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Number 2 August 2000 MARRICKVILLE HERITAGE SOCIETY.C Dulwich Hill Enmore Lewisham Marrickville Petersham Stanmore St Peters Sydenham Tempe & parts of Camperdown Hurlstone Park Newtown OUR NEXT MEETING WWI GRAVES: A GENEROUS OFFER Lesley Muir Politicians, public transport & the MHS member Richard Hughes is travelling to burning of the Garden Palace various First World War Commonwealth War Peter Cousens After the fire: site of significance Graves Commission cemeteries in northern France Petersham Town Hall and Belgium in early September. Richard invites Saturday 26 August 10.30 am members to contact him should they wish him to visit particular graves of relatives, to take a Sydney's Garden Palace, a magnificent (James photograph, and/or to place a card or note there. Barnet-designed) structure of glass, iron, brick but This would be subject to itinerary and with no firm mostly timber was built in the Botanic Gardens for promise to locate a grave. Exact names and the International Exhibition of September 1879. Its cemetery location required (Information obtainable construction was part of a "vigorous policy of from Office of Australian War Graves PO Box 21 public works" in New South Wales, which sent the Woden ACT 2606 phone 6267 1411). railways to the state borders, created the city's Ring Richard 9221 4000 or 0418 468 502. public transport network, and changed Sydney from a run-down colonial outpost into a flourishing commercial city of Victorian sandstone FUTURE OF STEEL PARK buildings and rapidly-spreading terrace and With the Marrickville Memorial Bowling villa suburbs. Clubhouse in Steel Park Marrickville all but The more cynical among us have come to associate destroyed by recent fires and the nearby removal the times where a city grows rapidly with an of numerous shrubs and trees by Council, we upsurge in scandals - stories of rushed contracts, ponder the future of this site. Whilst the 1958 developer-politician deals, "inside knowledge" clubhouse is of limifed heritage significance, what and hasty cover-ups. The late Victorian era in became of proposals before the Steel Park Steering Sydney was no exception. Historical geographer Committee for a child care or community centre? Lesley Muir will guide us through some of the Come to think of it, what happened to the steering lesser-known scandals of the development of committee? Victorian Sydney and its transport system - a story As local residents resoundingly opposed a multi­ tangentially linked (or was it?) with the Garden purpose sports centre in 1997, converting the area Palace fire of 22 September 1882. to parkland (as happened after the demise of fhe Victoria Park Bowling Club) seems the most appropriate course of action. STATE OF THE WARATAH Members are invited to a special tour (with the Australiana Society) of fhe exhibition State of the Waratah: The Floral in Legend, Art & History on Sunday 10 September 12 noon at the SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill in association with the The dome of the Garden Palace 100 feet in Royal Botanic Gardens. Our guides will be diameter and towering 210 feet above the ground, curator Rosie Nice and decorative arts expert dominated the view of Sydney from the harbour. Margaret Betteridge. Memory of the Garden Palace survives in the State of the Waratah shows how our State flower, ornate Macquarie Street Gates and the Pioneers the Waratah, has been used in the decorative Memorial Garden. Art conservator and MHS arts and fashion since the late 19th century, president Peter Cousens will speak about the two along with some items of local interest. The gardens on the site of the dome. exhibition (part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival) runs from 1 September till Come to the annual Marrickville Festival 8 October. Entry $5, $3 concession. Enquiries & Marrickville Road Sunday 10 September from bookings Robert Hutchinson 9568 3079. 11 am. The Society would appreciate donations Afterwards enjoy a picnic and stroll through of goods especially jams, small pot plants and the Botanic Gardens and see the beds of bric-a-brac for its usual stall. Contact Angela waratahs in bloom. on 9280 2429 for collection. FOUNDED 1984 PO BOX 415 MARRICKVILLE NSW 1475 VOLUME 17 NUMBER 2 AUGUST 2000 Affiliated with Royal Australian Historical Society & National Trust of Australia (NSW) OUR LAST MEETING FROM THE ARCHIVES: SYDNEY SCHOOL OF ARTS & TOWN HALL REMEMBERING PERCY GLEDHILL On Saturday 22 July over 60 members and friends MHS member Susan Pinson has sent a cutting inspected the 170 year old sandstone Sydney from the Manly Daily 10 September 1970 when the School of Arts 275 Pitt Street now privately owned Manly-Warringah-Pittwater Historical Society was and restored to its former glory by architects celebrating its 46th anniversary! The following Tanner & Associates. In the 1900s the building was excerpt from an article on the Society's history by significantly altered by