for all things Architecture, Design and Ecology.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

More on Sydney's laneways

Loftus Lane.  At the back entrance to the Custom's House.  Customs agents, shipping brokers and wool buyers lived along this lane.
Bulletin Place.  Macquire Place, a public greenspace today was at one time a lane itself.  Intersecting that lane was Bulletin Place, a street steeped in cultural history as the home to the The Bulletin newspaper, poets, artists and musicians.
Abercrombie Lane.  The lane is barely a meter and a half wide looking west towards George Street.
Abercrombie Lane.  The lane slopes towards a low valley where the Tank Stream used to pass.
Bridge Lane.  Old warehouses line this laneway, a popular site for contemporary art installations.  Small cottages used to line this street until industry moved in and the warehouses were built.  Today they are converted into hotels, bars and restaurants.
Angel Place.  Neo-Romanesque commercial buildings with their rough hewn stone facades from the 1900's edge this laneway.
Ash Street.  Ash street is now home to some of Sydney's swankiest bars and restaurants.  But it was originally called Chisholm Lane a meeting place for musicians and music lovers in the late 19th century.
Wynard Lane.  This laneway may look like the back alley to industry and businesses, but it once was home to military barracks in the 1840s and then hotels a century ago.  Today it is the longest uninterrupted laneway in the city.
Albion Place.  This lane slopes gradually at first down to Kent Street where it is actually 2 stories lower than its beginning on George Street. During the 19th century this laneway was congested with the loading and unloading of goods.
Douglass Lane.  A very steep section of road connects Sussex Street with Douglass Street in the Spanish Quarter.  It is hard to imagine walking up Douglass Street 100 years ago without the use of stairs.