Former Rozelle Tram Depot Including Water Tank and Tram Accesway And Fencing

Item details


Name of item:	Former Rozelle Tram Depot Including Water Tank and Tram Accesway And Fencing
Other name/s:	Rozelle Tramway Depot Tramsheds
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Transport - Rail
Category:	Tramway Locomotive/Rolling Stock
Primary address:	10 Maxwell Road, Forest Lodge, NSW 2037
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
10 Maxwell Road	Forest Lodge	Sydney			Primary Address
The Crescent	Glebe	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	The former Rozelle Tramway Depot was an important part of the NSW tramways system which was, of its period, amongst the largest and most sophisticated public tramway systems in the world. The Rozelle Depot was crucial in the early 20th century development of the Sydney Suburbs of Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe, Annandale, Lilyfield and Abbotsford.. The Tram Deport, originally the second largest depot in the Sydney tramway system, provides dramatic evidence of the size, significance, operation, and organization of the tramway systems, having 650 staff at its operational peak. The tram sheds are of aesthetic significance as an austere and functional application of the Federation Free Style, with impressive industrial-scale size and massing ( both exterior and interior). The building features a strongly detailed parapet and encircling walls (mostly set within an impressive cutting) and a large and impressive interior with decorative structural elements. The attached Federation Queen Anne Style office and amenities block is a well designed building which provides a domestic scale contrasting with the tram sheds. The tram sheds are of technical significance as evidence of the application of modular design units and concepts by the Sydney Electric Tramways System, still retaining their early 20th century steel framed trusses as well as much of their fixtures and fittings. The external water tank makes an important contribution to the site as an early Grinnell automatic fire sprinkler system, which saved the sheds from fire in 1919. The former tram access way provided access to the Rozelle Tram sheds and is evocative of the period when the Sydney tramway was operational. The associated fencing along Johnson's Creek utilises sections of tram track as rails. The trams stored in the depot on the site have a strong association with the NSW tramway system which was an important feature in the physical development of both Sydney and Newcastle providing cheap and reliable public transport. The presence of the trams contributes significantly to an understanding of the context and operation of the former use of the Rozelle Tram Depot. They provide important physical evidence of the purpose and use of the Depot for over 60 years that continues to resonate today. The trams play an important role in understanding and interpreting the original role of the depot without which this historic function would be more difficult to interpret. The Rozelle Tram Depot site is rare as the largest and most complete site of the three remaining intact tram deports ( Rozelle, Tempe and Leichhardt) during the operation of the Sydney tramways system. The integrity of fabric is rare, retaining internal trusses and fittings, offices, water tank, remnant accessay fencing and forecourt.
	Date significance updated: 22 Aug 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


Construction years:	1904-1909
Physical description:	The site contains the following items: Former Car Shed: large rectangular building in the Federation Free Style with a saw-tooth corrugated iron clad roof. This roof structure is concealed by a brick stepped parapet structure with a curved pediment with an exaggerated keystone. It has a large and impressive interior with decorative structural elements. It contains remnant features, including encircling walkways, stairs and , remnant tracks , which relate to the use of the building for stabling of electric trams. There is a range of one and two storey attached offices and amenities of Federation Queen Anne style on the eastern side, with hipped gable roofs clad in terracotta tiles, with decorative ridge capping, rendered lintels and decorative wall buttresses with rendered copings. Tramsheds Forecourt: Located between the western façade of the Car Shed and the storm water channel is an open, flat forecourt area that was the marshalling yard for the Depot. There was a two way tram access from The Crescent leading to it. Cutting: Cutting adjacent to the eastern edge of the Car Shed which was cut back in 1904 to enable the construction of the building. Water Tank: adjacent to Maxwell Street, above the Car Shed is a square cast iron water tank, supported on a tall steel frame which is cross braced and strengthened by diagonal tension rods on each side. The tank is formed of square cast iron plates bolted together at flanges around the internal surfaces, with a curved section connecting wall plates to floor plates. The tank was installed as a header tank and reservoir for the Grinell automatic fire sprinkler system which is installed in the Car Shed. This system operated to prevent a serious fire in the Car Shed in the night of the 7th of July 1919. Tram accessway: Johnstons Creek was the boundary of the original tram accessay from The Crescent. This boundary is still defined by the fencing constructed of lengths of tram track on a sandstone retaining wall. Fig trees, adjacent to the northern boundary of the Tram Depot site - see separate heritage invetnory report Trams stored in the car shed : See separate inventory reports for each tram.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The Tram Sheds and attached offices and amenities are in poor condition having been subject to vandalism and suffering from serious neglect with the skylights and roof cladding failing exposing the interiors to the elements.
	Date condition updated:25 Sep 06
Modifications and dates:	Second half of the running shed completed in 1909.
Further information:	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:	Storage sheds - former Rozelle Tramsheds.
Former use:	Tram Depot

