By George!

Information on
Laneways

Updated to 20 Lanes

“Cities are the heart of our cul-

ture, the engines of our econ-
omy and the birthplace of our
civilisation.

There is little that makes me

happier than getting lost in a
beautiful city:

following its narrow passages

to the grand tree lined avenues;
stumbling across street theatre,
sitting in a cafe...watching peo-
ple go by.

This is my idea of heaven.”

Richard Rogers
Pritziker Prize Speech, June 2007

The following pages does not consitute a brief but

aims to provide basic information for considera-
tion by artists. Information on Laneways has been
collated from a number of sources by City staff for
By George!

It is recommneded that the information be con-

firmed by City staff should it be critical to propos-
als for artworks prior to submission.

City Strategy Unit, City of Sydney © 2010

The fine grain Vital role of lanes

In February 2008 the City of Sydney
Council received the report from archi-
tects Six Degrees called The fine grain: re-
vitalising Sydney’s lanes. The study aimed
to advise Council on the most appropriate
actions to address the City’s laneways
and fine grain spaces that are “small but
form a vital part of a complex web of ac-
tivities that make up the City Centre”.
The study sets out a number of objectives
and actions and recognises in particular
the role of art to create visual interest,
while at the same time understanding that
too much intervention can diminish the
character and organic growth of lanes.
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Coun-
cil/MeetingsAndCommittees/2008/Commit-
tees/030308/environment.asp
In a 1996 study called the Urban Ecology
of Pedestrian Circulation laneways were
viewed as a vital part of the City’s pedes-
trian network, contributing to the intimate
character and scale of the City contrasting
the busy streets.
The City of Sydney Development Control
Plan 1996 also acknowledged lanes as
important.
“They are external spaces, uncovered and
open to the sky, and provide permanent
pedestrian and/or vehicle connections
through the City fabric at all hours. Lanes
separate buildings, maintain Central Syd-
ney’s characteristic grain and permeabil-
ity, provide vistas and views through city
blocks, and add visual interest to the built
environment.”

Public treasure http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Development/

documents/PlansAndPolicies/catz_ditc_city_plan_
csdcp_csdcp_part03_pedestrian_amenity_0101.
In December 2007 Gehl Architects led
pdf
by internationally renowned urbanist Jan
Gehl submitted their report on the Public
Life and Public Spaces of Sydney. Gehl
envisioned George Street as a north south
pedestrian spine. This grand pedestrian
boulevarde would link up several major
City Squares at Circular Quay, Town Hall
and Central Railway.

To enhance the significance of this grand

retail strip, a wide variety of other ac-
tive uses were proposed to activate the
ground floor frontages to George Street
and the small urban spaces and lanes ad-
jacent to it. More attractive and interesting
laneways were to be viewed as valuable
treasures in the heart of the City.

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Development/
CityImprovements/RoadsAndStreetscapes/Public-
SpacesSurvey.asp
Sold!
Prior to a moratorium declared by Council
on February 24th 1992 the City of Sydney
regularly sold off laneways. Between 1969
and 1989 sales of lanes contributed $57
million to Council revenue. Probably the
most significant loss to the City’s charac-
ter was sale and amalgamation of part of
Rowe Street with the MLC Centre.
According to the Central Sydney Lane-
way policy 1993 it is “uncertain whether
the City ever deliberately embarked on
a policy of selling its lanes, however it is
clear that from as early as 1906 Council
was actively negotiating the sale of public
roadways (Swan Street) for the consoli-
dation of the site of the former Anthony
Horden’s department store.”
The concern about the erosion of pe-
ripheral retail, restaurant and specialty
services was reported to Council by an
independent panel in 1992 and while the
panel were sympathetic they were “loathe
to recommend controls which prevented
amalgamations”.
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Development/
Documents/PlansAndPolicies/Policies/Manage-
mentOfLaneways.pdf
‘Reed beds’ of talent
The loss of Rowe Street was achingly re-
told by Neil Armfield, Director of Belvoir St
Theatre, at a City Talk on Sydney culture
held in 2007 as part of the City’s strategic
planning project for a sustainable future,
Sustainable Sydney 2030. Armfield talked
about his experiences growing up and
visiting, hanging out, at record shops and
fashion stores, the glamorous and intrigu-
ing places to be seen at which made
living what its really all about. Armfield
described the qualities of the City that
were in danger of disappearing, in particu-
lar the lanes and other small spaces that
provide studio spaces, that attract artists
and spawn new creative talent in all sorts
of fields bringing to bear thoughts on the
cultural sustainability of the City.
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/podcasts/cit-
ytalks/Creative-Futures.asp
History
Basic research into the history of indi-
vidual lanes is meant to be incorporated
in the listing for heritage items in the
Central Sydney Local Environmental
Plan 1992 – Conservation of Heritage
Items. Although many of the lanes in By
George are not listed in the LEP below is
a link to the State Heritage register which
provides a range of heritage information
on related heritage items nearby. As the
Councils Laneways Policy 1993 notes
(link above), “Collecting more detailed
information about the origins and uses of
each lane is a huge task requiring exhaus-
tive research and beyond the resources
available for this study” (and temporary
art programme)!
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_18.htm
Drinking stories
An example of the type of historical work
done on lanes relates to the ownership
dispute of one lane off George Street red-
edicated with the new name Temperance
Lane in 2007. The choice of name reflects
the research undertaken by the City’s
historian, Shirley Fitzgerald. At the corner
of George Street late last century was
“The Coffee Palace”. The Sydney Morning
Herald reported, at the time of the dispute
over the ownersip of the lane in 1999, that
the short T shape lane between George
and York Street was once home to 11
drinking houses. It went on to report that
“Justice John Bryson, who handed down
the original judgement upheld by the
Court of appeal, said The Coffee Palace
could have been a haven of temperance
amid the hotels.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday September 29 1999
Historical Notes from the State Heritage
Inventory
“The “Eora people” was the name given
to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney.
Central Sydney is therefore often referred
to as “Eora Country”. Within the City of
Sydney local government area, the tradi-
tional owners are the Cadigal and Wan-
gal bands of the Eora. There is no writ-
ten record of the name of the language
spoken and currently there are debates
as whether the coastal peoples spoke a
separate language “Eora” or whether this
was actually a dialect of the Dharug lan-
guage. Remnant bushland in places like
Blackwattle Bay retain elements of tradi-
tional plant, bird and animal life, including
fish and rock oysters.
With the invasion of the Sydney region,
the Cadigal and Wangal people were
decimated but there are descendants still
living in Sydney today. All cities include
many immigrants in their population.
Aboriginal people from across the state
have been attracted to suburbs such as
Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and
Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in
government legislation in the 1960s pro-
vided freedom of movement enabling
more Aboriginal people to choose to live
in Sydney.”
(Information sourced from Anita Heiss, “Aboriginal
People and Place”, Barani: Indigenous History
of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.
au/barani )
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_
2.cfm?itemid=2424825
The Tank Stream From the City of Sydney website

