Wynyard Park, Sydney
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Wynyard Park is a
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
in the
Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
, in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. Wynyard Park is bounded by
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, Carrington, Margaret and Wynyard Streets. Surrounded by modern high-rise buildings it is one of the most densely built-up and intensively used parks in Sydney. Entrances to Wynyard railway station are located on the north-eastern and north-western corners of the park. Wynyard Park is the site of the first military barracks in Australia, the present park having its location, form and dimensions from the space of the original
parade ground A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
that the barracks occupied. The site is one of Australia's oldest parks to be continuously set aside as open space for public use in an urban context. The park has maintained its role as an open square for public meetings, political protests, entertainment, assembly and passive recreation since its dedication as a public park in 1887. Wynyard Park is a popular place for office workers to eat lunch. Also, many bus services to the northern suburbs originate their journeys in the streets bordering the park.


History

The space which is now Wynyard Park was originally the parade ground of the first military barracks established shortly after the European colonisation of Sydney in 1788. It was from the park that the
New South Wales Corps The New South Wales Corps, later known as the 102d Regiment of Foot, and lastly as the 100th Regiment of Foot, was a formation of the British Army organised in 1789 in England to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, which had accompanied ...
marched to arrest Governor Bligh in 1808, an event later known as the
Rum Rebellion The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a ''coup d'état'' in the British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, its name derives from the ...
. Following the 1848 completion of Victoria Barracks, the barracks site was subdivided and private dwellings and shops were developed. Provision was made for a square to remain on the higher part of the former Barrack Square. From 1848-1887 the area was known as Wynyard Square, named after General Wynyard, Commander of British Forces in Australia, from 1848 to 1853. The square was dedicated as a recreation ground in 1875 and fenced and landscaped. Like similar squares in England its use was confined to residents who held keys to the gates, although by 1907 the American trend of removing fences around parks had been copied here. The original George Street military barracks were much larger in area, extending from Barrack Street in the south to almost Jamieson Street in the north, and extending west to Clarence Street Also in the 1880s a bus terminus was established for passengers from the southern suburbs, beginning the area’s long association with public transport. The building of a railway station here was first suggested in 1881 but it was 1932 before Wynyard Station opened. The square was dedicated as a public park in 1887 and the following year a bandstand was erected in the centre of the park. The park's most significant period was 1890 to 1910 when it was well planned and established. Its layout reflects this late Victorian Period in its landscape design. Colonial Architect
Mortimer Lewis Mortimer William Lewis (1796 – 9 March 1879) was an English-born architect, surveyor and public servant who migrated to Australia and became Colonial Architect in the colony of New South Wales (now a state of Australia) from 1835 to 1849. Le ...
(1835-1849) and the Director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens Charles Moore (1848-1896), influenced the design of the park. From 1887 it became known as Wynyard Park. When the Sydney underground railways (now part of the
Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of Railways in Sydney, suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban rail, urban-suburban r ...
network) were constructed in 1927, Wynyard railway station was constructed by excavating the park and then rebuilding the park after the station had been constructed.


Description

At the northern end of the park is a statue by Giovanni Fontana from 1890 of the Reverend J. D. Lang, the Presbyterian minister and controversialist, lived at Wynyard Square and was responsible for the erection of the Scots Church in 1826. His statue is close to the Church, formerly the main Presbyterian church in central Sydney. The ornate underground men’s lavatory with a domed glass roof was built in 1912 and is similar to others at Hyde Park, Taylor Square and Macquarie Place Park. The park includes mature border plantings of Moreton Bay Figs (''Flindersia Australis'') and Plane trees, an Art Nouveau toilet block including fences, signs and lights, and sandstone walls.


Gallery

Wynyard Park Sydney.jpg, Wynyard Park in the 1930s Ivan_Ives_-_Sinatra_Club_-_Wynyard_Park.jpg,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
fans listen to his records in Wynyard Park, 1945. Ivan_Ives_-_Sinatra_Club_-_Wynyard_Park,_wider_view.jpg, A wider view of the Sinatra fans, showing more detail of the park. Wynyard Park 201708.jpg, Wynyard Park in 2017 Fontana "John Dunmore Lang".jpg, Giovanni Fontana's 1890 statute of Reverend J.D. Lang, pictured in 2016


See also

*
Wynyard, Sydney Wynyard () is an urban locality adjacent to Wynyard railway station in the Sydney central business district of New South Wales, Australia. Wynyard is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. The postcode is 2000. Wynyard Park is ...
* List of parks in Sydney


References


External links

* CC-By-SA">Creative_Commons_license.html" ;"title="/nowiki> CC-By-SA/nowiki> * {{Parks in Sydney">state=autocollapse Parks in Sydney York Street, Sydney">Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA/nowiki> * {{Parks in Sydney">state=autocollapse Parks in Sydney York Street, Sydney 1887 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1887 Parks established in the 1880s Protected areas established in 1887