Hdden agendas - Lyons Terraces

Left: George Edwards Peacock's 1849 painting showing Lyon's Terraces along south Hyde Park Right: A photograph of the same terraces just before their demolition c. 1910

Last week I took you on a nostalgic meander through "Brickfields Hill", part of Sydney that exists only through the swirls of time. The brick-fields existed from early 1788 and stopped - abruptly - in 1841. Yes, the reserves of the right type of clay could have been depleted after 53 years of hard scrabble. Yes, the township was burgeoning, stealthily creeping up the slope from Sydney Cove, and down into the swmp leading to Cockle Bay (now Chinatown and Darling Harbour). In the late 1830s, the barracks housing the military between George/Kent/Clarence Strrets (now Wynyard, after the last commandant), was moved out to the Paddington sand-hills because the inner-city land was too valuable. In July 1842 an act was promulgated by Governor Gipps, declaring the town to be a city. Transportation unofficially ceased in 1840 (officially for NSW in 1850). The colony was established, the inhabitants wanted their own say. Have you heard the expression "NIMBY" - "not in my back yard"?

The closest I could come to reproducing the angle of thge original Peacock painting

The early brick fields were one city block down from Hyde Park, which Governor Macquarie officially set aside not long after his arrival in 1810. It was a hodge-podge of wire-grass and rubble and even the hoi-poloi used it. However, in 1841 Samuel Lyons, a developer and auctioneer, built a series of terraces on the SE corner of Hyde Park. Three storey terraces. Terraces of such a quality, according to Joseph Fowles, `without exception the best in the city, (that) would not disgrace the Regent's Park in London'. Can you see where this is heading? Lyons was not the only developer with his eye on the main chance. Thomas Burdekin, an iron-mmonger and serial-real-estate-acquirer, built another row of terraces along College street diagonally across the way from the Lyons row. The smart set were not slow to acquire all these addresses. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, judges - the usual culprits - Dr Wallace and Chief-Justice Stephens, being but two. Any Sydney-sider of the 21st century will agree that the landform is prone to southerly-busters, not that they cause much damage, and after a swelteringly humid day, they bring blessed relief. However the brick fields were holes in the ground devoid of trees. The winds - known then as "brick-fielders" - would howl up the slope and across the barren Hyde Park, quite upsetting the learned gentry. So, of course, the brick makers were shafted and moved to all points west, like Pyrmont, and Newtown, and Camperdown. More on Hyde Park as the week progresses.

Left: Hyde Park is no longer a race-track, nor a cricket pitch. This southern end houses the State War Memorial, and hence treated with more respect than the northern section of the park. Riht: These green plaques are all over the city. They give minimal info, but help to pin down a site.

Brickfield Hill (2) - the brick fields

Hordern's Palace Emporium, fully constructed in 1924. The first store, built 1879, was burned down. There had been a Horderns of some ilk on this stretch since c. 1830.

As I mentioned in my previous post, brick-making commenced in Sydney town in about the March of 1788, when Governor Philip set James Bloodworth loose on the then outskirts of town. The centre of their universe was Sydney Cove (what we now celebrate as Circular Quay), ahd some brave and hardy souls made it through the bush and rocky ridges up the slopes to what appeared the "top", which is now the Town Hall precinct. This is where the burial-ground came to be located, "boot-hill" if you will. I open with the iconic image of Anthony Hordens Department Store, the Palace Emporium, sited on George Street, between Liverpool and Goulburn Streets, backing onto Pitt Street. This massive city block was the guts of the brick making "industry" in the first 50 years of the penal colony. The block next to it (Pitt Strret to Castlereagh Strret between Liverpool and Campbell Streets) was also over-run by tag-a-long industries like pottery works See the references below. Pottery making had more requirements for water, hence the proximity to Cockle Creek. So, the brick fields ran up the slope, from Cockle Creek (now Belmore Park and Hay Street) to the top of the ridge which has Bathurst Street running along its spine.

1807/1878 map of the burgeoning colony.

I have used this 1807 map before, but it serves as a useful image to get the locale AND the topography firm in one's mind. Of course, this belt of industry could not last in this area. Not once the colony stood on its own two feet, and threw off the apron-strings of Mother-England. Bathurst Street was nowt but the first east-west ridge (there were numerous north-south ridges, channelling the rains and seeps down to the drowned river valley which was Sydney Cove). The two images below serve a useful counter-point. The colour one I took standing on George Strret looking north from Rawson Place (in line with Central Station). You can see the rise on the right, Where those large office blocks are is where the brick fields were. Where I am standing, is where the swampy beds of Cockle Creek occasionally flowed. Remember, I noted in yesterday's post that the top of the brick field hill was chopped off and spread hereabouts in 1838. The B&W image is of the same set of streets, but pointing south. The water-wagon is heading straight for the stone building on Hay Street which is/was a branch of the city library. The spire of Christ Church St Laurence at Railway Square is prominent in the back ground. All this traffic, horses and wagons, uncle tom cobbley and all, are traversing reclaimed land. Reclaimed by the blood, sweat, tears, and aching backs of road gangs, and brick carters.