From “Creative Spirits” website “The spot chosen for the settlement was
at the head of the cove, near the run of
“Tank Stream fresh water which stole silently along
Tank Stream is the hidden reason why through a very thick wood the stillness of
Sydney is here and not a few kilometres which had then, for the first time since the
further north or south. Today, however, Creation, been interrupted by the rude
almost nothing is even visible of the Tank sound of the labourer’s axe.”
Stream itself.
(David Collins, Account of the English Colony of
Significance of Tank Stream New South Wales, 1802)
For over 40,000 years, Aboriginal peo-
ple selected camp sites for two good
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/wa-
reasons: food and water. Excavations in terexhibition/WaterSupplySewerage/TheTank-
the vicinity of the original course of the Stream.html
stream revealed a high concentration of
flake stone artefacts made from water-
worn pebbles. So Tank Stream not only
provided the Aboriginal people with water
and fish, but also with other resources for
their daily life.

Captain Arthur Phillip, too, had to select

an appropriate camp site for the new set-
tlement which provided a reliable source
of water. When he noticed a little stream
discharging into the salt water of Sydney
Cove he must have sighed with relief. The
townsite of Sydney was found.”

Tank Stream walking map.

The numbers refer to the
points of interest described
in the text.

For details visit

http://www.creativespirits.
info/oznsw/sydney/sitescbd/
tankstream.html
Extract from City of Sydney Historian’s
Information to City Solicitor June 2002
Queens Place – now Dalley Street
“Dalley Street was previously named
Queens Place. It lined up with Charlotte
Place (Grosvenor Street). Queen Charlotte
was George III’s queen. Queen’s Place
was re-named in 1905 after the politician
Victor Bede Dalley (1831-88). (Fitzgerald,
Sydney Streets)
Several laneways in the nineteenth cen-
tury were called ‘court’, reflecting their use
as a small thoroughfare to an enclosed
square at the back of streets that con-
tained buildings and houses. (eg. Lees
Court) The name of the lane in question-
Queen’s Court- reflects the lane’s rela-
tionship with the street which it serviced
(Queen’s Place).
Eleven small dwellings were located
behind the buildings that faced Queens
Place. They were known as Hunt’s Build-
ings and people listed as using the dwell-
ings included a couple of laundresses,
a stonemason, and later a painter. (see
Sands Directories 1877 & 1880) The
listing of Hunt’s Buildings variously in
Queen’s Place (eg. in 1877 & 1880) or Un-
derwood Street (eg. in 1882) in the Sands
Directories suggests that the lane was
used in the nineteenth century to access
the houses, workshops and factories at
the rear of Queens Place.
Dove’s Plans show that in 1879 as well
as Hunt’s Buildings, there were several
workshops and factories on the land be-
hind Queen’s Place including a Chinese
Cabinet Factory, Etherington’s Work-
shop, Learmonth Dickinson’s Iron Store,
and Ebsworth’s Wool Stores. The Chi-
nese Cabinet Factory in the land behind
Queen’s Place was associated with Ah
Toy’s Cabinet Factory in George Street. A
well known cabinet factory, Ah Toy’s was
subjected to one of the largest anti-Chi-
nese attacks in Sydney on 4 December
1878. A mob of 2,000 anti-Chinese dem-
onstrators attempted to torch the work-
shop in Queen’s Place, which the police
report noted housed 40 to 50 workers in
sleeping quarters on the top floor. This
event is described in Shirley Fitzgerald’s
book Red Tape, Gold Scissors. So in
addition to people working and residing
in Hunt’s building, there were 40 to 50
Chinese workmen living above the factory
behind Queen’s place, no doubt using the
lane to come and go.
In the nineteenth century, the lane would
have been a hive of activity, with people
and carts going in and out, using the
lane as a quick alternative to Underwood
Street to access the laundries, stores,
factories, and dwellings.
By 1890, the lane was listed in the Sand’s
Directory as Queen’s Court, not as its
own listing but as an off-shoot of Queen’s
Place with 8 businesses being located off
it. The lane appears to have been used
actively to access these businesses until
c.1924.
By c.1925 Queen’s Court no longer had
active businesses on it, it was a service
lane. The Standard Insurance Company
bought the site on the east in 1925. Syd-
ney City Council resumed the site on the
west for a substation. The Dalley Street
Electricity Substation (No. 263) was built
for Sydney City Council in 1929.”
Sydney Slums
Shirley Fisher (Fitzgerald), An Accumulation of
Misery in Richard Kennedy Australian Welfare His-
tory’, Macmillan, 1982. p39-41
Discussing the report of the Eleventh Progress
report of the Sydney City and Suburban Sew-
age and Health Board which was a survey of
the worst areas in the city and some suburbs
in 1875-1876.
“Harold Dyos, in an article on London’s slums,
suggests that one of the most important permis-
sive factors in slum creation is the absence of a
rectangular grid system of streets, as this encour-
ages dead ends, cul de sacs and alleys, away
from the public gaze.26
Sydney possessed many such places, because
of terrain, but went further by manufacturing clode
courtyards betweeen parallelel streets. In the ab-
sence of any restraining legislation it had become
common, when building on a main street, to leave
a samll area at the rear, sometimes entered by a
lane as narrow as four feet, for a row of cottages.
Many of the courts described in the report con-
sisted of two such rows of houses, facing each
other across a narrow courtyard. In these circum-
stances, all the buildings were ventilated only from
the front, while this courtyard also housed the
privies and recieved all the refuse of the build-
ings. Garrett’s Building off Clarence Street, was
an example of this style of housing at its worst.
It consisted of 10, two roomed, two storeyed
terraces, facing each other within an allotment
thirty-four feet deep. Ten feet wide on either side
was devoted to buildings, the rooms of which were
