79 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 79 Lower Fort Street |
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79 Lower Fort Street, pictured in 2019.
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| Location | 79 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1842 |
| Official name: Shop & Residence; Hotel | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 893 |
| Type | Historic site |
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79 Lower Fort Street is a special old building in Millers Point, New South Wales, Australia. It was built way back in 1842! Over the years, it has been many things, including a hotel and a shop. It was known by different names like the Young Princess Hotel, Whalers Arms Hotel, and Brown's Family Hotel when it was a hotel. Since 1870, it has mostly been a shop. This building is so important that it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999, which means it's protected because of its history.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Early Days and First People
The land around Sydney where this building stands has a long history. It was originally home to the Eora people, who are the traditional owners of this area. Specifically, the Cadigal and Wangal groups lived here. Even though European settlers arrived and changed the area a lot, descendants of the Eora people still live in Sydney today.
From Hotel to Shop
The building at 79 Lower Fort Street was built around 1840. It first opened as an inn called the 'Young Princess'. An inn is like an old-fashioned hotel where travelers could stay and get food. By 1847, it was known as 'The Whalers Arms'. Joseph Farris was the first person to run it. The 'Young Princess' was a nice building, but another hotel nearby, the Hero of Waterloo Hotel, was bigger. Many inns were in the Millers Point area, so there was a lot of competition!
It's a bit unclear how long 'The Whalers Arms' stayed open as an inn because some old records are missing. However, by 1855, the building was a shop run by Mrs. Isabella Brown. As more people moved into the busy 'Rocks' area, there was a greater need for shops to buy everyday items.
For about 15 years, the building switched between being an inn and a shop. In 1855 and 1858, it was a grocery store. Then, in 1861, it became 'The Whalers Arms' inn again and stayed that way until 1868. For a short time in 1867, it was even called 'Brown's Family Hotel' and seemed to be connected to the 'Hero of Waterloo' hotel across the street. But by 1870, it went back to being a grocery shop and stayed that way for a very long time.
A Busy Corner Store
The large room on the ground floor was perfect for a grocery shop, holding all the big bags and boxes of food. The shop was in a great spot because Lower Fort Street was mostly a residential area, meaning many families lived there and needed a local store. The rooms upstairs were used as a home for the grocer's family or for tenants.
At first, this corner shop was the only building on its side of Lower Fort Street for a while. The land next to it stayed empty until 1928, with just a few sheds. The original idea was for No. 79 to be the start of a row of houses, but that never happened.
Changes in the Neighborhood
After 1890, many different shopkeepers ran the store. Big changes came to the area around this time. There was a scare about the bubonic plague, and the Sydney Harbour Trust was created in 1901. Also, the Walsh Bay wharves (docks) were rebuilt. The building then became owned by the Trust, but it continued to operate as a shop.
More changes happened when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built starting in 1925. This created a large barrier nearby. The people living in the area also changed, with more boarding houses (places where people rent a room) instead of family homes. There was still a need for groceries, but many other shops were available in nearby streets.
Later, the government decided to protect the Rocks and Millers Point areas because of their important history. The building then became owned by the State Government and later the NSW Land and Housing Corporation. In the late 1990s, the building was empty for a while and got damaged. In 2005, a new long-term lease was bought, giving the building a new life.
What the Building Looks Like
79 Lower Fort Street is a two-story building made of sandstone, with an attic at the top. It's described as being in the early Victorian Regency or Old Colonial Georgian styles, which are types of architecture from a long time ago. It has strong stone walls, a slate roof (the original roof was made of wooden shingles), and painted wooden window frames and doors.
The building still has some of its original old features, but it's also clear that many changes have been made over time. For example, some windows and doors have been moved or changed in size. You can still see parts of the original window on the east side and where a balcony used to be on the first floor. If you look closely, you might even see old signs like "The Whalers Arms" peeking out from under peeling paint! There are also old advertising signs painted on the stone walls outside.
Many parts of the building have been updated. The window on the corner used to be a doorway. A verandah (a covered porch) was removed, a window was filled in, the stone was painted, and a dormer window (a window sticking out from the roof) was changed. Other structures that were once on the site are no longer there.
Why It's a Heritage Site
This two-story sandstone building from the early 1800s used to be a hotel. It's a very important part of the street, helping us imagine what the area looked like long ago.
It's part of the Millers Point Conservation Area, which is a special neighborhood with old homes and public spaces from the 1830s. It shows how people adapted the landscape in the 1800s.
79 Lower Fort Street was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999, because it meets several important requirements:
Historical Importance
- It was built as a corner inn, one of many that were a big part of life in Millers Point in the early 1800s.
- It's one of the few old buildings that was used as a shop for a very long time.
- It helps us understand different periods of how Millers Point developed.
Unique Style and Design
- It's a great example of a simple Georgian colonial inn building.
- It's a rare surviving example of an early Georgian colonial inn and corner shop.
- It's a very important building on the corner, right across from the Hero of Waterloo hotel, at the key intersection of Windmill and Lower Fort Streets.
