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Merchant's House, Sydney
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Merchant's House, Sydney
Merchant's House is a heritage-listed education centre and offices at 43–45 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Its design is attributed to John Bibba and was built during 1848. It is also known as Counting House (former) and Merchant's. The building formerly served as a residence, museum, offices and boarding house. 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 first buildings in the vicinity were the hospital and the houses of the surgeons. The hospital was immediately to the south of the Merchant's House. By 1802 Nicholas Bayly built a substantial house with a distinctive mansard roof for himself on the eastern side of High Street more or less in front of the site. This was followed shortly by the house of Robert Campbell, also on the eastern side of the road.
The first documented occupation of the site of the Merchant's House following European arrival was the leasing of the land by Captain Waterhouse. His lease, shown on Grimes' map of 1800, occupies both sides of the alignment of the High Street. Waterhouse was a naval captain, having served on the First Fleet ship Sirius as midshipman. He returned to England and took part in naval actions but was encouraged to return to the colony, importing the first merino sheep. His grants included land at Liberty Plains and Parramatta, and leases within Sydney at The Rocks and Garden Island. He returned to England for the last time in 1800. No permanent structures can be seen in paintings or drawings that show his land.
Robert Campbell arrived in Sydney in 1798 from India where he worked as a merchant and trader in a family business. His arrival and enthusiasm to become established as a resident trader gave him strong support from Governor Hunter. Buying land at Dawes Point, he began to erect warehouses, wharves and a home for himself, and began to develop importing lines that were still the only source of some essential supplies. To provide for paying return cargoes, he encouraged the sealing industry. He also took over Captain Waterhouse's leases, eventually converting them into freehold granted land, which resulted in him controlling a substantial part of Dawes Point, with Campbell's Cove becoming part of the named harbour landscape. The focus of Campbell's activities was on the water's edge, with facilities for ships and warehousing. The landscape of the peninsula included a substantial brick wall that surrounded his land from George Street to Gloucester Street. The land within it appears to have been cleared but remained the original rocky slope.
Detailed maps of 1822, 1831 and 1836 do not show any structures on the land, but by 1843 the effects of subdivision by Campbell are shown with houses dotting the periphery of his land. The Merchant's House land was granted to Robert Campbell on 16 October 1834, following a long period as Campbell's lease. By this time Campbell had expanded his business greatly, starting grazing stock in the Monaro and Western Plains. He was also an original shareholder of the Bank of New South Wales. Campbell is remembered positively by history, with a reputation for fairness in trade and not using his power as one of the major merchants to unduly influence the political landscape. Campbell died in 1846.
The early 1840s were an economic depression in NSW, resulting from the gradual cessation of transportation and consequent rise in labour costs, severe repeated droughts and especially the pain of transforming from a state-subsidised to a mercantile economy. Although Campbell is recorded as having weathered the depression better than most of the bigger traders, he still chose to subdivide his land. While Campbell owned the area back from Campbell's Cove, its use and ultimate value were restricted to a narrow maritime trading function. Selective subdivision allowed him to raise capital without compromising the way his trading base operated. In 1841 he subdivided and placed for sale blocks of land bounded by George Street, Atherton Place and Gloucester Street. One allotment, No. 4, was conveyed to John Martyn and James Combes for £825 in June 1841. This was the southeastern corner block of Campbell's land and located on the northern corner of George Street and a small lane, initially called Union Lane. Martyn and Combes erected a three-storey building on the corner, with a matching partner for it being erected at about the same time on the opposite corner of the lane. The north corner building of George Street and Atherton Place became No. 47 George Street. The matched buildings were designed by John Bibb.
Martyn and Combes operated as plumbers, painters and glaziers in a building only 500 metres (1,600 ft) down George Street on the corner of Jamison Street, but clearly had enough capital to invest in a substantial construction. Several years later, after Campbell's death in 1846, his son George sold the neighbouring allotment No. 5 to Martyn and Combes as well, for the sum of £300. Allotment 5 became Nos. 43-45 George Street, although different numbering was used during the later 19th century.
Martyn and Combes erected the Merchant's House by September 1848. They were described as 'newly erected stone built premises, situate in George-street North, opposite Messrs. Campbell's, consisting of a commodious dwelling house and spacious stores, replete with every convenience'. It was noted as having stone walls, three floors, a slate roof and a 33-foot (10 m) frontage onto George Street.
