Archives for the Year: 2017

Some Interesting facts about clocks

With the invention of the pendulum clock in 1656, Christiaan Huygens increased the best accuracy of clocks from 15 minutes deviation a day to around 15 seconds a day An Institute in Colorado created a clock so accurate it won’t lose/gain a second in 20 … Continue reading “Some Interesting facts about clocks”

August Guest Speaker

Just a reminder that Betty Candy will be the speaker at our museum on Saturday, 5th August at 2:00 pm sharp.  She will share with us the story of the “Shipwrecks of Homebush Bay”. These talks are open to everyone.  Admission is free but donations are a … Continue reading “August Guest Speaker”

Ebb and Flow of Success:  Samuel Lyons

In the 1840’s the most select residences in Sydney were a row of five houses in Liverpool Street called Lyons Terrace, facing the south end of Hyde Park. Elegantly attractive, they cost builder Samuel Lyons £5,000 each. Their early tenants included the … Continue reading “Ebb and Flow of Success:  Samuel Lyons”

Regulations for Baking and Sale of Bread 1816

Having ascertained that many bakers had been supplying shortweight bread of inferior quality, His Honour the Lieutenant-Gover­nor announced that production and sale of bread would be controlled. All persons who wished to operate a bakery were required … Continue reading “Regulations for Baking and Sale of Bread 1816”

Henry Brewer – Concord Sailor-Builder

Little is known about the early life of Henry Brewer, one of the first free settlers to receive a land grant in Concord. Born in 1739, he must have spent his early days in the building industry, for he had extensive ex­perience in carpen­try, draftsman … Continue reading “Henry Brewer – Concord Sailor-Builder”

A Bucket of Rum & the Vauxhall Inn, Granville

An interesting souvenir of the opening of the first railway in New South Wales from Sydney to Parramatta Junction is a miniature bucket. The first train arrives at Parramatta from Sydney in 1855 When the railway was opened on September 22nd, 1855 the p … Continue reading “A Bucket of Rum & the Vauxhall Inn, Granville”

Maps Tell us Stories, not Facts

Historians use historical maps for several purposes:  as useful tools for reconstructing the past, to the extent that maps provide records of features, landscapes, cities and places that may not exist anymore or that exist in dramatically transformed f … Continue reading “Maps Tell us Stories, not Facts”

Mortlake in the 1890s

Mortlake was originally 30 hectares of land granted to John Miller, John Robertson and Benjamin Butcher in July 1795. This land was subsequently acquired by John Ward and then by his adopted heir, Alexander MacDonald. The area was originally called Bot … Continue reading “Mortlake in the 1890s”

Rare 1890 Map of Concord

After moving to our new museum in Bent Street, Concord, you can imagine our surprise when, cataloguing our collection of rolled up maps and plans, we came across an large 1890 Higginbotham & Robinson map of Concord.  Unfortunately, over the years, … Continue reading “Rare 1890 Map of Concord”

An Old Inn at the Sign of the “Red Cow”

In 1825, one James Bibb, an enterprising spirit built a hostelry in a clearing by the stately gumtrees at Abbotsford Point on the Parramatta River, and soon the “Red Cow Inn” ministered to needy travellers by the Great North Road. These travellers, who … Continue reading “An Old Inn at the Sign of the “Red Cow””