3 1 1J

the balmainassoc iat ionincorporatednews sheet

T h e P e n i n s x i l a

'Vol 40 No21 Issue 288 F o u n d e d N o v e m b e r 1 9 6 5 April 2004

B a l m a i n W a t c hH o u s e 1 8 5 4 - 2 0 0 4

Watch House is in manyways a symbol of Balmain for its

beginnings, heyday, decline andregeneration closely echoing theprogress of the district of which Itwas once the hub. Now In the finalstages of its restoration by theBalmain Association, the buildingis thought to be the only survivingexample in Sydney of an early police station and lock-up.

The first land soles in Bolmoin werein 1836 and by the 1850s the resid e n t s n u m b e r e d 1 5 0 0 , w h e n t h es e t t l e r s a s k e d t h e G o v e r n m e n t t oprovide a police force and a gaol.E d m u n d B l a c k e t , t h e C o l o n i a lA r c h i t e c t w a s i n s t r u c t e d t o fi n d asuitable site and the present site wasbought from Edward Hunt ofHampton Villa, Grafton Street, for£ 2 4 0 .

The original Watch House included0 Charge Room, Constables' Bedr o o m a n d t w o c e l l s . M e s s r s H o l m e sand Coney started work on 9'^ May1854 after submitting a tender of£ 9 5 0 w h i c h l a t e r i n c r e a s e d t o£1058, The building opened in early

Wa t c h H o u s e 2 0 0 4

1855 without the privy and urinal thatwas completed later in the year!

It is a little difficult nowodays to picture the Watch House as part of abusy little commercial centre, surrounded by shops, houses, post office, hotels and a church. For a while

W a t c h H o u s e 1 9 7 1

the police station rubbed shoulderswith a wooden Presbyterian churchoccupying the small triangular ploto f l a n d n e x t d o o r u n t i l 1 8 6 8 w h e n as a n d s t o n e c h u r c h w a s b u i l t i nCampbell Street, The church/shopr e m a i n e d u n t i l 1 9 2 0 s .

In 1878 the Balmain police forcecomprised six men 'amongst themost exemplary that New SouthWales can produce, more parentalthan otherwise and protective notd e t e c t i v e ' a n d ' l a r r i k i n i s m h a s t o a

great extent subsided'.By 1880s the population was over

15,000 and the Watch House wasenlarged adding another storey forthe Sergeant's residence, a kitchent o t h e s i d e a n d a v e r a n d a h t o t h efront and two larger cells at theb a c k .

T h e W a t c h H o u s e c o n t i n u e d t o b eused as a local lock-up until 1925even though In 1887 the expansiono f t h e s u b u r b h o d c a u s e d i t s c e n t r eto move further up Darling Streetwhen the grand new post office andcourt house and police station wasb u i l t .

T h e Wa t c h H o u s e r e m a i n e d i n c o ntrol of the Police Department andthe whole building, downstairs aswell as up, became a home. Thec h a r g e r o o m b e c a m e a l i v i n groom, the cells bedrooms as necessary. From 1930 to 1947, Sergeant

Ira Gray and wife Eliza andt w e l v e c h i l d r e n , c a l l e d t h elock-up their home.A b o u t 1 9 6 0 t h e p o l i c e

ceased to occupy the WatchH o u s e a n d w i t h m i n i m a lm a i n t e n a n c e t h e d e t e r i o r ation became more rapid andbecame a target for vandalsand a home for vagrants.

The newly formed BalmainA s s o c i a t i o n a s k e d t h eN a t i o n a l T r u s t o f A u s t r a l i a t o

suppor t on appeal to theMinister of Lands for the prese r v a t i o n o f t h e W a t c h H o u s e ,The request met with sympathetic response and the State

G o v e r n m e n t v e s t e d t h e b u i l d

ing to the National Trust and a leasewas drawn up that the BalmainA s s o c i a t i o n w o u l d u n d e r t a k e t h e r e

pairs and restoration.The early members had taken on a

huge task but the renovations hodadvanced sufficiently for the officialopening performed by the Ministerof Lands, The Hon. Tom L Lewis, MLA,on 12'" April, 1970.