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Merchant's House, Sydney
Merchant's House is a heritage-listed education centre and offices at 43–45 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Its design is attributed to John Bibba and was built during 1848. It is also known as Counting House (former) and Merchant's. The building formerly served as a residence, museum, offices and boarding house. 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 first buildings in the vicinity were the hospital and the houses of the surgeons. The hospital was immediately to the south of the Merchant's House. By 1802 Nicholas Bayly built a substantial house with a distinctive mansard roof for himself on the eastern side of High Street more or less in front of the site. This was followed shortly by the house of Robert Campbell, also on the eastern side of the road.
The first documented occupation of the site of the Merchant's House following European arrival was the leasing of the land by Captain Waterhouse. His lease, shown on Grimes' map of 1800, occupies both sides of the alignment of the High Street. Waterhouse was a naval captain, having served on the First Fleet ship Sirius as midshipman. He returned to England and took part in naval actions but was encouraged to return to the colony, importing the first merino sheep. His grants included land at Liberty Plains and Parramatta, and leases within Sydney at The Rocks and Garden Island. He returned to England for the last time in 1800. No permanent structures can be seen in paintings or drawings that show his land.
Robert Campbell arrived in Sydney in 1798 from India where he worked as a merchant and trader in a family business. His arrival and enthusiasm to become established as a resident trader gave him strong support from Governor Hunter. Buying land at Dawes Point, he began to erect warehouses, wharves and a home for himself, and began to develop importing lines that were still the only source of some essential supplies. To provide for paying return cargoes, he encouraged the sealing industry. He also took over Captain Waterhouse's leases, eventually converting them into freehold granted land, which resulted in him controlling a substantial part of Dawes Point, with Campbell's Cove becoming part of the named harbour landscape. The focus of Campbell's activities was on the water's edge, with facilities for ships and warehousing. The landscape of the peninsula included a substantial brick wall that surrounded his land from George Street to Gloucester Street. The land within it appears to have been cleared but remained the original rocky slope.
Detailed maps of 1822, 1831 and 1836 do not show any structures on the land, but by 1843 the effects of subdivision by Campbell are shown with houses dotting the periphery of his land. The Merchant's House land was granted to Robert Campbell on 16 October 1834, following a long period as Campbell's lease. By this time Campbell had expanded his business greatly, starting grazing stock in the Monaro and Western Plains. He was also an original shareholder of the Bank of New South Wales. Campbell is remembered positively by history, with a reputation for fairness in trade and not using his power as one of the major merchants to unduly influence the political landscape. Campbell died in 1846.
The early 1840s were an economic depression in NSW, resulting from the gradual cessation of transportation and consequent rise in labour costs, severe repeated droughts and especially the pain of transforming from a state-subsidised to a mercantile economy. Although Campbell is recorded as having weathered the depression better than most of the bigger traders, he still chose to subdivide his land. While Campbell owned the area back from Campbell's Cove, its use and ultimate value were restricted to a narrow maritime trading function. Selective subdivision allowed him to raise capital without compromising the way his trading base operated. In 1841 he subdivided and placed for sale blocks of land bounded by George Street, Atherton Place and Gloucester Street. One allotment, No. 4, was conveyed to John Martyn and James Combes for £825 in June 1841. This was the southeastern corner block of Campbell's land and located on the northern corner of George Street and a small lane, initially called Union Lane. Martyn and Combes erected a three-storey building on the corner, with a matching partner for it being erected at about the same time on the opposite corner of the lane. The north corner building of George Street and Atherton Place became No. 47 George Street. The matched buildings were designed by John Bibb.
Martyn and Combes operated as plumbers, painters and glaziers in a building only 500 metres (1,600 ft) down George Street on the corner of Jamison Street, but clearly had enough capital to invest in a substantial construction. Several years later, after Campbell's death in 1846, his son George sold the neighbouring allotment No. 5 to Martyn and Combes as well, for the sum of £300. Allotment 5 became Nos. 43-45 George Street, although different numbering was used during the later 19th century.
Martyn and Combes erected the Merchant's House by September 1848. They were described as 'newly erected stone built premises, situate in George-street North, opposite Messrs. Campbell's, consisting of a commodious dwelling house and spacious stores, replete with every convenience'. It was noted as having stone walls, three floors, a slate roof and a 33-foot (10 m) frontage onto George Street.
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