Freehills Bakery - the restoration

This is 107-109 George Street North, The Rocks. It was constructed by Patrick Freehills in 1860 as a bakery. Pretty soon thereafter it became a pub, "The Shipwright's Arms". It kept on changing identity, as it slunk into decrepitude. In the 1980s it was restored by the chef, Neil Perry, as his Rockpool Restaurant. It is now "William Blue Dining". Billy Blue was the coloured puntman who plied his vessel from Sydney Cove over to Milson's Point in the first half of the 19th Century. He was one of a sprinkling of Africans who came to Australia in the First Fleet.

Those two images above show how the building looked in the 1970s, prior to restoration. Note the parapet. Well, I think it is a parapet. It is in the restored building, but not in the delapidated one. The name and date are in both, but the hospitality pineapple has been restored.