ten feet by ten feet, with seven feet high ceilings.
An additional four feet six inches on either side
formed tiny yards. This left a lane five feet wide in
the centre, by which to enter houses. As this lane
recieved all the sewage and slops of the houses,
it had been planked over, to make it navigable.
The report records 278 houses with no backyards,
usually becuase of back to back houses fronting
two different streets. Three houses were cited with
neither front yard or backyard. They backed onto a
blank wall, and were entered through rooms which
formed a separate dwelling at the front. These
rooms had no windows. Altogether, fifty eight
houses and a number of terraces were recorded
as having no windows or windows which were
poarded up. Occasionally windows let in light,
but no air, as they were permanently sealed.27 In
many instances, street levelling had left courts,
already closed in on three sides, below the level
of the main streets, aggravating already severe
air circulation and drainage problems. Forty nine
houses and at least five lanes or terraces came
into this category, with depths below the street
level varying from 18 inches to 18 feet. This led
to the creation of cellars with windows partially or
totally below street level. In a few instances, cellars
built for storage, and without windows, were let
as dwellings. In the opinion of the inspectors, 614
houses and about 45 terraces of unspecified num-
bers of dwellings were defectively ventilated be-
cause of these construction factors. in the case of
about sixty more, ventilation was said to be exces-
sive, as a result of broken windows and unsealed
roofs, sometimes constructed of metal scraps, and
held down with bricks. One shanty even had a tent
erected inside it to ward off the elements.28
If the houses were badly ventilated, from an
external point of view, the internal dimensions of
many rooms did not enhance the situation. The
majority of houses had been workers houses from
the beginning, and so rooms were usually small.
One of 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 feet was recorded, and one of
6 x 4 feet, but in general rooms were of the order
of one hundred square feet. The ceiling heights
are perhaps more telling. In about one hundred
houses and seventy additional rooms, ceilings
were less than 8 feet, and in two thirds of these,
heights were six feet or less. Cramped and airless
conditions were thus compounded by cramped
conditions inside. This was exacerbated by the
need to store things like firewood inside, as com-
missioners pointed out in thier summary.29 The
worst effects of these small roomsmust have been
felt by those who worked in their rooms, like the
woman who mangled. ‘Her apartment, which was
only 12 x 10 feet is occupied by a large mangle,
a sofa and a table...Where the linen is disposed
of after the process of mangling is gone through
it is difficult to conjecture.’ Or consider the room
‘occupied by a bottle-washer; there were bottles
washed and unwashed all over the premises-in
the yard in heaps, piled up in the passage in tiers
and stuffed under the bed...’30 At least this per-
son had a bed to help clutter the room. There are
many instances of people with no furniture, and of
people sleeping six to a bed. What space existed
was shared not only with the vermin which infested
many areas, but also with cows, goats, ducks,
fowls and in one case at least, monkeys.”
Sydney and the Plague, circa 1900 table on which a few cups and glasses lay
beside a rum bottle. The couple were too
Drawing from a range of original sources drunk to answer any questions so Smith’s
and other historical accounts of early men pressed on. Upstairs they found
Sydney, John (He died with a Felafel in heaps of old rags and what have been a
his hand) Birmingham quoted incredible mattress but was now just a ‘bundle of
tales of poverty in Sydney particularly in rotten flock and rags’ with two women
Abercrombie Lane in his 1999 book ‘The sleeping on it. An expedition into the
unauthorised biography of Sydney’ - Levia- kitchen was cut short by hundreds of fleas
than. which suddenly swarmed over them. Their
strait laced Victorian minds reeled at such
“Reading their reports (from a committee deviance. Wedded to the mythology of
whose members were ‘drawn from the the times which emphasised the benefits
ranks of Sydney’s self satisfied burghers’ of hard work, abstinence and submis-
led by Professor John Smith), I was struck sion to the strictures of a rigid hierarchy,
by how often their descriptions simply they could only wonder, like many before
shuddered to a stop as the degradation them, at the evils which would germinate
overwhelmed their ability to describe in such an environment. In the end how-
it. Sometimes I could almost see them ever, it was not a revolutionary malady but
standing there, gape mouthed in confu- a physical one which came roaring out of
sion, completely baffled by the awful these crowded, filthy slums. After decades
scenes in front of them. One such occa- of neglect and wanton folly in the high of-
sion was at a house in Abercrombie lane, fices of the city nature took its course. On
an evil constricted passageway which the 19th January 1900, the plague arrived
the Herald had visited twenty five years in Sydney.”
earlier and found as forbidden as the city
of Peking. The Herald had been worried pages 208,209 The unauthorised biography of Syd-
then by the prospect of some wild revo- ney: Leviathan John Birmingham, Knopf Sydney
lutionary fervour seizing the minds of the 1999
masses huddled within. They had been
so completely cut off from ‘the confident
gospels of prosperity and order’, so
thoroughly debased by their miserable
circumstances, that even in this conserva-
tive broadsheet admitted they owed no
loyalty to a system which thrived on their
misery. Apprehensively entering the home
of a cab driver named Ryan, they discov-
ered him with his wife and three children
in a room below the stairs. There were no
windows to let through a breeze and con-
sequently the atmosphere was dominated
by the piles of human excrement which
lay on the floor. Ryan and his wife were
