Darlinghurst Blog: Street Art: Spring

Birds are nesting outside my window, my glimpse of Sydney Harbour is shimmering turquoise, white triangles of sailings boats bob by, a breeze sweeps past heady with the fragrance of jasmine blossoms, the temperature is set to reach 27 degrees and the floral daleks have returned to Darlinghurst's streets. 

It can only mean Spring. Oh, how I love this season with its promise of renewal and adventures under a blue sky. 

An anonymous street artist celebrated the return of Spring with this flowering paste-up that seems to magically grow from the wall of the Griffin Theatre Company's administration building on the corner of Nimrod and Craigend streets.  Are those flowers Violets? I think so, which makes it even more special to me. Pop up and take your photograph next to it before it disappears. 

Darlinghurst Blog: Detritus: Monday Morning

No, that's not the detritus of my weekend. 

I've actually given up the 311 for the moment and am now walking to work, which is far more interesting than staring out the window of the bus. Yesterday morning I came across a few abandoned toys, including that bong on Nimrod Street, as well as a dollhouse on Tewkesbury Avenue:

And a condom on Darley Street:

I wonder what I'll see today.

Darlinghurst Blog: Street Art: Nimrod Street

You may remember that in January I posted on my Facebook page this great photograph, which shows an amazing and inspirational piece of street art on the side of the Stables Theatre's administration building on Nimrod Street. I had always thought it was a perfect white wall, ripe for some street artists's magic, so I was really happy when crystal k pasted up this poetic line. 

"I am the cave through which the river runs and I am myself the river. crystal k.''

No idea what it means, but I still like its rhythm.

Anyway, when I was going past the other day, six months after it was pasted up, I noticed how much it had deteriorated, so I hope crystal k returns with another line to fill its space sometime soon:

Meanwhile, other street artists have also been taking advantage of the wonderful white backdrop and interesting crevices this wall provides. Can you spot the Will Coles in the picture below?

It's actually been there for a month at least, but I never remember to photograph it:

In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't been nicked like the other pieces Coles left down on Ten Buck Alley. It could be because it is so well camouflaged.

Coles isn't the first street artist to use this little white brick alter to display his work. 

Back in December last year, a red and gold nativity scene appeared one night:

It was really sweet, with a little baby Jesus in a manger and a buxom Mary in a red, low-cut dress:

But it wasn't glued down so it was gone within about three days. 

Darlinghurst Blog: Street Art: Will Coles Work Can

Despite the rain I was able to have a sweet adventure on Saturday with two of my most favourite people, blogger Sarah Allely and her 19-month-old daughter, Billie. I took Billie to the Caldwell Street Garden with the promise that fairies lived there and on the way home we came across a different kind of magic outside the Stables Theatre: a little piece of street art by Will Coles.

Darlinghurst: Houses: 40A Caldwell Street

I received a message last week from a Darlinghurst resident and reader who was concerned about the ''nasty development planned for the little lane with the beautiful historic sandstone wall that runs behind the terraces at the bottom of Beare's Stairs.'' 

I had seen the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, but had no idea where that address was and assumed it was a development planned for a site with an existing house. I knew nothing about a laneway or an historic sandstone wall, so set out to investigate.

Even if you walk along Surrey Street or use Beare's Stairs regularly, you may never have noticed a large wooden gate tucked away in the eastern corner of this Caldwell Street laneway. I certainly hadn't noticed it. But here it is:

Behind the wooden gate is a landscaped area that backs on to three Surrey Street terraces. It was difficult to see the landscaping, even when I looked over the gate, and under it:

This is the laneway, which was once a ''dunny lane'' that the reader mentioned and you can see the sandstone foundation wall on the right side of the right photograph. The area is about 2.6m wide and runs the length of three terraces at 79, 77 and 75 Surrey Street and has kind of been requisitioned by them to add an extra third of space to their back gardens. So the laneway is actually a private garden now and it is very difficult for anyone who doesn't live in these three terraces (below) to appreciate the sandstone foundation wall. 

The land - just 48m2 of it - is actually a separate Torrens title that dates back to the original 1800s subdivision of this area, now known as the Barcom Conservation Area. Perhaps because of its small size and obscure location, it was never developed. But now, the owners of 40 Caldwell Street (the blue terrace below right) have bought the title and want to develop the space. 

The terrace at 40 Caldwell Street is owned by a company called Specialist Advocates, whose sole directors are Federal Court judge Dennis Cowdroy and his wife, Jennifer. Specialist Advocates purchased the title for 40A Caldwell Street in November last year for a token $1 from grazier John Robison, who had inherited the title. 

There was a well-researched story in Tuesday's The Australian newspaper by Jodie Minus, which details the history of how the grazier came to have the title, which you can read here.

On February 2 architect Stafford Watts submitted a development application to the City of Sydney  council to build a $200,000 four-storey house with three bedrooms for the little site. The house will literally be wedged in to the site, right up against 40 Caldwell Street, which will act as a support wall:

If you look in the above illustration, you can also see how the front of the house will have a 4m high   ''sparrow-pecked'' sandstone ''plinth . . . to complement the sandstone base of No 40 Caldwell Street and provide a suitable backdrop to Beare's Stairs,'' according to the Statement of Environmental Effects submitted to the council. 

By law, there are also no windows on the side facing the backyards of 75, 77 and 79 Surrey Street, so their privacy isn't an issue. The only issue for those three terraces is sunlight and shadow, which is minutely detailed in the SOEE - but I won't bore you with that. And, of course, the loss of some of their garden.