In 1971 the land adjoining theW a t c h H o u s e w a s v e s t e d t o t h e N at i o n a l T r u s t a n d a d d e d t o t h e l e a s efor communal use. The small parkc o n t a i n s f o u n d a t i o n s o f t h e o l dPresbyterian Church.To celebrate the 150 years of the

building the National Trust had off e r e d t h e d e e d s o f t h e Wa t c h H o u s et o t h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n . T h eCommittee ore delighted to be recognised in this way, for the restoration and repair has always been theAssociation's most important singleproject. Investigation is In progressas to the cost of insuring the buildingby the Association and if we can affo rd to do so .

During April please visit the WatchHouse on Saturday 11.30am to4pm, for a photographic displaya n d r e c e i v e a c o m m e m o r a t i v ep e n .

S o u r c e : B a l m a i n Wa t c h H o u s e l e a flet, Peter Reynolds.

Spirit of Tasmania

Balmain Library Project^oncept plans for the solution of the II-^brory's lock of space have been on exhibit ion and some submissions have beenmade. The plans have been prepared withreference to the Town Hall ConservationManagement Plan because of Its heritagelisting and Its Integration with other civicbuildings such as the Courthouse. Residentswere consulted including the Friends of theL ib ra ry, t he Town Ha l l Commi t t ee andP r e c i n c t C o m m i t t e e sSeveral approaches were presented, One

used the meeting room for library space, Another expensive scheme redeveloped thedownstairs flat and western courtyard. A thirdenvisaged an angled extension on the easternwall (possibly conflicting with heritage consideration), Various situations for toilets werediscussed.Our representative hos suggested sympa

thetic extensions in the western courtyard between the Town Hall and the Police Youthbuilding and toilets behind the glasshouse. Ifthe Pre-school Centre at rear moves to MortBay as planned this building could be utilised.There is another building that could be used

by the Library, The Telstra Telephone exchangeIs mostly empty because of modern technology, The front section could be rented by theLibrary. A more sympathetic entrance wouldbe on asset to Balmain,

A plaque was recently unveiled at the Caitexgates at Ballast Point, It commemorates the efforts of people In returning the site to openspace. Local cartoonist, Bruce Petty, produced this illustration for the plaque,

T h e n a n d N o w73 & 75 Evans Street, Rozelle.

f̂ hese photographs, taken in 1896. werepresented to the Balmain Association byMrs Margaret Healy, Great Granddaughterof Thomas and Maria Drew.Thomas Drew was born in 1845 of Tiverton,

Devon, England ard marfiea"1Vlarla-A5(?iorn~ in1865,He was a Boatswain in the Royal Navyand spent seven years in the Pacific Ocean.He left his ship HMS Cambridge and the navyIn Wellington, New Zealand and then came toAustralia.

Daughter Bessy born in 1867 in Tiverton andwife Maria arrived in Sydney on 12^ July 1873on board La Hague and joined Thomas. Mariahad worked in the lace factory making the famous Devon Lace. The factory employed upto 7,000 people at one stage.The family travelled around NSW looking for a

place to settle. My grandmother Annie wasborn in Kloma In 1874. Soon after Annie's birththey came back to Sydney and settled inBalmain, Thomas was also a carpenter andbuilt his shops on both corners of Evans andBruce Streets and became a successful businessman. The shop at 75 Evans 'BalmainSupply Store' - T, Drew Family Grocer', T D1696' was cut Into the stone wall .Other children all born In Balmain . Emily bl 875, Charlesbl878, Thomas bl880, Wil l iam bl884.Thomos and Maria have five generations onAustralians as of 2003, Thomas died in 1897and Maria died In 1900, both were buried atthe old Balmain Cemetery, In the 1990swomen's apparel and repair business wasconducted from the building.

Narrow Street ParkingWe hove compolgned during the last year for

Leichhardt Council to introduce shared trafficzones In Balmaln's narrow streets. Many residents have been booked for parking on thefootpath. The Council has heeded ours andother pleas and in meetings with RTA representatives has succeeded in getting agreementfor a series of trials.

Starting with Foucart Street, Lilyfield andStuart, Short and Philip Streets, Balmain sharedpedestrian and vehicle zones will be constructed with traffic calming measures to

Passenge r Ca r Fe r r i eswn February 2004 a new service was Intro-■■-duced by on almost-new passenger corferry Spirit of Tasmania 111 from Sydney toDevonport , Tasmania. SOT HI bui l t inF i n l a n d i n 1 9 9 5 f o r s e r v i c e a c r o s s t h e A d r iatic Sea as the Superfast 11. She is of23,663 tons gross and 173m con carry upto 700 passengers on her new route atspeeds of 27 knots.

