FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS, THE ROCKS: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN FOR JEFF MADDEN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD Photograph of the Russell Hotel (left) and Fortune of War (right) hotels with number 139 George Street in between Final Report June 2009 FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN CONTENTS List of Tables ............................................................................................. 2 Appendices ............................................................................................... 2 Abbreviations ............................................................................................ 3 Executive Summary..................................................................................... 4 1. Background & Project Initiation................................................................ 6 1.1 Project Aims and Objectives.............................................................. 6 1.2 Report Structure ............................................................................ 7 1.3 Limitations.................................................................................... 8 1.4 Study Team & Acknowledgments ........................................................ 8 2. Project Description ............................................................................... 9 2.1 The Study Area .............................................................................. 9 2.2 Project Description ......................................................................... 9 3. Applicable Policy, Legislation & Heritage Listings.........................................11 3.1 Heritage Act 1977 (NSW) .................................................................11 3.1.1 The State Heritage Register........................................................11 3.2 Non-Statutory Heritage Listings & Planning Documents............................12 3.2.1 National Trust of Australia .........................................................12 3.2.2 The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan .............12 4. Site History ........................................................................................14 4.1 Preamble .....................................................................................14 4.2 Historical Sequence........................................................................14 4.2.1 Early Hospital .........................................................................14 4.2.2 Quarry ..................................................................................16 4.2.3 Hotel/Commercial Occupation.....................................................17 4.3 NSW Historical Themes....................................................................21 5. Physical Analysis..................................................................................23 5.1 Previous Archaeological Investigation of the Study Area ..........................23 5.2 Current Site Configuration ...............................................................23 5.3 Archaeological Potential ..................................................................25 5.4 Archaeological Integrity..................................................................29 6. Significance Assessment ........................................................................31 6.1 Principles and Evaluation Criteria ......................................................31 6.2 Assessment of Significance ...............................................................32 6.3 Summary Statement of Significance....................................................36 7. Potential Impacts.................................................................................39 7.1 Proposed Development ...................................................................39 7.2 Discussion ....................................................................................40 8. Management Strategy ...........................................................................42 ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HERITAGE 1 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS PTY LTD June 2009 FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN 8.1 Management Discussion ...................................................................43 8.2 Recommendations..........................................................................43 9. Proposed Impact Mitigation Plan ..............................................................45 9.1 Background and Introduction ............................................................45 9.2 General Strategy and Approach to the Investigation ...............................45 10. Research Questions ...........................................................................46 10.1 General Research Questions ..........................................................46 10.2 Site Specific Questions .................................................................46 11. Excavation Methodology .....................................................................48 11.1 Monitoring ................................................................................48 11.2 Timing of Archaeological Works......................................................49 11.3 Proposed Excavation Methodology...................................................49 11.4 Recording .................................................................................50 References...............................................................................................51 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Historic Themes relevant to archaeological evidence in the Study Area....22 Table 2. Relics likely to survive and their heritage significance .........................38 Table 3. Impact Assessment to Likely Relics..................................................39 Table 4. Relics likely to survive and recommended management strategy ............42 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Report Figures 54 Appendix 2. Current (existing) Ground Floor Plans 71 Appendix 3. Proposed Changes to the Ground Floor 75 Appendix 4. RMAMP Inventory Sheets 84 ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HERITAGE 2 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS PTY LTD June 2009 FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN ABBREVIATIONS AHC Australian Heritage Council CHL Commonwealth Heritage List DEH Department of Environment and Heritage DOP Department of Planning (NSW) EP&A Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) EPBC Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation GSV Ground surface visibility ICOMOS International Council on Monuments and Sites LEP Local Environmental Plan LGA Local Government Area MGA Map Grid of Australia – unless otherwise specified all coordinates are in MGA NHL National Heritage List REP Regional Environment Plan RMAMP Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan RNE Register of the National Estate SHI State Heritage Inventory SHR State Heritage Register ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HERITAGE 3 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS PTY LTD June 2009 FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In late 2008 AHMS was commissioned to prepare an historical Archaeological Assessment for properties known as the Fortune of War (FOW), 137 George Street and Russell Hotels, 137-143 George Street, Sydney in the Rocks. Following the results of this Assessment, AHMS was engaged to prepare a Research Design and Excavation Methodology to accompany the Integrated Development Application (IDA) to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA). This report addresses a requirement of the Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Management Plan (RMPAMP) which identified the site as having potential to contain historical archaeological remains and recommended that an assessment be prepared prior to any development of the site. The Assessment has identified the following key points regarding the Archaeological potential of the FOW, 139-141 George Street and the Russell Hotel: • There were three main phases of historical occupation within the Study Area dating from the 1790s to present day. These include the early hospital; quarrying activities and hotel/commercial usage; • An assessment of the potential archaeological resource of the phases of occupation has concluded that it is unlikely that physical evidence of the early hospital and quarrying activities would survive on the site, and if they did, it is unlikely that they would be in any intact or archaeologically meaningful context. However, in the unlikely event that they survive in context, these remains (i.e. of the early hospital and/or quarrying activities) would be of state heritage significance; • It is most likely that any surviving evidence of the Early Hospital and Quarrying activities will be truncated, ephemeral and to lack context; • The assessment concluded that the archaeological remains associated with the hotel/commercial occupation circa 1830s-present day will be the most likely to survive archaeologically within the Study Area and that those relating to 1830s – 1860s occupation would have higher heritage significance; ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HERITAGE 4 MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS PTY LTD June 2009 FORTUNE OF WAR & RUSSELL HOTELS HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & RESEARCH DESIGN • An assessment of the proposed development against the archaeological relics likely to remain within the Study Area has identified that impact to archaeological remains (should they survive) would on the whole be minor; • The Assessment,