conversion to shops and Charles McDonald reveals a Newtown connection: offices. It appeared derelict when Alan Bond "An unusual coincidence is found in the fact that purchased it in 1987 with the view to converting it three men who played a prominent part in the into a monorail station. Strong protest led by Leo society originally came to Manly from Newtown. Schofield saved the building and City Council Mr Gledhill carried on his estate business there. He recommended restoration. The difficult task of and Mr J Wheeler, 1 believe, attended the recreating the interiors and the John Bibb ground Newtown school together and the society's first floor facade from old photos commenced. archivist, former Town Clerk Mr Les Wellings, also The site was at first (1830) designed as a Chapel for came to Manly from there. Why Mr Gledhill and the wealthy people of the Colony. Our guide Megan Mr Wheeler decided to make Manly their home is Jones described the huge 1940s concrete slab which not known, but Les tells us, quite frankly, he was divided the room in two with a false ceiling hiding in some trouble for swimming in his birthday suit the original skylights. Removal of these exposed the as a boy at Newtown so his dad moved to Manly." now imposing Mitchell Room and original chapel. Percy Gledhill moved to Manly in 1913 - his Scrapings of the walls revealed parts of glorious grandfather having been the district's first chemist murals which facilitated restoration and their re­ - and was a founding member of MWPHS in 1924, creation where panels were missing. secretary for 16 years and president for 22 years The Reading Room and the Library form part of a until his death - no short stints in those days! He later structure built in 1860 with the Sydney wrote Manly & Pittwater and A Stroll Through The Mechanics School of Arts built on to the chapel Historic Camperdown Cemetery NSW 1946. He and the Bibb sandstone facade added. Conscious maintained an active interest both in Newtown of natural light these builders incorporated domes and Camperdown Cemetery. and skylights and glass block floors with stunning Rev TG Rees in Historic results. Glorious Georgian timber windows were Camperdown writes of restored. Scrapings revealed magnificent Gledhill (1890-1962); "He stencilling on walls and around the skylights and was a fine Christian dome. When rotten floors were removed remains gentleman, an excellent of convict huts were found as well as marbles, Church Historian, an dice, newspapers and even a mummified rat. authority on Heraldry, Nothing was disturbed. New floors were placed and a foundation member | over all archaeological remains. of the Church of England The 1880 building containing the timber room known Historical Society. He was I as The Smoking Room is at the rear of the Chapel and a member of the Library. The architects initially found a totally Camperdown Trust from blackened home for birds and vermin. It is now an 1924 until his death and interesting room in cream and brown, a contrast to the chairman for many the others in soft greens, pinks and creams. years, being chiefly Percy W Gledhill responsible for the Our tour up the grand 1880 Sydney Town Hall negotiations with the State Government for the Staircase was abbreviated due to stencilling work resumption of what is now the Rest Park, for the still-in-progress by artists. Scott MacArthur building of the sandstone wall, and the large briefed each small group before ascending the number of trees planted in the grounds. His elegant birdcage lift past The Sudan Memorial. oversight, enthusiasm and dedication to Historic Scrapings revealed the stencilled motifs depicting Camperdown is remembered by these Memorial England, Scotland, Wales and Australia. The Gates." The Gledhill Gates are at the entrance to original colour scheme and gold leaf have been St Stephens Church and cemetery. I wonder what restored and when completed will be magnificent. he would make of current plans to insert entries in Tarmer & Associates have restored these heritage that sandstone wall! sites with distinction. Thank you Megan Jones, Scott MacArthur and Lorraine Beach for Richard Blair coordinating this illuminating tour. On 5 August four Heritage Watch committee Maureen Salier members nad a productive meeting with Greg Note: The Sydney Mechanics School of Arts (founded Hammond, Chair of the Camperdown Cemetery 1833) moved into the refurbished 280 Pitt Street this year Trust in the graveyard of St Stephens Newtown. and Executive Officer Ellen Elzey showed a few The aim of the meeting was to view the remnant members over it on the afternoon of 22 July. Classes are Turpentine-Ironbark grassland in the cemetery no longer offered, but amongst other functions the rounds and discuss the possibility of MHS School operates the oldest lending library in Australia. telping the CCT initiate a community project to Across the road stands the wonderful 1907 YMCA restore the remnant.
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