This item is no longer under copyright in Australia and is in the public domain. It may be used freely. When using or sharing this item attribution should be given to the City of Sydney Archives.

Tools

Download Add to Collection Contact us about this Suggest an edit to this item Citation for this item

Reports of the Lighting Committee, 1857-1892

Description

Unique IDAS-0024DateBetween 8th May 1857 and 17th November 1892Date qualifierexactFormatVolume - Leather BoundShort descriptionThis series contains reports presented by the Lighting Committee to meetings of Council, 1857-1892. DescriptionThis series was created by the Lighting Committee (AG-0115) 01/07/1857 to 17/11/1892 and the reports were presented to meetings of Council. It is controlled by the Registers of Letters Received (AS-0002) 1/7/1857 to 17/11/1892.

Lighting Committee reports prior to 1857, and after 1892, are contained in Committee Reports (AS-0021) 1842-1899, and also in Printed Materials 1837-1930 (AS-0030).

The volumes are indexed at the front of the volume by the subject of the report. Each report was numbered and any associated reports from Council officers and correspondence was attached to the report. This includes correspondence that was registered as part of Letters Received (AS-0026) 1843-1899, but was then removed from AS-0026 and placed with the relevant Committee reports. Some of the reports contain linen plans.

The majority of reports from Council officers in this series are reports from the City Surveyor on the necessity for gas lamps in various streets of the City, and occasionally for their removal. Most of correspondence was in the form of petitions from residents and ratepayers. One of the first reports from 1857 related to the erection of gas lamps along the ‘Lovers Walk’ through Hyde Park. The ratepayers of Market St West petitioned Council for better lighting in 1871 as ‘Before midnight the lights of the Public Houses are lowered down and the shops being shut the place is in almost total darkness. A number of low disorderly characters gather about the doorsteps and disgusting nuisances are continually committed’. (A-00442491, Report 16/1871). The City Surveyor Thomas Bradridge responded that lamps ‘are very necessary in this part of Market Street’. The next year the residents of Arthur Street in Surry Hills petitioned for a lamp as ‘the street being of considerable length, without a light, and having an open sewer running through it, we consider it necessary to make such a request’. (A-00442492).

Around 1887 pedestrian refuges began to be incorporated as part of the lamps at busy interesections. Report number 1 for 1887 contains a hand coloured drawing of a lamp and refuge. In April 1888, the Committee recommended that the lamps on these refuges be lighted every night all year round. (A-00442499, report 3 of 1888).

From December 1886, the Colonial Government decided to stop paying for the lighting of lamps near its buildings as it was charged rates. The reports contain a list of the lamps to be removed, some of which the Council retained and assumed the cost of paying for the gas. (A-00442499, report 2 of 1887).

In September 1887 the City Surveyor recommended that a better system of lighting was required in the streets around the parks, especially Prince Alfred Park and Belmore Gardens. He suggested circular bracket lamps and his report contains a small sketch of the proposed design. (A-00442499, Report 6 of 1887).

In 1890, a plea was received for lighting at the Cattle Sale Yards in Homebush as cattle were arriving at all hours of the day and night and were being processed by lantern light. (A-00442500, Report 2 of 1890).
Relationship summaryPRECEDED BY: Committee Reports AS-0021 (01/07/1857)
PRECEDED BY: Printed Materials AS-0030 (01/07/1857)
RELATED TO: Letters Received AS-0026 (1/7/1857 to 17/11/1892)
RELATED TO: Meetings of Council and Committees AY-0060 (01/07/1857 to 17/11/1892)
RELATED TO: Provision of street lighting AY-0025 (01/07/1857 to 17/11/1892) LanguageEnglish (eng)

Access

Public access statusOpen to public access

Identification and Arrangement

Source system ID24System of arrangementChronological

Digitisation

Digitisation statusNot digitised

Data Quality

Authenticity & integrityThese are the original Reports of the Lighting Committee. The record has been held in the Council’s custody and has a high level of authenticity. Users should be aware that this is an historical record and the language used within the record was the language of the time it was captured, and may not reflect current community values or expectations.

Relationships

OrganisationSydney City CouncilControlled by seriesRegisters of Letters Received, 1853-1913Preceding seriesCommittee Reports (Various committees), 1842-1899Printed Materials, 1837-1930Related seriesLetters Received, 1843-1899 [Municipal Council of Sydney]Creating agenciesLighting CommitteeRelated activitiesProvision of street lightingMeetings of Council and Committees

Menu

Reports of the Lighting Committee, 1857-1892