The
History of Hunter Street
Hunter Street,
Information Pages (H2)
Lost
Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW Au
Changing City
CHANGING CITY NEWCASTLE IN 1859
CHANGING CITY Former Appearance NEWCASTLE IN 1859 An
illustration in the "Newcastle Morning Herald" last Saturday showed the
work in progress on the western end of Church-street, overlooking the
town from the Hill. It indicated the change that is taking place in
Newcastle, which is being rebuilt at a rapid rate. At the time of incorporation, 77 years ago,
Newcastle was a fair sample of the coast towns of the most primitive
type.
The streets, according to the stories of old residents,
were composed of black loamy sand --unformed, without kerbing and
guttering, and the condition of Hunter-street was so bad that
bullockdrawn and horse-drawn vehicles frequently became bogged in it.
The street had not its present ample length, either. The eastern
boundary ended at Watt-street; and it linked with Blane-street on the
west. The streets were eventually merged. Blane street, which began
near the Civic Block; is now forgotten. The name is frequently
mentioned in the business notices appearing in the old issues of the
"New-castle Morning Herald."
The change has been all for the better. On
the corner of Watt and Hunter Streets was the old Commercial Hotel.
kept by a Mr. Croft, adjoining the old theatre, "the scene of many a
good show and gay revel," according to an identity who has lived in the
city since the mayorship of Mr. James Hannell in 1859. The corner later
occupied by the Bank of New Zealand was then the site of the Prince of
Wales Hotel, the space intervening between it and the theatre being
occupied by several stores, including that of J. Spragg, Tighe's
butcher-shop, and the surgery of Dr. Knaggs.
From this point until reaching Rouse's Hotel, nearer the
west, the only business was a general store, kept by Mr. Greaves.
Pearson's furniture warehouse followed Rouse's hotel. The site is
to-day occupied by premises of much greater pretensions. On "the
harbour side" of Hunter-street the commercial world was represented by
Langham's store, and where it once stood Mr. R. Ingall established his
business. The Steam Packet Hotel stood on a site that was later
occupied by Sorby's store. Another equally well-known building was the
Ship Inn, in which a banking business was afterwards conducted.
Proceeding further along the side of Hunter-street the only remaining
building was the Court-house. It was surrounded by a fence, extending
well into the roadway. The chief business centre was Watt-street, then
an unformed thoroughfare, with luxuriant grass growing in the roadway.
Behind the premises later owned by the Bank of New South Wales were
found the remains of the old dwelling in which the bank at that time
did business. It was formerly the residence of Mr John Bingle--one of
the city's coal and shipping pioneers-and stood back from the road,
fronted by a garden with date palms growing in front of the
house.
EARLY WATT STREET.At the upper end of Watt-street stood the
Presbyterian Church and manse, immediately across the road being the
residence of Mr. James Reid and the Post office. The Caledonian Hotel
and Mag-ney's Hotel were nearby. Mr. James Dalby, now living at West
Maitland, but a regular visitor to New-castle, was born in
Bolton-street in 1847, and his father, on removing to Watt-street,
carried on a small business near the hotels mentioned. Broughton and
Downey's ship chandlery completed the list of business places on that
side of the street. At the latter place the shipping portion of the
community was accustomed to congregate with occasional adjournments
across the street to then popular dispensary of liquid refreshment kept
by Mrs. Mac-Greavy. Her place adjoined a shop kept W H. White. There
was little, according to the stories of Mr. Dalby and other veterans,
in the by-streets to attract attention. At the back of the Steam Packet
Hotel there was a water-reserve, the old town pump being on the site of
the municipal baths of that day, and long since disappeared. The
"Newcastle Chronicle" as regularly published in Bolton-street, in the
building from which the "Newcastle Morning Herald" was later issued for
about half a century, and which was removed to make way for the offices
in which this journal is printed to-day. The only building in the
Market Square was a hostelry known as the London Hotel--originally the
Miners Arms--and afterwards becoming a customs-house. From
Church-street, stretching away to the south, and from Perkins street to
Darby street, was a mass of dense undergrowth and bush. The only
buildings beyond the Church-street boundary were the premises now used
as a mental hospital and the Christ Church parsonage.
MAITLAND ROAD A FOREST TRACK. Passing under the Australian
Agriculural Co.'s bridge, which stood as a town landmark for so many
years, the traveller was almost at once in the bush. Hunterstreet West,
or Maitland-road, as it was then termed being but a forest track. The
Black Diamond Hotel occupied a site that was later acquired by the City
Council in connection with its Civic Block buildings. This hotel,
Cameron's Inn and the Empire Hotel, with the railway station, and the
residence of Mr. Fleming at Honeysuckle Point, were the only buildings
of note beyond the bridge. East of Pacific-street there were no
buildings, except the harbourmaster's residence and the gaol, the
entire area of the Sand-hills-as the name implies--being an open space
of drifting sand, with lagoons of surface water here and there. Along
the waterfront the same primi-tive conditions obtained. Formerly the
tide flowed to the town side of Scott-street, coming up to the footpath
in front of the Metropolitan Hotel. About the time of incorporation the
street had been partly reclaimed.
A well-known waterside hotel in those
days was the Market Inn, close by which stood Captain Weatherill's ship
chandlery and timberyard. The only available wharf was at the foot of
Watt-street. There the steamers landed cargo on a rickety structure,
the site of which has since been reclaimed. To the eastward of the
wharf there was a pile of ballast deposited by incoming vessels,
forming a rough jetty, which was approached by a wood bridge from the
end of the wharf, under which an entrance was effected to the boat
harbour and pilot boatshed. From this point proceed-ing towards Allen's
Hill the beach was entirely open; and in scores of instances boats
landed there from the vessels in port, the crews filling their water
casks at a well close to the beach. The natives used to assemble at odd
times--notably on Queen's birthday--on a block of land and stage a
corroboree under the direction of King Billy.
The
History of Hunter Street
Hunter Street,
Information Pages (H2)
Lost
Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW Au