Heritage Issues
History Enquiries from the Website
Posted on 2nd November 2018
Enquiries on Glebe’s history and heritage continue to be received from members of the general public via the Society’s website.
Heritage Subcommittee Annual Report 2017-2018
Posted on 6th August 2018
One matter that has been under consideration for the whole year is the proposed redevelopment of the former Remand Centre behind Bidura. Another development that has attracted a considerable amount of community concern is the proposal to establish a restaurant and café in Bellevue, previously occupied as the Blackwattle Café.
“The Glebe Estate” an extract by Gough Whitlam
Posted on 7th June 2018
An extract from The Whitlam Government, 1972-1975, E.G. Whitlam, Penguin Books Australia, 1985 “Few places in Australia are richer in history than the inner-Sydney suburb of Glebe. The area was first surveyed in 1790, two and a half years after Governor Phillip established the penal colony at Sydney town. The name was acquired when approximately […]
Older Homes in Glebe – Tell Us What Help You’d Like
Posted on 4th May 2018
If you own an older house, you may have found that carrying out maintenance, repairs or restoration – or all three – isn’t always straightforward.
Backstage at the Glebe Society #1. Enquiries
Posted on 12th March 2018
One of the less visible aspects of the Glebe Society is its role in handling enquiries from the general public. On average, we handle about 50 enquiries a year
History & Heritage Report (November 2017)
Posted on 28th November 2017
Glebe Society Bulletins – a great resource; and
Eileen Lacey
Remembrance Day in Glebe 2017
Posted on 28th November 2017
This year the Glebe Society ceremony for Remembrance Day was held behind the Diggers’ Memorial in the D.J. Foley Rest Park. The ceremony marked the centenary of a year that saw tragic losses by Australian troops fighting on the Western Front.
147-9 Glebe Point Road (former Sushi Garden)
Posted on 7th November 2017
This is the only wooden building surviving in Glebe Point Road, and the only wooden shop in Glebe. There is a case for retaining elements of the late Victorian facade, such as the splayed doorway, iron columns and associated windows, and certainly for recording the building comprehensively and attaching an interpretative plaque
Heritage Subcommittee Annual Report 2016-2017
Posted on 28th July 2017
In Sydney, we are currently mired in an era of rush-to-build. It is a given that arguments for better public transport and more social and affordable housing in Sydney are not disputed. And yes, the issues are complex. But the problem is the abject willingness of government to abandon their own heritage principles and conservation areas and displace long-standing communities in order to ‘cut through’.
One-of-a-kind 1871 Photographs of Strathmore
Posted on 29th June 2017
The Glebe Society was very fortunate to have been shown two photos of Strathmore [1] (once the home of George Wigram Allen). They seem to be the only existing photographic records of Strathmore as a two-storey building.
Video of Glebe Point Road in 1913
Posted on 29th June 2017
We have recently uploaded to our YouTube channel an extract from a 1913 silent film with some great footage of Glebe Point Rd.
Cold Case of the Missing Palms Solved
Posted on 28th May 2017
A story in the Bulletin from 30 years ago (Bulletin 3 of 1987) concerns a case of five missing Washingtonia palms, which apparently went missing from the corner of Wigram Rd and Glebe Point Rd, the site of the former Children’s Hospital. Where are these trees today?
Restoring Rothwell Lodge’s Rare Fretwork Verandah Post Infills
Posted on 1st May 2017
Rothwell Lodge, at 24 Ferry Rd, was built around 1847. Veranda posts with fretwork infills unique for Glebe and now rare for Sydney.
Tram Mural Officially Launched
Posted on 1st April 2017
The unveiling of the Glebe Tram Mural by Lord Mayor Clover Moore on Wednesday 8 March was the culmination of four years of planning.
Glebe’s Tram Mural
Posted on 24th February 2017
Congratulations and thank you to mural creator, Kelly Wallwork. With the mural complete – thanks to the inspiration and hard work of the Society’s Janice Challinor.
Iron Spearheads
Posted on 24th February 2017
19th and early 20th Century Glebe houses display a variety of boundary fences, most commonly wooden pickets and iron railings. Although the iron fence is a feature of many Glebe buildings there is a range of spearheads used with some common forms such as the fleur-de-lis and a few that are more individualised.
