| 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).
In 1807 the site formed part of the garden of the Colony's hospital. After the formation of Harrington Street in 1810, a portion comprising 17 perches on the western side of the street was granted to a William Lea. The site was allotment 10 in Section 79 as show on an 1835 survey. By 1835, when the site was surveyed by Robert Russell, two buildings were located on the site. In 1845 the City Council assessed the northern building as a four room brick house with shingled roof and the southern L shaped building as a four room stone house with shingled roof in bad repair. In relation to the condition of the northern house in 1863 the assessor commented that "part of (the) front (had) fallen down'. The 1865 trigonometrical survey shows the footprint of two houses on the site, which appear to indicate new development, when compared to the 1835 survey. Percy Dove's 1880 map shows a two storey pair of terraces on the northern section, separated by a passage from the single storey shingled pair of cottages on the southern portion. The Lea family retained the property until c.1885. In 1885 both buildings have been demolished and in c. 1886 a seven house, two storey terrace known as Stafford Terrace was constructed on the lot. In 1891 John Varley was assessed as proprietor of the land.
The land and buildings changed hands on at least two further occasions between 1871 and 1900, when the NSW Government resumed the land and buildings. The houses were tenanted as residential units.
The name of 'Stafford Terrace' first appeared in the 1890 Sand Directory, when the terraces were numbered as 9-21 Harrington Street. The numbering changed in 1924 to 47-59 Harrington Street. In 1940 the northern half (four houses) of the building was demolished to make way for the expanding meatworks complex on the corner of Harrington and Argyle Streets. The remaining houses were tenanted until the mid-1970s.
Entries in various Sands Directories indicate that in the late 19th century there was a large turnover of tenants in the terraces. In 1900 when the NSW Government resumed the land and buildings they were tenanted as residential units until the mid 1970s. After the 1900 Government resumption tenants spent an average of 6 to 8 years in the tenancy. Alfred W Moore lived from 1902 to 1919 in 55 Harrington Street, which was numbered 17 Harrington Street in this period. Leslie Petersen was a tenant in 59 Harrington Street between 1919 and 1931 and moved to 55 Harrington Street in 1932, where he lived until his death in 1962. His wife, Mrs E M Petersen remained in the tenancy until 1973.
In the 1930s and 40s the terraces at 57 and 59 were shared tenancies, tenants paying (Pounds)1-1-6 per week. SCA tenancy records provide evidence of the everyday existential problems of tenants, noting a large turnover of tenants, endless rental arrears and requests for rental reduction. In February 1946 Leslie Peterson, long term resident in 55 Harrington Street complained that 'Building operations of Messrs Playfairs factory has deprived them of sunlight. Reduction of rental is sought to offset increased electricity consumption'.
Tenancy records note a number of smaller refurbishments, repair and improvement, which the Maritime Services Board carried out on the terraces after 1927. The tenant's request for renovation and repair in the late 1940s and early 1950s indicate that by this time the terraces were in a rundown condition.
A comparison of the footprint of the terraces shown on the late-19th century survey map and the survey prepared for the site of the Clock Tower development in 1986 indicates a few changes to the configuration of the property, the most obvious being the loss of four terraces at the northern end of the group. The three southern most terraces remain on the site. Minor changes included modification of the rear boundary line and remodelling of the single storey rear wing of the terraces.
During the redevelopment of the block in the 1980s the single storey rear sections of the terraces were demolished. The refurbishment also involved the re-roofing of the terraces, replacement of all floors, first floor in timber boarding and the ground floor in concrete and replacement of original features such as all stairs, fire places, doors and windows with replicated elements.
Due to the difficulty in housing building workers on the development site, the terraces were initially used as temporary accommodation until such time that sheds could be set up on concrete decks.
The terrace is now part of the Clocktower development designed by Michael Dysart, Architects, which comprises 55 serviced apartments, 35 shops, commercial office space and a car park, constructed 1986-89. (SCRA Annual Reports 1987-89) The apartments are known as the Stafford Apartments, with the address, 75 Harrington Street.
Archaeology Notes: Buildings shown on this site in Russell's survey of January 1835. Partially occupied by a grant to W. A. B. Lea, of George and Liverpool Streets, of Lot 10, Section 79 of January 1840. |