The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan. Inventory Page 291 ,------, Historic Sequence Ot Development
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Jr. 'I I I ~ 'I 'I ,'I THE CUMBERLAND STREET/GLOUCESTER STREET SITE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION I Archaeological Assessment and Research Design I Report prepared for The Sydney Cove Authority .1 The Heritage Council ofNSW I "l Godden Mackay Pty Ltd in conjunction with ,I Grace Karskens ,'I ;~I April 1994 •~ I ~----~ ~ I I I CONTENTS PAGE 1.0 PROJECT SUMMARY 1 I 1.1 Application Details 1 1.2 Background to Excavation 1 1.3 Description ofProposed Work 1 I 1.4 Research Design 2 1.5 Timing 2 1.6 Post-Excavation Analysis 2 1.7 Personnel 3 I 1.8 Conclusion 3 2.0 INTRODUCTION 4 I 2.1 Preamble 4 2.2 Background to the Project 4 2.3 Author Identification 5 I 2.4 Methodology 5 3.0 STATUTORY CONTROLS 9 I 3.1 NSW Heritage Act 1977 (as amended) 9 3.2 Sydney Cove Authority 9 3.2.1 Sydney Cove RedevelopmentAuthorityAct 1968 9 3.2.2 The Rocks andMillers PointArchaeological I Management Plan 9 3.3 Notes 9 I 4.0 THE CUMBERLAND STREET/GLOUCESTER STREET SITE: AN HISTORICAL SUMMARY: GRACE KARSKENS 10 4.1 Introduction 10 'I 4.1.1 Current Research/The State ofthe Discipline 10 4.2 The Rocks c1788-181O The People's Town 13 4.3 Consolidation: Emancipists and Currency 1810-c1830 15 I 4.4 Transition: Mariners and Publicans, Landlords and Tenants c1830-1860 17 4.5 Intensive occupancy 1860-1900: An urban working class? 18 4.6 Declension: The Plague and its aftermath 1900-1990s 22 I, 4.7 The Archaeological Dimension 24 4.7.1 Discussion: The Sociocultural Context 24 1I 4.8 End Notes 27 I I I I r I I I CONTENTS PAGE I 5.0 PREVIOUS MAJOR EXCAVATIONS IN SYDNEY 32 5.1 Introduction 32 I 5.2 First Government House 32 5.3 AGL Site, Goulburn Street 34 5.4 School of Arts, Pitt Street 34 I 5.5 Dickson's Mill, Little Pier Street 35 5.6 Paddy's Market Development 35 5.7 Lilyvale 36 5.8 Common Themes 37 I 5.9 Notes 37 6.0 HISTORIC PLANS 39 I 6.1 General 39 6.2 Original Plans 39 6.3 Overlays 40 I 6.4 Composite Plans 40 7.0 INTERPRETATION OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 53 I 7.1 Limitations 53 7.2 Description 53 7.3 Geo-Technical Data 54 7.4 Evidence from Adjacent Site 54 I 7.5 Services 54 7.6 Evaluation ofSurvival of Potential Archaeological Features 55 7.7 Analysis of Physical Evidence and Historic Plans 56 I 7.8 Archaeological Sensitivity 56 8.0 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 61 I 8.1 Principles 61 8.2 Basis for Assessment 61 8.3 Evaluation 63 I 8.4 Statement of Cultural Significance 66 8.5 Notes 67 I 9.0 ISSUES AND CONCLUSIONS 68 9.1 Obligations Arising From Significance 68 9.2 Statutory Controls 68 9.3 The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological I Management Flan 69 9.4 Sydney Cove Authority Requirements 69 9.5 Proposed Action 69 I I I L I 1 I GODDEN I MACKAY I I 1.0 PROJECT SUMMARY 1.1 Application Details I Property: The Cumberland Street/Gloucester Street Site, comprising the vacant block of land immediately south of the Australian Hotel and running between Cumberland Street and Gloucester Street, 'I The Rocks. Owner: The Sydney Cove Authority I Excavation Director: Richard Mackay, Godden Mackay Pty Ltd I 1.2 Background to Excavation The Cumberland Street/Gloucester Street Site comprises sections of two city blocks originally granted in the 1830s and 1840s as section 74 and 75 of the town of Sydney. I However, historical research indicates that the site was occupied for some considerable time prior to this, certainly during the 1790s. It had a rich subsequent history characterised by progressive intensification of occupation by a range of people and buildings during the I nineteenth century. Following large scale clearing by the Sydney Harbour Trust between 1902 and 1915, the site has been variously used for light industrial and public utility purposes du~ng most of this century. I The Sydney Cove Authority, as site owners and consent authority, proposes that the site be developed for residential purposes in 1994/1996 and it is intended that the site be subject to I a comprehensive archaeological investigation prior to building work commencing. The Authority is mindful of the substantial archaeological resource contained within The Rocks area and is committed to the principle that archaeological resources should be I conserved and managed, where necessary through pre-development investigation. In relation to this site the study brief outlines a series of objectives which include: I to undertake comprehensive investigation of the site's archaeological resource; to provide information on the nature, extent and significance of the resource for I management purposes; I to identify management options. 