Bidura – Potential Listing on the State Heritage Register
Posted on 24th February 2017
The Heritage Council of NSW is considering whether to recommend the Bidura House Group for listing on the State Heritage Register in acknowledgement of its heritage significance.
Key Book for Glebe History
Posted on 24th February 2017
This book is the second edition of Green Bans, Red Union: Environmental Activism and the New South Wales Builders Labourers’ Federation, which was published in 1998 and was an immediate success. It is the story of the NSW branch of the BLF under the leadership of Jack Mundey, Bob Pringle, Joe Owens and others.
Sandstone Retaining Walls
Posted on 24th February 2017
The ‘contained portal’ option in Arundel St threatened by WestConnex has been ditched to the vast relief of Glebe residents.
We understand that the repair of the sandstone retaining wall at Forest Lodge will be assessed for funding under the Department’s ‘10 year Schools Stonework Program’.
Tramsheds Restoration: a Ray of Light
Posted on 22nd October 2016
It would be hard, in heritage terms, to characterise the last 12 months as anything other than a year of destruction across Sydney. One bright spot, in our own backyard, is the restoration, repurposing and reopening of the Tramsheds at Harold Park, formerly known as the Rozelle Tramway Depot.
The Architecture of Arundel Street
Posted on 22nd October 2016
Arundel St could be described as Glebe’s ‘shop window’ which announces to the world the Victorian suburb which lies behind to the north. The Glebe Society’s Heritage Subcommittee has identified a significant number of buildings in Arundel St which it considers to be a vital part of Glebe’s townscape.
WestConnex – the Heritage Aspects of One Proposed Glebe Option
Posted on 7th September 2016
WestConnex is currently looking at options for the route of the M4-M5 Link which will take traffic from the Rozelle interchange to St Peters. One option being considered is to provide a “contained portal” allowing tunnel traffic to exit to the city at Arundel St.
Heritage Subcommittee Annual Report 2015-2016
Posted on 29th July 2016
Over the last twelve months the Heritage Subcommittee has sought to improve the protection of Glebe’s heritage through providing information, working to improve understanding and through advocacy. including Bidura, Bridges, Anzac Centennary, Rearviews in the Bulletin, Old Maps for the Website and Other Conservation and Maintenance Matters
Leadlights
Posted on 5th July 2016
The Heritage Subcommittee has considered many different options for celebrating and focussing attention on this aspect of our Victorian and Federation houses.
We have decided that the Glebe Society website offers the best medium for showing off the glorious colours and designs of some of Glebe’s beautiful leadlights. We envisage including on the website a selection of pictures of leadlight styles, mentioning the street, but without identifying the specific house pictured.
Glebe’s War Memorial
Posted on 12th June 2016
The City of Sydney’s restoration of the Glebe War Memorial in Foley Park was ‘highly commended’ in the recently announced National Trust’s 2016 annual Heritage Awards. The Glebe War Memorial restoration project involved the conservation of almost every element of the memorial. It was built in 1921 in honour of 174 local residents who did […]
RMS Tries Again
Posted on 12th June 2016
The Glebe Society lodged an objection to a proposal by Roads & Maritime (RMS) for the installation of a permanent electronic message sign on Parramatta Rd, near Derwent St.
Finding Glebe Stuff on the Internet: Our Conservation Areas
Posted on 3rd May 2016
Virtually all of Glebe and Forest Lodge is covered by conservation areas. So what can we find online about conservation areas and what they mean for heritage conservation?
A Photo Essay: Exterior Decorative Wall Tiles
Posted on 25th September 2015
Anne Owens, a member of the Heritage Subcommittee, has been out with her camera exploring the wonderful array of exterior decorative wall tiles which adorn our Glebe houses.
Heritage Subcommittee Annual Report 2014-2015
Posted on 14th August 2015
The heritage environment in NSW remains tenuous at best. Growth projects are being touted as ‘transformative’ but at what cost? A significant number of communities are already expressing alarm about potential impacts on their local heritage.
More than 15 years on, Olympic-related Impositions Are Still with Us
Posted on 2nd June 2015
The massive advertising billboard which sits atop the heritage-listed silos at Glebe Island was erected in the 1990s to help promote the Olympics. The lessee of the billboard, Eye Drive, has sought approval (from the Department of Planning) to extend the timeframes for the approved advertising signage.
