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,.--------.r--------------------.... '-AR .s, ~RRmREE J • .. February 2000 ---~------------------- , Thorp Cultural"Re~9f1tr~~ir.N(~!1agement • « L ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT HEREFORD HOUSE & KERRIBREE 53,55 HEREFO.RD STREET February 2000 Prepared for Perumal Murphy Wu WendyThorp Cultural Resources Management Archaeological Assessment: 53-55 Hereford Street, Glebe ICONTENTS OF THE REPORT 1.0 PRECIS OF THE REPORT. ... 1 1.1 . The Site and the Work . 1 1.2 Historical Context . 1 1.3 The Archaeological Resource 2 1.4 Cultural Significance . 3 1.5 The Proposal and Its Impact 3 1.6 Management ........ 3 2.0 THE INVESTIGATION ........... 4 2.1 The Study Area and.Subject 4 2.2 Status of the Site ... 4 2.3 Methodology ........ 5 2.4 Objectives and Tasks .... 5 2.5 Authorship, Client and Acknowledgements 5 2.6 Abbreviations Used in the Text .... 6 Figure: The Study Area ........ 6 Views: Hereford House and Kerribree 7 3.0 HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 8 3.1 The Pre-European Environment and Aboriginal Occupation. 9 3.2 . The Clergy and School Lands Corporation & Subdivision 10 Undated Plan of Glebe Lands ............ 11 Plan ofForest Lodge Allotments 1845 3.3 William Bull and Hereford House: 53 Hereford Street 12 Plan ofHereford House in 1888 . 13 Plan ofHereford House in 1926 ......... 14 3.4 Joseph Leeds and Kerribree: 55 Hereford Street 15 Plan ofKerribree 1896 3.5 Camden College . 16 View ofKerribree and Dormitory 1915 18 3.6 The NSW College of Nursing . 19 4.0 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE .. 20 4.1 Assessing the Resource 20 4.2 The Site . 21 4.3 The Buildings . 22 4.3.1 Hereford House . 22 4.3.2 Kerribree . 24 4.3.3 Katie Zepps Library Building 26 4.3.4 Class Rooms . 28 4.4 Archaeological Sites . 29 o Archaeological Assessment: 53-55 Hereford Street, Glebe 4.4.1 Hereford House . 29 4.4.2 Kerribree .... 32 Site Plan 4.5 The Potential Archaeological Resource 33 5.0 CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE . 34 5.1 Evaluation Criteria ..... 34 5.2 Assessment of Significance . 35 5.2.1 Nature of Significance .... 35 5.2.2 Comparative Significance .. 36 5.3 Statement of Cultural Significance 37 6.0 IMPACT AND MANAGEMENT .. .... .. 38 6.1 The Proposal and Its Impact ... 38 6.2 Management of the Archaeological Resource 39 7.0 DOCUMENTATION 40 8.1 Endnotes .. 40 8.2 Bibliography. .. '.' 43 ------------------------------ ~~ Archaeological Assessment: 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe SECTION 1.0 IPRECIS OF THE REPORT 1.1 The Site and the Work The subject of this report is the land and buildings at 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe. This site is occupied by two late nineteenth century free-standing houses and twentieth century out-buildings 'added to accommodate later, non-residential uses of the site. The objective of the work has been to determine the extent, nature, integrity and significance of any archaeological evidence and to provide recommendations for its future management. The historical narrative is also intended to inform and support the heritage impact assessment made of this place. 1.2 Historical Context Originally characterised by an environment of tall eucalypt and angophora forest the study area was first alienated for European purposes in 1790 as part of a four hundred acre Church Glebe. It remained relatively untouched until the later 1820s. At that time the entire, estate was put to public auction. The study area was contained in Portion 15 which was purchased by A. K. Mackenzie in May 1828. Mackenzie resubdivided the land and auctioned it in 1829. The majority of the propertywas purchased by Frederick Unwin. In 1831 he sold a portion which included the study area to John Wood. Wood's son John William bought it from his father in 1834. Woods retained ownership of this property until his death in 1875. His house was close to the study area and the latter may have been part of a garden or orchard. The entire property was subdivided and put to auction as the Glenwood Estate in 1875. William Bull paid 320 pounds for allotments 4 and 5 of the estate being both the present-day 53 and 55 Hereford Street. Bull used part of his land almost immediately to build Hereford House. It was sold to the Goldsmith family in 1909. Thereafter, until 1981, it was occupied by two other families. In 1981 it was purchased by the NSW College of Nursing. William Bull sold the vacant allotment adjoining his house to Joseph Leeds in 1888. The house, Kerribree, was built in 1888/89 for Leeds to a design by architect John Kirkpatrick. It was occupied by the family until 1907 and then leased for a few years. It was sold to a consortium intending to use it as an immigrant hostel in 1913. The proposal did not proceed and it was sold in 1914 to Camden College, a