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Sydney City Council

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City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department I

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Plans in this Series (387)

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Boxes in this Series (45)

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Plans of the Pyrmont Power Station

Description

Unique IDAS-0342Start dateBetween 1st January 1900 and 1st January 1927Start date qualifiercircaFormatPlanShort descriptionThis series consists of plans of the Pyrmont Power Station, 1900-1927. DescriptionThis series consists of plans of the Pyrmont Power Station, 1900-1927.

Out of the plans: 242 are originals drawn onto linen tracing paper. 146 are prints most of which have been hand coloured and signed by the Town Clerk and building contractors.

The plans include the original drawings by Preece and Cardew of London, 1900-1902, and plans of various extensions and modifications prepared by the City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department (AG-0078) and by private firms, 1903- 1927, for the Council's Electricity Department.

The architectural work on the power station was supervised by the City Architect and Building Surveyor, Robert Hargreave Brodrick, and his chief assistant, James H Merriman.

On 7 February 1882 Council passed a resolution that the Town Clerk should ‘communicate with Messrs Swan of England, Edison of New York and other authorities’ to enquire about the practicability and cost of lighting the streets of Sydney with electricity. The city streets, had since 1841, been illuminated by gaslight. Further advice was sought over the next few years though nothing concrete developed.

In 1891 Council set up a special committee to examine the best method of supplying power for public and private use. The Committee obtained the services of EC Cracknell, Superintendent of Telegraphs and R Threlfall, Professor of Physics at the University of Sydney to act as technical advisors. The proposals put forward by these experts were accepted by Council and the City Solicitor was instructed to draw up a bill.

The Municipal Council of Sydney Electric Lighting Bill, adopted by Council and submitted to Parliament in October 1891, was not passed until October 1896. The Act empowered Council to generate and supply electric power to light streets and for public and private purposes in or outside the City of Sydney and to raise by debenture, a loan of 250,000 pounds to finance the undertaking.

In 1899, the Electric Lighting Committee, established by the Council in 1898, recommended that electric lighting be installed at the earliest possible date and put forward a site in Kent Street as the most suitable. It further recommended that the London firm of Preece and Cardew be employed to report on an prepare a scheme for the lighting of Sydney. Preece and Cardew's report was accepted by Council in 1900 and they were instructed to prepare plans and specifications and authorised to call for tenders.

The Kent Street site was resumed by the State Government and Council purchased another site at Pyrmont Street and Darling Harbour for 13,300 pounds in 1901. Work began on the excavation and preparation of the site in November 1902.

The official opening of the Undertaking took place on 8 July 1904. Demand for electricity grew and extensions were made to the Power Station to accommodate additional plant. At the end of 1907 there were 1600 consumers. In 1910 agreements were entered into with the municipalities of Annandale, Mascot, Randwick and Woollahra to extend mains into their area. By 1914, 23 municipalities were connected to the Council's supply. In the 1920s Council entered the field of bulk supply to various municipalities.

Despite Council opposition, the Gas and Electricity Act, which transferred ownership and control of the Electricity Undertaking from the Council to a County Council to be constituted, was passed on 11 April 1935. On 1 January 1936 the Council's Electricity Department passed to the ownership of the Sydney County Council.

The Pyrmont Power Station is now the property of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales.

At some time during the 1950s, all of the plans of Council properties, including those of the Pyrmont Power Station, were numbered by the Planning and Building Department. They divided the plans into two sets - those plans on linen (called tracings) and those that were prints. Each set was then numbered consecutively. These numbers have been retained to identify this series, with the addition of a prefix ‘p’ for prints and ‘t’ for tracings.

The gaps in the numbers of this series are caused partly by the fact that not all the Pyrmont Power Station plans were numbered consecutively. For example, P169 to P198 are plans of the Power Station, P199 to P200 are those of the Newport Power Station in Melbourne, P201 to P292 are of the Pyrmont Power Station, P293 to P455 are of the Town Hall, the Fish Markets, electricity substations, etc and P456 to P466 are again of the Pyrmont Power Station.

The other reason for the gaps in the numbers is that since they were numbered 14 of the plans appear to have gone missing. A list of the missing plans is attached to the item listing for the series.
Relationship summaryRELATED TO: Council Plans I AS-0569 (01/01/1900 to 01/01/1927)
RELATED TO: Specifications for Council Properties AS-0130 (01/01/1900 to 01/01/1927)
RELATED TO: Electric power reticulation and supply AY-0011 (01/01/1900 to 01/01/1927)
RELATED TO: Electric power generation AY-0010 (01/01/1900 to 01/01/1927)
RELATED TO: Construction and maintenance of buildings and structures AY-0001 (01/01/1900 to 01/01/1927)
LanguageEnglish (eng)

Plan

Plan of roof over No 2 filler pit. S.M.C. Power House Pyrmont. 1/4 inch scale. Signed R.H.Brodrick.

The Municipal Council of Sydney: Electricity Dept. Proposed new ceiling to control rooms at the

S.M.C. Electricity Generating Station Pyrmont. Foundations for No. 13-12000 K.W. set. Elevation and

S.M.C. Electricity Generating Station Pyrmont. Foundations for No. 13-12000 K.W. set. Side

S.M.C. Electricity Generating Station Pyrmont. Foundations for No. 13-12000 K.W. set. Plan at AA.

S.M.C. Electricity Generating Station Pyrmont. Foundations for No. 13-12000 K.W. set. Plans at BB

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Building for 33000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Plan of steelwork.

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Building for 33000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Amended elevation to

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Building for 33000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Details of runway

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Building for 33000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Floorplans, back

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Building for 33000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Elevation and sections

S.M.C. Power House Pyrmont. Detail of steel work for 11000 volt switch house. 1/8 inch scale.

Pyrmont Power House 11000 volt switch house. Detail of steelwork for roof. 1/8, 1/4 1 1/2 inch

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Layout of openings in

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Details of mezzanine floor

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. General elevation to Pyrmont

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. General layout and details

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Layout of cubicles on Floor

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Amended plan of 10000 volt

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Layout of openings in floor

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Plan of finished floor of

S.M.C. Electric Lighting. Plan of 5000 volt switchgear house Pyrmont. Fourth Floor Plan and

Series

Council Plans I

Specifications for Council Properties, 1885-1991 [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]

Access

Public access statusOpen to public access

Identification and Arrangement

Source system ID342System of arrangementSingle number

Digitisation

Digitisation statusNot digitised

Data Quality

Authenticity & integrityThese are original plans created by the Municipal Council of Sydney. The record has been held in the Council’s custody and has a high level of authenticity.

Relationships

OrganisationSydney City CouncilRelated seriesSpecifications for Council Properties, 1885-1991 [Municipal Council of Sydney / City of Sydney]Council Plans ICreating agenciesCity Architect and Building Surveyor's Department IRelated activitiesConstruction and maintenance of buildings and structuresElectric power generationElectric power reticulation and supply

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Plans of the Pyrmont Power Station