Paddington Town Hall

Paddington Town Hall
Paddington Town Hall
Paddington Town Hall
Location in Greater Sydney
General information
Type Town hall
Architectural style Victorian Free Classical
Address 249 Oxford Street, Paddington
Town or city Sydney, New South Wales
Country Australia
Coordinates 33°53′06″S 151°13′33″E / 33.885125°S 151.225792°E / -33.885125; 151.225792Coordinates: 33°53′06″S 151°13′33″E / 33.885125°S 151.225792°E / -33.885125; 151.225792
Current tenants
Construction started 8 November 1890 (1890-11-08)
Completed 1891 (1891)
Opened 3 October 1891 (1891-10-03)
Renovated August 1905 (1905-08)
Client Municipality of Paddington
Owner City of Sydney
Height
Tip 32-metre (105 ft) clock tower
Design and construction
Architect John Edward Kemp
Main contractor R. Steele
Website
cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Official name Paddington Town Hall
Criteria a., c., d.
Designated 2 April 1999
Reference no. 00561

The Paddington Town Hall is a town hall building located in the Sydney suburb of Paddington, New South Wales, Australia. Sir Henry Parkes laid its foundation stone in 1890 when Paddington was a separate municipality. It opened in 1891 and remains a distinctive example of Victorian architecture in Sydney. The clock tower, completed in 1905, is 32 metres (105 ft) high and is a prominent landmark on the ridge of Oxford Street.[1][2]

The building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 with the following statement of significance:[2]

The Paddington Town Hall is of State significance as a landmark example of the Victorian Free Classical architectural style. Located in a prominent location, the Town Hall is highly visible and, as a well maintained building, an aesthetically pleasing structure. The Town Hall's construction in 1891 marked the beginning of the 1890s depression as is historically significant as one of the last public buildings to be built in the style.

— Statement of significance, New South Wales State Heritage Register.

History and description

Situated at the highest point on the Oxford Street ridge, the town hall's foundation stone was laid on 8 November 1890 by Sir Henry Parkes and was opened with great fanfare on 3 October 1891 by the Governor, The Earl of Jersey.[2][3][4]

Paddington Town Hall was the site of a meeting of Rugby League players in 1908, at which the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League club, now the Sydney Roosters, was officially formed. On 10 September 1969, the congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) was held at the town hall, with Bob Hawke being elected as the new president.[5][6]

The building now houses radio studios, Paddington Library, and is a venue for private functions. The Chauvel Cinema (part of the Palace Films and Cinemas chain) has been operating in the Town Hall since 1977, inside the former Town Hall ballroom (the original floor and ceiling were retained).[7]

Clock tower

Next to the Victoria Barracks the Town Hall has a 32-metre (105 ft) high clock tower, which was completed in 1905 to commemorate the coronation of Edward VII, dominating the Paddington skyline.

Whilst the eastern, southern, and western faces of the clock display the conventional Roman clock-face numerals, the Roman numerals on the northern (Oxford Street) side of the clock have been replaced as follows: 1:D, 2:U, 3:S, 4:T, 5:H, 6:E, 7:VII, 8:E, 9:D, 10:V, 11:A, 12:R. This was done to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII; and, commencing at where the VIII ought to be, the northern clock-face reads E.D.V.A.R.D.U.S. T.H.E. VII.[8][9]

The clock was officially set in motion on Wednesday, 30 August 1905, by Mr. J.H. Carruthers, the Premier of New South Wales, who noted that he "thought that the day on which peace had been declared between Russia and Japan was a fitting time to set it in motion" and that "he hoped there would be peace and goodwill on earth as long as the clock continued to go".[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gazzard, Don (October 2012). "Heritage in action…". Architect and Writer: Don Gazzard. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Paddington Town Hall". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "THE PADDINGTON TOWN HALL". The Sydney Morning Herald (16, 703). New South Wales, Australia. 5 October 1891. p. 9. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "ILLUSTRATIONS". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. LII, (1631). New South Wales, Australia. 10 October 1891. p. 808. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ Donovan, Barry (5 September 2009). "Hawke and the new unionism". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Unions not satisfied by offer". The Canberra Times. 44, (12, 410). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 September 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Chauvel Cinema". Palace Cinemas. Palace Films and Cinemas. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "PADDINGTON CORONATION PROPOSAL". The Sydney Morning Herald (20, 077). New South Wales, Australia. 16 July 1902. p. 5. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "PADDINGTON TOWN HALL". The Sydney Morning Herald (20, 956). New South Wales, Australia. 6 May 1905. p. 9. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "TOWN CLOCK AT PADDINGTON". The Sydney Morning Herald (21, 056). New South Wales, Australia. 31 August 1905. p. 3. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on the Paddington Town Hall, listed on the "New South Wales State Heritage Register" published by the Government of New South Wales under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 28 May 2017).


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