both drunk, the latter sitting on a wooden
box with a child in her arms, mother and
child completely naked. As the inspec-
tors entered the room she simply drew up
an old skirt from amongst the dung piles
and held it against herself. The rest of the
furniture consisted of a broken chair and a
Some further Heritage Information on
listed items
1. Tank Stream way
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_
2.cfm?itemid=2424825
Item 42 Local Environmental Plan Sydney
LEP 2005, Sch 8, Part 3
“The Tank stream is an important and
rare surviving link between pre contact
Australia and European settlement. It was
the most important reason for determin-
ing the location of the first settlement
and the location for the City of Sydney.
It originally acted as a demarcation line
between classes of convicts, the route of
the stream has continued to be the basis
for the broad pattern of the citys drainage
and street layout, including the develop-
ment of Circular Quay.”
2. Hamilton Street
The frequency of laneway sales probably
increased from around 1960 when Deans
Place (formerly Robinhood Lane around
1880) and a portion of Hamilton Street
were exchanged for land required for
the widening of Bond Street adjacent to
Australia Square. Hamilton Street was cut
in half then by the development of Harry
Seidlers Australia Square – “Dusseldorp’s
amalgamation brought under one owner-
ship an entire city block, involving over
30 different properties and more than 80
titles.”
Australia Square
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_
2.cfm?itemid=2423763
“Australia Square, located on a two storey
plaza bounded by George, Bond and Pitt
Streets and Curtin Place, is a fifty storey
tower of Post War International Style. It is
of historic significance for its pioneering
approach to the problems of urban rede-
velopment through amalgamation and the
provision of public space on private land,
thus minimising problems of pedestrian
congestion. It was the first city block de-
velopment in Sydney and a milestone for
its architectural and urban contribution to
the post war city.”
The Grand Hotel, corner Hunter and
Hamilton Streets
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_
2.cfm?itemid=2423703
“In July 1928 the Sydney Morning Herald
announced that the Grand Hotel which
had stood in York Street north for many
years had been demolished to make way
for the railway which would lead to the
Sydney Harbour Bridge. The licencee of
the old Grand, Frederick William Still, had
purchased a new site on the corner of
Hunter and Hamilton Streets and intended
to transfer his licence to the new building
he planned to erect on the site. The new
building was expected to cost £30,000.
In August 1928 the Licensed Victuallers’
Gazette explained that the Licences Re-
duction Board had “with great reluctance”
approved the plans for the building since
it had only 20 bedrooms. The Board had
agreed since “the site was near the Tank
Stream, which might possibly affect the
foundations of a larger structure”. The
Gazette further reported that the whole of
the building would be provided with “most
modern devices”, with hot and cold water
laid on to all bedrooms, bathrooms and
shower rooms and laundry and bars. An
electric refrigerating system was to be
installed and there were to be “’phone
rooms” on each floor, and “provision for
phones in the principal bedrooms, and
electric light and power throughout.” Mod-
ern baths and basins, “with tiled floors
and walls in all bathrooms, shower rooms,
and lavatories” were to be a feature of the
building as well as “tiled counters and
floors and walls in bars and lounges, and
terrazzo covered floors to vestibules and
stairs.” The exterior walls of the bars were
also to be tiled with the remainder of the
external walls finished “in patent tinted
cement work to represent masonry.” The
completed building was first listed in
Sand’s Sydney Directories in 1929.”
3. Wynyard Lane
Part of Wynyard Lane along with Margaret
Lane was sold in 1974.
Regimental Square Item 64Environmental
Plan Sydney NSW 2005 Sch 8 Part 3
At the end of Wynyard Lane is Regimen-
tal Square. This square “is of historical
and archaeological significance due to its
historical associations with the former bar-
racks area near Wynyard and as the site
of war memorial events since its open-
ing as an urban space on 8th December
1976.”
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_01_
2.cfm?itemid=2424816
Archives
City of Sydney Archives are able to pro-
vide some information on laneways and
hold some old maps for viewing.
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/AboutSydney/
HistoryAndArchives/Archives/Default.asp
Tel: 02 9265 9618
Email: archives@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Fax: 02 9265 9606
Level 1 Town Hall House
456 Kent St Sydney NSW 2000
Monday to Friday: 9am to 4.30pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
References
Paul Ashton, The Accidental City; planning
Sydney since 1788 Sydney : Hale & Ire-
monger, 1993
John Birmingham, The unauthorised biog-
raphy of Sydney: Leviathan, Knopf Sydney
1999
H. P. Dove, Plans of Sydney, 1879
Shirley Fisher (Fitzgerald), An Accumula-
tion of Misery in Richard Kennedy Aus-
tralian Welfare History’, Macmillan, 1982.
p39-41
Shirley Fitzgerald, Sydney Streets: A
Guide to Sydney City Street Names, Syd-
ney City Council, Sydney, 1995.
Shirley Fitzgerald, Rising Damp, Sydney
1870-1890 OUP 1987
Shirley Fitzgerald, Red Tape, Gold Scis-
sors - the Story of Sydney’s Chinese, State
Library of NSW Press, Sydney, 1996.
Lisa Anne Murray, Musical chairs : the
quest for a City Recital Hall, Customs
House, Angel Place City of Sydney, 2005
City of Sydney, Trigonometrical Survey,
1865
George Street is Australia's biggest
and most high profile street located in
the Central Sydney area. George
Street has the most high rise
buildings in Australia and is well
known for being busy
round-the-clock. It begins in the north
end of Sydney, The Rocks, near the
Sydney Harbour Bridge and extends
to the south end of Sydney, near
Central Station and Ultimo, where it
leads into Railway Square.

