Paddington, Sydney, Australia

And it's off to the other side of the World! This time the special thanks for this guest post goes to Helen from Art and Architecture, mainly. After spending a few days in Paddington, Helen decided to share with us her notes on (quoting) one of Sydney’s more delightful suburbs:

In the early 1820s, gin distiller Robert Cooper wanted a grand Georgian home in a suburb of Sydney that had great views. He chose Paddington's ridge line, affording excellent views. He named the area Paddington and called his house Juniper Hall, now Paddington's oldest home. Juniper Hall is a large house which lies diagonally opposite the Paddington Town Hall. It has undergone significant restoration and is protected by the National Trust. Today it is leased privately and is not open to the public, but you can see its beauty still.

The district's first cottages were built around the important and impressive Victoria Barracks, for the families of men working in the base. Within one generation, glorious two-story terrace houses were being built to cater for the wealthier families who were moving into the suburb. Eventually the suburb was over developed and over populated, until by WW2 it had become a very undesirable place to live. Only in the last 25 years has Paddington been restored to a very trendy, very expensive place to live. Fortunately you can still see the tiny inter-connecting streets and lane ways, but only by walking around the area behind Oxford St.

If you wanted to describe Paddington today, you might use the words bohemian, gay-friendly, art-conscious, clothes-conscious suburb, full of heritage charm. Since 1973, Paddington has taken a trendy Saturday market to its heart. The modern market has 250 stalls and is held in the grounds of the 19th century, heritage-listed, sandstone Paddington Uniting Church in Oxford St. Contemporary art, craft and fashion; modern and 19th century, side by side.

Paddington Town Hall was built towards the end of the 19th century and finally opened in 1891. Its clock tower stands 32 meters high and, sitting on the ridge of Oxford Street, is an impressive bit of architecture. The hall now houses radio studios, a cinema and a local library, and can be used for private functions.

In May 1909 the Sydney Council made the decision to widen Oxford St from 66’ to 100’ (we used Imperial measurements back then) by resuming the north side of the street between Liverpool and Bourke Sts. The project was carried out in stages between 1910 and the outbreak of WW1 in 1914.

The result was a new boulevard and the creation of a Federation streetscape which still looks good today. Tram services via Oxford St operated from either Circular Quay or Railway Square, starting in 1880. The line was closed and dug up in 1960, much to the distress of many Sydneysiders.

Once again, thank you Helen! And hope to have you back for another guest post soon :)