The Burwood Sewer Vent is a heritage-listed sewer ventilation stack located at Railway Parade in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of Burwood,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It was designed and built by the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage in 1919. It is also known as Wentworth Road Sewer Vent and Railway Parade Sewer Vent. The property is owned by

Sydney Water Sydney Water, formally, Sydney Water Corporation, is a New South Wales Government owned statutory corporation that provides potable drinking water, wastewater and some stormwater services to Greater Metropolitan Sydney, the Illawarra and the B ...

, a

statutory A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 15 November 2002.

History

The Main Western Carrier which fed into

Botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

sewer farm was completed in 1897 and encompasses the major crossing of

Wolli Creek Wolli Creek () is an urban watercourse of the Cooks River catchment located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Wolli Creek rises south of Narwee, within Beverly Hills Park, Beverly Hills, and ...

and

Cooks River The Cooks River, a semi-mature tide-dominated drowned valley estuary, is a tributary of Botany Bay, located in south-eastern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The course of the long urban waterway has been altered to accommodate various deve ...

each by triple barrel 1800 mm dia. wrought iron/steel aqueducts. There are triple barrel brick arch aqueducts at the ends. Soon after construction more sewage was being collected from this newer Western arm than there was from the original Southern Division arm. This is even with allowing for dramatic increase in flow within the first few years of the Southern Division. The Western Branch Main Sewer which feeds into the Main Western Carrier was completed in stages all the way through to

Strathfield Strathfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Strathfield. A ...

. Work was completed on this sewer in 1904. The section also contains the

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

(1922) and Burwood (Strathfield) (1919) concrete vent stacks which were built because of damage caused by gases from the then new

Homebush Bay Homebush Bay is a bay on the south bank of the Parramatta River, in the west of Sydney, Australia. The name is also sometimes used to refer to an area to the west and south of the bay itself, which was formerly an official suburb of Sydney, a ...

Abattoir after it opened in 1916. In 1888 before the Botany Scheme was even commissioned, Burwood Council had requested a sewage treatment plant for Hen & Chicken Bay on the

Parramatta River The Parramatta River is an intermediate tide-dominated, drowned valley estuary located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. With an average depth of , the Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson. Seco ...

. They were told by the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

to wait for the Western Suburbs Sewer and the Western Branch Main Sewer is the result of that undertaking. Had the Burwood scheme proceeded, the Western Branch Main Sewer may not have been built in the location it was eventually constructed.

Description

A reinforced concrete vent shaft built in 1919, very similar in design to that at Paisley Road, Croydon. It comprises an octagonal

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ci ...

, at its highest point approximately 5.5m above ground level to the base of a circular shaft in plan with radiating concrete ribs and 2 octagonal concrete bands up the length of the shaft. The

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of the shaft like Paisley Road has neo classical console

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or 'r ...

below a projecting

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. The entrance door is located on the south east corner with the steel door being original, set into a reinforced concrete projecting frame, whereas Paisley Road is recessed. There is evidence of past patch repair work around numerous areas of the shaft and pedestal, and presently there is evidence of spalling and reinforcement corrosion on the southern wall of the pedestal particularly. The area surrounding the vent shaft is dominated by late 20th century flats and to the north is the Railway line across Railway Parade. The immediate ground surrounding the shaft is cleared which forms part of a small reserve at the corner of Wentworth Road and Railway Parade. A manhole is located some 15 metres to the east adjacent the footpath to Railway Parade. A lightning conductor is located on the south east side of the shaft and the south face of the pedestal. Iron eyelets are fixed to the circular section of the shaft possibly for a former lightning conductor. The concrete vent stack is prominent some 500 metres north on Wentworth Road and is a landmark set on an open reserve fronting Railway Parade. The siting of the vent shaft is presently somewhat isolated as part of the reserve fronting Railway Parade and opposite the Railway line at a considerable road intersection. The concrete vent shaft in itself is considerably intact and in fair condition although in need of some maintenance to doors and concrete. Considerably intact.

Further information

Undertake a conservation plan for the item should the property be proposed for sale.

Heritage listing

As at 4 May 2005, the vent shaft is a locally prominent landmark, and one of only two like structures in Sydney Water's system, which plays an important function to the main western sewer system. The unusual design and reinforced concrete construction is rare for this type of vent in a State context. Burwood Sewer Vent was listed on the

on 15 November 2002 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The vent has tangible historical associations with the western branch main sewer and through the influence of sewer gases generated from the Homebush abattoir, an element which has now been removed forever. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The vent holds a prominent position on the corner of

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

Road and Railway Parade, and is a substantial local landmark. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. It is likely the vent stack holds some value to the local community in its function and landmark value. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The vent plays an important function in the servicing of the western branch main sewer. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Regarding its design and construction it is rare on a State level and one of only two in the Sydney Water system. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. In terms of vent function alone, it is representative of the function it has played in the operation of sewer systems.

References

Bibliography

Attribution

External links

{{WaterNSW New South Wales State Heritage Register Burwood, New South Wales Sewerage infrastructure in Sydney Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1919 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1919