Download summary document - Central to Eveleigh

History of North Eveleigh
West
Excerpts from heritage assessments
conducted for UrbanGrowth NSW
March 2016
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Introduction
Great places have a unique character
that has evolved over time and is
shared and celebrated by the
community. Through arts, culture and
heritage we can support living cities
that are culturally rich and vibrant,
celebrating and sharing their histories
and stories. We can also create spaces
that celebrate and recognise the
heritage and stories of the communities
past and present.
North Eveleigh (West) will be the first
neighbourhood to be transformed
under the Central to Eveleigh Urban
Transformation and Transport Program.
Bordered
by
Wilson
Street,
Carriageworks, the railway corridor and
Iverys Lane detailed planning for the
North Eveleigh neighbourhood provides
an opportunity to demonstrate how the
Central to Eveleigh Urban Transformation Program can be implemented at a precinct scale, including a commitment
to make a strong arts, cultural and heritage area even stronger and secure its future in Sydney’s cultural landscape.
Many of the buildings and structures are from when North Eveleigh formed part of the former Eveleigh Railway
Workshops that stretches across the rail corridor to the Australian Technology Park. The construction of these
workshops also influenced the development of the area beyond the site through the provision of worker housing
along Wilson St and nearby areas. The workshops were a major employer and are associated with NSW’s industrial
and labour history.
We would like to acknowledge the influential people, places, workers, technology and even materials associated
with North Eveleigh. We are asking for suggestions for sugestions for future names for, The Clothing Store, the new
park at the heart of the neighbourhood, a new park located near the site of the former air raid shelters and future
streets. A report on the suggestions we receive will inform part of any future applications to Council or other bodies
where there is an official naming process in place.
Limitations
This document has been prepared as a summary to inform consultation. It contains exerpts from the draft
Conservation Management Plan by OCP Architects for North Eveleigh West and the 2012 Eveleigh Railway
Workshops Interpretation Plan and Implementation Strategy. The summary should not be read as an official
documented history of the site. A fuller history is available from the Eveleigh Railway Workshops Interpretation Plan
and Implementation Strategy prepared for the Redfern-Waterloo Authority in 2012 available from our web site –
www.centraltoeveleigh.com.au.
Copywrite
As a brief summary we have not referenced historical sources and material within this report. Full references will be
listed in the future final Conservation Management Plan.
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North Eveleigh West
Historical Summary
In general terms, historical research has identified four
broad phases of occupation and development of the
North Eveleigh site. These are:
• Aboriginal occupation 20,000 years ago–1794
• Early grants and occupation of Calder House (1794–
1880)
• Establishment and development of the Railway and
Eveleigh Carriage Workshops (1880–1989) and
• Recent history following closure of the Carriage
Workshops (1989–present).
Eveleigh and surrounds were ancient windblown sand dunes covered in
Banksia scrub mingled with fresh water soaks and wetlands.
ABORIGINAL OCCUPATION
• Redfern's natural landscape was defined by sand hills and swamps. The former Eveleigh Railway Workshops
complex sits on Ashfield Shale, consisting of dark-grey to black siltstone through to fine grained sandstone laminate.
• Archaeological evidence indicates that Aboriginal people have occupied the Sydney region since at least 20,000
years ago.
• At the time of European arrival the dominant language group within the area were the Gadigal people. The
language spoken by these people is referred to as Eora, which means ‘men’, or people (from here).
• The area was probably resource rich, with mixed dry and wet environments associated with dune fields stretching
from Botany Bay to Redfern.
• Establishment of the European town of Sydney had a devastating effect on the Gadigal and other Aboriginal
populations in the region. Within a few years of the arrival of the British, an outbreak of small pox had greatly
reduced the Aboriginal populations, disrupting their traditional way of life.
EARLY GRANTS AND OCCUPATION OF CALDER HOUSE
• In 1794 the land that is now occupied by the Eveleigh Carriage Workshop site at North Eveleigh was originally
granted to John Davis, however this was cancelled.
• Several grants in the area surrounding the site were made during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. The western part of the North Eveleigh site was part of a land grant to Nicholas Devine in 1794 and the
majority of the land occupied by the Carriage Workshop site was eventually granted to James Chisholm in 1835.
