Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection

Wonderful very old photo.

I don't know if this is relevant, but the Sydney Morning Herald for Thursday 24 November 1870 had an article about the need and responsibility for insurance of wool bales stored in these warehouses. trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13208517

Later by Charles Kerry -

Spot the differences! -

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/108197538 - the Evening News, 12th September, 1877...per this item, a new warehouse/store was built in the gap between the Talbot Stores and the building next right in 1877...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70592536 - the Australian Town & Country Journal, 24th June, 1876...this illustration shows the gap still there...

trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70457651 - the Australian Town & Country Journal, 12th February, 1870..two of the Blackwall Stores were extensively damaged by fire in February 1870...but they appear to have been rebuilt within 6 months or so...

14 years later...I spent a few days trying to establish the construction dates of the stores seen here...there's a little bit more info available on-line now...but not much...

The Blackwall Stores were owned by entrepreneur and political figure Edward Flood (1805-1888)...all the other stores seen here appear to have been owned by George Talbot (1802-89) and his son Paul (?1826-87)...both Flood and the Talbots ran stevedoring and wool pressing operations...they weren't wool brokers (the guys who bought and sold wool)...their main business involved pressing wool into smaller bales so it took up less space and then loading it onto the wool clippers...at the time pressing wool ('dumping') was something of a specialist operation and only a relatively few establishments had the large hydraulic presses which were required...

Edward Flood's Blackwall Stores were built between ca. November 1863 and mid 1865...

The first part of Talbots' stores (north of the Moore's Stairs passageway) appears to have been built in the later 1850s (completed by ca. 1858)...the second part (south of the passageway) appears to have been built in ca. 1863. I'm less certain re the next building...but it appears to have been built for the Talbots in ca 1867-68. From 1872 thru to the later 1870s it was used as a bond store and known as the New Bond.

I've put links to my various sources here
www.flickr.com/photos/193158484@N02/53810270223/
www.flickr.com/photos/193158484@N02/53810660685/

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02] Ha! I thought you had gone 'batty' from looking at these old photos. The poles and wires are really ugly - I think they were building the Cahill Expressway.

GoogleMapsStreetView - maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Sydney+NSW&hl=en&ll=-33...

Well that large building in the background is half built. Its the museum of contemporary art which was originally the Maritime Services Board. If I recall correctly, it was built around 1938, and unlike the Opera House it didn't take 17 years to complete, so being in a half-built condition like that should narrow down the date that the photograph was taken within about 6 months or so.
Not sure why you would have "dated earlier than 10/12/1952" so specifically, but I think this photo was taken about 1938 or thereabouts.

The tram shown in the photo doesn't appear to be a toastrack but another type (name unknown) that was in use in Sydney. The toastrack had compartments which could be entered from each side of the tram with two seats going right across the width of the vehicle. Thus each compartment lined up alongside each other and gave the impression of a toast rack with its slices of toast.

Unidentified : Collins, Gegg, O'Neil Families You can only really see one side of the trams in this image. However, I'd assume there'd be identical openings on the opposite sides allowing entry from either side of the tram.
Have a look at this image of a Toastrack 'O' class tram - there are some similarities to the trams shown in this image.
www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=208027&...
However we might need an expert in the tram field to confirm exactly what kind of tram it is!

I didn't realise that building was built in two halves.

Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection Thanks for posting this so quickly.

I was amazed to discover where this handsome and very old building was - at the SE corner of George and Market Streets, in the middle of Sydney. Unfortunately it literally has "Gone to Gowings", with the 1929 Gowings building at 452-56 George St., and the 1929 State Theatre in Market St. there now.

Google Maps Street View - goo.gl/maps/FCkLS1ofPNN2
[ed. - updated 23/10/15]
Gowings - www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=2424014
State Theatre - www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=5045499 and www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=2424031

I am not sure what the old building was called or used for, or its date (c.1830?) - does anyone know? Did it survive into the 1920s, or was there another building before Gowings? It seems to have been unloved towards the end of the C19th - most photographs seem to avoid it.

The view to the right -


"George Street from Market Street" Henry King (PhM)

Aha! Found it! Joseph Fowles "Sydney in 1848" names it as Waterloo Stores -

" At the corner of Market Street, with the front in George Street, stands the "Waterloo Stores," a spacious brick building, erected some twenty years since by Mr. Daniel Cooper; it then stood alone at the corner of the Cattle Market, and was without question the best building in the City, and even in the present day, when the spirit and enterprise of the colonists have caused the erection of many very excellent buildings, it still holds its rank amongst the best. The business of this establishment is conducted by Mr. D. Cooper, Junior, (the son of the above named gentleman) on a very extended scale. Country Stores and Settlers are here supplied with every thing they require: Wines, Spirits, Ales and Porter, Grocery, and Drapery Goods, Slops, and Clothing, Ironmongery, etc., in infinite variety. "

from - www.sydneyarchitecture.com/GALL/GALL-1848.htm (just over half way down).

There is a recognisable illustration (top left) -

It is easy when you have the name. The Waterloo Stores was demolished in 1883 -


"The last of the Waterloo Stores" SLNSW

And John Hunter (Boots - next door} took over the George St frontage and erected another building which was demolished for Gowings. Daniel Cooper had acquired the site in 1821 and started building that year. Ref - SMH 17/10/1928, p.11 - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/16502273 .

So the Waterloo Stores was there from 1821- 1883. I imagine this photo is shortly before the 1883 demolition. What a great big shame, but how lucky that someone had the idea to photograph it.