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History of North Eveleigh West Excerpts from heritage assessments conducted for UrbanGrowth NSW March 2016 Page | 1 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. Page | 2 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. Page | 3 • 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. Page | 4 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. Page | 5 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. Page | 6 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. Page | 7