Terrace

Statement of Significance

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Description

Assessed significance: State

Item type: Built

Current use: Serviced apartments

Former use: Residence

Group: Residential buildings (private)

Category: Terrace

Designer/Maker:

Builder/Maker:

Construction Years: 1885 - 0

Physical Description: No 67 Harrington Street is a two storey Victorian house, plastered and painted, set high on a rock base above the street and adjoins the terraces at Nos 61-65 Harrington Street. The detailing is simple, with moulded arches and label stops to windows and doors. The first floor windows rest on corbels. The steeply pitched roof is covered with corrugated iron. (National Trust 1978)Style: Victorian Terrace; Storeys: Two; Facade: Brick, cement render; Roof Cladding: Iron

Property Description

Address

Historic Notes and Themes

Historical notes: The site formed part of the range of the Gadigal people that extended along the south side of Port Jackson from South Head to Darling Harbour. Most physical traces of this occupation have been obliterated during the removal of sandstone to create level building platforms and the erection of houses, shops, warehouses, bond stores and wharves. On European settlement in 1788 the area on the western side of Sydney Cove was used as the main convict encampment. The first hospital, erected between present day Harrington Street and George Street, and its grounds that extended to the vicinity of Cambridge Street, was one of the first areas of Sydney to be cleared and fenced, thus restricting access into the fenced area for activities not associated with the hospital use. Surrounding the hospital were extensive gardens where medicinal and other necessary plants were grown. Small houses were built on the slopes of The Rocks, beyond the fenced hospital garden, many by emancipated convicts. The early houses on the Rocks were built in lines known as 'rows', which followed the naturally occurring rock shelves and were accessed by tracks rather than formally laid out streets. Because of these small cliffs, houses were not initially built on the lower side of the street, as this would have necessitated building a more substantial house with a basement. The majority of the small scale cottages were modest single storey cottages built at or above the level of the access track. The western side of Harrington Street was one of these rows of largely residential buildings. By 1808 they were being sold, such as the 'weatherboarded, glazed and shingled' dwelling house sold in May 1808 and the weatherboard 'family residence' sold by William Hutchinson in June 1809. Both were simply referred to as being at the back of the hospital garden on the Rocks. Prior to 1809 the location was simply given as 'on the Rocks', giving no indication as to which of the various rows of cottage the premises that were for sale were located in. The advertisements also provide an indication of the buildings materials used, all of which were of local origin. A stone house, which had been the property of the 'now deceased' Mary Inch, at the back of the General Hospital Garden was sold in May 1809. The site of the hospital garden remained a well-known locality after the general hospital had been relocated to Macquarie Street in 1816. As late as 1829 a property in The Rocks was referred to as being 'near the hospital garden'. Harrington Street and Argyle Street, which form the eastern and northern boundary of the block on which the subject site is located, are amongst the earliest streets in Sydney. Both were given official names in 1810 by Governor Macquarie, around the same time that the decision was made to relocate the hospital to a new site in Macquarie Street. If the track and row of houses in what was later Harrington Street already had an unofficial name, it has not been identified, nor does it appear on maps dating from before 1810. Harrington Street was officially 'next to and running parallel to George Street' and Argyle Street was leading from 'George Street in a Westerly direction'.The maps prepared by Harper and Stewart in the early 1820s show that there was already a series of buildings on the western side of Harrington Street, which largely correspond to the lots identified by Robert Russell in his surveys undertaken in the early 1830s. Some of these cottages survived until the Resumption in the early 20th Century, however none survive today, having been replaced with terrace houses or demolished by the Resumed Properties Department (between 1903 and 1914). In the summary of the town allotments in Section 79, published in 1835, there were 7 landholders in the area of the subject sites, between the corner of Argyle Street and Cribbs Lane (now Cumberland Place). They were Thomas Weedon (lot 8), William Young (lot 9), William Brutus Lea (lot 10), Thomas Cooper (lot 11), Caleb Salter (lot 12), William Kelly (lot 13) and George Atherden (lot 14), all of whom had their quit rents dated 1 July 1823.The building now at 71 Harrington Street was part of Weedon's Spread Eagle, later Sailors Return Hotel, located on the corner of Harrington Street and Cribbs Lane. The property also included the later site of 67 Harrington Street. The main section of the now demolished Colonial Georgian style part of the building appears to date from before 1823 when a rectangular building is shown on the site. If this is so, it may not have been erected by Thomas Weedon, the 'claimant' recorded on Robert Russell's plan. Weedon's claim to lot 8 of Section No. 79 in the parish of St Phillip was advertised on 25 July 1835. By July 1830 Thomas Weedon was running the hotel known as the Spread Eagle from the premises to the north of Cribbs Lane. Weedon's Spread Eagle in Harrington Street was described in the Sydney Herald in 1832 as being capable of accommodating vehicles. two storey public house, commanding a fine situation, possessing a flourishing trade and situated in Harrington-Street, known by the sign of the Spread Eagle. It is very commodious, has an excellent granary, two stall stable, with chaise house attached thereto, and a good well of water. Analysis of historic plans show the stable yard was located at the