Zink & Sons Tailors Since 1895 - Oxford Street - Darlinghurst

Some Oxford Street shopfronts come and go with the fashion cycle. G.A. Zink & Sons is the opposite — a Darlinghurst tailoring firm founded in 1895 by German immigrant Gustav Adolph Zink, who first traded at 112 Oxford Street. When the street was widened, City of Sydney auctioned new leasehold shop sites; Zink took 56 Oxford Street and commissioned architect John Dunstan to design a four-storey Federation Arts and Crafts building, erected about 1911–12 by G.T. Brown. The firm has occupied that purpose-built premises ever since.

In 1938 Frank Zink installed a bold Art Deco shopfront and entrance porch by shopfitters H. & E. Sidgreaves — still the signature of the Oxford Street elevation. Mezzanine alterations in the late 1920s had already expanded fitting and cutting space. The GA Zink & Sons Building, including the Art Deco shopfront and significant interiors, is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. Tailoring continues on the site more than a century after the move to number 56 — one of Oxford Street’s longest-running specialist retailers.

Photographs here show the Oxford Street façade and shopfront detail of the Zink & Sons building.

Zink & Sons Tailors - Oxford Street -  Since 1895

 G. A. Zink & Sons was established in 1895 at 112 Oxford Street by Gustav A. Zink. The purpose-built premises at 56 Oxford Street were built around 1912 on a new block formed by the widening of Oxford Street. The building was later substantially renovated by his son, Frank, with a new shopfront & entrance porch designed by the shop fitting firm of H. & E. Sidgreaves and installed during 1938

Paddington Reservoir - Paddington - Sydney Water Suppply - New South Wales

 

Paddington Reservoir - Oxford Street - Paddington - New South Wales.

The Paddington Reservoir, also known as the Paddington Reservoir Gardens, is a heritage-listed site located in Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Here's some information about the Paddington Reservoir:

1. History: The Paddington Reservoir was originally constructed in the 1860s as an underground water reservoir to supply water to the growing population of Sydney. It was part of the Sydney's water supply infrastructure, designed by engineer Edward Bell.

2. Architectural Design: The reservoir was designed in a Romanesque Revival architectural style, which was popular during the Victorian era. The structure features a blend of brickwork and iron columns, with arches and vaulted ceilings.

3. Function: The reservoir was in operation until 1899 when it was decommissioned. It then went through several stages of use, including storage, workshops, and a service station. In the 20th century, the site fell into disrepair and was eventually abandoned.

4. Transformation into Gardens: In the 1990s, a redevelopment project aimed at transforming the reservoir into a public space was initiated. The site was restored and converted into the Paddington Reservoir Gardens, opening to the public in 2008.

5. Features: The Paddington Reservoir Gardens blend the historic elements of the underground reservoir with modern design. The site incorporates sunken gardens, walkways, seating areas, and reflective pools, creating a serene and contemplative atmosphere.

6. Heritage Significance: The Paddington Reservoir is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register and the Australian National Heritage List. It is recognized for its historical and architectural importance, as well as its contribution to the local community and the city's heritage.

7. Events and Activities: The Paddington Reservoir Gardens are a popular venue for various cultural events, art installations, and community activities. It also serves as a tranquil oasis for locals and visitors seeking respite from the bustling city.

The Paddington Reservoir stands as a testament to the historical water infrastructure of Sydney and has been successfully repurposed as a unique urban park. Its blend of historic and contemporary design elements, along with its peaceful ambiance, makes it a notable attraction in Paddington.

Oxford Square – Cnr Riley Street & Oxford Street – Darlinghurst – New South Wales

 

Oxford Square  - Corner Riley & Oxford Street - Darlinghurst  - New South Wales 

Oxford Square is the named junction of Oxford, Riley and Burton Streets in Darlinghurst — on the old South Head Road / Oxford Street high street that climbed from colonial track to one of Sydney’s principal shopping strips by the late nineteenth century. The southwest Oxford–Riley corner was long dominated by Buckingham’s department store (drapery origins with William Buckingham; store presence on this corner from the 1890s; major emporium into the twentieth century). After the business was sold in 1967, the partly emptied building went up in the spectacular Anzac Day fire of 25 April 1968; the cleared site later became a shopping complex still known as Oxford Square / Oxford Village.

Opposite and around the junction, the Oxford Square Group of Victorian and Edwardian buildings — former Family Hotel, former London Bank / ANZ chambers at 52–54 Oxford Street, G. A. Zink & Sons at 56 Oxford Street, SILF Company building — remains a registered heritage streetscape. Those Neo-Classical corner compositions still frame the views into Riley, Burton and Oxford. Nearby Burdekin Hotel (Liverpool & Oxford) marks the western entry to the strip but is a separate landmark.

Photographs here survey surviving façades and the retail setting of the former Buckingham’s corner. Don’t confuse Oxford Square with Taylor Square further east.