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. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters.

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney.

(Information sourced from Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani )

"The land upon which the Rozelle Tram Depot is situated is a portion of one of the earliest purchases of land from the Crown in the Glebe area. In 1827 George Allen purchased over 90 acres of land extending from the waterfront now known as Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay to St Johns Road. Allen built a large residence on this land which he had named Toxteth Park. Located to the east of the study site, the house is today part of St Scholastica's College.

The Toxteth Estate remained largely intact until George Allen's death in 1877 and it wasn't until the mid-1880s that large-scale subdivision took place. However, that part of the estate where the Tram Depot was to be located was situated at the headwaters of Johnstons Creek which was dominated by a mangrove swamp.

By the late 1880s Johnstons Creek was seriously polluted due to the surrounding residents using it as a sewer. This situation was mirrored across the city with many small, natural watercourses draining into the harbour used as sewers. In September 1890 the Secretary for Public Works, Mr Bruce Smith, MLA, directed the Department to commence a program of improvement to stormwater drainage throughout the city. Johnstons Creek was enclosed as a stormwater channel and the head of the creek reclaimed in 1899 with material dredged from Rozelle Bay. The land created by this reclamation was landscaped to form Federal Park which was declared open for public recreation on 11 November 1899. This reclamation altered the shoreline in the area." (Godden Mackay Logan 2004 pp 5-6).

The Rozelle Depot was opened on the 17th April 1904, operating the western, south-western and Ryde lines in conjunction with Ultimo and Newtown Depots. It was a twenty five road car shed and traffic offices and amenities in a range of single storey brick buildings. Located adjacent to the Epping Recreation Ground and Greyhound Coursing Track (now Harold Park), it was originally accessed by a long reserved track from Glebe which is now Minogue Crescent. ( Keenan 1993)

"The Running Shed at Rozelle was built in stages from 1904. The first half of the Depot was completed in 1904 to accommodate a total of 96 carriages. This allocation was gradually increased to meet increasing traffic requirements and, by 1907, the Depot was accommodating 125 carriages. The second half of the shed was completed by 1909, providing space for an additional 70 carriages. By 1918 the sheds were running at peak capacity of approximately 200 carriages." (Godden Mackay Logan 2004 p 9)

"By the mid 1920s the gardens around the Depot had been created into an attractive display and Rozelle Tram Depot won the Garden Competition [between the tram depots] in 1926 and 1928." (Godden Mackay Logan 2004 p 11)

"Tramways workers established their own Returned Soldiers branch at the end of World War I and a Soldiers Memorial to the Depot staff who served in World Wars I and II was erected at the front of the Traffic Offices. Of the 1,157 tramway men who enlisted during World War I, 139 were either killed or missing." This memorial is now missing, but shown in 1920s photographs as a centrepiece of the Depot's garden. (Godden Mackay Logan 2004, p12)

The depot closed on the 22nd November 1958 when the Glebe line closed, the depot was cleared of cars during the next day and the lines connecting the system were then removed.