northern end of the property, and the entrance was located just before the spilt in the carriageway of Harrington Street. The 1880 rate book describes the then No. 23 (now No. 67) as a stable of wood and iron. The series of block plans and other surveys held by the Sydney City Council and used in this report show that the outbuildings surrounding the yard changed in configuration over the nineteenth century. The site of the closet (toilet) is shown on Robert Russell's plan but is now beneath the later building at No. 67 Harrington Street. The 1855 trigonometric plan shows a pair of closets near the northern boundary (again now beneath the site of No. 67). The site was known as Lot 8, no. 21 Harrington Street in c.1855, 29 in c1910 and no. 67 from the 1920s and is part of the lot on which the Sailors Return was. Several additions to the Sailors Return Hotel building complex were built by the Oatley family. The residence at No. 67 Harrington Street was probably erected for Oatley family members c.1884-85. On the 24th July 1884 two of the daughters of Frederick and Jane Oatley (nee Weedon) were married. Frederica Mary Oatley, the eldest daughter, married William Scarlett de Lisle Roberts and the youngest daughter, Edith Constance Oatley, married Edward Bailey McKenny. E B McKenny was the proprietor of the Sailor's Return Hotel. Jane Oatley died in March 1884 and her husband Frederick Oatley in 1890. In the 1890s the property was listed as being managed by Oatley and Cahill, agents. When resumed, in 1900, the property was still listed as being part of the estate of Thomas Weedon. The house at No. 67 was erected on what part of the cartway and yard of the hotel. It is a single terrace type house and the south wall is windowless except a tiny side window in the passage. It may have been intended, in the long term, to continue to develop the block with further terraces. Access to the rear of No. 67 was from the hotel yard. The house was rented and continued to be tenanted for many decades, managed by successive government agencies after 1900. Detailed record cards survive, commenced by the Sydney Harbour Trust in 1928. H. Jennings was the first tenant recorded in the tenancy cards. The cards indicate that in 1929 Jennings requested that a Mr Smith be allowed to use the old shed in the yard for free. Notices were issued by the City Council to repair the property in the early 1930s (no details available of the nature of the repairs). Jennings vacated in 1934 and the next tenant was an E Avery (though the commencement date of his tenancy is not clear). Avery was in residence by February 1937, followed by J B Bates (mid 1938) and then Mrs A Holland (1945). During Bates' occupation the cards record that part of the landing had to be reconstructed. Mrs Holland sought a number of improvements including a gas stove, power points and a 'bath heater'. Mrs Holland's son-in-law Mr Gorrel took over the tenancy in 1962, and the tenancy was transferred to his wife following his death the following year. The cards indicated a number of the tenants were continually behind on the rent. The last record is dated 1974, when the rent was almost doubled, from $5.60 per week to $10.60 per week. The then site owner, the SCRA, transferred the role of management of rental properties to the Department of Housing, as was other housing in The Rocks. By 1976 there was only one residential tenant left in the group. SCRA tried to persuade him to move to No 67 as this house was in the best condition of the group. In January 1900 the bubonic plague broke out in Sydney beginning in Ferry Lane. Sections of the foreshore were resumed in May 1900 from Circular Quay, around Dawes Point and Millers Point, and into Darling Harbour. The proposal to resume the entire Rocks area was announced in November 1900, shortly before the Chief Medical Officer's report on the plague outbreak had been tabled. As the number of cases increased sections of The Rocks and Millers Point were quarantined and a thorough cleansing operation was undertaken, co-ordinated by the architect George McCredie. The cleansing operations included cleaning, whitewashing, disinfecting and demolition of substandard structures. The housing stock at the northern end of Harrington Street continued to be let as rental accommodation and almost no alterations were made to buildings in this part of The Rocks. During this period, 1900 to 1920, there were a series of long standing tenants at the northern end of Harrington Street, including ·the Rasmussen family, the Olaf family and the Allner family in Stafford Terrace, ·the Waters and Lawrence Smith in Porters Terrace and ·the Brennan family at No. 67. Tenants were not well off and work at the docks was slow. Many had applied for relief and others sent their children to the benevolent kitchen to collect billy cans of soup. Finally the Minister undertook to go into the matter and see whether the conditions could not be made any easier for the tenants.During the twentieth century the street numbering of Harrington Street changed again and Harrington Street was renumbered as a continuation along Playfair Street which was connected to George Street via Atherden Street with the demolition of residences. The numbers commenced at the north end. This was presumably was related to the PWD works to regularise the streets. In the 1911 and 1921 the rate books have the old numbers with the groups of buildings being No. 7-19 (Stafford Terrace), 21-25 (Porters Terrace), then 27 and 29. By 1924 the present numbering system was in place. Later the street names have been changed again, but the numbering on Harrington Street was retained. As a result, there is now no 1-33 Harrington Street but there are still uneven numbered buildings 1-33 on the west side of Playfair Street. The revised numbering is shown on plans held by the Sydney City Council dating from 1956 and remain today.67 Harrington St remained in residential use until 1978. The building is now part of the Clocktower development designed by Michael Dysart, Architects, which comprises 55 serviced apartments, 35 shops, commercial office space and a car park constructed in 1986-89. The apartments are known as the Stafford Apartments.

