| 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 (Heiss, see below).
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 (Source: Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani)
Surry Hills:
Governor Phillip established the boundary of the Sydney Cove settlement in 1792 when he drew a line from the head of Cockle Bay to the head of Woolloomooloo Bay. East of that line was reserved for the town and west of the line, which included present-day Surry Hills was considered suitable for farming and was granted to military officers and free settlers..
The first land grants in the Surry Hills area were made in the 1790s. Captain (later, Major) Joseph Foveaux received 105 acres and Commissary John Palmer received 70 acrres in April and another adjoining 20 acres soon after. He called the property George Farm.
Foveaux (1765-1846)'s property was known as 'Surrey Hills Farm' and Foveaux Street in the suburb honours this soldier and administrator of the colony's early days (Healy & Pollen, 1988, 249).
In 1800 Palmer also bought Foveaux's farm. Palmer supported Governor Bligh during the Rum Rebellion (in 1808) and returned to England to give evidence. On his return, his reduced financial circumstances forced the sale of his land. The sale of Palmer's estate in 1814 was the first subdivision in Surry Hills.
In the first half of the 19th century, John Terry Hughes built the Albion Brewery, a site now owned by Tooheys Brewery. Adjacent was Albion House, where his nephew, J.T. Hughes lived with his wife. Surry Hills had an air of elegance in the 1800s, when buildings in the style of the Macquarie era were constructed. One of the most interesting was Durham Hall (on Albion Street) built in 1835 for George Hill, who bought its site from Thomas Broughton. Hill who was associated with a timberyard in George Street, was overseer of several slaughterhouses, and owned three city inns, all in Pitt Street. His son William ran a fourth, in Sussex Street (ibid, 1988, 249).
The Devonshire Street Cemetery, where many early settlers were buried, was located in this area. When Central Station became the Sydney railway terminus, the cemetery was moved to various other locations, and the station opened on 4/8/1906. This altered the traffic plan, and flow of trams and horse-drawn vehicles moved along George Street and past the new Anthony Hordern Palace Emporium, built in 1901. For many years this southern part of the city was the main shopping area because its nearness to Central Station made it accessible from all over Sydney and the state (ibid, 1988, 249).
The few villas were built in the late 1820s; however the area was considered remote and much of the terrain 'inhospitable'. The suburb was one of contrasts with the white housing of wealthy merchants mixed with that of the commercial and working classes. Living conditions differed, varying from houses on the scale of Durham Hall to 1-2 room shacks (Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners, 2003, 3).
The area around Cleveland and Elizabeth Streets was known as Strawberry Hills, and the Strawberry Hills post office was located for many years on the corner of these two streets, but is now ont he corner of Chalmers and Cleveland Streets. From the 1850s terrace houses and workers' cottages were built in Surry Hills, which gradually became a working class suburb. Work was available locally as light industry, particularly the clothing industry, became established in the area. The suburb was also favoured by families newly arrived in Australia in the years after the Second World War, when property values were low and it provided inexpensive accommodation (ibid, 1988, 249).
Towards the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century the population of the area increased, small factories moved into the suburb and as the nature of the area changed the living conditions of many of the residence deteriorated. Post World War II saw an influx of migrants to Surry Hills followed by their gradual displacement in the 1970s and '80s by largely middle class population (Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners, 2003, 3).
Today the suburb has a multicultural aspect, with a large Lebanese population joining older immigrant families. Many of its old houses are being restored as the middle class move back into the area to enjoy the benefits of inner-city living (ibid, 1988, 249).
Durham Hall:
Durham Hall is located on part of the land grant of 70 acres to John Palmer on 1 April 1794. Isaac Nichols purchased part of Allotment 20 in August 1814. After subdivision in 1833 the land was bought by Thomas Broughton and subsequently by George Hill, in 1835 (Ross, 2016) who built Durham Hall on this and adjoining lots. A description in 1899 states that the house was, ... built of brick on stone foundation, slate roof, verandah front and two sides containing hall, 8 rooms, dining room, pantry, kitchen, servant's room over, bathroom, and a detached laundry of brick, stabling being 3 stalls man's room and two coach houses - value 2,300 pounds. 'Garden yards and enclosures' were also reported to be part of the property. Between 1840 and 1850 Hill built a pair of cottages at 203-205 Albion Street, on the corner of Nichols Street, adjacent to Durham Hall (CLSP ibid, 3).
