Tattered Bookmarks - Blast from the past

Here I am down in Lower Riley Street, just before in ends close to the Domain Parking Station. Yet another awesome view of Centrepoint Tower. But that is not my main reason for being here. What I want to show you is yet another old sign from a previous age.

Built in 1904, this old building was once known as Julip House, and is on the corner of Riley Street and Busby Lane. Busby was the engineer who constructed Sydney's first water supply. Brandt Bros. was established in 1878, and still exists - in an emaciated form over in Devonshire Street. Brandt Bros merged part of its operations with TW Sands & Co in Melbourne which has everything for the old kero lamp devotee!

336 Pitt Street is just north of Liverpool Street, but is now a glass and faux-marble modern abomination which has a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor.

Remembering the Forgotten: Brown Bear Lane

In 1848 Joseph Fowles produced a booklet of copper-plate engravings showing the streets of Sydney. The engraving on P. 16 depicts a section of lower George Street showing 'E. Chambers' 'Brown Bear', which was a notorious pub in The Rocks. The pub bequeathed its name to a laneway. This laneway later became Little Essex Street and then was consumed totally during numerous rebuildings of the area.

In 2006 a photograph, in the possession of the Sydney Foreshore Authority, was 'muralized' by Dr Pierre Mol, an art history archaeologist. An article in the University of Sydney Alumni magazine gives the background to Mol's techniques.

Walking down George Street to The Quay, the mural is on the LHS immediately after (nearly under) the railway viaduct. It is incredibly realistic, giving the impression one could wander into it.

Paddington Posters (1) - Underwood Street

Underwood Street (which is parallel to Oxford Street) crosses William Street a block to the north. It is a narrow jaggy street, but that is not unique in Paddington. On one corner sits a laundromat, and on another a pub, The London.

The laundromat is in a two storey, non-descript terrace building, plentiful in Paddington, which probably dates from the 1880s. Beside the laundromat, is a barely sign-posted graffic design studio.

I gather that commissions are scarce, and income borderline.

Cites must reinvent themselves

Alas, this is no more.

Although the signs are still there, the family run Department Store they advertised went into liquidation in January 2006. It will not be long until the signs fade from our sight as well. But isn’t this the way of the world?

‘Gone to Gowings’ was as frequently uttered as was ‘Shoot through like a Bondi Tram’. The store was an essential aspect of the fabric of this city until there was a social seismic shift and ‘homespun’ went out of style.

Looking along George Street, the layers of the years is apparent in the architecture. Some city blocks which have the aura of yesteryear are into their 5th and 6th incarnation since 1842. Nothing stays forever. The current generation and the next, need to stamp their identity on their surroundings as much as their forebears did.

‘Tis a crying shame though.

A member of the Ruby Tuesday community.
A member of the My World Tuesday community.

Tattered Bookmarks - Preservation

Top: Georges in George St (shope < 25 years old) Left: Gipps St, Paddington in 2000 (not my image) Right; Gipps St, Paddington in 2010

Discovering faded signage is one of the delights of being an urban scavenger. Knowing that new signage is being bedded down for future scavengers is heartening. What to do, though, about signage where the fading is bordering on terminal. Should they be "touched up" or should they be encased in perspex?

Below left: sign on the Supreme Court, Elizabeth St entrance Below right: sign covered in perspex within grounds of Sydney Hospital, Macquarie St Bottom: another sign within Sydney Hospital, which has been touched up and touched down!

Skywatch - the value of looking up

Whilst doddling down to Central Station one day last week, I looked up and not only did I see the sky but also this old warehouse on the corner of Commonwealth and Elizabeth Streets. James Griffith established Griffiths Bros. in Melbourne in 1879 in a warehouse in Flinders Street. Being entrepreneurial, he soon established warehouses in other capital cities. The company is now owned by brothers, Peter and Dennis Patisteas only the third set of owners in 130 years.


A lot of the building is in a sad state of disrepair, even the faded sign has been defaced with an arrow! This is a danger signal, as the surrounding area is awash with multi-storey apartment blocks!


Around the back of the building, the short edge of the wedge, the decay is much more apparent, with windows cracked, pipes rusted away, and the removal of fire escapes leaving doorways treacherous.


Down on street level, I am not convinced that the sign "From factory to you" is associated with Griffiths Teas. Firstly the font is out of place, and secondly, that expression does not seem to go with either tea or coffee.


A member of the Skywatch Friday community.

Fine clothes for men

Western side of Pitt Street between Market and Park Streets

Looking for information on the clothier, I discovered that other Sydney bloggers have featured this faded advertisement. Sally featured it in January 2008 and Nathalie featured it in June 2007.

249-251 Pitt Street Sydney is Simpson House which ia an 8 storey building constructed in 1912 and renovated in 1983. It is listed in the Australian Heritage Database. Originally named Film House, the tenants included Australasian Film Limited, Spencer's Film Exchange, Kinetophone West's Film Exchange and Cinematograph Supplies, International Film exchange, Patahe Frere's Film exchange, Paul J Rainey (American film depot), and Sydney Riley (photographer).

Rex Simpson's Menswear occupied the building post WW2 whereupon the name was changed. Murals were painted upon both the northern and southern walls. Today a shoe shop occupies street level.


The Heritage data-base states:
In Federation Warehouse style with possible Anglo Dutch influences, it was built of English bond face brick with sandstone detailing (piers, lintels, arches, cornice and mouldings). A pair of tall oriel windows extend from the 2nd floor level above large arched 1st floor windows and are topped by a ventilated cornice in an unusual position above the 4th floor level. The single large pediment, inscribed AD 1912, is flanked by gutters. Main fenestration consists of tall rectangular openings detailed in sandstone and arched on the 6th floor. On the top floor a central opening in the pediment is classically detailed.

In the small foyer, were framed B&W photographs from the early years of the 20th century. This one shows, on the right, 249 Pitt Street immediately prior to the construction of Simpson House (aka Film House).

Tobacco, cigars ...

The Australian Workers' Union building, Castlereagh Street between Bathurst & Liverpool Streets

What do you think the old sign says? Something, Branch, Tobacco, Cigars, something.

Postscript
Jim from Sydney - City & Suburbs nipped down and did a bit of detective work for me. He reckons it says "Leading Brand Tobacco, Cigars & Cigarettes". Most appreciated, Jim.

Tattered Bookmarks: Cooper's Corner

Chaotic intersection of Bellevue, Cross and New South Head triangulates this ugly delapidation of between the wars art deco apartment; Where our aproned housewife with her tight perm greets her beige shoe-salesman alighting the 5:30 tram.

Tattered Bookmarks - Glebe Point Road

Thankfully the current tenant - a Spanish Tapas joint - has not felt the need to stencil over Wai Sing's sign. Shame that Wai Sing did not show the same sensitivities!

So ... what did Wai Sing stencil over? Can you read it?

Switching to autopilot whilst I galivant around southern Tasmania for 10 days, returning Monday 5th October.

Tattered bookmarks: Rozelle

Frozen visually in the ‘70s, this mechanic’s workshop continues to offer tune-ups, brakes, clutches, auto trans, steering and oil changes. Envisaging a hoist over a pit attended by grease monkeys clad in King Gee overalls, one would hesitate to leave a Datsun 180B that alone a Honda S2000.

Tattered Bookmarks

On Castlereagh Street, between Market and Park, on the right heading south (bit dangerous to head north in Castlereagh!)