1788
The origins of George Street lie in the
layout of the Sydney Cove colony.
Captain Arthur Phillip placed the
convicts and marines on the rocky
western slopes of the bay. A track
leading from the convicts'
encampment in the area of The
Rocks, past the marine barracks and
alongside the banks of a stream to a
brick pit, located near to the present
location of Central Station. This track
3 CRANE PLACE
that eventually became George 1 REIBY PLACE
Street is one of the two original
thoroughfares, along with the track 2 BULLETIN PLACE
that became Bridge Street. It is 4 UNDERWOOD STREET
possible that George Street was the
first street in Australia. 5 DALLEY STREET

6 TANK STREET WAY

1810
Until 1810 George Street was 8 BRIDGE LANE
generally referred to as High Street in
the English custom. George Street 7 AMBERCROMBIE LANE
was named for King George III of the
United Kingdom by Governor 18 BOND STREET
George Street

Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.

9 CURTIN PLACE
10 HAMILTON STREET
1899 - 1959
12 LITTLE HUNTER STREET
On 8 December 1899 an electric
tramway was opened along George 13 DE MESTRE PLACE
Street to Harris Street. This reduced
the traditional dependence on horses 11 WYNYARD LANE
and human feet. In 1959 the trams
Street
were replaced by diesel buses.
15 PENFOLD & HOSKING PLACE
George Street is still the busiest street Erskine
in Sydney in terms of number of 14 ANGEL PLACE
buses per hour; most bus services to
the inner western and north-western 16 ROW STREET & LEES COURT
suburbs travel along part of or most
of George Street. 19 YORK LANE
20 SUSSEX LANE
2007
In 2007 Gehl Architects envisioned
King Street 17 TEMPERANCE LANE
George Street as a north-south
pedestrian spine connecting Circular
Quay and Central Railway Station.
Beyond the activity on George Street,
they also discovered the side streets,
and lanes, those small urban spaces
which they considered a valuable
treasure in the heart of the city. To
enhance these spaces and the
experience of the City By George! is
a temporary art program to animate
this fine grain adjacent to George
Street providing an opportunity for
the City’s artists to engage with City
workers, residents and visitors.
1. CRANE PLACE

Issues
The lane is overshadowed by the adjacent large developments.

Opportunities
The lane intersects Rugby Place: “the Home of the True Spirit
of Rugby”.

Historical Information
This lane runs obliquely from George to Pitt Street. The lane
is abutted by a number of large developments most of which
include title to a parcel of the lane. In 1953, the Rugby Club
bought the Bacon’s Building in Crane Place (later named
Rugby Place). Council retains the ownership of the southern L
shaped portion which cuts through to George Street.

Adjacent Landowners
- ST GEORGE BANK LTD
- MIRVAC GEORGE STREET PTY LTD

View from George Street

1
76

Jac
-1

k
174

On sons
Geo
rge
GE

Blue 2 Rug
Anc 5 b
hor
Lan Club y
RU
OR

e
-186

5 GB
Y 31A
176

7 PL
St G A
GE

Ban eorge
k

178
A The
-194

offic
es
188

10

View towards George Street OO

2. UNDERWOOD STREET

Issues
Traffic arrangements for both Pitt and George Streets require
vehicle and service access to buildings to be available off the
lane.

Opportunities
This lane forms part of an extensive pedestrian network. There
is some active use at Pitt Street end.

Historical/Heritage Information
This lane is included in the pedestrian network in the Central
Sydney Strategy - 1988.

Adjacent Landowners
- ADVANCE BANK AUSTRALIA LTD
- TELSTRA CORPORATION LTD
- GE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS AUST PTY LIMITED

Underwood Street, off Dalley Street

es
18

ET
RE
10
ST
2-4
D
W OO 18
ER
ND
11 eet
37-49

3-15 U 6-8 itt Str

26-40
17
208

1-14 37 P
200 13 ffices
o
George
Street
telepho
telepho

ne exch

offices uarie
49A-57
ne exch

Macq te
42-44
PITT

tion ra d ua
12 substa G
ol
Scho
ange
ange

22
21

ing 20 16
uild
AIG B 16
EE T
218 232

8-14
15 6 STR
13-15
46-54

14 4

5-9
59-67

L 1E Y
2

DAL
3
entre
nge C
Excha
6 Bridge
Ashington

nge 31
Cliveden

Excha
234-242

Street
Project

House
16-34
The

27
26 4
Underwood Street
3. DALLEY STREET

Issues
Dalley Street provides a relatively wide direct vehicular route
between Pitt and George Street. Vehicular traffic travels one
way in an easterly direction.

Opportunities
The street links with Underwood Street to George and Pitt
Street, and has the potential to form part of an intensive
pedestrian precinct.

Historical/Heritage Information
Dalley Street is included in the pedestrian network in the
Central Sydney Strategy 1988. The following significant
heritage buildings define the edge of Dalley Street:
- 4 Bridge Street item 2039 on the Central Sydney LEP -
Heritage of Conservation items;
- 6 Bridge Street item 2035, as above;
- 51-57 Pitt Street, Burns Philp Building;
- 234-240 George Street, Anchor House.

Dalley Street, view from Pitt to George Street Adjacent Landowners

- GE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS AUST PTY LIMITED
- MIRVAC FUNDS LTD
- TELSTRA CORPORATION LTD
- ENERGY AUSTRALIA
- EUREKA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED
- RECORD FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED

es
18

ET
RE
10
ST
2-4
OD 18
R WO
11 DE eet
UN
37-49

3-15 6-8 itt Str

26-40
17
208

1-14 37 P
200 13 es
offic
George
Street
telepho
telepho

ne exch

offices uarie
49A-57
ne exch

Macq te
42-44
PITT

tion ua
12 substa Grad l
o
Scho
ange
ange

22
21

ing 20 16
Build
AIG 16
E ET
218 232

8-14
15 6 STR
13-15
46-54

14 4

5-9
59-67

L 1E Y
2

DAL
3
entre
nge C
Excha
6 Bridge
Ashington

nge 31
Cliveden

Excha
234-242

Street
Project

House
16-34
The

27
26 4
Dalley Street, view from George to Pitt Street
4. TANK STREAM WAY

Issues
Car park entrance at the southern end

Opportunities
Discover the history of the Tank Stream

Historical Information
Tank Stream Way is item 9051 in Schedule 3 of the Central
Sydney Local Environment Plan. The lane follows the
course of the Tank Stream and is a significant heritage and
archaeological site. The lane is substantially enclosed by
heritage listed buildings at 17-19 Bridge Street and 69-73 Pitt
Street.
Tank Stream Way, view from Bridge Street
Adjacent Landowners
- MR JOHN MICHAEL RYAN AND MR JULIAN JEFFERSON
RYAN
- THAI AIRWAYS INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC COMPANY LTD
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 20038
- JUSTIN JOHN ENTERPRISES P/L
- ING MANAGEMENT LIMITED

