Hotels and Tea Rooms, George and Liverpool Streets

This photo is looking south down George Street at the corner of Liverpool Street. It was taken around 1910 because there are no pylons running down the center of George Street. These were removed in 1908 to allow for wider bodied trams to move down the street.

It also gives us an idea of how dynamic the changes were in Sydney at this time. Only a decade before the block of shops at center left of the photograph, starting with the ominous number 666 George Street were all demolished. In their place stands the huge new ‘Anthony Hordern’s Palace Emporium’. Now the entire block is occupied by the World Square complex. Horden’s Palace Emporium was built after their original Emporium burnt to ground in huge fire in 1901. At least one person who died in the fire was forced to jump as there were no fire escapes in the building.

The number of pubs in Sydney from its earliest days is legendary. In this detail of the photo we can see, just across the road form the Sir John Young Hotel (which now has an awning), the Court House Hotel and next to it Lynch’s’ Hotel. And yes, next to this wis the “McEnery’s Teas Rooms”. In stark contrast to today’s hustle and bustle we can see a policemen giving direction to a passer-by while standing in the middle of the street.

In the final detail we can see just up from the corner a lamppost wit the sign ‘Wait For Trams Here’. Crouched behind this is a shoe-shine man, waiting to take advantage of people people slowing down for long enough to queue for their tram.

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