From Track to Tarmac

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From Track to Tarmac History Walk Building a Marine Introduction Suburb The name Neutral Bay was given by Governor Phillip who in the early days of Sydney A walking tour of Neutral Bay settlement declared the bay a neutral harbour, isolated from the penal settlement where foreign including the history of the ships could take on water and make repairs. Neutral Bay Land Company The first land grant in this area was acquired by Lt Alfred Thrupp. Distance: 3 km Approximate time: 2-3 hours Thrupp acquired 700 acres as a result of Grading: low to medium marrying the daughter of Captain John Piper who he had met on the ship in 1814 heading for the colony. According to the historical record, Thrupp never lived on the land spending most of his time in Tasmania. However, his name still lives on in the area through Thrupp Street and Thrupps Point. The land went eventually back into the control of Captain Piper. However, Piper was bankrupted in 1826 and the land was sold and purchased by Daniel Cooper Snr and Solomon Levey. Levey returned to England and died 1833. By 1852 Daniel Cooper was the sole owner of the estate. In 1853 he died. In his will Daniel bequeathed the estate to his young nephew John Cooper the elder. According to the historian L F Mann, John Cooper is said to have resided at Neutral Bay for many years. The Cooper family held ownership of the land until the 19th century (1850s) when they started releasing allotments under 99 year leases towards the Neutral Bay foreshore and along Kurraba Point. In these early days of the colony there was little residential development on this side of the harbour. According to one of the first historians of the area, G V F Mann, in 1863 there were only eight habitable residences and some shipbuilding on the foreshores. The main impetus for the development of Neutral Bay was the introduction of transport services: the formation of roads through the Cooper Estate; North Sydney Heritage Walk: Building a marine suburb Page 2 the commencement of a regular ferry service in in 1914. It was designed by Walter Liberty the 1870s and later tram services along Military Vernon and W L Drew (his assistant) during Road from the 1880s and 1890s. All these Vernon’s tenure as Government architect. It was developments served to encourage the built in the arts and crafts style and it is residential subdivision in Neutral Bay. interesting to note the similarities stylistically Instrumental in one of those residential between his public buildings and his domestic subdivisions was the Neutral Bay Land buildings such as the houses he designed for Company whose main shareholder was the the Neutral Bay Land Company. architect Walter Liberty Vernon. It is a single storey building with walls of dark Vernon was born in 1846 in High Wycombe in brick (to sill height) and cream roughcast Buckinghamshire. He suffered from asthma separated by a brick cornice, the Yeo Street (bronchitic asthma) and as a result as a young (south) elevation is divided into three bays under professional he decided a move to a milder two gables. The larger gable to the west houses climate might improve his health. He arrived in a former engine bay now bricked up and the New South Wales in 1883. He was lucky to be central existing engine bay. There is a large able to secure a commission to design new circular vent with brick reveal under the apex. premises for David Jones and Company in The smaller gable on the east has three multi- George Street enabling him to set up his own paned sash windows and a matching but smaller practice in Sydney. He was soon afterwards to circular vent under the apex. The gables have form a partnership with Edward Lloyd Jones to rounded apexes with brick copings Note the form the Neutral Bay Land Co. He was complex roof is tiled, hipped and gabled and appointed Government Architect in 1890. there are two tall rough cast chimneys and brick copings. The Barry Stt facade has a small gable with timber bargeboards and overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and eight sash windows, tucked under the overhanging eaves. The former engine bay has an infill of exposed brickwork with three multi-pane windows. The existing engine bay has timber and glass doors. The traditional fire pole is in the northern yard. Cross over to the other side of the st St Johns Uniting Church, No. 49 Yeo St The Presbyterian congregation was established Walter Liberty Vernon on horseback in his in Neutral Bay in 1889. The land for a church Sydney Lancers Uniform at his property was donated by Captain Robert Craig and the ‘Penshurst’ Neutral