The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan I I I I I a Summary and Plan of Archaeological I Investigations 1978 - 1990 ·1 I I I I
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I I I I I The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan I I I I I A Summary and Plan of Archaeological I Investigations 1978 - 1990 ·1 I I I I I *Prepared by Dana Mider for Meredith Walker as part of the Archaeological Management Plan for the Rocks and Millers Point. I March 1991. I I I I I I Table of Contents I I I Table of Contents.. .... .... ........... ... ........ .......................... .... ....... ........... Page 1 I Summary of Arch;leological Investigations in the I Rocks and Millers Point................................................................... Pages 2-3 A Guide to Archaeological Investigations in the Rocks I and Millers Point, Sites and Report Inventory......... ............. Pages 4-6 Plan of Investigated Sites within the Rocks and I Millers Point.................. ........................................................................ Page 7 -8 Archaeological Investigations in the Rocks and Millers I Point Sites and Report Inventory................................................ Pages 9-19 I Abstracts of some Investigated Sites ........................................... Pages 20-26 I I I I I I I I I I I Summary of Archaeological Investigations of the I Rocks and Millers Point I I The Rocks and Millers Point is an area of outstanding archaeological potential and significance. It possesses an unparalleled ability to I demonstrate the social and economic development and diversity of European settlement in Sydney from 1788 to the present. This archaeological potential and significance is heightened by the areas' I relatively undisturbed state, being largely devoid of large scale urban developments characteristic of the Sydney CBD, which have destroyed I the majority of archaeological remains. The first recorded archaeological excavations in the Rocks and Millers Point area were 'emergency watching briefs', conducted by the staff I archaeologist from the Department of Environment and Planning. These recorded the archaeological features and artifacts which were exposed I during demolition and mechanical excavation at various sites. These included the Kendalls' Biscuit Factory, Kendall Lane in 1978/9, and the I Observatory Hill in 1978. The first controlled archaeological excavation occured in 1980, at both Millers Point and The Rocks. These were the Moores Bond Store and I Wharf excavation in Millers Point and the Old Sydney Goal excavation at The Rocks. From 1980 to 1988 The Sydney Cove Authority did not I require any archaeological investigations on its development sites, however in 1988 it initiated and partially funded the Lilyvale Hotel Development Site excavation. Since that time the Authority has adopted I the policy of requiring some form of archaeological monitoring on all sites where works are likely to disturb the ground, and 23 sites have been investigated in some form to date. In contrast to the Rocks, Millers I Point has been subject to only two small controlled excavations since 1980,as part of the Millers Point Archaeological Master Strategy, 1987, I and one watching brief, that of the Kent Hotel Site in 1989. The results of these investigations have revealed a diverse amount of I information relating to the development of the Rocks and Millers point: from the gradual expansion of wharfage and harbour infill in response I to the increase of commercial trade, to the impact of the Bubonic plague. I I I I I A Guide to Archaeological Investigations in the I Rocks and Millers Point, Sites and Report Inventory I I The Sites and Report inventory contains five pieces of information, each pertaining to a site, be it a single allotment of land or an entire city block. This grouping has generally been determined by the nature of I the investigation itself; le. a small rescue excavation or the assessment of the archaeological potential of a city block, street or even a suburb. The sources used in the compilation of the inventory were: Central I Sydney Heritage Inventory 1989, Appendix C - List of Archaeological Sites Investigated within the CBD. pp111.:.112. Thorp, Green & I Associates & Anglin and Associates. Bibliography of Archaeological work, The Rocks and Millers point Jane Lydon, 1990. A bibliography of reports carried out in the SCA area. supplied by the SCA. Extended. I Bibliography of Historical Archaeological Reports Undertaken in the CBD. May 1988 in Urban Digs - Historical Archaeology Guidelines, Seminar Papers .. Wendy .Thorp. List of Major Projects held at the Centre for I Historical Archaeology, University of Sydney. 