Historical significance: The land that now comprises the study area was originally part of the early, informal subdivision of the western side of Sydney Cove associated with the first hospital and staff residences. Evidence for this phase of the site's history is unlikely to survive. Subsequent levelling of individual allotments within what was once the hospital garden to create individual building platforms is likely to have removed traces of previous use of the site although levelling was an important aspect of the physical development altering the appearance of the site and the rock shelves that characterised the district as a whole. There may be physical evidence of this phase of the site's occupation under the buildings but the sandstone face on Cambridge Street and the remainder of the site was removed by the seep excavation for the Clocktower development. The phases of development of 55-71 Harrington Street demonstrate the historical progression from small scale basic accommodation erected by emancipated convicts to larger formal and well built housing erected by their descendants. They demonstrate the historical demand for housing close to the waterfront and commercial centre of Sydney. The site also has potential to contain a variety of archaeological resources related to the occupation and activities of people who worked and lived here in the period after 1816. These potential archaeological resources may include structural remains of houses and outbuildings as well as yard surfaces, internal occupation deposits and dumps. Such remains could provide information about the layout, details and function of previous uses of the site and expand knowledge about the history and development of the site itself and the local Rocks area. Should they survive, archaeological resources related to these previous land uses would provide additional information about the cultural history of the local area and so would be of archaeological research significance. The former terraces and houses are historically significant as they are indicative of the late 19th century speculative residential development (largely intended for the working class) in The Rocks. The terrace houses at 55-67 demonstrate how in the mid 19th century the density of The Rocks was increased by the insertion of two storey terrace houses into the existing housing stock which, at the time largely consisted of small single storey cottages. The replacement terraces were standard mid Victorian terraces, built as an investment and were not designed to be lived in by their owners. Number 71 Harrington Street demonstrates a later phase of the development of the Sailors Return Hotel (previously the Spread Eagle, developed by Thomas Weedon). Number 71 appears to have been additional rooms added to the hotel by the Oatley family, Weedon's descendants. Despite having undergone a number of alterations, the surviving buildings demonstrate their original domestic configuration, as evident in their elevations to street, and remain in a type of residential use (albeit as serviced apartments). The survival of the building stock is in part due to the state ownership and management since the resumption in 1900. The early bedrock cuttings demonstrate the need to cut into the sandstone of The Rocks to make building platforms. The later cuttings and rock-face retaining walls are evidence of the Public Works improvement of the streets in 1905-6. The PWD plan of Harrington Street survives. The ramps and stairs at numbers 55 -69 and the cutting at number 71, along with the sloping raised footpath opposite (at numbers 42-52) show the original street level and with historic plans, record photographs and paintings enable an understanding of the former divided carriageway and less formal character of the streets of The Rocks.The place meets this criterion at a STATE level.The historical significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the building group, their facades and overall forms?record photographs, block plans and paintings that show the former configuration of the street and the Sailors Return Hotel·the level of the ground floor of all buildings, the sloping footpath at 55-59 Harrington Street and the elevated rock cutting at 71 Harrington Street·the rockface retaining walls, stone stairs to 61-67 Harrington Street and sandstone cutting on the property boundary to 67 & 71 Harrington Street

