Hyde Park - St James Station

St James railway station commenced operation in December 1926. It is part of the small underground City Circle loop of the much broader Sydney Trains network, with 178 stations in total. It is located in the NW corner of Hyde Park. As you come up into the daylight at the Elizabeth Street entrance, you could almost imagine you are in a European city.

The neon light in the Elizabeth Street entrance is Heritage Listed. Although there are four platforms in the station, only two platforms are in use. The tunnels leading to the Macquarie Street exit have some wonderful old photographs inlaid in the tiles. This main entrance is on the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Market Street, with the platforms being below the Archibald Fountain. On the right of the Market Street scene, is the David Jones flagship department store.

Hyde Park - the widening of Elizabeth Street

Walking south along Elizabeth Street, just after Thornton's Scent Bottle on the Bathurst St intersection (2015)

The final report of the "Royal Commission for the Improvement of the City of Sydney and its Suburbs" was dated 25th June, 1909. The photo of a decimated Hyde Park was taken 25th August 1909. Implementing the reommendations of a Royal Commission are no longer that speedy!! Paris was "made-over" by Haussman between 1853 and 1870. Plans for a Chicago "make-over" were drawn up by Daniel Burnham between 1906 and 1909. These designs were organic, and visionary; whereas the plans that came out of our Royal Commission were largely practical, and pragmatic. A nip here, a tuck there. Before WW1, came the widening of Elizabeth, College, George and Oxford Streets. In the medium term, came the conversion of Randwick Road to Anzac Parade, the extension of Martin Place, and the construction of both the city circle underground, and the harbour crossing (bridge), together with an electrified suburban above ground railway system.

Elizabeth Street, facing north, just after the intersection with Park Street. The spire is St James Anglican Church on King Street. This was before the David Jones Department Store which now dominates this section of Elizabeth St. (August 1909)

All these changes had a massive impact upon Hyde Park, which is bordered by Liverpool, College, and Elizabeth Streets, all of which were widened by crimping a metre of parkland here, and three feet of greensward there.

Walking south along Elizabeth, this time closer to the Liverpool St intersection. The building with the faux-gold turrets was the Mark Foy Department Store flagship, but now serves as the Downing Centre Local Court (2015)

The next history post will be on the widening of College Street.

Feeling round the bend!

This is my contribution to the Weekend in Black and White community.

I have added this following photograph - from the City of Sydney image library - as an explanation of my tags. The steps can be seen in this 1956 image. They are still recognisable. However, all the buildings are gone, and replaced by lawn. This was a Long Day Care and Women's Health Centre, built in 1952 and demolished somewhere between 1987 and 1989. This is Hyde Park (south) from the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets. You can see the War Memorial in the background.

(Girl with pole) x 2

This is my contribution to the Walk in the Street Challenge.

Thornton's scent bottle

Well, yesterday's quizz was easy-peasy, yes?

George Thornton was a mayor of Sydney, and mayors are very keen on getting their name on public amenities. This structure, on the T-intersection of Bathurst St with Elizabeth St, was erected in 1857 when Thornton was mayor. Being a sewer vent, it was quickly given the sobriquet 'Thornton's scent bottle'. It is modelled on Cleopatra's Needle in London.

You will be pleased to know that in 1965 the Benelong Sewerage System, of which this was the only ventilation shaft, converted to a storm water only system, still entering the harbour beneath the Opera House.

Yell for Cadel

In Melbourne today, there was a ticker-tape parade to honour Cadel Evans, the holder of the Yellow Jersey as the 2011 Tour de France wound its way up and down the Champs Elysees at the end of July.

Yell for Cadel!

Tunnel vision

Campbell Street runs beneath a 1926 viaduct for the Sydney subway between Central Station (to the left) and Town Hall station (to the right). Just a few hundred metres to the right here, the lines go underground in the form of what is known as the City Circle. I think it fair to say that this is a 'gritty' part of town.