Ferries that carried vehicles and passengers have been with us since soon after theinvention of steam engine. In Sydney largevehicular 'punts' worked from 1870s until1932 when the Harbour Bridge was openedand continued to work in many other placesmuch longer.Carrying vehicles to sea was always some

what difficult. Until 1959 anyone being sodesperate as to wish to take their car toTasmania was required to present the car at

Empress of Australia 1971

a w h a r f i n M e l b o u r n e , T h e r e t h e c a r w o u l d b ehoisted by sling and plonked in the hold of a passenger steamer. The last such passengersteamer was Taroona. She was replaced in 1959by a new style of sea-going passenger ferry inwhich the traveller could park the car on a big flatd e c k .The first roll on/roll off ferry was Princess oi

Jasmania known to all as the POT. This ferry wasbuilt in Newcastle and could carry 330 passengers across Bass Strait along with a sizeablegroup of cars and trucks,

POT was such a success that the idea of carrying on a similar trade from Sydney to Tasmaniawas investigated with the result that the AustralianNational Lines built the Empress of Australia atCockatoo Island, launched on 18"^ January1964. When commissioned, EOA was the largestroll on/roll off ferry in the world and working thelongest route, carrying 250 passengers on agross Tonnage of more than 12,000.

Many passengers can remember driving theircar to Yeend Street, Birchgrove, to be loadedf r o m a b e r t h o v e r t h e r e m a i n s o f t h e o l d M o r t ' sDock for the two nights, one day trip. The EOAprovided three round trips in two weeks, calling atHobart, Bell Bay and Burnie, in rotation.

T h e E O A r a n d o w n t h e c o a s t f r o m 1 9 6 5 u n t i l1972 with many Australians paying to find out thesame truths concerning the NSW South Coastand Bass Strait that just as many other Australianshave learned under sail from Boxing Day eachyears that the area can be b...rough!

Source: Taking your cor to Tassie, GraemeAndrews. Afloat Magazine February 2004,

T h e N a t i o n a l T r u s t H e r i t a g e

Festival 2004 ||||^^P||nphe Foundations of Tomor-row in the Year of the Built HKaIHE n v i r o n m e n t . T h e B a l m a i nA s s o c i a t i o n a n d o t h e r l o c a l

organisations are to hold a national trustvariety of events from 24'^April to 2"^ May 2004 and we invite you toparticipate In these events.

T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n i n c . T h e n a n dNow-A Photographic Exhibition celebratingthe 1 50'"^ Birthday of the Watch House1854-2004 and other photographs from our ar-chives. Saturdays 3^=" Apri l to 1^' May,Open-11,30am to 4pm. Entry Free, 1 79 DarlingStreet, Balmain,

Heritage Pub Tour. The 2 hour tour will guideyou to former pub buildings and eight functioning hotels. Refreshment at two hotels at own expense. Saturday, 24'*^ April, Depart WatchHouse at 2pm. Cost $10,

C o a c h To u r o f B a l m a i n , 1 h o u r t o u r o f B a lmain including visit to 1844 Clontarf Cottageand commentary by local guides, Saturday, 1"May. Two tours at 12.30pm and 2pm. Cost $5.Depart Watch House.

Clontarf Cottage Committee invites you toOpen House at Clontarf Cottage, Saturday, 1 ^May, Visit the 1844 sandstone cottage at 4Wallace Street, saved by resident action, nowa Community Centre. Open 12pm to 4pm,Free. Booking for tours Essential. 9818 4954.

Leichhardt Local History Group, The Historyo f Annanda le Ta l k by Dav id Sp r i nge t t ,Chartered Architect, BSc(Arch), B(Arch). Monday, 26'" April, 6,30pm at Leichhardt Library,Ital ian Forum, Norton Street, Leichhardt, Cost$10,members. $12 non-members. Enquiries.9 5 1 9 3 2 6 8 ,

Leichhardt Library. Built Locally: A Photographic Exhibition presents a snapshot of thevar ied res ident ia l , indust r ia l and inst i tu t ionalheritage to be found in Annandale, Balmain,Leichhardt and Rozlle, 19"^ April to 23"^ May.Library hours.

