| 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 (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).
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 (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).
The first building - with its associated garden - to be constructed on the western side of the cove in the vicinity of the present 103 George St site was the hospital. Although the hospital was originally situated just north of the future Argyle St, it was moved within a year to an area just south of where Argyle St would develop. The site, now referred to as 103 George St, occupies part of that land occupied by the original military hospital. These early medical facilities were replaced in 1790 by a portable hospital which was brought out to the colony with the Second Fleet. On the corner of George and Argyle St, stood a building that was occupied by the Assistant Surgeon until 1814 and later, from 1814 until 1836, by Francis Greenway.
"Like so many other aspects of his life, Francis Greenway's occupancy of this house was contentious. Greenway claimed that the land had been given to him by Governor Macquarie, but no real proof could be found in government records. A document produced by Greenway may have been a forgery. He had been tempted to such a crime once before when hard pressed in his business affairs. This led to his transportation. Greenway was evicted, but was then allowed to stay on in the building, to become more and more of an embarrassment to government. Eventually he left to join his family in the Hunter Valley, where he died."( Ellis (1953, revised edition), p. 35.)
The subject site was adjacent to the residence and site to which Francis Greenway laid claim. On the site now known as 103 George St, there appears, at that time to be three structures. By the time the site was subdivided by Elizabeth Broughton (1841), only one of the buildings remained, or at least only one was shown on the subdivision plan. Elizabeth (or Eliza), or her husband William Broughton, had, prior to the official register of the grant, built a shop there between 1831 and 1832, this shop was called McHealy's China Shop. Broughton's claim to the land is noted on Robert Russell's survey map of 1834 and Elizabeth Charlotte Broughton was legally confirmed as owner of the site on 30th April, 1840, by Town Grant 235.
John Richards, a draper in the Town of Sydney, purchased the property in November of 1842. Maurice Reynolds (aka Morris) is recorded as the owner between 1849 and 1852. The 1851 Municipal Rate Books for Gipps ward indicated that the one-storey timber building was being used as a smiths shop. Richards sold the property to James O'Neill, who erected the three-storey structure between 1855 and 1856.
In 1871, Thomas Playfair was using the new premises at 103 George St, constructed circa 1856, as a butcher's shop. He became the legal owner in 1882. On his death in 1893, the property passed to Thomas' son, Edmund Playfair. Edmund remained the property's owner until 1902, when it was resumed by the New South Wales Government.
Thomas Playfair joined the British Royal Navy at the age of 12 in 1845, and served on a number of ships including Hecla, Tyne, Rattler, Hecate, Asia, Swift, Brisk, and Pelorus, on which ship he travelled to Melbourne as Wardroom Steward, arriving on 30th September, 1859. Here he was voluntarily discharged, and almost immediately made his way to Sydney, arriving there on SS London on 7th October, 1859.
In 1860, Thomas formed a partnership with Edmund John Bailey, a carcass butcher, trading as Bailey and Co. In the same year, he married Ellen Matheson, a younger sister of Bailey's wife Margaret. In 1860, the partnership purchased the Shipping Butcher business from George Read at 107 George St, Sydney and traded as Bailey and Playfair. After Bailey's death in 1862, it appears that his wife Margaret sold his interests in this business and the shops at South Head Road and Crown St to Thomas Playfair. After the death of Ellen Matheson, Thomas married her half sister, Georgina, in 1867.
The property was originally leased to Thomas, but at sometime prior to 1882, he purchased it and the business remained there until the early 1900s except for a period from c1879, when he leased it to other interests while he rented 101 George St, across the Suez Canal, to carry on his business until he returned to 103 in 1885.
The names Bailey and Playfair continued to be linked in the business until c1885. Thomas must have had great respect for Bailey, as he named his second son Edmund John Bailey Playfair.
In 1875, Thomas was elected as an Alderman for the Sydney City Council for Gipps Ward, one of the eight wards into which Sydney was divided at the time, and which included the George St North and The Rocks area. He served continuously for 18 years until his death in 1893. He was elected Mayor of Sydney in 1885. Thomas Playfair was also responsible for the establishment of the Homebush saleyards.
After Playfair's death in 1893, his son, Edmund, continued to run the family business at least until 1907. Following this period, there was a succession of tenants using the building for a variety of retail purposes until the occupation by F R Edwards. Records found on the premises indicated that the Edwards family had been long term tenants, manufacturing and selling shoes and clothing. Their business was called "Edwards Bespoke Shoemakers, Late of London" at the time of establishment in 1938. The name was changed during the 1950s to "Edwards Outfitters", then, during the 1970s to "Edwards Suit, Shoe and Trouser Cave", and finally, to "Edwards Rocks Rig". The current tenants (2005) are Ariel Bookshop (103 George Street, and 1st and 2nd Levels, rear building on Harrington Street); Australian World Trading Pty Ltd., on Levels 1 and 2 above 103 George Street, and Sydney Cove Jewellery on the Ground Floor Level of the rear building fronting Harrington Street. (Graham Brooks and Associates Pty Ltd, 2005) |