I understand the reader's concerns about the disappearance of the historic sandstone foundation wall, but I frankly did not know about it anyway; it is only accessible and visible to the residents of those three Surrey Street terraces; and finally, there are loads of historic sandstone walls and foundations around Darlinghurst and I doubt the suburb will suffer for the loss of this one. 

Having said that, I really don't think the development application will be approved by the council because it is just seems far too daring and a little bit crazy to want to build a house on this tiny block. Access to the site for builders and scaffolding is also likely to be a major issue and just imagine if a bulldozer or grader or whatever accidentally bumped in to Beare's Stairs and damaged them. The spot would hardly get any sun and would just be a mosquito infested swamp. 

I also think it is a good idea to keep these heritage dunny-lanes as they are a rather peculiar relic of the past. What do you think? 

Interestingly, Mr Robison the grazier also inherited ''dunny lanes'' at 8A Nimrod Street (above left) and 24A Nimrod Street (above right, reclaimed by property owners years ago), which he has so far left unclaimed. 

The Griffin Theatre Company has applied to the NSW Land and Property Management Authority for possession of the title at 8A. The title apparently runs all the way along the backs of houses on Craigend and Caldwell streets, right past the theatre to the kerb. The theatre want the title so they can use the wide footpath area (below - apologies for the grainy night pic) for an alfresco day cafe and night bar. They will add another entrance to the theatre in the wall on the right.

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To view the development application for 40A Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst, visit the council's site here.

The exhibition period closes on Thursday March 3. 

UPDATE: The exhibition period has been extended to March 25.

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While on the topic of heritage, the submission period for the council's proposed redevelopment of Fitzroy Gardens was extended until February 25 - that's tomorrow! Be quick! 

Visit the Save Fitzroy Gardens website, which has an easy one-click-wonder-way to lodge your submission. 

Darlinghurst: Plant Life: Caldwell Street Garden

I wish I knew the name for this little patch of green. There are no visible signs to indicate what it's called so I have simply come to know it as the Caldwell Street Garden. 

It is places like this that make living in the inner-city bearable on those days when you need to relax your eyes with green, pat the leaves and rest your feet in the grass. 

I have had quite a few of those days recently.

The garden isn't much really, just a tiny triangle of trees and shrubs on the corner of Caldwell and Nimrod streets. But I am so glad it is there.

I remember being told a story once about how developers in the 1980s had eyed the garden off as a potential site for a building. What a waste of good space, they must have thought. Fortunately, others thought differently and there was a small and successful campaign to save what was known as the ''Convict Park''.
I don't know if that story is accurate, or if perhaps the person who told it to me was referring to the park on Surrey Street. If you happen to know, please contact me.

The garden is basically a small patch of grass with an eclectic mix of plants, two benches and two trees. 

If it is a hot day, I often make a little pit-stop here on the way home, to have a little rest and think. 

I recruited my horticulturalist friend Ruby Molteno, to come to the garden one day and identify the trees and plants for me. There is one pine type of tree in the street corner, which I forgot to ask her about. 

But the focal point of the garden is a Weeping Fig (Ficus Benjamina), pictured above, that has lots of berries hidden amongst the foliage.

The ground-cover (below) is called Tradescantia Zebrina and the ''upright, strappy succulent-like plant'' is some kind of Agave, according to Ruby. 

On one of the rocks surrounding a garden bed is this little plaque and dog tag, saying JOJO, surrounded by colourful bits of broken tiles and shells. The plaque reads:

"In memory of our good friend and neighbour, Michael Robertson, 1926-2007."

While walking home from the Caldwell Street Garden the other day, I noticed this paste-up on the wall of the Nimrod Theatre, which sums up my feelings after a moment among the trees perfectly:

Darlinghurst: Detritus: Christmas Below the Coke Sign

Christmas Lights Above the Coke Sign, Christmas Eve, 2010.

It's a Friday night and Christmas Eve in Darlinghurst and the neighbourhood is empty. Residents have flown from the city, suburbia has decided to give the suburb of sin a miss for the night, and tourists are low key. 

Parking spots? 

Hundreds of them.

Yet over the past couple of weeks, people have been celebrating Christmas in Darlinghurst with trees, wreaths and colourful lights - in laundromats, dress shops and private homes. I wandered through the back streets seeking out such decorations and here is a collection of photographs taken on my jaunts.

I'll be back on Monday, December 27, with a reader's ripper of a story set in 1960s Darlinghurst, so make sure you check in next week.

Have a safe and happy Christmas dear readers! 

Stars and Lights, Burton Street Laundromat, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Caldwell Street, Darlinghurst.

Lights, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Bells, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Red Christmas Tree, Forbes Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Hardie Street, Darlinghurst.

Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Kings Cross

Merry Christmas, Blossom Gardens Nursery, Burton Street, Darlinghurst.

Plastic Santa, Blue Spinach, Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

Red Door and Wreath, Womerah Avenue, Darlinghurst.

White Door and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Star and Wreath, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

Blue Lights, Surrey Street, Darlinghurst.

 Wreath, Craigend Street, Darlinghurst.

Nativity Scene, Nimrod Street, Darlinghurst.

Tinsel-Covered Bus, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.

Christmas Tree, 22 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Christmas Trees, 61 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

 Miniature Christmas Tree, 46 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay.

Lights on Frangipani Tree, 19 Roslyn Street, Elizabeth Bay

And my little tree branches!