governmentbuildings

The reference to "Castlereagh Street" (on the street sign on the corner) is confusing. It is obviously the back of the Lands Department Building at the corner of Bent St and what is now Loftus St. It turns out that Loftus St used to be called Castlereagh St (they are aligned); also Young St used to be called Elizabeth St. See this 1858 interactive map - www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-rm1272-sd&rgn=0... Since only the northern section of the Lands Department Building is finished here, I would put the date at c.1885. See - www.flickr.com/photos/state-records-nsw/4057365692/

Thank you for the information about the changes in street names. We will amend the date to c.1885.

Other end of the block -

you should see this intersection now... there's a massive Woolworths across the street! LOL

I think this photo is much earlier than 1896, and shows the original James Barnet designed building under construction in the late 1870s. See the scaffolding going through the windows, and the lack of statues. The building was completed in 1880, so imho this is before 1880. See - www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_04_2.cfm?itemid=5045423 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Secretary's_Building . Barnet's design was based on the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. There are heaps of photos of this building in State Records at various stages of additions. This one is the earliest, then in chronological order (I hope) - Original James Barnet Building (c.1880) - investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... Walter Liberty Vernon additions - Phillip St extension, mansard roof and dome (c.1895) - investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... With electric street lamp (post 1904) - almost identical - investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp...

Charles Bayliss photographed the completed (outside) building in 1879 for a Sydney Exhibition Album from the same position on the Government House gatehouse.


So this photo is well before 1879

beachcomber australia A pretty compelling argument especially when you compare the other images you've linked to titled as "construction of the dome" which show the statues in place and scaffolding only on the roof of the building. The surrounding landscape is also significantly different. There are footpaths, tram lines and the background is a lot more built up in investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp... as compared to this image. -AG

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02] Good find.

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/51979177@N02] Phew! There's enough for a thesis there. Winter 1877 is looking good, particularly from the long midday shadow of the Treasury Building on the right.