Thursday 5 May 2011

Every-which-way-but-up : Harris Street

Behind me
Built on the side of an escarpment and straddling a dry gully, Paddington is a very old suburb (1840s) built by settlers still very much focussed on what they left behind in the UK (actually in the 1840s it was still named Great Britain).

To the left, then to the right
Weatherboard cottages are less popular now, due to exorbitant upkeep and horrendous insurance costs. but they do look cute! Many have given way to grander residences over the years.

In front of me
Master of all I survey westwards! It may not look like it from this shot, but Paddington is close to the CBD and is in the higher socio-economic bracket. The streets are dotted with designer dogs and Jimmy Chu's.

Beneath me
PMG stands for 'Post Master General' which was the name prior to the 1960s of the post and telephone/telegraph utility which is now known as Telstra.

11 comments:

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Good morning Julie,
Great photos, those older areas in Sydney are fantastic. My son lives in Surrey Hills, I keep hoping he'll pop up in one of your crowd scenes,haha! that would be weird hey.

Best wishes
Grace

Rae Walter said...

Hi Julie, your photos remind me to take time to visit Paddington and experience its diversity, charm and history when next in Sydney. Rae

Anonymous said...

Harris Street. It had trams along it. No, that was another Harris Street I think.

My sister is a school teacher and corrects me when she gets the rare chance. I don't hate ex school teachers but focused one s.

PMG lasted much later. 1975.

Welcome home from gay Paree. Enjoyed your photies.

Kay L. Davies said...

I think Great Britain was still Great Britain in the 1940s, also.
All these people correcting you instead of admiring your beautiful photos in the manner they deserve! Tsk!
I love the little white cottage with the pretty roof garden.
Now that Canada has re-elected the dictator, I am looking for a place to take me when I run away. My Canadian-Australian friend Robin (currently teaching at a university in Singapore) says Australia has a woman Prime Minister with very up-to-date ideas. Sounds good to me.
Meanwhile, I'll just hide out here in my little hobbit house and hope no one shoots me when the PM retracts the gun-registration law.
Luv, K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Unknown said...

I love the history behind the photos.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely neighbourhood. And such charming houses, a shame they're all so problematic in terms of upkeep. (I am writing from a leaky 200-year-old cottage so I can empathize about the owners' maintenance issues!)

Jim said...

I like the view of the laneway. I've never seen a PMG marker like that. I still see a lot of old man hole covers over the pits with the logo but can't quite work out how this marker fits into the scheme of things.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Julie said...

Jim - I get confused between the markers used by the PMG and those used by the Water Board and its precoursers. Up 'my' end of Paddo, there are many 'broad arrows' on gutters which I take to be signs of where the early water mains were. In my copious free time, I will take a 'flaneur' and try to join the two lots up. I will try to find out, too, when the givt stopped using that 'broad arrow' symbol.

Joan Elizabeth said...

In the top shot they need to clean the leaves out of their gutter ... our gutters are always in need of cleaning,

Joan Elizabeth said...

Weatherboard houses certainly cost a lot more to maintain because of the painting but they are not much more expensive to insure. Ours costs only $25 per year more than if it was brick.

diane b said...

Did you climb a tree to take the shot of the lane way? Nice shot. You have brought Paddo alive for me. I had bad memories of it in the 60's. I had to fight off a a so called' friend 'from raping me there.