1.3 Description of Proposed Work The Sydney Cove Authority and the project archaeologist propose a 10 week on site I archaeological investigation. Following completion of preliminary research and issue of an excavation permit, it is proposed that on site investigations commence with a series of test I trenches, followed by large scale open area excavation. Major features will be recorded in I 1 I -I I GODDEN MACKAY I I situ and consideration will be given to their potential for on site conservation. The project includes a substantial element of public participation, including a volunteer program, open I days, site tours and some publications. The project also includes an intensive phase of post excavation analysis and reporting. I 1.4 Research Design A research design has been prepared by the archaeological team, in conjunction with Grace Karskens. A separate volume contains a detailed site history and analysis of the site's I historical context, prepared by Grace Karskens. The background work already completed should ensure that the information yielded by the excavation is relevant to research questions, as well as to current management needs. The research design identifies a number I of major research areas and questions. These include: The impact of the industrial revolution and the rise of class. I What can a site tell us about women's occupations and lives? Can the site make a contribution to the debate on standards of living in urban areas I where working people lived? Was The Rocks a separate space, in a social/cultural sense, within the larger city? I The rise of governance: what was the nature of the relationship between people and government? How did it change over the historical period? I In addition to these general questions, the research design identifies a series of questions relating to artefact analysis, and queries regarding site specific information which is not I provided, or remains unclear, in the documentary evidence. 1.5 Timing I The excavation is currently scheduled to run on site for approximately 10 weeks between June and August 1994. The program provides for 6 days of excavation per week, (Tuesday to Sunday), on the basis that some of the time on site will be spent in preliminary artefact I processing. 1.6 Post-Excavation Analysis I The excavation program provides for an intensive phase of post-excavation work, including cleaning, labelling, boxing and cataloguing of artefacts; entry of data into the SeA artefact database, and materials conservation as appropriate. I The post-excavation phase also includes provision for further analysis, in the context of the research design itself and preparation of an overall report. This report will comprise an I executive summary, a main synthesis of findings and a series of subsidiary documents containing the project data. I 2 I I I - ---_.. _----------------------------------- I I I CONTENTS PAGE • 10.0 THE THEORETICAL BASIS FOR RESEARCH DESIGN 70 I 10.1 Material Culture as a Resource 70 10.2 Problem Orientated Research 70 10.3 What is a Research Design? 70 I 10.4 The Nature of Archaeological Features 71 10.5 Need for Review 71 10.6 Notes 71 I 11.0 RESEARCH DESIGN QUESTIONS 72 11.1 Major Research Questions 72 11.2 Artefact Series Questions 74 I 11.3 Site Specific Questions 75 12.0 EXCAVATION AND POST-EXCAVATION METHODOLOGY n I 12.1 Site Preparation 77 12.2 Preliminary Investigations and Testing 77 12.3 Location of On Site Trenches 78 I 12.4 On Site Excavation Methodology 78 12.5 Artefact Recording and Management 79 12.6 Post Excavation, Cataloguing and Specialist Examination 79 12.7 Artefact Storage 80 I 12.8 Reporting 80 13.0 BIBUOGRAPHY 83 I 13.1 Published Material 83 13.2 Unpublished Material 84 I 14.0 APPENDICES 87 A. Extract from Sydney Cove Authority Study Brief B. Extract from Godden Mackay Proposal I C. Extract from The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Zoning Plan D. Schedule ofBuildings and Their Development I E. Indicative Project Programme F. Personnel Chart I I I I I I GODDEN I MACKAY I 1.7 Personnel I The excavation director and project manager will be Richard Mackay. Work on site will be undertaken by a team of 6 archaeologists, supported by 2 I draftspersons, an administrative assistant/computer operator, a part-time public relations officer, Godden Mackay administrative and support staff and up to 20 volunteer workers per I day. 1.8 Conclusion The archaeological excavation of the Cumberland Street/Gloucester Street site is a I necessary precursor to the consideration of the redevelopment potential of the site. The Sydney Cove Authority has expressed commitment to ensuring that the archaeological resources of the site should be adequately researched and understood prior to the site being I made available for future development.