Oxford Street - Darlinghurst - Sydney - New South Wales - 1788 Onwards

Oxford Street still rides a Gadigal ridgeline path (muru) that long linked the harbour country around Sydney Cove with the southern headland. In 1803 a track to the South Head signal station was cleared under surgeon John Harris; Governor Macquarie upgraded it in 1811 for wheeled traffic as South Head Road. The Old South Head Road became the approach to villa estates on Woolloomooloo Hill / Darlinghurst and to Paddington; New South Head Road (from 1831) later took much of the harbour-side carriage traffic.

The busy commercial stretch between Hyde Park and Paddington was renamed Oxford Street in the mid-1870s (gazettal commonly cited 1875), after London shopping-street fame. Trams, department stores and Federation rebuilding after early-twentieth-century widening (Lord Mayor Allen Taylor scheme; Taylor Square formed 1907–08) remade the northern side. Later public culture along the Darlinghurst golden mile added another layer. Beyond Bondi Junction the older name Old South Head Road still runs toward Watsons Bay.

Photographs here document the Oxford Street / Old South Head Road spine from the city toward the eastern suburbs.

Oxford Street At The Liverpool Street Junction Circa 1901

Darlinghurst Courthouse - Oxford Street - Taylor Square

 

Darlinghurst Courthouse 

The New South Wales Enabling Act & 

The New South Wales Court Act 1787

& the CHARTER OF JUSTICE, 2nd April 1787

Were Both Enacted On The 7th February 1788,

 After Arthur Phillips Instructions From King George III 

Had Been Read Aloud And Enabled By John Collins, Judge Advocate Of The New Colony. 


On The 11th February 2 Convicts Were Convicted Of Stealing, One Was Sentanced To 150 Lashes With The Cat-O-Nine-Tails, & The Other To Be Marooned On Pinchgut Island (Now Called Fort Denison) In The Middle Of Sydney Harbour To Starve To Death. 

The first civil action is brought by convicts against the captain of the transport, whom they accused of stealing belongings they had given him for safe keeping. He was found guilty.

In September 1795, during Governor hunters term, there was another strange civil case. Two soldiers of the New South Wales for the suit for £500 damages for a £20 each.

The courts  shuffled from one place to another until Greenways building on King Street, the first Supreme Court, was ready.

The courts were shuffled from one place to another until greenways building on King Street, the first Supreme Court, was ready.

Meddling commissioner Bigge had forced Greenway to turn his original courthouse into St James church.

Satisfied with the makeshift he then had to create alongside the church to service port. The building, until 1828, handed civil and criminal cases until the new criminal court was built at Darlinghurst 14 years later.

Commission a big head for screen way to turn his original courthouse into St James church. Every little architect was deeply dissatisfied with the makeshift you don’t have to create alongside the church to service courts. The building, not opened until 1828, handled civil and criminal cases until the new criminal court was built at Darlinghurst 14 years later

The building was designed by multiple ideas, which was one wonderful well. But the time is regarded as a/inspiration to go to Newport house hard up against the back of Darlinghurst jail. This arrangement would obviate the lamentable exhibition of prisoners creating through the town to the courthouse for trials and risk their escape

Juniper Hall – Paddington

10 Things You May Not Have Known About.... Juniper Hall - Paddington - Sydney

1. Juniper Hall Was Built In 1824 By Emancipated Convict & Father Of 248, Robert Cooper. He Had Promised His Third Wife Sarah That She Would Have The Finest House In All The Colony.

2. Cooper, a Gin Distiller, Named His New Home Juniper Hall, After The Juniper Berry Used In The Spirit's Distillation. 

3. Cooper Leased The Property To An Irish Lawyer & NSW Attorney General John Kinchela In 1831. Kinchela Renamed The House Ormonde House. The "e" Was Dropped Shortly After & To This Day The Street To The West Of Juniper Hall Bears The Name Ormond Street. 

4. Cooper Was Declared Bankrupt In 1849 & By 1852 The Property Was Leased To The Society For The Relief Of Destitute Children. Up To 130 Children Called Juniper Hall Home During This Time. 

5. In 1885, The House Was Bought By The NSW Government & Extended With A Large Addition To The Eastern End.  The Extension Was Built In A Similar Style To The Original & Used As The Probation Office For The Metropolitan Shelter For Children & The Children's Court. 

6. The Building Was Eventually Sold To A Shoemaker, Joe Gardiner, & In The Early 1920s He Proposed To Demolish It & Build Flats   (WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT.....) After a Public Outcry, Gardiner Instead Converted The House To Flats & Built A Row Of Shops On The Oxford Street Frontage. 

7. In 1984, After 60 Years As Residential Flats, The Building Was Bought By The National Trust Of Australia. A Restoration Project Demolished The Row Of Shops.

8. Juniper Hall Is The Oldest Surviving Mansion From The Time Of Governor Lachlan Macquarie (1810 - 1821). It Is Also The Oldest Building East Of The City. The Position Of The House On The Top Of A Ridge Line Means It Has Views Across The Harbour To The North & To Botany Bay To The South. 

9. In September 2012, The Home Went Under The Hammer & A 99 Year Lease Was Secured By The Moran Family. The Morans Bought The Title For More Than $4 Million & Have Since Restored The Ground Level. 

10. The Moran Family Is Related To The Original Juniper Hall Inhabitants, The Cooper Family.