huge baskets where you could hideand full of fancy dresses for on shipboard parties. One I always wanted tosee was the Peters Icecream dress wi thicecream buckets and wooden spoonsa t t a c h e d a l l o v e r i t . T r e a s u r e c h e s t scould not have been more interesting.Model sailing boats leant against thewalls and there was a ship in a glasscase. Ah, such memories.

Father built a canoe for my cousinand it was a great day when it waslaunched down White's slipway into theharbour. 1 was rowed to Rowntree's float

ing dock by my father and let inside - sosmall I thought. It seemed a long way tor o w b a c k t o L o o k e s A v e n u e a n d Iworried that my father would be tired.

Mother went to Balmain on Mondaysand Fridays and 1 was taken with heruntil I started school at the age of seven.G r a n d f a t h e r T S R o w n t r e e J n r w a s

permanently on the third floor by thistime and it was my task to take hismorning tea up to him. He used to tellme of his youth and how he carved toysand pointed out the different shipssailing by. i wish now that I had takenmore not ice of a l l the wonderfu l ta les.

O n t h e w e e k e n d v i s i t s o u r c a r u s e d t o

go down Lookes Avenue, entering, inthose days, off Nicholson Street (where

H

my father as a youth attended school).It was frighteningly steep to a child and1 always feared going straight into theharbour. The c l imb ou t was as bad . Wecou ld s l ide backwards in to the water. Ofcourse none o f these d readed ou tcomese v e r h a p p e n e d a n y m o r e t h a n t h e"dummy" on the front of the tram wasgoing to run over me going down to theDarling Street wharf. West's white housea t t h e b o t t o m o f L o o k e s A v e n u e h a d

a c c e s s t o T h o r n t o n P a r k w h e r e t h e r ewas a cannon on which I was al lowed toclimb. The cannon has gone and thepark looks smaller.

About five years ago 1 visited StMary's Church where I was christened.The lady cleaning the porch let me in ands h o w e d m e t h e b o o k w i t h a l l t h e

s ignatures. Af ter s igning i t mysel f 1

searched for my relatives amongst thenames. My grandparents lived rightbehind the church and only last year (ormaybe it was two or even three yearsago) my husband and 1 drove downbes ide t he chu rch on t o a b lock f u l l o fw e e d s t o s e e t h e n o w i n a c c e s s i b l e h o m e

B l a c k e t b u i l t f o r t h e R o w n t r e e s . I t h a dbeen res to red and looked wonder fu l .

On subsequent visits we found thatthe block was filling up with the mostattractive homes "blending into theatmosphere". Time does not stand still.Balmain is still the fascinating place it is

in my memory. I would wish the ErskineStreet wharf back In service as it was with

the ferries with their green well-oiledengines pulsing in a mesmeric hum; andthe tiny corner shop at Darling Streetwharf where mother used to buy peppermint buttons. The smell of the sea is the

most poignant memory; it brings all theother memories flooding back. TheLookes Avenue neighbours, the family,the ferrymen; wonderful people all. Ofcourse these recollections are repeatedin all of the many families of Balmain.They too have heart-warming memories.

(A project selected to celebrate 30years o f the Assoc ia t ion i s ther e s t o r a t i o n o f t h e R o w n t r e e M e m o r i a lwh ich s tands a t the co rner o f Rownt reeStreet and Macquarie Terrace. Ed.)

ViUna Burrows (nee Rowntree)

1

C l i f f d a l e H o u s e

QaaM4̂Ti m e To C o o l I t

During the long hot days of summer,garden jobs are best done in theearly morning or late evening. Wateringis most effective in the early hours andvigorous garden projects are best put offuntil the mellow days of autumn.

Mulching is the answer tos u m m e r s u r v i v a l f o r y o u r

garden and is especiallyimportant with the wateringrestrictions. Just gather theleaves and twigs and pilethem on the soil along withmanure and compost. Thevigorous growth will be yourjust reward.

But there are a few minor

jobs to be done such asp run ing . Cu t o f f l a rge r"summer burst" of azaleas to keep themneat and shapely and to encouragebetter flowering. Watch for the tiny lacebug on the reverse of azalea leaves. Thebest control is by spraying with Folimat,

making sure you spray the undersu r faces .

Cutting the rose blooms with longstems encourages growth and moreflowers. Give them a light sprinkle of rosefood — a heaped tablespoon is enoughand should be applied to moist soil andthen watered in. Watch for black spot onrose leaves. Treat with a spray containing Triforine fungus in the earlyevening after bee activity has ceased.

