Paddington Reservoir
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The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed
public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...
located at 255a
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
in the inner eastern
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
Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
in the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...
local government area of
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 by Edward Bell and built from 1864 to 1866 and operated as a
water reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...
which accepted water from the Botany Swamps pumping station for supply to parts of Sydney between 1866 and 1899. In the twentieth century the site variously functioned as a service station and storage and mechanical workshop site. In 2006 work commenced to convert the site into a sunken garden and park. It is also known as Walter Read Reserve; Paddington Reservoir Gardens; Reservoir Gardens. The property is owned by City of Sydney. 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 2 April 1999.


History


History of the area

This suburb, which took its name from the
London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...
, lies in what were once paddocks adjacent to Victoria Barracks. It was the first of the early Sydney suburbs that was not self-sufficient – its inhabitants, unlike those of Balmain or Newtown, where work was available in local industries, had to go away each day to their places of employment. Development of the eastern suburbs of Edgecliff, Double Bay,
Point Piper Point Piper is a small, harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, east of the Sydney CBD, in the local government area known as the Municipality of Woollahra. Point Piper has been historically r ...
and
Woollahra Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. W ...
surrounded this area with wealthy people's homes so this small hilly suburb lost all hope of harbour views. The area developed after a road was constructed to link up with a pilot station that was to be built at Watson's Bay ( South Head Road). John Palmer, the settlement's commissary, refused to allow people to cross his land grant ('
Woolloomooloo Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a lo ...
'), so the road had to follow a roundabout way through Paddington to bypass his . Only a handful of workers lived in the area, and it was not until 1838, when it was decided to build a new military barracks in Paddington, that life came to the area. From 1848 when Victoria Barracks had been opened (designed by Lt.-Col.
George Barney Lieutenant Colonel George Barney (19 May 1792 – 16 April 1862) was a military engineer of the Corps of Royal Engineers and became Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of North Australia. Early life George Barney was born in Wolverhampton, Staf ...
) and homes for the soldiers and their families had been erected, Paddington began to assume a real identity. The (barracks site) land was sandy – in fact a huge sandhill was located on the western side of the Greens Road area, and the foundation trenches had to be dug very deep, to locate firm stone for the foundations. Stone was mostly quarried in the area: the stonemasons were free settlers who had worked on erection of the
Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
at what was then Semi-
Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...
. Once the soldiers and their families moved here, shopkeepers followed. Builders moved into the area and put up 3,800 houses between 1860 and 1890. These terraces give today's Paddington its air of individuality. The first school in the area was opened in the Presbyterian manse in Oxford Street, built in 1845. It is hard to imagine that in 1822 the mansion
Juniper Hall Juniper Hall FSC Field Centre is an 18th-century country house, leased from the National Trust, on the east slopes of Mickleham in the deep Mole Gap of the North Downs in Surrey, England. The varying contours of the slopes provide habita ...
(the opposite southern corner of Oxford Street from the Reservoir site) stood alone, without the many neighbours it has today. Set in a flagged garden, it had attic windows that gave panoramic views to
Rushcutters Bay Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government ar ...
and
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...
. Juniper Hall was built for Robert Cooper, distiller and emancipist merchant, who with partners James Underwood and Francis Ewen Forbes, had received from Governor Brisbane in , covering the whole of north Paddington, and they agreed to erect 3 mansions and a distillery there. A distillery was built at the foot of Cascade Street near
Taylor Square 500px, Taylor Square, Darlinghurst Taylor Square is a public square in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Taylor Square is located beside a major road junction, where Oxford Street meets Flinders Street. Taylor Square is also on the border of ...
and Cooper bought out his partners, and only Juniper Hall was erected. The Coopers were part of the social scene of their day and entertained many notables of that time. After they left the house it was renamed Ormond House to dissociate itself from the gin image and passed through many hands, gradually becoming smothered by the building of small shops in front of the house. Latterly it has been restored by the National Trust and has had a variety of uses. Today few of the area's original working class residents remain, as the suburb's proximity to the city has made it popular with business and professional people who prefer inner-city living in this historic area. The shopping centre, concentrated on the north side of Oxford Street, has also changed from one serving local needs to one of cafes, speciality shops and boutiques. Much of this is related to the changing population and the Village Bazaar, or Paddington Markets. The bazaar, which has operated since the mid 1970s, draws visitors from all over the city and has contributed to Paddington's development as one of Sydney's favourite tourist spots, along with
Bondi Beach Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Easter ...
and The Rocks.Pollen, 1988, 195-7


