House history: 44 Argyle Street, Millers Point Question: There are already histories written about my house. It is in a heritage precinct and several conservation and heritage reports have been produced over the years. The trouble is that there seems to be too much information and sometimes the different reports contradict each other. They don’t always provide what I’m looking for. Answer: One way to make sense of the diverse information and reports which a heritage listed property generates is to start by creating a timeline. This will help you sort out your house history part of the story and show up any discrepancies that may need checking against original records. Timelines are a good way to begin putting together information for any house history and this might be all you want to do. Or, if you want to go further, a timeline can also be a first step in developing a more descriptive piece of historical writing. Timeline Following is a timeline for 44 Argyle Place, including some information for the adjoining houses that were part of the original grant. 1806 Suzanna Plaice, 56 years, convict, arrived in Sydney. 1807 Thomas Newman, a of theft, arrived in Sydney. ‘lifer’ convicted 1821 About this time Thomas Newman occupied a house at the site of Argyle Place. This was probably the year he built the house on the site of present day Wentworth Terrace, which includes 44 Argyle Place. This was a low-lying house built more to align with Windmill Street than with the more elevated Argyle Street. Thomas House was built to face the harbour. Detail: Freemans Panorama Looking North from Newman’s Observatory Hill, 1864. State Library of NSW Digital Order No. a260002. 1822 Suzanna Plaice was listed as wife in the official muster. Another Thomas Newman’s Newman arrived, listed as of Thomas Newman, also living in Cockle Bay, ‘the son Sydney’. 1823 on the site in 1823. As there were two houses shown Harper’s map shows buildings on this plan this possibly indicates the house next door to number 44 had been built. of Sydney, with houses on future Argyle Street ringed. State Records NSW, SZ 434. Detail: Harper’s 1823 map 1825 Thomas Plaice, arrived in Sydney. Suzanna’s son,
House history: 44 Argyle Street, Millers Point Question: There are already histories written about my house. It is in a heritage precinct and several conservation and heritage reports have been produced over the years. The trouble is that there seems to be too much information and sometimes the different reports contradict each other. They don’t always provide what I’m looking for. Answer: One way to make sense of the diverse information and reports which a heritage listed property generates is to start by creating a timeline. This will help you sort out your house history part of the story and show up any discrepancies that may need checking against original records. Timelines are a good way to begin putting together information for any house history and this might be all you want to do. Or, if you want to go further, a timeline can also be a first step in developing a more descriptive piece of historical writing. Timeline Following is a timeline for 44 Argyle Place, including some information for the adjoining houses that were part of the original grant. 1806 Suzanna Plaice, 56 years, convict, arrived in Sydney. 1807 Thomas Newman, a ‘lifer’ convicted of theft, arrived in Sydney. 1821 About this time Thomas Newman occupied a house at the site of Argyle Place. This was probably the year he built the house on the site of present day Wentworth Terrace, which includes 44 Argyle Place. This was a low-lying house built more to align with Windmill Street than with the more elevated Argyle Street. Thomas Newman’s House was built to face the harbour. Detail: Freemans Panorama Looking North from Observatory Hill, 1864. State Library of NSW Digital Order No. a260002. 1822 Suzanna Plaice was listed as Newman’s wife in the official muster. Another Thomas Newman arrived, listed as ‘the son of Thomas Newman, also living in Cockle Bay, Sydney’. 1823 Harper’s map shows buildings on the site in 1823. As there were two houses shown on this plan this possibly indicates the house next door to number 44 had been built. Detail: Harper’s 1823 map of Sydney, with houses on future Argyle Street ringed. State Records NSW, SZ 434. 1825 Thomas Plaice, Suzanna’s son, arrived in Sydney.
44-Argyle-Street-Millers-Point_final.docx