First image looking north up George St from Rawson Place (2015). Brick fields had been on the right, Second image, looking south down George St towards Hay Street (1900)

Below is the slope of Pitt Street as it rises to the south. The pub on the corner of Pitt and Cambell, The Chamberlain, was built in 1902, on the spot where the most extensive of the pottery works was established, that of Skinner, Moreton, and Leak, and especially Thomas Ball. Brick-making stopped in this vicinity in 1841. But, why? Had the reserves of a specific quality of clay petered out? Or were there other agenda afoot?

Looking north up Pitt St from Campbell St. The brick fields had been on the left and the pottery kilns on the right.

REFERENCES Casey & Lowe, "Archealogical Investigation, 710-722 George Street", June 2011 Casey, Mary "Local Pottery and Dairying at the DMR site, Brickfields, Sydney, New South Wales", Australasian Historical Archaeology, 17, 1999 Thorpe, Wendy, "Albion Place: Historical Review", Cultural Resources Management, 1998 Maclehose, James "Picture of Sydney and Strangers Guide in NSW, 1839. Facsimile Edition. John Ferguson Pty Ltd, 1977 Marcom, Edward West (Ed.) Memoirs of Obed West: A Portrait of Early Sydney, Barcom Press, 1988 Turnbull, Lucy Sydney - Biography of a city, 1999, Random House

Brickfield Hill (1) - The Hill

George St from Bathurst St, c, 1890 (SL-NSW)

Brick-making commenced in Sydney within weeks of the arrival of the First Fleet. James Bloodworth, a brick-maker in England before being transported, stumbled upon a usuable clay, and once this proved hard to retrieve, he worked his way further up the slope, away from the creek, and lucked upon a goodly supply of better quality clay. Of course, this was some distance from the small colony on the harbour. The creek became Cockle Creek, the brick-field became enclosed by George Street, Liverpool Street, Castlereagh Street, and Campbell Street. All to the east of George Street.

George St from Bathurst St last week

This area was mined for its clay from 1788 until 1841. Brick-making then moved slightly further afield to places lke Newtowm, Camperdown, and Pyrmont. By 1841 the colony was expanding rapidly. The Old Burial Ground had already been closed in 1820 and a new one commenced in Devonshire Street on the other side of Cockle Creek. George Street was teaming with industry and bullock wagons hauling timber, and fleece.

Sketched 1796 by Edward Dayes, purporting to be of the brick field hill on the way to Parramatta (NLA)

The original boundary of the colony was deemed to be the current location of Bathurst Street. But there was an issue with the intersection of George Street - the main artery from the harbour - and Bathurst Street. After, a long, steady incline up from Cockle Creek, there was a sudden increase in gradient, before steadying to travel past the ex-burial ground. This was the brick field hill. The bullock teams and sulkies struggled. In 1838 a major piece of public works saw the brick field hill up George St, reduced 15 feet in height between Bathurst and Liverpool Streets, and made more gradual in gradient, with the millions of tons of spoil (mostly sandstone) being used to reclaim the southern end of Cockle Bay and to elevate the southern part of George Street. Convict labour was plentiful, what with teams of men hauling bricks from the brick fields to the government buildings around the cove, from dawn to dusk already. These teams came either from the Carters' Barracks - on one edge of the Devonshire Burial Ground, now Central Station - or, from the hulk "Phoenix" anchored out in Sydney Cove. They simply chopped the top off the hill. Yep, that sort of behaviour is still in our genes.

Looking across George St, and down Bathurst St to the west (2015). About 15 feet of rock has been removed.

Parish of Cooks River [1/5]

I am trying to post five times each week, on a theme. Last week I did not quite make it. Let's see what this week tosses my way. Working extensively on my family tree, my first relative to land on these shores was a Joseph Puckeridge, who did so at 'his Majesty's pleasure' back in 1801, and was set to work making bricks for the new colony. A google search led me to the Anglican Church of St Peters, Cooks River. More on the church and its background tomorrow. Today, I show you a snippet of my journey down to the inner-south of my city.