Bay c.1886. (North Sydney foundation stone was laid in 1890. The architect Heritage Centre, PF 364) was Charles H Slatyer. It was enlarged in 1898 and 1908. In Victorian free Gothic style, the Our walk begins at the corner of May church is a buttressed brick building with stone Gibbs Place and Yeo St trims and steep gabled roof. The original slate roof was replaced in 1979 with concrete tiles. Neutral Bay Fire Station, Yeo Street Erected in 1909 as the Ben Boyd (North Sydney) Walk down to corner of Wycombe Station. It was renamed Neutral Bay Fire Station and Yeo Streets North Sydney Heritage Walk: Building a marine suburb Page 3 Wycombe Rd contains some fine examples of leased to a merchant Joseph Gervish (Gervais) Victorian, early Federation and Late Federation Le Barron. Up to 1927, two different names domestic architecture. appear in the rate books, Kareela and Glengarrock. It was leased to a Medical No. 144 Wycombe Rd Practitioner by the name of Dr John McMasters This is a fine example of a Federation Arts and from 1917. By the early 1920s ownership was Crafts style house. According to the North transferred to Miss Vera LeBarron Gainsford. Sydney rate and valuation books, it was built 1905-6. In 1906 it was leased to Mrs Naomi Yeronda, No. 143 Wycombe Rd Cooper by John Cooper and the occupier was This house exhibits a number of striking Herbert Graham Vaughan. The house was Federation Queen Anne details such as the named Moorara in the mid 1920s. It is an intact fancy roof design. The brick chimney is highly two-storey slate roofed residence integrating the unusual in being gathered above the roof in an use of continuous timber casement windows to arched structural form, the shoulder of which is the projecting wings, one of which is projected decorated in scrollwork. The front verandah is out on shaped timber brackets and embellished supported by ionic timber columns with corner with inlays of art nouveau timber fretwork. The brackets while lattice embellishment has been front door is glazed in art nouveau leadlights and added to the dormer eaves. The house has defined by a buttressed arched entry porch, undergone restoration since 1992. Paint has paved in tile work which is further enlivened by been stripped from brickwork and front picket the use of contrasting brickwork. Further fence reinstated. In 1925 the house was owned interest is given to the elevations by an art by Mrs E Dymock wife of auctioneer John nouveau bull's eye window, contrasting Dymock. terracotta ridge cap. St Augustine’s Anglican Church Start to walk down Wycombe Rd In the early days of settlement of Neutral Bay, if you wanted to go to church you had a long walk This top part of Wycombe Road has a group of to St Thomas Church in North Sydney. The heritage listed houses referred to as The story goes that the committee to found a church Wycombe Rd group. All this area was in Neutral Bay met on the ferry Gannet while owned by John Cooper which he leased out. travelling to and from work in the city. A wooden Most of these houses were built in the early church was built here in 1887. Landowner, John 1900s. Cooper gave the land to the church and made an annual donation of 50 pounds. The wooden No. 153 Wycombe Rd church was replaced in brick with stone facings This traditional two-storey Federation house has in 1923-1924 with handsome woodwork and bay windows, slatted timber balustrade, rough stained glass war memorials. The church is of cast gables and part shingled verandahs. The symmetrical Gothic Revival design with face ridge profile is embellished with an ornate brick walls and stone dressing to both the capping and ram-horn finials. The Marseille tile interior and exterior. The church has a slate roof roof is returned across the end of the front topped with copper spire while the Burroway St windows to define the front windows. entrance is defined by a lynch gate. The church is of a high standard throughout which is According to the North Sydney Rate and reflected internally in the timbered ceiling beams Valuation books, this house was built in 1906-7 and altar. The lectern was donated in 1887 and on what was then called the Barron subdivision. was fashioned from a gun carriage in an early Described as a two storey 8-roomed house on man-o-war, The Vanguard. The church was land owned by John Cooper it was originally North Sydney Heritage Walk: Building a marine suburb Page 4 designed by well known architects, Howard while good examples of their types do not fall Joseland and Federick Glynn Gilling into either of the stylistic groups that characterise the first phase of development.
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