EET
STR
6 PITT
TANK STREAM WAY
The Republic

9
17-1
E
IDG
69-73

5
13-1
BR apore
Sing es
Hotel

5-11 n Airlinse
Morase H ou
Hou
ilp
s Ph
Burn ing
International

n 8
polita Build 5
75-77

Metro 4
244-246

Building

Hotel
GEORG

1
3 LANE
Thai

hment GE
Establis BRID
248-250

Hotel 2
tel
nt Ho LANE
lishme
Estab
E

252

7 OMB IE
11B
AB ERCR
Macquarie
79-85

Bank
11A
Saville GHD
2-6 Bond
254-262

Street
20

ET
STRE
10
10
2-6

BOND
Tank Stream Way
5. BRIDGE LANE

Opportunities
The lane is surrounded by a number of heritage buildings. Low
vehicular traffic volume.

Historical Information
The Government Convict Lumber Yard, established by
Governor Phillip, was established on the south-west side of
the “Bridgeway” (Bridge Street) over the Tank Stream. In 1833
Governor Bourke controlled the sale of public buildings. The
lumber yard, now closed was subdivided and sold. In doing
so the Government increased the width of Bridge Street and
created Bridge Lane.
Bridge Lane, looking towards Tank Stream Way
Adjacent Landowners
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 20038
- MIRRAMBA PTY LTD
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 57011
- SOHO PROPERTIES PTY LTD
- JUSTIN JOHN ENTERPRISES P/L

EET
STR
6 PITT
TANK STREAM WAY
The Republic

9
17-1
E
IDG
69-73

5
13-1
BR apore
Sing es
Hotel

5-11 n Airlinse
Morase H ou
Hou
ilp
s Ph
Burn ing
International

n 8
polita Build 5
75-77

Metro 4
244-246

Building

Hotel
GEORG

1
3 LANE
Thai

hment GE
Establis BRID
248-250

Hotel 2
tel
nt Ho LANE
lishme
Estab
E

252

7 OMB IE
11B
AB ERCR
Macquarie
79-85

Bank
11A
Saville GHD
2-6 Bond
254-262

Street
20

ET
STRE
10
10
2-6

BOND
Bridge Lane, parallel to Abercrombie Lane
6. ABERCROMBIE LANE

Opportunities
Abercrombie Lane forms part of a formerly vital pedestrian
network bounded by George, Bridge and Pitt Streets and
linking through NZI House to Bond Street and Australia Square.
Abercrombie Lane provides the opportunity to recapture a
pedestrian precinct with a unique scale and quality in the city.
The lane is a dramatically narrow pedestrian lane which forms a
useful contrast to adjacent Australia Square.

Historical Information
Abercrombie Lane is Item 9000, in the Central Sydney Local
Environment Plan 1992 - Conservation of Heritage Items.
The lane has a long history as part of a traditional pedestrian
network in the city. The lane appears on William Well’s 1850
map of Sydney where it is shown running from George Street to
the Tank Stream, parallel to Bridge Lane. In the Central Sydney
Heritage Inventory Comprehensive Report, Abercrombie Lane
is assessed as follows:

“Of significance for its rarity in scale and occurrence in the city.
There is an aesthetic significance associated with the ability to
view George Patterson House largely in the round, including
items such as the specialist crafted metal fire escapes, etc.
Of environmental and cultural significance as an important
pedestrian amenity, offering an aesthetic experience of the city,
old and new.”

Adjacent Landowners
- Justin John Enterprises P/L
Abercrombie Lane - The REGO PROPS Strata Plan 57556
- ING Management Limited and Trust Company of Australia LTD

EET
STR
6 PITT
TANK STREAM WAY
The Republic

9
17-1
E
IDG
69-73

5
13-1
BR apore
Sing es
Hotel

5-11 n Airlinse
Morase H ou
Hou
ilp
s Ph
Burn ing
International

n 8
polita Build 5
75-77

Metro 4
244-246

Building

Hotel
GEORG

1
3 LANE
Thai

hment GE
Establis BRID
248-250

Hotel 2
tel
nt Ho LANE
lishme
Estab
E

252

7 OMB IE
11B
AB ERCR
Macquarie
79-85

Bank
11A
Saville GHD
2-6 Bond
254-262

Street
20

ET
STRE
10
10
2-6

BOND
Abercrombie Lane, view from George Street
7. CURTIN PLACE

Issues
Motorbike parking area/ inactive edge on Australian Square
side

Opportunities
Curt in Place forms part of the pedestrian network in the Central
Sydney Strategy 1988.

Historical Information
Curtin Place is defined on its northern edge by Australia Square
which is Item 2070 in the Central Sydney Heritage LEP.

