Terrace House "Toxteth" (94 Kent Street) Including Interior

Item details


Name of item:	Terrace House "Toxteth" (94 Kent Street) Including Interior
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	Terrace
Location:	Lat: -33.8621072214989 Long: 151.202763956037
Primary address:	28-94 Kent Street, Millers Point, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
28-94 Kent Street	Millers Point	Sydney			Primary Address
94 Kent Street	Millers Point	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	Toxteth is historically significant for its long term use as a single residence, owned and occupied by members of the upper middle class with strong associations with the burgeoning merchant and maritime industries of Colonial Sydney and as one to the earliest buildings to be constructed on the former Kent Street stone quarry. As home to a continuous succession of Sydney merchants, mariners and businessmen from its construction in 1869, the place is associated with various prominent individuals of the time, including merchant David Brown, merchant/mariner Frederick Gibbins, mariners William Curphey and Hermann "Harry" Wulf, merchant Charles Isles and notable builder, businessman and local alderman Alexander Dean, who possibly built Toxteth. Toxteth is of aesthetic significance as a Colonial Georgian Regency style town house, which has undergone alterations in the 20th century, and which contributes to the 19th century character of the northern Kent Street streetscape and the surrounding precinct of Millers Point. Its scale and design demonstrates the early development of Kent Street as a residential neighbourhood in the mid -late ninetieth century. The house is also significant for its associations with the provision of low cost government housing and accommodation for local maritime workers.
	Date significance updated: 13 Nov 12
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Physical description:	94 Kent Street, known as Toxteth, is a two storey Colonial Regency Style townhouse with attic, and a two storey rear skillion wing and single storey rear wing. The main part of the building is of rendered brickwork on a sandstone base with timber joinery and doors. There is a front cantilevered balcony with cast iron filigree detailing. The main roof, with side gables, features galvanised steel corrugated roofing, two dormers at both the front rear, and painted rendered chimneys with terracotta chimney pots. There is a covered carriageway on the northern side of the building. At the rear is a two storey skillion section. This joins a single storey rear wing with roofed terrace and a single storey section with gabled roof that dates from the 1980s. Internally the main part of the building was renovated in the 1980s for a rooming house which included refurbishment of the subfloors, installation of 1980s reproduction joinery and ceilings, and new partitioning. Surviving early fabric includes: • the original stair has been largely retained but includes some new banisters • timber fire place surround in room 1.2 and room 2.8 including cast ion grate and stone hearth • ground floor front façade windows • entrance lobby ceilings and slate threshold, marble floor • archway at foot of stair with corner and staff bead • front door with the name "oxteth: etched in fanlight • painted plaster walls
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Fair
	Date condition updated:13 Nov 12
Modifications and dates:	By 1885 outbuildings including rear coach house and stable constructed. 1986 major refurbishment, maintenance and adaptation works by Housing Commission of NSW.
Further information:	Was listed as a heritage item in 1989, and remains so since that time. Heritage Inventory sheets are often not comprehensive, and should be regarded as a general guide only. Inventory sheets are based on information available, and often do not include the social history of sites and buildings. Inventory sheets are constantly updated by the City as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with little information may simply indicate that there has been no building work done to the item recently: it does not mean that items are not significant. Further research is always recommended as part of preparation of development proposals for heritage items, and is necessary in preparation of Heritage Impact Assessments and Conservation Management Plans, so that the significance of heritage items can be fully assessed prior to submitting development applications.


Current use:	Residential
Former use:	Residential

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora.

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today.

No 94 Kent Street is located on the site of a former quarry which ran the length of Kent Street from Argyle Street to King Street. The house was built c 1868 for David Brown, a merchant, following his purchase of the property in the same year. He called the house " Kilrea House" likely after the city of Kilrea in Ireland, where his wife was born, Brown sold the building to Frederick Gibbons in 1876.

Gibbons then sold the property to William Alexander Curphey, a mariner, in 1885, who transferred the property into his second wife's name in 1891 and he died in 1893.

By 1885, the site included outbuilding connected to the main house by a covered way containing the kitchen, laundry, storeroom and a two storey coach house and stables with hay loft and men's room over. The coach house and stables were located at the east of the site, adjacent to the exposed cliff face with a court year are to the centre and northern side of the site.

The house obtained the name of Toxteth in the late 19th century.

The property was resumed by the Sydney Harbour Trust c 1901. In 1984 the property was transferred to the Housing Commission of NSW and in 1986 refurbishment, maintenance and adaptation works were undertaken. This resulted in the conversion of the place from a single residence to a boarding house with communal spaces to the rear. The earlier rear wing and stables were demolished to provide a new kitchen area, bathrooms and bedroom. The rear first floor balcony was replaced with a large volume to provide a living dining space including the kitchen. The rear dormer windows were constructed and the front dormer windows were altered.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Residential-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Toxteth is historically significant for its long term use as a single residence, owned and occupied by members of the upper middle class with strong associations with the burgeoning merchant and maritime industries of Colonial Sydney and as one to the earliest buildings to be constructed on the former Kent Street stone quarry.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	As home to a continuous succession of Sydney merchants, mariners and businessmen from its construction in 1869, the place is associated with various prominent individuals of the time, including merchant David Brown, merchant/mariner Frederick Gibbins, mariners William Curphey and Hermann "Harry" Wulf, merchant Charles Isles and notable builder, businessman and local alderman Alexander Dean, who possibly built Toxteth.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Toxteth is of aesthetic significance as a Colonial Georgian Regency style town house, which has undergone alterations in the 20th century, and which contributes to the 19th century character of the northern Kent Street streetscape and the surrounding precinct of Millers Point. Its scale and design demonstrates the early development of Kent Street as a residential neighbourhood in the mid -late ninetieth century.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Representative example of a Colonial Georgian Regency style town house, which has undergone later alterations.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

The building should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. There shall be no vertical additions to the building and no alterations to the façade of the building other than to reinstate original features. He principal room layout and planning configuration as well as significant internal original features including ceilings, cornices, joinery, flooring and fireplaces should be retained and conserved. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the rear in areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012	I910	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Millers Point & Walsh Bay Heritage Review	2006		Paul Davies Pty Ltd		No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2423618

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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