The reservoir


Construction and operation

The plan for Paddington Reservoir began with the creation of the Botany Swamps water scheme in 1859. This water scheme, developed by Edward Bell and Will Wadsworth proposed a number of reservoirs at critical points around the city. Construction of the Paddington Reservoir was completed by 1866 and connected to the Botany Swamps pumping station. This offered a new source of water to elevated suburbs of Sydney which had up until then had only been serviced by wells and a water-cart service. The original reservoir was built in two stages: the western chamber in 1866 and the eastern chamber in 1878. Each measured approximately .Tonkin, Zulaikha Greer Architects, 2012, 4 However, due to its limited elevation, only the top of water from the reservoir could be provided to buildings in excess of one storey. In order to reduce the load on the Botany Swamps pumping station, a further pumping station at the Crown Street Reservoir was commenced in 1875 which also assisted in the delivery of water to the Paddington Reservoir. In 1877 a second chamber was added to the Paddington Reservoir, dubbed the ''eastern chamber'' (with the original chamber being the ''western chamber'') this increased the storage of the facility to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding city. In 1899 the facility was decommissioned following the completion of the larger and further elevated
Centennial Park Reservoir The Centennial Park Reservoir or WS001 is a heritage-listed underground reservoir at 3R Oxford Street, Centennial Park, City of Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by NSW Public Works Department from 1896 to 1898. ...
.


Storage and service station

The reservoir was decommissioned in 1899, used for storage and garaging for the Sydney Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage (Water Board) from 1914, dewatered and used as a mechanical workshop associated with a service station on Oxford Street. Drawings held by the Council of South Sydney show modifications to the structure in 1925 to accommodate the removal of a number of internal columns. The ex-reservoir was sold to Paddington Municipal Council in 1934 for . The Water Board leased the eastern chamber of the facility and continued to use it for motor vehicle and general storage until the late 1950s. The western chamber was leased to a commercial motor garage operator in 1934 which led to the construction of a ramped entry from Oxford Street into the western chamber. The roof has been used as a grassed public reserve since the 1930s. Seats and steps were built in the mid 1930s and it was then known as Reservoir Gardens. The Walter Read Reserve was established on the roof in 1953. It was named after Walter Farley Read (1894–1955), an alderman and mayor of the Paddington Municipal Council. The site was classified by the
National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
(NSW) in 1985 and in that year an interim conservation order was placed over the property. In 1987 a permanent conservation order under the Heritage Act was placed on the site. In July 1990 part of the roof of the western chamber of the former-reservoir, still used as a motor vehicle service station, collapsed. This collapse in 1990 and a further collapse occurred as a result of corrosion of steel structure placed in 1926 to allow vehicle movement in the underground reservoir chambers. This caused the closure of the reserve atop the roof, and the service station below. For some years the site was disused. Council subsequently commissioned structural engineering assessments, a plan of management and a conservation management plan by Tanner Architects.