Adjacent Landowners
Curtin Place - PERPETUAL TRUSTEE COMPANY LTD and GPT MNGT LTD
- STRATIS STANDARD PTY LTD
- NSW SPORTS CLUB LTD
- GROSVENOR AUSTRALIA NOMINEES PTY LIMITED
- TRUST COMPANY FIDUCIARY SERVICES LIMITED

BOND

SQUARE
87-95

IA
AUSTRAL
Plaza
Building
264-278

13
Tower
Building

PLACE
ST

C U R T IN 34 Hunter
Street
97-99
LT HU NT ER ST

H AM ILTO N

16
14 15
21
280
NSW 20 Hunter 20
Sports Street
280-288

George Club Grand

Street Hotel
34-36
30-32
16-28
2 10-14

ST RE ET
HU NT ER

Curtin Place, view from Pitt Street

8. HAMILTON STREET

Opportunities
Interpret the history of the Tank Stream

Historical Information
Hamilton Street is item 9033, in the Central Sydney Local Envi-
ronment Plan 1992 - Conservation of Heritage Items and forms
part of the Pedestrian Network in the Central Sydney Strategy
1988. This laneway is over the site of the tanks from which the
Tankstream takes its name and is consequently a significant
heritage and archaeological site.
Hamilton Street
Adjacent Landowners
- GROSVENOR AUSTRALIA NOMINEES PTY LIMITED
- TRUST COMPANY FIDUCIARY SERVICES LIMITED
- HEMMES HERMITAGE P/L

BOND

SQUARE
87-95

IA
AUSTRAL
Plaza
Building
264-278

13
Tower
Building

PLACE
ST

C U R T IN 34 Hunter
Street
97-99
LT HU NT ER ST

H AM ILTO N

16
14 15
21
280
NSW 20 Hunter 20
Sports Street
280-288

George Club Grand

Street Hotel
34-36
30-32
16-28
2 10-14

ST RE ET
HU NT ER

Hamilton Street
9. LITTLE HUNTER STREET

Opportunities
The lane is closed to traffic. There are eight built-in light boxes
on the building facade on the eastern side of the lane.

Little Hunter Street, view from Curtin Place
Historical Information
Little Hunter street is included in the pedestrian network in the
Central Sydney Strategy. The western boundary of the lane is
defined by the NSW Sports Club which is protected by a Per-
manent Conservation Order under the Heritage Act.

Adjacent Landowners
- NSW SPORTS CLUB LTD
- GROSVENOR AUSTRALIA NOMINEES PTY LIMITED

BOND

SQUARE
87-95

IA
AUSTRAL
Plaza
Building
264-278

13
Tower
Building

PLACE
ST

C U R T IN 34 Hunter
Street
97-99
LT HU NT ER ST

H AM ILTO N

16
14 15
21
280
NSW 20 Hunter 20
Sports Street
280-288

George Club Grand

Street Hotel
34-36
30-32
16-28
2 10-14

ST RE ET
HU NT ER

Little Hunter Street

10. DE MESTRE PLACE

Issues
The lane provides vehicular access to premises at 7-13
Hunter Street and 310-320 George Street. Traffic proposals
in the George Street Study affect De Mestre Place. Vehicular
entrances off George Street are not recommended for approval,
consequently De Mestre Place provides a vital opportunity for
vehicular access to adjacent sites. The developments adjacent
to the laneway, particularly the Hunter Connection/Australia
Taxation Offices at 7-13 Hunter Street fail to relate in scale to the
laneway and to their neighbours.

Opportunities
Watson House the existing multi-storey building at 308 George
Street defines the northern edge of the laneway on its boundary
and relies on the laneway for daylighting access to first floor
level and above.The laneway is also a link in a critical multi-level
network of pedestrian routes to Wynyard Station from Pitt and
Hunter Streets.

Historical Information
De Mestre Place, view from George Street De Maistre Place forms part of the pedestrian network in the
Central Sydney Strategy 1988.

Adjacent Landowners
- LEDA HOLDINGS PTY LTD
- GWYNVILL PROPERTIES PTY LIMITED
- ST GEORGE BANK LTD

1A 1-5
7-13
296

25 1
STREET

shops 27A 29A 3

Watson 5 Hunter
300

The shop
House Street John
26 Hunter
Building
304-308

27B Hunter
Arcade
DE MESTRE foot-
bridge
312 310

Hunter
29B Connection
PLACE

38 IMB 29B
St George Hunter
314-318

Connection
41

De Mestre Place
11. WYNYARD LANE

Issues
Wynyard Lane provides major service vehicle access to
buildings on both George and Carrington Streets.

Opportunities
This lane is unusual in that it provides a direct visual link
through a city block.

Historical Information
The southern end of Wynyard Lane intersects Regimental
Square which was created by the closure of Wynyard Street
to commemorate the foundation of the Australian first Regular
Operational Infantry Regiment in 1945.

Adjacent Landowners
- THE WYNYARD CENTRE LTD
- RAIL CORPORATION NEW SOUTH WALES
- TRUST COMPANY of AUSTRALIA LTD
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 30234
- KAPAU HOLDINGS PTY LTD
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 42724, 47839
- THE REGD PROPS STRATA PLAN 21017
Wynyard Lane - RETAIL EMPLOYEES SUPERANNUATION PTY LTD
- GE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS AUST PTY LIMITED
- PJP PROPERTIES PTY LIMITED
- GWYNVILL PROP PTY LTD
- HENAFORD PTY LTD
- LEDORLI HOLDINGS P/L
- PERMANENT TRUSTEE COMPANY LTD
- TRUST COMPANY FIDUCIARY SERVICES LIMITED
37 39

N S
LT HUNTE R S

275
275-281

ILTO
All George 34 H
LANE

Seasons Street
Premier 2 H AM
2-12

Menzies
STREET

283

Cameo
Hotel Centre 3
1 HU NT E R
STREET
285-287

Goldstein
1A 1-5
5A & Martens 4 7-13
296

25 15 17
STREET

shops 27A 19-21 23

29A 31 32
Wynyard All Watson 5 Hunter 33
300

The
shop
shop

Railway Seasons Thakral House Street shop,

John Curren
Station Premier House 26 offices
Hunter Hou
(underground) Menzies
14-28