Hibiscus look lovely in fullflower, but watch out for tinyblack beatles that damagethe buds before they open. Ifdamage is significant sprayyour hibiscus with Carboryl.

L a w n s s h o u l d b e w a t e r e d

only once or twice a week,but thoroughly, which is aproblem with the currentr e s t r i c t i o n s . W a t e r i n g o flawns, gardens, and plants ispermitted only between 7am

and 9am and 7pm and 9pm. Hosing ofpaths and patios is prohibited.

B o n n i e D a v i d s o n

N e w B o o k W e l l R e c e i v e d

Our latest publication Streets, Lanesand Places is eagerly sought fromthe Association, Balmain Libary andBray's Books. The book describes theorigins of the street names of Balmain,Birchgrove and Rozelle and costs $10plus $2 postage. It has 39 illustrationsand old maps.

Other publications available are:-Around Balmain $7Called to the Bar $13Gourlie's Corner $ 10Half a Thousand Acres $20Balmain Walks 1 & 2 $2 each

Please add $2 postage for the booksand $0.45 for the walks' leaflets.

Know Your Cr icket Terms

D O W N T H E( j U L U V

D e m o l i s h e d

Despite last minute action byresidents and Leichhardt Council, a19 th cen tu ry home L lanaba r a t 17W h a r f R o a d , B i r c h g r o v e h a s b e e ndemolished. Early on January 20workers began tearing off the roof butres iden ts ca l led counc i l o fficers and the

police. It was claimed that the ownershad not sought council permission andh a d n o t a d h e r e d t o a c o u r t o r d e r t o

record, with drawings and photographs,the buildings and gardens. JusticeBignold granted a temporary injunctionbut the next day he approved thed e m o l i t i o n .

Janette Sullivan of the Snails BayResidents' Group said the destruction ofthe home would ruin the historicallysignificant charm of Wharf Road as oneof just five Sydney streets with the lastremaining 19th century streetscape onthe harbour foreshore. The group sent aletter to the Heritage Council calling foran i n t e r im conse rva t i on o rde r on Wha r fRoad propert ies to a l low t ime for adevelopment control plan.

Residents and Council planners arev e r y c o n c e r n e d b y t h e t h r e a t e n e dintrusion of multiple apartments in thisc o n s e r v a t i o n a r e a .

R a r e B o o k' I "'en copies of 'Balmain in Time" (P-1- Reynolds & R Irving, 1970), mint

condition, signed by authors. $25.00each. Ring Peter Reynolds 810 8560(daytime).

L e i c h h a r d t H i s t o r i c a l J o u r n a l M o1 - 1 8 . C o n t e n t s c o v e r L e i c h h a r d t ,Annandale, Lilyfield, Glebe, Balmain,Birchgrove and Rozelle. Cost from $ 10 to$15 plus postage. Contents list onapplication. No 19 due in March.

W h a t ' s O nW a t c h H o u s e E x h i b i t i o n s

Elaine Norling - Feb 3-19A n n S h e r i d a n - F e b 2 5 - M a r 1 2W o m e n ' s A r t C o l l e c t i v eS a m a n t h a C o l l i e r - M a r 1 8 - 2 6

Painting, drawing & sculptureHeritage Week - Apr 2-9"Heritage In your hands"Streets, Lanes & Places

Printed on recycled paper byS n a p P r i n t , B a l m a i n

® No t t o be rep roduced w i t hou ta u t h o r i s a t i o n

T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n I n crepresenting Balmain, Birchgrove,

R o z e l l e .

O u r A i m s A r e T o :

• Improve the living, working andr e c r e a t i o n a l a m e n i t i e s o f o u ra r e a

• maintain all features havingn a t u r a l a r c h i t e c t u r a l a n d / o rh i s t o r i c a l v a l u e

• compile and record history ofthe area & keep a permanentc o l l e c t i o n o f i t e m s o f h i s t o r i c a li n t e r e s t

• seek the cooperation ofeveryone concemed in ther e a l i s a t i o n o f t h e a b o v e

The Watch House is open everySaturday from 12 to 3pm

T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n m e e t s o n t h e

first Wednesday of each month at 7.30pmin the Watch House

179 Darling Street. Balmain.Mail c/o PO Box 57. BALMAIN. 2041.

Our editorial phone/fax is 818 4954Interested artists, potters, sculptors,etc. who would like to organise ane x h i b i t i o n i n t h e Wa t c h H o u s e a r e

urged to contact Steve South on8 1 0 1 4 1 1 .

Annual Subscr ip t ions:Household $16, Pensioners &

Students $7, Organisation $21.