The term 'villa' was first used in England in the 17th century, partly from the Latin and Italian 'country house, farm', perhaps derived from the stem of vicus (village). The villa was a country mansion or residence, together with a farm, farm-buildings, or other house attached, built or occupied by a person of some position and wealth. It was taken to include a country seat or estate and later a residence in the country or in the neighbourhood of a town, usually standing in its own grounds. From this is was appropriated by the middleof the 18th century to mean a residence of a superior type, in the suburbs of a town or in a residential district, such as that occupied by a person of the middle class, and also a small, better-class dwelling house, usually detached or semi-detached. The term 'villa garden' was used in the context of Hobart and Sydney residences in the 1830s, and if near the coast or harbour, the appellation 'marine villa' was often applied. Australian origins probably date from the grant conditions applied to Sydney's Woolloomooloo Hill (1827, under Governor Darling), which obligated the construction of villas fulfilling certain conditions... 'with garden like domain, and external offices for stables and domestic economy' (John Buonarotti Papworth, 1825, quoted in James Broadbent's 1997 book, 'The Australian Colonial House'). Many gardens of 19th century villas followed Gardenesque conventions, with garden ornaments often complementing the architecture of the house. The term had acquired such widespread usage by the 1850s that when Jane Loudon issued a new editiion of her husband (John Claudius Loudon)'s 'Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion' (1838) she merely entitled the revised work 'The Villa Gardener' (1850). This coincided with a growing period of suburbanisation in Australia with consequent fostering of the nursery trade... By the 1880s, descriptions of Australian villas implied sufficient room for a lawn on two or three fronts of the residence. By the 1920s, a garden attached to a large suburban house was often described as a villa garden... after WW2 the term villa was rarely used..(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).
Hill was born in Parramatta of convict parents in 1802. He was a butcher and innkeeper, amassing a fortune through this work and accumulating real estate in Surry Hills and the Murrumbidgee district. Hill was elected an alderman in the first Sydney City Council in 1842 as part of an Australian-born faction, and by 1850 was Mayor. During this period he became a magistrate. He was said to have:
'...brought 'dignity and respect' to the office and was praised...for reforming abuses in the police courts' (Ross, 2016, 11).
In 1856 Hill was elected to the first Legislative Council, resigning in 1861. He sat on the Committee of the Benevolent Asylum. Hill and his family are closely associated with prominent families of the period such as the Wentworths and the Coopers (Ross ibid, 11).
He was also a noted sporting patron of his day (Dawson, 1981). He lived at Durham Hall until his death in 1883, from a buggy collision with a tram. He left an estate valued at 59,200 pounds - a large sum in those days (Dawson, 1981). Mrs. Hill continued to live in the house.
In 1980 a Mr K.Anderson contacted the Heritage Branch advising that his aunt, Miss D.M.Porter married the groom at Durham Hall, living there between 1900 and 1922 (she was 96 years old in 1980) and remembers cows grazing in Surry Hills fields. He also claimed there was a servant alive aged 106 who worked at Durham Hall. He arranged to compile all family photographs with Durham Hall in the background to have these copied for the Heritage Branch (25/11/1980 file note). A further file note said it was a Colin Anderson and that his grandfather lived there for 25 years before the German Club's acquisition of the site in 1923.
1923-45 Club Uses:
The house did not remain in the family. Nor did it continue to be used as a residence (HCoNSW, 1982, 6).
In 1923 207 Albion Street was acquired by the Concordia Club and extensive additions and alterations were undertaken between 1925 and 1933. These included an annexure with a banquet hall, gymnasium and bowling alley (1925-6) and a new facade (1933), all located on the street alignment (ibid, 4). Most of its classical facade was removed in 1923 when it was converted it into a club premises. Extensions added to the front and side concealed the original character of the house from public view (HCoNSW, 1982,6).
The Concordia Club Ltd. has a strong association with Durham Hall in the twentieth century. It provided recreational facilities and a venue for social events for the Sydney German community. A published history, detailing the club's period at Durham Hall, is evidence of the building's importance to the club, the history of which dates back to the 19th century (Ross ibid, 12).
Durham Hall was sold to the Commonwealth Government in 1934, which subsequently leased it to the Commonwealth Banking Corporation. With the exception of the (Second World) war years, when it became a rest and recreation cetnre for American servicemen, it continued to be occupied by the Corporation and was used for general storage purposes until about 1979 (HCoNSW, 1982, 6).
The attack of Pearl Harbour by the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941 abruptly brought the United States into the war and by early 1942 there were 250,000 American servicemen (GIs) stationed in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. At this time, very few Australians travelled overseas and their knowledge of Americans was largely gained from Hollywood movies. For young Australians, these Americans represented wealth, glamour and modernity. They were paid twice as much as the Australians and were ready to spend their money on a good time. A major area of the impact of GIs in Australia was the presence of African Americans. American troops were segregated by colour and Australian was predominantly Anglo-Saxon. Many were sent to outback areas, but when they were stationed in large cities, separate facilities were usually provided for them, including recreation centres (Ross ibid, 11).
US Military authorities began to operate a recreation club for their African American servicemen at Durham Hall at the beginning of 1943, calling it the Booker T. Washington Club, after the African American educator, author and adviser to American presidents. The Booker T. must have been a wild place in the early months, because the vice squad asked the military to close it down in October 1943, mainly due to white girls consorting with the servicemen in and around the premises (Ross ibid, 11).