Building
304-308
289-307

27B Hunter
Hotel
Arcade
offices
DE MESTRE foot-
bridge
312 310

Wynyard Carpark Hunter

5 5 6 7 29B Connection
(underground) Workplace @ 107
PLACE

38 IMB 29B
St George Hunter Hunter
314-318

Lisgar
30-32

8 Connection Connection
House 309
309-315

George 41
34-36

10 36 Carrington Select House

Street
9
320-328

Ivy development 44
43
331 327-329 323-325 319-321 317
38-50

Carrington shops 12 115 Pitt Street

Wynyard
WYNYARD

House 47B Paling Lane Reconstruction development

Park shops,
offices 13
11 43A
CARRINGTON

shops 47A
14
330-346

Ivy Angel Place

2-18

shop 15
development
60 shop 17
Carrington
YOR

333
Street
54-62

George
ASH STREET

An
333-339

Street Society H
20-22
K

Generale
350

18 House City Recital Hall

16
1-12
24-32

55
2 4-6
AN G EL
WYNYARD ST REGIMENTAL PLACE
354-360

SQUARE Australasia
14 14 M
Chambers
Challis House P
E

341 G S 64

Wynyard Lane, view from Regimental Square

12. ANGEL PLACE

Issues
Angel Place provides essential vehicle access to buildings
along Martin Place including vehicles exiting from the basement
of the GPO via a tunnel which runs under Martin Place.

Opportunities
This lane is included in the pedestrian network in the Central
Sydney Strategy 1988. The lane also forms part of a unique
pedestrian precinct which was formerly enhanced by spe-
cialty retail tenancies at ground floor along Angel Place and
Ash Street. This precinct presents considerable urban design
opportunities for revitalisation as a small scale specialty retail
pedestrian precinct.

Historical Information
The lane provides context for many heritage buildings including
354-360 and 348-352 George Street, 4-10 Martin Place and 125
Angel Place Pitt Street.

Adjacent Landowners
- KADOR GROUP HOLDINGS PTY LTD
- PASPALEY PEARLS PROP PTY LTD
- AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED
- CHALLIS HOUSE PTY LTD
- HEMMES PROPERTY PTY LTD

43A
331 327-329 323-325

47A

117
14
330-346

Ivy Angel Place

2-18

15
development
17 119-123
49
ASH STREET

125

Angel
333-339

Society Hotel 61
20-22

Generale
350

18 House City Recital Hall

1-12
24-32

55

AN G EL
129-137

AL PLACE
354-360

E Australasia
Chambers 14 Martin
Challis House Place
GEORGE

64
65 66
341

2 4 14
20

MARTIN PLACE
343

24

GPO
Angel Place, George Street entry
17. TEMPERANCE LANE

Issues
Temperance Lane has some issues regarding the discharge
of water into the lane from premises adjacent that is still being
resolved by Council.

Opportunities
This short lane has limited access to vehicles but is developing
into a unique space in the City with York Street Warehouses
backing onto it allowing the lane to act as a rear entrance into
some special new venues.

Historical Information
This short lane was recently renamed in 2007 as part of the
Laneway revitalisation program. Immediately to the south of
the lane, a “Temperance Hotel” or “coffee palace” operated
from 1879 until about 1890, which can be seen in an extract of
Doves’ Directory.

The Temperance movement established “dry” hotels in Britain

from the mid 19th century. Temperance hotels were established
in Sydney in the mid 1870s to provide all the functions of a
hotel or tavern - except the provision of alcohol. In addition to
catering to the temperance movements ideals, coffee palaces
appealed to the new interest in the fashionable drink of coffee
instead of the more traditional tea drinking culture.
.

Adjacent Landowners
- RM WILLIAMS
- 393 GEORGE STREET
Temperance Lane, view from George Street - GEORGES HOUSE
- YORK HOUSE
- 56-58 YORK STREET
- GENERAL PANTS

Temperance Lane
18. BOND STREET

Issues
While Bond Street is not referred to as a laneway it forms part
of an intricate network of lanes between Pitt and George Street
between Hunter Street and Bridge Street.

Mid way along there is a through site link to Abercrombie Lane

connecting to Tank Stream Way and bridge Lane.

Opportunities
The opportunities to close Bond Street are being considered by
Council and should be considered by the project teams in By
George! to demonstrate the potential for new outdoor spaces
in the City.

Historical Information
In the early nineteenth century Bond Street was a lane that led
from George Street down to the ‘Tanks’. These tanks were the
source of Sydney’s water supply until 1827 when Mr Busby
carved his bore from Centennial Park to the City.

More recently Bond Street has been the home of the Sydney
Stock Exchange and is again in transition with the recent
relocation of Macquarie Bank to King Street Wharf.

Adjacent Landowners
- AUSTRALIA SQUARE
- MIRVAC
Bond Street, view from George Street - MANTRA

Bond Street
19. YORK LANE

Issues
York Lane has a number of service entry points that would need
to be maintained throughout the By George! program.

Opportunities
Characterised by highrise the streetscape of York Lane forms
part of a bounded grid. Being the high point of the ridge on
the western side of the CIty Centre the topography of the lane
is generally flat. The buildings are built to the street alignment
giving the lane a canyon like appearance which could be used
to great effect given the numbers of office workers in the area.

Historical Information
The York Street properties that back onto the lane tend to be
examples of Interwar warehouses and there are a number of
mid block connections especially near Wynyard Station that
enables thousands of workers access to the lane.

Adjacent Landowners

- Wynyard Green
- Bank of China
- The Clarence

Temperance Lane, view from George Street

Temperance Lane
20. SUSSEX LANE

Issues
The Westpac building surfaces would not allow any fixings to
the stone surfaces. Other solutions to mount elements could be
arranged by alternate fixing systems if required.

Opportunities
Home to the Sussex Lane Warehouse venue for 20 nights
during the Olympics the renewed Sussex Lane is home
to Sydney’s Small Bar and a host of other new bars and
restaurants at the back of the Westpac headquarters.

This businesses in this laneway are excitied by the prospect

of integrating a temporary artwork into the lane to attract more
awareness of this newly recreated precinct.

Historical Information
The Erskine Street Terraces that back onto Sussex Lane are
Heritage items and as such minimal impacts only would be
allowable under CIty Planning Controls.

Adjacent Landowners
- Westpac

Sussex Lane, view from Sussex Street

Sussex Lane, view from Kent St