• Chisholm was born in 1770 at Calder, Scotland, and arrived in NSW in 1790 with the NSW Corps. He constructed
Calder House on his grant in c.1830. Following his death in 1837, his widow remained at the house until 1855.
• Calder House was leased to a Mr Castle for use as a school and later a Mr Sly operated Sly’s Academy from the
building until 1878, at which time the land was resumed by the railways.
• During the early twentieth century Calder House was used as a residence for the Locomotive Works Manager of
the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. The building burnt down in 1923 and its remains were demolished in 1924. This
building was located on the site of the residential development at 501 Wilson Street.
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• David Chambers purchased the land on which The Grange villa was constructed (land in the western part of the
site, along Wilson Street following the sale and subdivision of the Devine Estate in c.1843, although he was actually
in possession of the land prior to this. Evidence indicates that The Grange had been constructed prior to 1840,
however it is not clear whether it was constructed for Chambers as his own residence or as a speculative venture or
by another party.
Sydney context :The passing of the Sydney Slaughterhouses Act in 1849 banned abattoirs and noxious trades
from the city. Tanners, wool scourers and wool-washers, fellmongers, boiling down works and abattoirs had
10 years to move their businesses outside city boundaries. Many of the trades moved to Redfern and
Waterloo - attracted by the water. The sand hills still existed but by the late 1850s
• There are no references to The Grange beyond 1908, indicating that the building was demolished when the land
was purchased by the Minister for Public Works in June 1908.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RAILWAY AND EVELEIGH CARRIAGE WORKSHOPS
• The first railway in NSW was established in 1855, running from Sydney to Parramatta, crossing Chisholm’s original
grant and dividing it into two.
• The first railway yards in NSW were constructed in 1860 at the original Sydney Terminal, adjacent to Devonshire
Street. These workshops were sometimes referred to as Redfern Station.
• By the 1870s the NSW railway engineers were beginning to realise that the existing facilities at the Sydney
Terminal were inadequate and numerous requests for improved facilities were made.
Sydney's original railway terminus was built in the Cleveland Paddocks, from Devonshire and Cleveland
Streets to Chippendale. At that time the present Redfern Station was known as Eveleigh, after a lovely old
home standing on the western side of the railway line. Eveleigh Station opened in 1878 and in 1906 it was
renamed Redfern Station. The former Redfern Station was renamed Sydney Terminal (Central).
• In 1878 Mr R. H. Burnett was appointed Locomotive Engineer. He immediately wrote to the Railways
Commissioner describing the need for improved facilities.
• The following year Parliament voted 100,000 pounds to purchase the Chisholm Estate, which at that time
remained largely undeveloped and straddled the Sydney to Parramatta line. In 1880 Parliament voted 250,000
pounds to construct and equip workshops at the North Eveleigh site.
The Eveleigh complex in 1886 became one of the largest employers in the state. Redfern was an industrial
working class suburb by the end of the 19th century.
• The initial phase of development occurred between 1881 and 1895 and included construction of a stores office,
Stores 1 and 2 and the Carriage and Wagon Workshop. New buildings were added to the site over time to
accommodate changing technologies and use. Much of the site’s expansion occurred in the years 1895 to 1927.
In 1917 an 82 day strike of 3,000 workers at Eveleigh Railway Workshops following introduction of Taylor
card system to increase worker production. Volunteer schoolboys from Newington and SCEGS helped to
operate the ERW to keep trains running. The Eveleigh Railway Workshops has a strong association with union
activities and is credited in being pivotal in the Australian Labour Movement. In 1932 Premier Jack Lang
abolished the card and bonus systems in the NSW Railways.
• The North Eveleigh site functioned as the Eveleigh Carriage Workshops until 1989. The entire Eveleigh Railway
Workshops, including the Locomotive Workshops, Carriage Workshops and all associated structures, were one of
the largest industrial enterprises in Australia.The Eveleigh workshops served as a training ground for thousands of
apprentices.
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RECENT HISTORY
• The Carriage Workshop building was adapted for use as a contemporary multi-arts centre and renamed
Carriageworks in 2008.
Across the tracks, the Australian Technology Park was formally established in 1993.
