NRS-9929 | Trigonometrical Survey of the City of Sydney, 1865

The 1865 Trigonometrical Survey of the City of Sydney consists of one Plan in 56 sheets of the City area extending from Pyrmont and Chippendale in the west to the eastern side of Darlinghurst, and from the harbour in the north to the southern boundary of Redfern. The area covered by the survey is approximately that area within the City boundary created in 1842 when the City was incorporated, although Section 152 extends the survey south of Cleveland Street to encompass the suburb of Redfern. It is likely this section was completed some time after the others.The sheets, or sections, are labelled with an alpha-numeric code and most are to a scale of forty feet to one inch. Some sections have a smaller additional sheet and these appear to have been drawn some time after the main sheet. Some of these additional sheets provide detail for parts of two or more sheets. For example, the additional sheet for Section I2 covers parts of Sections I1, I2, N2.The Survey shows the urban layout of Sydney in the mid nineteenth century. It shows property boundaries and buildings, and the location of pipes for sewerage and water reticulation. The buildings are colour coded to indicate the type of building material used in construction: pink, for brick; beige, for stone; grey, for wood; and blue, for iron. Keys for the colours are located on some of the sheets.The Plan contains details about the sewerage and water reticulation systems such as pipe diameter, type of material used, depth from surface, and date the pipes were laid or connected to existing systems. Sewerage pipes are represented on the Plan by red lines. Water pipes are represented by blue lines. The Plan also uses symbols to show the location of fireplugs, fountains, and locks connected to the water reticulation system. These symbols are included in most of the keys used for coding building materials. Many of the sheets also contain an emblem for the City of Sydney dated 1857. The plans were initially drawn with coloured inks and wash in-fills for the buildings and the edge of the harbour. By the late 1840s, Sydney continued to suffer from inadequate water reticulation and sewerage systems. In 1848, Council’s internal report on finances acknowledged the need for water and sewerage, but identified establishing good rule in the markets and road building as being more urgent.(1) During the summer period in the four years from 1849, water was rationed and public criticism of the Council’s inability to provide adequate water supplies resulted in a number of investigations carried out by both the City Council and the Legislative Council. As a result of the recommendations of the Legislative Council’s second select committee, the City Council was abolished in October 1853 and three Commissioners were appointed in December of the same year.(2) Additional legislation allowed the Commissioners to borrow £200,000 for water and the same amount for sewerage, amounts far greater than the previous Council was able to borrow.(3) The Survey was undertaken by the City Surveyor's Department in preparation for the construction of better sewerage and water reticulation systems. The Survey began with the taking of measurements in October 1854. The laying out and plotting of the construction lines of the streets, and the filling in of the interior commenced shortly after. By May 1855, all of the construction lines of the streets comprised in 'that portion of the city bounded by Macquarie Street on the East, by Campbell Street on the South, and by the water line on the West and North have been marked out, measured and plotted'. The filling in of the Plan’s interior was contracted out to private surveyors.Messrs Hutton and Burrowes successfully tendered for the interior detailing of the early sections of the Plan.(4) By May 1855 the portion of the city north of Hay Street was more complete because it was 'more immediately required for purposes connected with the Sewerage of the North division of the older part of the City.'(5)Trigonometrical measurements continued to be taken and in July 1865 the City Council received a letter of complaint about the actions of some surveyors when taking measurements.(6)Pencil annotations indicate the Plan was used as a working copy until at least the 1890s to denote changes to the sewerage and water reticulation systems, changes to street names and alignments, changes to property boundaries, and to show newly constructed buildings.The plan was transferred to the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage and Drainage Board presumably following the creation of the agency in 1888 to take over the water supply and sewerage functions from the City Council. It was transferred from the Board to the NSW State Archives (later State Records) on 2 May, 1974. ENDNOTES:1. Fitzgerald, Shirley. Sydney 1842 - 1992, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992, p.52.2. Therefore, the failure of the Council 'to provide adequate water for the city, or to establish a system of sewerage' led to its demise. Shirley Fitzgerald, Sydney 1842 - 1992, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992, p.44.3. Fitzgerald, Shirley. Sydney 1842 - 1992, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992, p.46; An Act for applying certain Sums raised or to be raised under the Sydney Sewerage Act of 1853 and the Sydney Water Act of 1853 for the Service of the Years 1854 and 1855. 2 December 1854 [there are also 2 subsequent Acts re sums raised]4. City of Sydney Archives, CRS 26, Letters received 1843 - 1899, 1855/letter 442.5. City of Sydney Archives, CRS 26, Letters received 1843 - 1899, 1855/letter 442. (correspondence for these contracts mentions the city being divided into 8 sections. Not known what the 8 sections are)6. City of Sydney Archives, CRS 26, Letters received 1843 - 1899, Related letters, 1865/letter 637.