Conservation and adaptive reuse

When Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects and JMD Design were commissioned in 2006 to convert the reservoir to an urban park, the general expectation was that the site would be capped off and a brand new arrangement be built on top. However the architects were captivated by the possibilities of revealing the 19th century structures as a ruin through which the public could wander, taking in the dramatic spaces. The concept for the project was embodied in the existing artefact. An accessible sunken garden and pond, surrounded by pre-case concrete boardwalk, has been inserted into the conserved ruin of the western chamber. The edges of the ruin are contained by concrete up-stands so as to amplify the distinctive curved original brick vaults. A "Victorian" tree-fern garden hints at the era in which the reservoir was built. The eastern chamber has been conserved with new timber columns and a waterproof concrete structure over, stabilising the brickwork and forming the base for the new landscaped park above. Adaptive reuse of this chamber is part of a future stage of works due to funding limitations. The eastern chamber has limited public access due to level changes and hence is not currently open to the public. In March 2009 after extensive conservation and adaptive reuse works, Paddington Reservoir Gardens (a new public park) was reopened to the public by the Sydney City Council. The completed project won a number of awards (2009–2011), including the 2011 Urban Land Institute Award for excellence: Asia-Pacific; the 2010 WAN Urban Design Award; the 2010 International Architecture Award by the
Chicago Athenaeum The Chicago Athenaeum is a private museum of architecture and design, based in Galena, Illinois. The museum focuses on the art of design in all areas of the discipline: architecture, industrial and product design, graphics, landscape architecture, ...
and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies; the 2010
Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...
Awards for both Urban Design and Heritage Architecture; the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design and the Greenway Award for Heritage (projects), both from AIA, NSW and the 2010 Energy Australia / National Trust Heritage Award – Adaptive Reuse (Corporate/Government).Tonkin, Zulaikha Greer Architects, 2012, 5


Description

The Paddington Reservoir is located on the south western side of the Oxford, Ormond and Oatley streets intersection. It is a large semisubmerged rectangular structure of brick construction supported by timber
columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
and overlaid by a grassed park. The reservoir was constructed of brick with
ironbark Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the genus ''Eucalyptus'' that have dark, deeply furrowed bark. Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of ''Eucalyptus'', the dead bark accum ...
columns which were erected in mortises in stone foundations at the base of the reservoir. These columns supported cast iron beams which in-turn supported segmental arches which formed the roof of the structure. The reservoir was constructed in 1864 and duplicated to the west in 1876. The structure comprises two main chambers measuring approximately each. The two chambers are separated by a division wall to enable either of the chambers to be emptied. Within each chamber a second lower masonry wall, with
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
over, divides the chamber in half. Before conservation and adaptation works, it was in semi-ruinous condition.


Paddington Reservoir Gardens

In 2006 architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and landscape architects JMD Design began work to conserve, restore and reuse the space of the then derelict Paddington Reservoir. The facility reopened in 2008 as a sunken garden with rooftop reserve above the preserved eastern chamber. The facility integrates the remains of the original brick, timber and iron structure with modern elements of sculptural, structural and functional significance which provide access to the sunken garden via stairs and an elevator as well as ramped access to the rooftop reserve.


Condition

As at 27 February 2014, the reservoir was decommissioned in the late nineteenth century and subsequently used for storage and latterly as a mechanical workshop associated with a service station on Oxford Street. After a roof collapse behind the garage in 1990 it was in disuse. Generally the reservoir structure is in poor condition as roughly half of roof structure is collapsed.


Modifications and dates

*Late 19th c.: reservoir decommissioned and subsequently used for storage *1925: modifications to the structure to accommodate the removal of a number of internal columns (Source: drawings held by the Council of the City of South Sydney). *Latterly (pre 1990) the site was used as a mechanical workshop associated with a service station on Oxford Street. *1990: roof collapsed behind the garage and site was in disuse. *2009: conservation and adaptive reuse works finish and site is re-opened as a public park, Paddington Reserve Gardens.


