Hi John, Unless Anthony Horderns moved several times, when I was a young woman and shopped there periodically, the Anthony Hordern's store in the mid 20th cent. was on the opposite side to the Town Hall and the Trocadero Ballroom - can't remember the name of the side street - could have been Goulburn St., but it was almost in the hollow before George St. heads back up the rise to Central Station. A few years ago before I moved here, I used to do voluntary work in the archives at Sydney Town Hall. If anyone wants help on old Sydney, I am sure there are a lot of records in their archives which could be quite useful. However, an appointment would have to be made to look at them. Liz at Lake Macquarie John wrote: > Hi Grahame, > > > This has been a topic of much former discussion on this list, as to the > (original) location of the Brickfield Hill, which is a very much mentioned > place in Sydney or Port Jackson history. > > The name bacame almost a district name eventually for, with its own post > office at one time I think .. and as you note, was then regarded as the > "bit of George Street from the Town Hall down to the bottom of the slope". > > However the famous Anthony Hordens which advertised as being on Brickfield > Hill once used to be on the opposite side of that low, on the Central side > slope. Their original emporium there burned down. > > They relocated up the other side of the rise, the Town Hall side. > > They maybe 'took the name' (and the hill metaphorically) with them when > they relocated? > > A case of pre-existing fame and advertising strategy "moving a hill" in the > popular mind ,, if indeed that were right as to what has transpired. > > There's also mentions that will be come across by anyone who searches on > this topic about the top of the hill being supposedly cut off and dumped in > the valley, whence the topography's all a bit less than it now than it > formerly was ... being the inference from that. > > But much of this may be reworked history and where the original brickfield > hill was, that the colony very early used in building Sydney Town from, > remains less than certain. > > I tend to more suspect that it was on the opposite side of the small > valley, the haymarkets valley, that the original hill or hill slope was > extensively stripped or quarried of clay, probably down to and just into > the underlying weathered shale. Later on though, additional extractive > site would have arisen, just to complicate things. > > I think it's pretty fair to say that the original records are not very > precise location-wise on this, and a general false shift in the > understanding of what was Brickfield Hill originally seems to have > occurred. The main barracks for the early brick carters was just alongside > the modern Central Railway complex, on the western side. > > There's no doubt that the original shallow quarrying was done down the > southern end of old Sydney Town, but whether it really took place on the > northern or southern side of the Haymarkets probably remains debatable. > > If someone has studied what all the excavations for the myriad tall > building that now exist thereabouts went down into then that should have > settled the question, by finding the traces, but I'm not aware if this has > been done. > > Cheers, > > > > John > > > > > At 04:45 PM 24/02/2009 +1100, you wrote: > > >> Hi Wal >> >> A very good book published last year on George Johnston and Easter >> Abrahams is Marine Officer - Convict Wife by Alan Roberts - cost >> about $30. Published by the Annandale Urban Research Association. >> >> It gives a very good balanced view of their family life and their >> children. Some other well known publications give biased views about >> some aspects of their lives. >> >> I am not related, one of my ancestors was involved in some land >> dealings that later involved George. >> >> And for those interested has a bit on the location of Brickfield >> Hill, saying it was the bit of George Street from the Town Hall down >> to the bottom of the slope. >> >> cheers >> >> Grahame >> >> On 24/02/2009, at 4:09 PM, walcarter wrote: >> >> >>> Hi Listers. >>> Trying to find details about Ester Abrahams per Prince of Wales >>> 1st fleet. Was she the same woman who married Major George >>> Johnson ? also any details of her sentence and where & when born. >>> Regards >>> Wal Carter >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUS-PT- >>> JACKSON-CONVICTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >>> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> > AUS-PT-JACKSON-CONVICTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to AUS-PT-JACKSON-CONVICTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > >