Playfair Street Terraces

About

Playfair Street Terraces is a heritage-listed former residence and now shops located at 17–31 Playfair Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1875 to 1877. It is also known as Tara Terrace (Nos 19-27) and Argyle Terrace. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

The subject land appears to have been largely undeveloped until the 1870s. The street now known as "Playfair Street" was not shown on a plan of the area dated 1868. Since the mid 1870s the street has been known by a number of names:

- Little Gloucester Street, c. 1877 –1886;

- Playfair Street, since 1953. The 1868 plan shows a laneway cuts through the south eastern portion of the block, accessing the properties fronting George St and a large building connected to Flour mills located opposite the site. The Argyle Stores occupy the south western section of the block.

The land on the western side of Playfair Street was part of Lot 2 of Section 85 granted to William Carr and John Rogers on 26 October 1838. This land included the southern portion of the site, land now occupied by Nos. 21–31 Playfair Street. In 1839 the land granted to Carr and Rogers was sold to Frederick Wright Unwin. Unwin commenced his Bonded Stores in the same year. In 1842 Unwin leased the northern section of his property and continued to develop the southern portion of his site.

In 1870 part of Unwin's land was acquired by William Whaley Billyard who by the end of 1871 consolidated this with a grant made on 26 September 1871. This land was sold two years later to Robert Pemberton Richardson of Sydney, an auctioneer. A Certificate of Title dated December 187431, shows the land, including the subject sites, extending east from Gloucester Street with small frontage to George St North. Richardson had by this time subdivided the land, part of DP 143 and offered the thirty one allotments for sale at auction on 11 December 1874. The lots were advertised as Freehold City Allotments about Little Gloucester Street and Mill Street.

The plan shows the irregularly shaped allotments on the western side of Little Gloucester Street, generally with 4.6-metre (15 ft) frontages. The two end allotments, Lots 21 and 31 being a little wider. Lots 4 to 31 were advertised as being suitable as sites "for residences for small capitalists".

The sale of the subject sites were recorded on the Certificate of Title as follows:

- Lot 21 (Nos. 29–31 Playfair Street) John Nicholson of Sydney, 6 January 1875

- Lots 22 & 23 (Nos. 25–27 Playfair Street) Bartholomew Higgins of Sydney, policeman, 6 January 1875

- Lot 24 (No. 23 Playfair Street) John Kearney of Sydney, policeman, 6 January 1875

- Lots 25 & 26 (Nos. 19–21 Playfair Street) John Murphy of Sydney, publican, 18 January 1875

- Lot 27 (No. 17 Playfair Street) John Murphy of Sydney, publican, 15 September 1876

- Lot 28 (Part Nos. 13–15 Playfair Street) William George of Sydney, labourer, 2 April 1875

- Lot 29 (Part Nos. 13–15 Playfair Street) Magnus George of Sydney, 14 October 1876 Most of these purchasers retained ownership until 1901, when the land was resumed. However, in 1876, Nicholson sold approximately half of Lot 21 (facing Little Gloucester St) to Enoch Rees, a stonemason of Sydney. Two years later it was again transferred to Michael O'Flaherty, a coal merchant of Pyrmont. Nicholson retained the western portion of the original allotment until 1898. Lots 28–31 were purchased by Thomas Playfair and by 1879, only these lots remained undeveloped.

New George Street (now Playfair Street) was first listed in the Sands Directory in 1873. In 1875 no residents were listed, however, in the following year a terrace of five houses, probably on Lots 22–26 (Nos. 19–27) had been built and occupied. A sewer plan dated 28th Aug 1875 indicates five buildings on the site, in the area between the Argyle Bond to the south and Mill to the east. In 1876 it would appear that Enoch Rees built a pair of two storey houses, Nos. 29 and 31, after his purchase of the eastern half of the allotment from Nicholson. In 1877 the Sands Directory notes No. 7 Little Gloucester Street (now No. 17 Playfair Street) was "in course of erection". It would appear that the single house on Lot 27 (No. 17 Playfair Street) was constructed by John Murphy shortly after his purchase of that block in late 1876. By 1882 a total of 19 houses had been constructed on Lots 21 to 27, with eight fronting Little Gloucester Street, eight to Gloucester Walk and three in between. The largest developer was John Murphy who erected nine houses on his three allotments, by using the rear yards of Nos. 17–21 Playfair Street. It seems unlikely that the three separate purchasers of the land now occupied by Nos. 19–27 Playfair Street would have combined to construct the row. It is possible that the terrace was constructed by a speculative venture prior to their purchase, however, the sale of land by Richardson made no reference to buildings on the property. In c. 1880 the row was noted as "Tara Terrace", however, the derivation of the name and connection is not clear.

The c. 1880 Percy Dove plan shows the configuration of the buildings. The two storey buildings facing Little Gloucester Street, including Nos. 9–17 (now Nos. 19–27) noted as "Tara Terrace", are constructed to the street alignment with single storey room/annexes and open yards to the rear. The three single storey buildings are shown at the rear of Nos. 17–21 (noted as Nos. 7–11 on the plan). The buildings constructed on the Gloucester Street frontage, now interpreted in Foundation Park are also shown.

The allotment to the north of these buildings, now Nos. 13–15 Playfair Street, remained undeveloped. Two sheds are shown abutting the single storey building at the rear of No. 17 and on the north eastern boundary. By 1880 Murphy had also constructed another house immediately behind No. 7 Little Gloucester Street (No. 17 Playfair Street), accessed via a passage, the opening of which is still discernable at the southern end of the ground floor facade of the building. In 1880 the Sydney City Council Assessment Books described the individual houses on Little Gloucester Street (now Playfair Street) as follows:

- No. 7 (Lot 27, No. 17 Playfair Street) Brick walls, Shingled roof, 3 floors 6 rooms

- 1 off (Lot 27) Brick walls, Shingled roof, 2 floors 4 rooms