The depot was soon leased and became a truck depot with part of the grounds utilised for parking associated with the adjacent dog racing track (Keenan, 1993)

This use continued until the 1980s, after which the building was leased to various occupants who used it primarily as storage. These included the Universal Machinery Company, Sydney City Council and the City Tram Association. The six trams presently stored in the building relate to the latter two occupants." ( Godden Mackay Logan 2004 p 12)

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The former Rozelle Tramway Depot was an important part of the NSW tramways system which was, of its period, amongst the largest and most sophisticated public tramway systems in the world. The Rozelle Depot was crucial in the early 20th century development of the Sydney Suburbs of Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe, Annandale, Lilyfield and Abbotsford in the early twentieth century. It provides evidence of the early 20th century development of electric trams and their associated infrastructure. The Tram Deport, originally the second largest depot in the Sydney tramway system, provides dramatic evidence of the size, significance, operation, and organization of the tramway systems and was a major place of employment , having 650 staff at its operational peak.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The tram sheds are of aesthetic significance as an austere and functional application of the Federation Free Style, with impressive industrial-scale size and massing ( both exterior and interior). The building features a strongly detailed parapet and encircling walls( mostly set within an impressive cutting) and a large and impressive interior with decorative structural elements. The attached Federation Queen Anne Style office and amenities block is a well designed building which provides a domestic scale contrasting with the tram sheds. The tram sheds are of technical significance as evidence of the application of modular design units and concepts by the Sydney Electric Tramways System, still retaining their early 20th century steel framed trusses as well as much of their fixtures and fittings. The water tank is of technical significance as part of an early Grinnell automatic fire sprinkler system, which saved the sheds from fire in 1919.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The tram sheds and trams housed inside the 1904 shed are held in some esteem by the local community. The tram sheds make a continuations of the local community's sends of place, and provide a connection to the local community's past. "The tramway systems were a popular and socially significant facility which, since their demise in the 1960s, have been eulogised for their qualities, both practical and social. The memory of their operations is of value to many people. Tramways attract a large number of enthusiasts forming volunteer museums and societies and are generally regarded with considerable sentimentality when discussed in public forums. Few other industrial structures can boast this level of social favour and interest." ( Godden Mackay Logan 2004, p 86 )
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Tramway buildings such as the former Rozelle Tram Depot are relics of a complex, interrelated transport network, and their location, arrangements and design represent the collective experience of nearly a century of operation. In their features and faults, they provide design lessons for future operations of a related nature and, by example, are part of our collective learning resource.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Rozelle Tram Depot is rare. It was the second largest tram depot in NSW during tramway operations and is now the largest remaining of the three largely intact tram depots. The depot railway pattern water tower is the only surviving such tank in association with a tram depot in Sydney, although there are a number of near-identical towers in existence on the railway network.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The former Rozelle Tram Depot is representative of the electric tram depot layout and design typical of the NSW tramway system. However the site is now rare due to the demolition or substantial alterations suffered by the majority of other tram depot sites.
Integrity/Intactness:	High level of intactness that is being compromised by the poor condition of the buildings on the site.
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 Conservation Management Plan for the site needs to be updated. A Heritage impact statement is to be be prepared prior to any major works being undertaken.. The Tram Depot, including the forecourt, water tank and tram accessway fencing, is to be retained and conserved. All works to be carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the Conservation Management Plan for the site.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012	I641	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Guidelines used
Leichhardt Municpal Heritage Study	1990	B32G	McDonald McPhee P/L	No
Former Tram Depot - Conservation Management Plan	2004		Godden Mackay Logan	Yes
Harold Park Heritage Study	2010		Paul Davies P/L	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	A Brassil	1994	National Trust Classification Report
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City
Written	DR Keenan	1993	The Western Lines of the Sydney Tramway System
Written	Godden Mackay Logan	2004	Former Rozelle Tram Depot: Heritage Impact Statement
Written	Paul Davies P/L	2012	Heritage Impact Statement for the relocation of four trams from the former Rozelle Tramway Depot to a secure storage facility

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

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2427874

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