Historical association: The buildings are associated with speculative developers in the late 1800s and residents of The Rocks between the 1880s and the mid 1970s. The buildings and prior buildings on the sites are associated with the shifting populations and changing social demography of The Rocks and associations with prior owners and occupants may be able to be established by research but no specific important associations are evident. Numbers 67 and 71 Harrington Street are associated with the owners of the public house the Spread Eagle, initially run by Thomas Weedon. It became the Sailors Return Hotel and was inherited by Jane Oatley (n?e Weedon) and operated by the Oatley family as the Sailors Return Hotel and later as a boarding house. Number 71 Harrington Street is the only remnant of the Sailors Return Hotel, recorded in artworks from c1900 as a picturesque example of the heritage of early Sydney. The site of 61 to 65 Harrington Street has associations with speculator Michael Gannon and his descendants. The current buildings and the terraces opposite at numbers 42 to 52 Harrington Street are associated with the speculative terrace house builder Henry Dobson and the improvements made by descendants of the original grant holder. The site has few tangible links with individuals or groups who were significant figures in NSW cultural history. A number of property owners during the period between c.1820 and c.1850 had interest beyond the site but there is no evidence that these individuals, such as Thomas Weedon and Michael Gannon, resided on the site. The type and process of development of the site is typical of the residential nature of 19th century streets in The Rocks that were located behind the main commercial precinct of George Street. Should they survive, archaeological resources related directly to the site's occupants would provide information that would complement the cultural history of the local area and so would be of local archaeological research significance. The site has some associational significance at a LOCAL level.The associational significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving fabric in association with the historical artworks, photographs and records

Aesthetic significance: The modest residential buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street with the terraces opposite at 42-52 Harrington Street, the Harbour Rocks Hotel and cottages at 28-32 Harrington Street, make an important contribution to the streetscape of The Rocks precinct. The buildings enhance the human scale of the streetscape and reinforce the historic character of the precinct. They are important in demonstrating the aesthetic characteristics of The Rocks. The rock cuttings are evidence of the engineering works undertaken initially and in the early 20th century to "improve" the area and regularise the streets. The wide street is juxtaposed with the narrow and steep lanes leading from it - Cumberland Place, Suez Canal and Nurses Walk. The siting, stepping up the hill and elevated on rocky platforms, demonstrates the character of residential development in The Rocks and relates to the underlying landforms. If archaeological features are found on site and exposed as part of interpretive program they may have some aesthetic value in respect of their appearance as aesthetic 'ruins'. However, developments within the study area and the possible survival of remains only within the footprint of the extant structures are likely to inhibit any meaningful interpretation of in situ remains. It is not expected that this criterion will be met with respect to the archaeological resource and therefore the archaeology of the site does not meet the requirements for significance under this criterion. The varied architectural character of the buildings demonstrates the variety of styles of residential development in the mid nineteenth century ranging from an example of bald face Victorian Georgian terraces to examples with Italianate influenced decoration, and the typical Australianised form of the Victorian terrace with verandahs featuring cast iron lace. These differing styles are side by side. It is only in the inner ring of Sydney suburbs (particularly The Rocks and Millers Point) that the transition in terrace house design from the 1830s to the 1890s can be traced. The remaining houses in this study area contribute to an understanding of the development of the terrace house form in the nineteenth century.The item meets this criterion at a STATE level.The aesthetic significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the relationship of the buildings and the street, lanes and rock cuttings,?the range of detailing of the building facades?the scale of the buildings and elevation of the buildings above the road?the views to and from the site to the north?the transition from bald faced terrace houses to terrace houses with verandahs and cast iron laceThe technical significance / creative achievement of place is demonstrated by:?the rock cuttings and rock-face sandstone walls

Social significance: The terraces and houses have no specific strong or special associations with any particular community or group for cultural, social or spiritual reasons. The site's history has witnessed a variety of ownership and personal associations over the past two hundred years of European ownership. However no specific community or cultural group has been identified that has a particular association with the site. However the sites contribute strongly to the character of The Rocks heritage precinct which is highly valued by the contemporary community in Sydney and by visitors from elsewhere in Australia and overseas. Part of this value is as tangible evidence, along with other buildings in The Rocks, of the Green Bans and the successful resident and community action to preserve the residential community. These campaigns were also instrumental in starting to raise the profile of urban conservation in the community and amongst heritage professionals.The buildings have survived two slum clearance campaigns - that associated with the plague in 1900 and again in the late 1930s. They also survived the total redevelopment proposals of the 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly valued and economically viable precinct, valued by locals and tourists.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The social significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the retention of the buildings despite significant efforts to demolish them?historical records and publications about the green bans?continued community support for retention of the Rocks?Listing (as an urban conservation area) on the National Trust Register and the Register of the National Estate