Heritage listing

As at 4 July 2000, the Paddington Reservoir is of State significance. It is an integral part of the original
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 ...
Supply System and is a unique example of construction methods and technology advances in Australia in the nineteenth century. The grassed roof area also provides a valuable public recreation space within the inner city precinct which is of high significance to the local community. The Paddington Reservoir with its low key appearance functioned with very little public fanfare as a high level reservoir supplying Paddington and its surrounds until the turn of the century. The contribution of the reservoir was largely unsung but it was an essential component of the infrastructure which supported the development of the suburb of Paddington. The reservoir also had an important role as an open space in an otherwise densely built-up city suburb. Although perhaps not initially intended as a welcome respite of green space, which was also used to house stands for various street processions. The grassed surface became the Walter Read Reserve in 1953 and was a popular recreational space, used by the local residents. The reservoir roof has been a well used, popular recreation space, held in high regard by local inhabitants. Since the 1950s there have been a number of attempts to demolish the reservoir and/or use the space for carparking. There has been concerted defence by local groups since the possibility of demolition was first raised. The long-standing community efforts to preserve the reservoir are a testament to the high level of regard in which it is held by the community. Paddington Reservoir was listed on 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 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Paddington Reservoir is an integral part of the original Sydney Water Supply System and is a unique example of construction methods and technology advances in Australia in the nineteenth century. The two reservoirs of the
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 ...
Swamps Scheme, Crown Street and Paddington are thought to have been designed in the early 1850s by Edward Bell, the City Engineer. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The exterior of the reservoir contains a number of characteristic nineteenth century features. The Oxford Street frontage was lined with an iron palisade fence designed with some care and attention to detail particularly with regard to the fence columns. The fence columns and original air vents above the reservoir were decorative elements topped with a sphere. The air vents were designed in a similar manner but in a more massive scale with the air holes located well out of reach. The interior spaces, particularly the vaulted ceilings, the arched intermediate and central walls and the ironbark timber columns are a rare nineteenth century public utility interior space. The aesthetics of the spatial qualities presented by that space are particularly evocative of nineteenth century and are unique to the earliest reservoirs. 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. The reservoir was an essential component of the infrastructure which supported the development of the suburb of Paddington. The reservoir had an important role as an open space in a densely built -up city suburb. The reservoir roof had been a well used, popular recreation space, held in high regard by local inhabitants. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Paddington Reservoir is significant for its ability to demonstrate advances in technology and local manufacturing expertise over time. It demonstrates the waterproofing technology of the period. The level of workmanship and care throughout is also informative showing the range of skills and craftsmanship available in the local building trades. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The Paddington Reservoir is a component of the first reservoir system designed to supply Sydney City and surrounds. The reservoir is the second of the two reservoirs in the system. Paddington is the only nineteenth century reservoir which is out of commission and capable of being available for public inspection on a regular basis. The reservoir exhibits a rare, early, large scale use of
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
cement. In its roof the reservoir provides a rare area of open space for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of inner Paddington. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The reservoir represents the peak mid nineteenth century water storage technology in Australia. The eastern chambers of the reservoir particularly represent a peak in Australia's technological and secondary manufacturing development. Ongoing use of the reservoir as public recreation space represents a significant feature of the Paddington community lifestyle.


See also

*
Bankstown Reservoir Bankstown Reservoir is a heritage-protected water tower and a local landmark situated in the suburb of Bankstown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located west of Sydney CBD, the reservoir is elevated and was built on reinforced concrete p ...
*
Balmain Reservoir The Balmain Reservoir is a disused, covered reservoir located under Gladstone Park in Balmain, in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Description The reservoir is rectangular in shape, measuring and is tall. It is divide ...
*
Waverley Reservoirs The Waverley Reservoirs are four reservoirs, of which two are heritage-listed, located at Paul Street, Bondi Junction, Waverley Municipality, New South Wales, Australia. They were designed and built by the Public Works Department. The property ...
*
List of parks in Sydney Sydney is well endowed with open spaces and has many natural areas. Many of these exist even within the compact city centre. These include the Chinese Garden of Friendship and Hyde Park (which is named after London's Hyde Park). The metropo ...


References


Bibliography

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Attribution


External links

* {{Parks in Sydney, state=autocollapse Parks in Sydney Sydney Water New South Wales State Heritage Register Paddington, New South Wales Filling stations Buildings and structures in New South Wales Reservoirs in Sydney Industrial buildings in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1866 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1866 Parks established in 2008 2008 establishments in Australia