Allocation and changes of street names and street numbers

Unique IDAY-0051Description*** This activity applies to all Councils ***

Authority for naming streets and changing existing names (by the City of Sydney and suburban Councils later absorbed by the City) needs further research.

The first large scale street name change seems to have been in 1875, when a large number of street name changes were made following a recommendation of the City Surveyor from 31 July, with the aim of eliminating duplicated names. These changes were published in the Government Gazette of 19 November 1875 (CRS 10/9, 23 September 1875). However, there were earlier name changes. On 9 October 1873 the Improvement Committee agreed to a petition from ratepayers to rename South Head Road from Liverpool Street to Dowling Street as Oxford Street. (CRS 10/9, 9 October 1873).

The Finance Committee Minutes for 12 July 1876, record the receipt of a letter from George Pile suggesting that Council adopt the American system of street naming. The City Surveyor reported that the irregular manner in which the streets of Sydney had been laid out, prevents the system alluded to, being adopted, and that the alterations made by the Council in November 1875 provide that only one shall in future have the same name”. [CRS 11/7].

The earliest known reference to street naming by a suburban municipal Council is in Newtown, Minutes for 21 Dec 1869 and 21 May 1878.

Series

City Engineer's Miscellaneous Cards

Acts and Gazettes Book

City of Sydney - Trigonometrical Survey, 1855-1865

General Correspondence and Subject Files

Petitions to Council

Journal of Mayor John Young

City Surveyor's Department Letter Books

Master Negative Microfilm of General Plans of Survey

Works Committee III Agenda Papers

General Correspondence and Subject Files

City Engineer's Miscellaneous Books [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney / South Sydney Council]

Central Activity Files, 1979-1987

Town Clerk's Department Correspondence Files, 1914-1978 [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Town Clerk's Correspondence Folders, 1899-1913

Letters Sent, 1842-1900

Letters Received, 1843-1899 [Municipal Council of Sydney]

Reports of the Improvement Committee, 1843-1887 [Municipal Council of Sydney]

Reports of the Finance Committee I [Municipal Council of Sydney]

Committee Reports (Various committees), 1842-1899

Minutes of the Works Committee I [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney], 1899-1973

Minutes of the Finance Committee I [Municipal Council of Sydney], 1846-1973

Minutes of the Improvement Committee [Municipal Council of Sydney], 1843-1891

Minutes of Council, 1842 - ongoing [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Description

Start date9th October 1873Start date qualifierbyEnd date9th October 1873Relationship legacy dataRELATED TO: Suburban municipal government FN-0029 (01/01/1869 to 31/12/1948)
RELATED TO: Town planning FN-0011 (01/01/1875)

Identification

Source system ID51

Relationships

FunctionTown planningSuburban municipal government

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Allocation and changes of street names and street numbers