Research significance: The buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street are a resource in The Rocks for interpretation and education for students, tourists and the wider community. They offer potential to research and interpret aspects the historic pattern of development of The Rocks such as:?the densification and official attempts to improve sanitation, building quality and regularise street alignments in the late 19th century and early twentieth centuries.?the range of buildings styles employed for speculative terrace houses,?the surviving elements from the early hotels,?the impact of the preservation campaigns, and the resulting juxtaposition of historic and modern structures.The potential archaeological resource at the study area has some ability to demonstrate aspects of the construction and occupation of a variety of domestic dwellings during a number of phases in the 19th century.The study area has the potential to contain archaeological resources related to the occupation and activities on the site from c.1814 onwards. At this stage the nature and extent of these features is otherwise unknown. It is also likely that portions of the yards and passages associated with the earliest phase of building development may survive. These yard areas (within the later building footprints) have potential to contain remains related to the way in which services were provided (if at all) for the residences that occupied the site. The potential resources, may also include structural remains of buildings that have the potential to provide information about the layout, details and functioning of these places and expand historical knowledge about the history and development of the site itself and the local area. Should they survive, archaeological resources related to these previous land uses would provide information that would be an important complement to the cultural history of the local area and so would be of local heritage significance. Depending on their extent, integrity and type, such relics may have some research potential to yield new information, un-obtainable from other sources, regarding historic use of the site. Accordingly, such remains (if any exist) would be locally significant in terms of this criterion.Overall the item meets this criterion at a STATE level.The research significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving buildings and the associated historical informationThe archaeological research significance of the place is demonstrated by:?the undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures

Rare assessment: The buildings located at 55-71 Harrington Street are not uncommon, rare or endangered. However their survival of the collection of different styles of buildings, adjacent to each other is rare. Number 71 Harrington Street is the only surviving part of the otherwise demolished Sailors Return Hotel, although insufficient detail is retained to demonstrate the principal characteristics of that building. The extent of surviving documents and images however in conjunction with the physical remains offers a rare opportunity to interpret this type of place. Also uncommon are the rock cuttings and elevated footpaths on both sides of the street. Together these historic features, on both sides, demonstrate the levelling of the road. Intact archaeological remains relating to the period between the relocation of the hospital in 1816 and 1840 occupation of the study area would be a typical example of the local area's material culture resource especially in relation to the use of the site for residential purposes. These are relatively uncommon survivals within the Sydney CBD. Sequences of building and occupation, from the period after c.1840, on other local sites throughout Sydney are numerous. The potential archaeological resource relating to other later occupation and use phases of the site are relatively common and not rare. The site meets this requirement for significance under this criterion for potential remains that pre-date 1840 at a local level.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The rarity of the place is demonstrated by:?the building fabric of the range from bald faced terrace houses to terrace houses with verandahs and cast iron lace?the surviving part of the Sailors Return (no 71) in conjunction with surviving documents and images of it and their potential for interpretation?the rock cuttings and stone retaining walls on both sides of the streetThe archaeological rarity of the place is demonstrated by:?the potential pre 1840s remains in undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures

Representative assessment: The study area is an important site as it has the ability to demonstrate the construction, operation and occupation of the area from c.1820 with otherwise unknown archaeological features predating the extant buildings on the site. The possible archaeological remains of former structures or evidence of archaeological deposits from the period between 1820 and 1900 (and possibly earlier) have the potential to provide an important contribution towards our understanding about the people who created, occupied and visited the site. The site meets this requirement for significance under this criterion for remains that pre-date 1840 at a local level. The terraces and houses of 55-71 Harrington Street are representative examples of typical designs of several "standard" terrace types prevalent throughout the inner suburbs of Sydney in the mid to late19th century. They represent the range and diversity of architectural styles and detailing used at a similar period in modest buildings at The Rocks and elsewhere in Sydney and used by speculative builders.The item meets this criterion at a LOCAL level.The representativeness of the place is demonstrated by:?the surviving buildings and their fa?ade treatmentThe archaeological representative value of the place is demonstrated by:?the potential pre 1840s remains in undisturbed ground under the floor slabs and passage, the historic plans which show the footprint of earlier structures.

Intact assessment: Potential archaeological resource may remain intact under the footprint of the buildings

Physical condition:

Listings

References

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Collingridge S	1978	National Trust Classification Card: 67 Harrington Street: Card 9, Harrington/Argyle Precinct
Management Plan	BCS	2006	67 Harrington St, The Rocks, Conservation Management Strategy
Written	SCRA	1984	Building Data Sheet CS/04
Management Plan (HC Endorsed)	Strategic Planning & Heritage, Place Management NSW	2019	55-71 Harrington Street, The Rocks
Management Plan	Jean Rice Architect	2013	55-71 Harrington Street - Terraces - Conservation Managament Plan

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