Royal Australian Historical Society. Foundations: The Ups and Downs of Balmain Walk.Wednesday 28'" April. This walk led by local historian, Dr Peter Reynolds, will focus on Bolmain'swaterfront, sandstone outcrops, maritime links,waterfront parks, 1840s sandstone cottages.Bookings, cost and place to meet. Contact9 2 4 7 8 0 0 1

75 Evans St, above and 73 Evans St, below in 1896

73 Evans St, above and 75 Evans St, left today

ensure pedestrian safety. Gipps Street andparts of Louisa Road are being considered,These measures are being introduced because of parking laws that made parking onfootpaths illegal, This could block emergencyvehicles in narrow streets.Shared traffic zones can be expensive to

construct If RTA design guidelines ore slavishlyfollowed. They require expensive paving, allkerbs to be removed and underground drainage installed. We have suggested that only thekerb on the high side be removed and thelower side used for surface drainage.

G a r d e n i n g W i t h B u l b sg^nce autumn arrives the"thoughts of the flower gardener turn inevitably to the springbulbs display. Most of us haveplans for a few new bulb varietiesthat we would like to grow andnow is the time to put them Into eff e c t .

I f you ' re a nov icetake heart - anyonecan grow bulbs.With acouple of exceptions(notably tulips and hyacinths) they will growand flower w i th ease i na wide range of soilsa n d l o c a t i o n s . E v e nthose places less thanI d e a l b u t n e v e r I n

heavy wet clay as thisspells trouble becausethe constantly damp situation couldro t t he bu lbs . .

Bulbs mix well with other plants andso are Ideal for spots here and thereIn the garden. Plant them betweenshrubs, under trees or In pockets of arockery. They ore also suitable forpots, tubs, hanging baskets and window boxes to bring colour to balcon i e s a n d o t h e r p a v e d a r e a s . •Bulbs can be planted at anytime |

over the autumn months, Before ;planting It is worthwhile to odd some <plant food In the soil to provide future

. nou r i shmen t and have ■better flowering. Useabou t two hand fu l s o fa n y p l a n t f o o d p e rsquare metre. Mark thespo t t o ensu re youd o n ' t d i s t u r b t h e maccidentally,

T h e fi r s t s h o o t s a r e

tempting for slugs andsnai ls so keep an eyeo u t a n d s c a t t e r s o m eb a i t a r o u n d . W h e nflower buds appear In

spring appiy some liquid fertiliser to •give the display a boost,,

B o n n i e D a v i d s o n

W h a t ' s O nItch House Exh fb l t l o i i s ;Ajpufi Heri^ige. FestivalPhotograi^ic tlisplay• 24 i^rii-'2 May. thisyear 's Nat iona l Trus t . iHeritage Festival theme'i s F o u n d a t i o n s o fT o m o r r o w i n t h e Y e a r o f *t he Bu i l t Env i ronmen t , iW e w i l l c e l e b r a t e t h e150th Anniversary of theW a t c h H o u s e w i t hphotogtaphs o f ther e s t o r a t i o n . M e m b e r s 'photos arer e q u e s t e d .• I n te r tw ing Weav ing ,C a n e w o r k , e t c8-9 & 15-16 May

• J u l i e t C o h e n 2 2 - 2 3 M a y• Kim Savage 29-30 May■ Carrolyn Lapiss

5 - 6 J u n e

Printed by Snap Print, Balmain, © Not to be reproduced without permission.

t t i e b a l m a i nassociation

incorporatednews sheet

T h e P e n i n s u l a

S U R FA C EMAIL

POSTAGEPAID

A U S T R A L I A

If undelivered retum to;The Balmain Association IncPO Box 57Balmain 2041

Miss Theresa L Hayward61 Louisa Road

Birchgrove NSW 20412 0 0 5 / 1 2

T h e B a l m a i n A s s o c i a t i o n I n c

Representing Balmain. Birchgrove &Rozelle.Our aims are to:Improve the living, working and recreationalamenities of our area; maintain all featureshaving natural, architectural and or historicalvalue of the area and keep a permanent collection of historical interest; seek the cooperation of everyone concemed in therealisation of the above.

The Balmain Association meets on the firstWednesday of each month at 5,00pm in theWatch House 179 Darling Street Balmain,The Watch House is open every Saturdayfrom 12 to 3pm.Our editorial phone/fax is 02 98184954,Email :vhamey@tpg.com.au.Our Web site::

www.balmainassociation.homestead.com

Annual subscriptions:Household $20. Concession $10Organisations $30.