theological college established in the later nineteenth century. By the end of 1914 a new building had been constructed behind Kerribree to provide for additional college needs. This is the Katie Zepps building. The buildings and grounds were subject to a constant programme of renovations and repairs until their sale in 1975 to the NSW College of Nursing. CRM for Perumal Murphy Wu Pty Ltd Page 1 Archaeological Assessment: 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe The College was established in the 1940s and by the 1950s had acquired property in Alien Street Glebe. It was here that most work was conducted until the purchase of Kerribree in 1974. In 1977 an extensive programme of maintenance and restoration was carried out on the house and in 1979 a demountable classroom was added to the site. Hereford House was the subject of an immediate programme of renovation on its purchase in 1981 and it, too, acquired a separate demountable class room in 1985. The grounds of both houses have been relandscaped on several occasions and neither retains the nineteenth century out-buildings. 1.3 The Archaeological Resource The potential archaeological profile of the study area may be characterised as follows: • evidence of the pre-settlement landscape in remnant soil profiles and of the burning or stumping to remove it • remnant evidence in the soil profile of the use of the land as part of garden or orchard from the 1830s • Hereford House largely retains its original 1870s envelope; there is unlikely to be a sub-floor archaeological resource • the foundations and part of one wall remain of stables built at the same time as Hereford House. There is no evidence of the additions to it at either end • some of the brick walls remain of out-buildings added to Hereford House by the 1920s along the Kerribree House boundary and the fence bordering Wigram Lane. The remainder of these sites has been levelled and landscaped for car-parking. Some elements of the earlier buildings may remain but are likely to have been disturbed by the later work • Kerribree House remains largely within its original envelope of 1888/89. It is unlikely to have a sub-floor archaeological resource • there is no evidence of the only known out-building to Kerribree and this site has been landscaped. Some evidence may remain but it is likely to be disturbed. There is no evidence of any other out-building • both Kerribree and Hereford House are likely to have tanks and/or wells close to the back of the buildings • evidence of earlier landscape components such as paths or gardens is likely to be contained within the site • there is unlikely to be a substantial accumulation of artefacts within the site. CRM for Perumal Murphy Wu Pty Ltd Page 2 Archaeological Assessment: 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe 1.4 Cultural Significance The land at 53-55 Hereford Street Glebe has important historical associations for the area but it has been assessed to have a low degree of local cultural significance for research purposes. This assessment has been made because there is unlikely to be a substantial archaeological resource within it capable of addressing or interpreting these historical associations and/or the occupation and use of the site in any way that will substantially add to or amend archival evidence for the place. Issues of technical and aesthetic value and community value are best addressed through the standing buildings and their role in the streetscape. 1.5 The Proposal and Its Impact The proposed development seeks to demolish the out-buildings except the Katie Zepps building, adapt Kerribree for new purposes and construct town houses and basement car parking on part of the site. Any remnant archaeological material will be destroyed or disturbed by this work. 1.6 Management This assessment has concluded that it is likely that the workwill disturb archaeological relics but these will have limited capacity to more accurately record on interpret the European associations and development of this site. It is proposed to apply for an Excavation Permit from the Heritage Council of NSWwith provisions for monitoring and recording any significant archaeological material unearthed during the course of redevelopment. CRM for Perumal Murphy Wu Pty Ltd Page 3 Archaeological Assessment: 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe SECTION 2.0 ITHE INVESTIGATION 2.1 The Study Area and Subject This report addresses the history of the land and buildings at 53 - 55 Hereford Street, Glebe and the archaeological resource which may be encompassed by this place. In this report it is referred to as "the study area". The site is contained within the block bound by Hereford Street, Walsh Avenue, Wigram Lane and Glebe Point Road. It is located on the north-western side of Hereford Street and has street frontages to that street, Walsh Avenue and Wigram Lane.