Historical notes: | Historical Overview
This site forms part of the land of the Gadigal people, the traditional custodians of land within the City of Sydney council boundaries. For information about the Aboriginal history of the local area see the City’s Barani website: http://www.sydneybarani.com.au/
The King Street area was first surveyed for land grants in 1793 with the first grants being made to officers of the NSW Corps by Governor Phiillip prior to his return to England. By 1810 much of the land in the area had been distributed and a track established along the boundary of the grants. This track eventually became a road and was first known as Bulanaming Rd from 1789 to 1820 when it then became known as Cooks River Road, and then Newtown Rd in 1855 when the railway from Sydney to Parramatta was opened with a station at Newtown. By the 1850s the area had developed in to an established community. In the 1860s there was lobbying to establish a local council which occurred in 1862. From the 1870s the character began to change with light industry being established in the area resulting in a substantial increase in the population as workers moved to be in close proximity to their workplace. This included the nearby Eveleigh railway yards etsablished in 1879 and expanded in1885. The rapid increase in population resulted in the subdivision of the larger estates and the establishment of shops and services. By the 1880s Newtown had become the most flourishing retail area outside of the city and was well served by public transport. The building was constructed c 1900 and replaced an earlier building on the site.
Site History ( Based on NBRS 2017)
The site is part of the Leichhardt Lodge Estate of Stephen Campbell Brown (1829-1882). who was a member of the Legislative Assembly representing Newtown from 1864-1881. He resided at at Leichhardt Lodge from 1867 and it was considered to be one of the best houses in Newtown. The Estate was formerly occupied by W.H. Aldis, an early settler. The Estate was subdivided and sold after Brown’s death.
206-208 King Street is located on Lots 5 and 6 of the Leichhardt Lodge subdivison. By 1883, a pair of two storey "house and shops" had been built on the site. In July 1908, Elizabeth Johnson Bohrsmann lodged an application to convey the property. In December 1907, 206 and 208 KingStreet were respectively occupied by Robert Madden (weekly tenant) and FW Hartley (3 years expiring September 1908). They are accordingly listed in the 1908 Newtown Assessment Listing. Lots 5 and 6 were registered on Certificate of Title Vol 1907 Fol 56 in September 1908 in the name of Rudolph Herman Bohrsmann of Glebe, medical practitioner.
The architectural style of the present building suggests that is was erected soon after this date, c1909. Madden and Hartley, bootmaker and undertaker respectively, are named at 206 and 208 King Street in the Sands Directory thereafter. In September 1911, Bohrsmann renewed Hartley’s lease at No. 208. A lease is registered in February 1912 to Joseph Frederick Coffill, Charles Ivery Coffill, Reginald Andrew Coffill, Denis Joseph Buckley and John Percy Nebel, of Newtown, undertakers. According to the Sands Directory, F W Hartley undertaker was managed by Charles Coffill with Mrs C Coffill operating a florist at 208 King Street in conjunction with the funeral business at this address. Madden, a bootmaker/boot repairer, was the principal occupant of 206 King Street until about 1924. A new certificate of title was registered in 1920 in the name of Rudolph Hermann Bohrsmann. He sold the subject site in December that same year to Marcus Clark and Company Limited.
206-208 King Street was leased from 1925 to Hobsons Limited, home furnishers. The subject building was adapted at this date to a “commodious furniture warehouse.” The company enjoyed increased trade growth in the 1920s, fuelled by their cash order service. In 1929, Hobsons had two furniture warehouses, at North Sydney and Newtown, and a showroom in Park House in the City. They operated at this address until 1931. J Mansfield and Son, furniture retailer, took over the property in 1932.
In 1959 William Wynne Long and Una Jean Long became tenants iin common. The former, a furniture retailer became the sole proprietor in 1962. In 1979 the buidling was sold to Peter Kent of Woolahra, a company director. The property was conveyed to Herlina Kent in 1986. |