INTERESTING BUILDINGS AND REMANANTS ON SITE
Store Number 1 (Figure 3-1)
This building was demolished in 2010, however part of the raised timber floor
and 150mm hardwood floor boards remain, supported on arched brick
foundation walls.
Retaining Walls 1900–1910 (Figure 3-2)
The North Eveleigh site is delineated by a high bank running from the western
end of Wilson Street to the former pedestrian entry (opposite Ivy Street and east
of the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s building beyond the current study area).
Sections of this bank have brick retaining walls, including from the western end
of Wilson Street. The wall consists of mostly English bonded brickwork, with
height variances - in some cases over 4 metres high.
The Clothing Store 1913 (Figure 3-4)
The Clothing Store, (originally the General Store) provided an ancillary function,
including storage of uniforms, to support the primary operations of the
workshops. The Clothing Store is a two storey masonry building with brickwork
laid in English bond and corrugated steel roof. The building is approximately 65
metres long and 12 metres wide with high parapeted gables at the eastern and
western ends. The gabled ends are articulated by recessed panels of brickwork,
including a large arched panel centrally located on the first floor. The window
heads and sills and the copings to the gable ends are sandstone.
Former Spring Store 1916 (Figure 3-9)
The structural frame remains, although is typically in poor condition. Wall and roof
cladding has been removed. The remnant roof structure incorporates recycled
rails, demonstrating reuse of fabric within the site where in the post 1900
expansion, buildings were typically smaller in scale, cheaper or temporary in
nature. The northern wall to Wilson Street is of English bond brickwork and the
side walls are partially formed by tapering brick walls.
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Reclamation Shed 1937 (Figure 3-10)
This shed was built to the east of the Spring Store at the western end of the site,
It was used to store components that could be reused in repairs and later it was
used for potash cleaning and concrete bunds
Air Raid Shelters 1942 and the Grange 1840
The Air Raid Shelters comprise a long concrete structure built into the
embankment adjacent to Wilson Street (extending behind the Reclamation
Shed). The reinforced concrete air raid shelters, built partly into the slope behind
the reclamation store, were completed during World War II an dlater latered to
provide storage space. The building remains on site.
Near by, opposite Forbes Street, fronting Wilson Street “The Grange” was
constructed sometime before 1840. Its owners included Felix Wilson, and
tenants included Saul Samuel, the first Jew to become a magistrate (1846),
NSW Parliament Members and clonial treasurer in 1860.He was knighted in
1882.
Streets
The residential development of the area proceeded in the 1870s and 1880s
around the railway workshops to meet the need for housing generated by the
workshops. The names of many early settlers are continued in the street names
in the area, including Eveleigh, and many of the property boundaries and former
watercourses are reflected in street patterns.
The workshops influenced the establishment of adjacent suburbs, which
developed into low cost terrace housing to service the large working population.
The Golden Grove Estate to the north of Eveleigh was subdivided from 1881, at
the same time that Eveleigh Railway Workshops were being established on the
former Chishom Estate. Small lots that were intended to attract the workers
were laidout and the major building phase occurred between 1888 and 1893.
Traverser No. 2 (Figure 3-12)
The original traverser was installed in 1901. The essential layout of the Traverser
remains in the original configuration, however the trolley was replaced in 1969.
Traverser No. 2 formerly ran on six rails adjacent to the Carriage Shops. The
traverser supported traver trolleys being moved across the site. This allowed
carriages and wagons to be transferred from one of the tracks to another, and
from one building to another. There is also a Traverser No. 1 near Carriageworks.
Traverser 2 is in poor condition with parts removed for Traverser 1.
Rails 1882 to late C20th (Figure 3-16)
The first rail lines on the North Eveleigh site were installed to the stores from
1882 and were soon followed by rails at the eastern end (beyond the study area)
in 1883 and 1884. Rail lines, sleepers and points were added to and altered
with the construction of additional buildings, changes in function and changes in
the main lines throughout the site’s history.
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Tanks over Air Raid Shelters (Figure 3-17)
Two sets of tanks, former boilers, are mounted in tandem above the Air Raid Shelters, situated between the
northern wall of the Reclamation Shed and the Wilson Street boundary. Two
pairs of tanks are located at the eastern end of the area (four tanks in all) and
three tanks are located at the western end. Attached to the tanks are gauges,
taps and pipes.
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