Construction during this period included a timber and asbestos storage shed, a single storeyed lunch room, a 2-storey addition and a first floor office. Facilities included a lounge room, auditorium, dining room and dormitories (ibid, 5). This demonstrates the support role that the Australian community played by providing a base for the American forces during the war (Ross ibid, 12).
In December 1943 the Club reopened as an activity of the American Red Cross. This transformed it in appearance and the style of recreation offered. In the large reception room were lounge chairs and tables where GIs sat around reading, talking or playing cards. Now and then one would come to reception to ask the way to Luna Park or Bondi (Ross ibid, 12).
Dances were held there on Wednesday and Saturday nights and the big hall was packed with GIs and dance partners, jitterbugging to the music of an Australian band. The girls invited were mostly Aboriginal or Pacific Islanders, because of the colour bar in operation. The men were on R & R leave for a week or two. On dance nights, the grand old building would shake to the rhythms of jazz and swing music (Ross ibid, 12).
Good dance bands, singers and musicians had become harder for the director to find, partly because so many had been enlisted into the army's Entertainment Unit. Despite this, many of Sydney's top jazz musicians played in the Club Band, such as saxophone players Merv Acheson and Rolph Pommer, guitarist Ray Price and pianist Jim Somerville. A very young Don Burrows played one of his first gigs there. Many of the Australian jazz musicians gave their services for free, just to play for the Club's appreciative audiences, or for the chance to play with GIs who were jazz musicians before the war. Influential musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and pianist Teddy Wilson were involved in skill-sharing jam sessions with locals during the 1940s and 1950s in various Sydney nightclubs and jazz clubs (Ross ibid, 12).
By 1944 there were complaints from some church leaders and politicians about the Booker T. and requests to move it elsewhere. Early in 1945 it was announced that American Red Cross activities were gradually being curtailed in Australia. This was in line with American forces pushing further north towards Japan and moving their administration to the Philippines. From April 1945 the clubs were converted to Navy Branches of the British Centre and in July 1945 the American Red Cross handed Durham Hall over to the British Navy. This ended the liveliest and most colourful period in its history (Ross ibid, 10).
A 1943 aerial photograph (Davies, 2016, 4) shows now-demolished factory buildings to the rear (south of) Durham Hall. c1956 this factory was owned by Felt & Textiles of Australia Ltd. (Feltex)(Ross ibid, 4).
The club closed in 1945 and the Commonwealth Government acquired the property. In 1949 ownership was transferred to the Commonwealth Bank and parts of the premises were converted for their use. An area above a garage was leased to the Department of Labour and National Service. Further demolition and alterations were carried out in 1959 Ross ibid, 5).
In 1979 the property was classified by the National Trust (Ross, ibid, 6). In 1979 Durham Hall and the land surrounding it was bought by Wanroo P/L, a Sydney based development company. Wanroo's intentions were two-fold: to restore the house to its Georgian grandeur and to erect a complex of apartments sympathetic in design to Durham Hall and the character of Surry Hills (HCoNSW, 1982, 6).
In 1982 a Permanent Conservation Order under the NSW Heritage Act (1977), was placed on the property (Ross, ibid, 6).
The land on which Durham Hall stands was subdivided under a Strata Plan on 12 May 1983. Durham Hall underwent extensive alterations an reconstruction including removal of previous additions and replacement of much of the surviving 1835 fabric. A 75 -unit development was proposed for construction on the southern and western portions of the site. The architects for this work were Brewster Murray and Partners (Ross ibid, 7).
The restoration of Durham Hall , a change in zoning of the land and alterations to the design of the adjacent unit development were influenced by consultations with the Heritage Council (ibid, 6). Hugh Fraser, staff with the Heritage Branch, did careful detective work, determining that within the accretions was in fact, still, the fabric of the 1835 building with sufficient architectural evidence for restoration. After protracted negotiations he steered the developer into an alternative scheme which, after some massaging of development controls, gave sufficient new low-rise apartments at the rear, on the condition of restoring Durham Hall. This fine Georgian building stands today as the headquarters of the Royal Australian College of Pathologists in part due to the persistence of Hugh Fraser (Moffitt, P., obituary for Hugh Fraser, prepared for AIA (NSW Chapter), 2010).
The subsequent design was of lower scale and more sensitive to that of Durham Hall. Site inspections at the time revealed that prior to restoration some of the joinery was still intact, however other parts of the house had not survived, or had been dismantled or damaged. Photographic records have assisted in identifying the verandah columns, although they have yet to be replaced (Ross, ibid, 6).
For some years the successful restaurant 'Taylors' operated from Durham Hall (Stuart Read, pers.comm., 27/8/2012).
The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia purchased Durham Hall in 1986 and continues to use it as offices. Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners Architects Pty Ltd were commissioned to carry out garden reconstruction for the property in 1987 (ibid, 7). This work was guided by a garden plan devised by James Broadbent and Michael Lehany, using early 20th century photographs of the house and garden and their inhabitants (letter from CLSPA 18/11/1987 on file). |