Tuesday 5 July 2011

Heritage livery, perhaps?


Here is the Paddngton Post & Telegraph Office, all spruced up and looking in its prime. It is the season of renewal apparently, with both the Central Station tower and the Queen Victoria Building being swathed in hessian and more. And who can forget how long it took to sandblast the classic front of the State Library.

The PO stands on Oxford Street at the most dominant intersection in Paddington, a dog-leg involving Oxford Street, Ormond Street, and Oatley Road. Should you need to know, the little spikes are to keep the p.p..p...pidgeons off!!

The Coat of Arms is that of the British Monarch, as Australia was not a federated nation until 1901, and the State of New South Wales was a British Colony from 1788 until 1901.


One one corner stands the Post Office built in 1885, diagonally opposite stands the Town Hall built in 1890. Beside the PO is the oldest privately built residence in Paddington, Juniper Hall which was built by Robert Cooper in the 1820s. Beside the Town Hall is the Water Reservoir which was in use to supply the City of Sydney from 1866 to 1899.


The scaffolding has only recently been removed after having dominated the intersection for a good deal of this year. Here is the building in its old vestements, posted on Wiki by Jimbar. What do you think, Jim? Can you bear to look at it?

9 comments:

Luis Gomez said...

Great post Julie.

Rosemary said...

Looking pretty spiff, aren't we?

And will those spikes really keep the pigeons off?

Thérèse said...

The new life of a proud building!

Petrus said...

Impressive building ..

Mark said...

That is a gleaming new coat for a fine building.

Jim said...

They've done a beautiful job restoring it. I have a shot from a few years back and it does look great now. My Yurabirong sculpture today is close to Mrs Macquaries Road, so the closest gate is probably the Lion Gate or the Henry Lawson Gate.

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Fabulous restoration and great post, Julie!

Bises,
Genie

Ann said...

Looking very swish.

Joan Elizabeth said...

I really like painted buidings with such care given to the tonings. Lovely with the splash of colour in the coat of arms ... like a diamante brooch on a plain suit.