1989. The list of excavation permits issued by the Heritage Council was not consulted as I access proved beyond the recources allocated to this section of the Archaeological Management Plan. I The five pIeces of information are as follows: I *Inventory Number *Site I *Date *Type of Investigation I *Reports Inventory Number I Each site has been cross referenced to The Rocks and Millers Point . Archaeological Management Plan inventory ,as compiled by Edward I Higginbotham, in which every site has been alloted a numerical code, with the prefix: 'R' indicating a site located in the Rocks, and 'M' indicating a site within Millers Point, This enables the information to be I cross-referenced to the annotated base plans and historic maps. Thus, site ·R99 can be ident~fied as the former Old Sydney Goal, now the I Regent Hotel. I I I I Site The term 'site' refers to the physical entity which has been investigated, I whether a standing structure or an allotment/s of land. 1 Date The date recorded pertains to the year the report was submitted, not when the investigation occlude. If no reports were submitted, the date 1 of the investigation is given. Type of Investigation I The term 'Type of Investigation' refers to the specific form of 1 / assessment the site received. There are 5 possibilities: * Assessment of Archaeological Potential * Investigation of the Fabric I * Analysis of Material Recovered by Non-Archaeological means I, * Watching Brief * Controlled Archaeological Investigation I Assessment of Archaeological Potential This type of investigation does not involve any disturbance of the - fabric. It comprises researching the documentary evidence and an I examination of the site. Its aim is to assess the archaeological potential of the site, and to assess the significance of that potential, in order to determine what form of archaeological investigation (if any) should be I carried out. This form of investigation is generally part of an Environmental Impact Statement, or other planning ~equirements prior to the submission of a Development Application. An 'example is the I Historical and Archaeological analysis of the block bounded by Cumberland and Gloucester streets, and the' Cahill Expressway, The I Rocks. Investigation of the Fabric I This type of investigation is generally used for standing structures and their contents, such as wharfs, warehouses and their associated machinery, or domestic structures such as Susannah Place or No 30 I Harrington St The Rocks. Such investigations generally do not involve any disturbance of the fabric and usually precedes conservation or I restoration work. Analysis of Material recovered by Non Archaeological Means I This type of investigation is generally the result of artefacts being excavated by non a'(Qhaeological means, and where an subsequent I attempt has been made to catalogue and analyse them. I ,I I I Watching Brief A Watching Brief is an activity which is often carried out in relation to I road works, and some large scale developments. Its potential to recover archaeological information is limited, as the area under investigation I and the method of excavation are not archaeologically determined or controlled. The Archaeologist supervises the bulk excavation of deposit and records any significant features which may be exposed during the I course of work, and sometimes with an option of a limited extension of time for fuller recording of significant remains. I Controlled Archaeological Excavation In a Controlled Archaeological Excavation all archaeological information I is recovered stratigraphically. The area and scope of the investigation has been targeted , and being the result of a detailed consideration of the sites' archaeological potential and significance, usually in the form of I a carefully formulated Archaeological Research Design and Statement of Significance. Controlled Archaeological Investigations vary in their size, from small domestic allotment such as 55 Kent St Millers Point and I Samsons Cottage The Rocks, to large city blocks such as the Lilyvale Hotel Development site. These excavations usually take the form of I rescue excavations, preceding development. I Reports This section lists all knowl1 industrial! archaeological reports relating to the site which have been submitted to and in the possession of The I Sydney Cove Authority, the Department of Planning Library and the Centre for Historical Archaeology, University of Sydney. Most reports deal with single sites, though some such as the Millers Point I Conservation Policy or Millers Point Archaeological Master Strategy (Site 8900), refer to all of Millers Point. It does not include historical reports I or conservation plans. I I I I I I I I I I Plan of Investigated sites within the Rocks and Millers Point Area I I I Plan * This plan has been designed to cross reference with the Sites and I ~ Report Inventory. The inventory numbers are listed and correlate with the Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan sites inventory. The