Drain games
The Terrace Detective
Readers, a brief note. Unlike previous editions of the Terrace Detective, which have focused on terrace names, this instalment will look at one of the more prosaic elements of our streetscape: the heritage drain covers of Paddington.
You may ask, “How did inspiration for this column strike?” Well, like many Paddingtonians, the Terrace Detective enjoys pedestrianating around our fine streets. Armed with a keen eye for detail, I noticed something glinting at me in the sunshine during one of my daily constitutionals during lockdown. It was my first heritage drain cover. It simply said: Clement & Boyle – Drainers – Paddington. I was hooked.
My walks began to look as if they were inspired by the Leonardo DiCaprio film, Don’t Look Up, as I strolled the suburb with my eyes scanning the ground. A century ago, drain covers would have been everywhere and it appears the drainers of the late-19th century used the covers as a source of advertising.
Sadly, as footpaths and roads have been re-laid over the years, the old covers have been replaced with the blank generic metal and (gasp) plastic covers. I had a hunch we would find some more and I’ve managed to uncover six different drain cover examples — all more than 100 years old — but there may be more I’ve yet to find.
Given this is a local history column and not a letter from the Footpath Appreciation Society, we will still call on the local historians' toolkit — the trusty Sands Postal Directory (available online via City of Sydney archives) as well as the National Library of Australia’s Trove website, to see if we can learn more about our earliest drainers. Here’s what and who I have discovered.
Clement & Boyle
I’ve encountered only a single example of the Clement & Boyle cover, on Glenmore Rd. I decided to search this name on Trove, which is great for dating old properties, businesses and people. The earliest hit is in 1884 from an Australian Gaslight Company advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald which lists all Sydney’s licensed gas fitters. The final mention, in 1893, comes from a bankruptcy trustee notice. So Clement & Boyle were in business for around a decade all up. Those dates suggest the Glenmore Rd drain cover is at least 129 years old.
As well as those mentions there are a couple of other advertisements for Clement & Boyle. In a listing of 1889, the business was seeking a 'Smart LAD, for plumbing' and helpfully gave the address as 116 Oxford St. Cross checking with Sands of 1890 shows them between Hopewell St and Glenmore Rd. In the 1890s, that section of Oxford St housed a baker, a watchmaker, a bootmaker, the plumber, a newsagent and a tobacconist. Today it is mostly fashion shops — although Nash Timbers now occupies No. 116.
R Lee
An R. Lee – Plumber – 53 Williams St cover can be found on Ormond St near Glenmore Rd. This is a square drain cover that helpfully lists Mr Lee’s address. We can use Sands to put a date range on this cover. But I was drawing blanks on a connection to Paddington’s William St when I suddenly wondered if this was actually William St, Sydney, or more precisely Woolloomooloo. Currently, QCC Hospitality Supplies is at 53 William St and when I went to the City section of the Sands? A hit. In 1888, Robert Lee, ‘Plumber and Gasfitter’ is at 53-55 William St (along with his spouse M. Lee, a dressmaker). He stayed there until 1907, so this cover is at least 115 years old.
J Aitken
I’ve seen two instances of the J Aitken – Licensed Drainer – Paddington cover, one on Hargrave St and another on Cascade St. Trove delivers here, bringing up an article in the Herald from 1884 that reports on a Paddington council meeting where it was noted that council had paid 29 pounds 10 shillings to John Aitken to install a pipe drain on Cascade St. The only Paddington resident I can find around this time with the same name listed their profession as a slater in Sands — they were living or trading from 6 Hopewell St. Again, it might not be the same person but another John Aitken becomes the council’s overseer of works and 'Inspector of Nuisances' (aka sanitation officer) from 1892 to 1902.
T Smith
Walking down the north side of Windsor St you will come across the T Smith – Plumber – 92 Oxford St – Paddington cover. Mr Smith was clever to put his address on the cover. Not only could potential customers locate his shop but so can the Terrace Detective. Turns out this wasn’t to be as easy as I first thought. I jumped into Trove to help narrow down the date range. There were a lot of hits for 92 Oxford St because the proprietor of the ELRAES Freckle Lotion ('freckles cured in three weeks') was at 92 Oxford St for many years — and they advertised, a lot. There was a single hit in 1888 for a 'Plumber’s Improver wanted' by a Smith of 92 Oxford St. I was unable to cross reference this to the Sands as throughout the 1880s a Matilda Caird (dressmaker) was the primary listed occupant. However, with notices of a large workshop to let at the same address in 1885 it is possible they were co-located.
JB Simpson
Slightly worn but still readable you’ll find the JB Simpson – Plumber – Oxford St cover on Underwood St near the London Hotel. I tried Trove first just to see if I could narrow the date range to search. Bingo. The Herald of October 24, 1888, reports the Paddington council has given J. B. Simpson a contract for 'laying on water to gully shafts', for 38 pounds. With this I went to the 1887 Sands and there he was at 100 Oxford St, just west of the Unicorn Hotel (which is still there). He was there until 1891 which makes this cover more than 130 years old.
Martin Durham
Closer to Five Ways on the southern side of Glenmore Rd you will find this little cover for Martin Durham – Drainer – Harris St. This looks like an out-of-towner and my first check of the Sands in 1887 proves this correct, with a Martin Durham on Harris St in Ultimo (then only just considered the City). He was located between Thomas St and George St — which today would put his premises in the ABC headquarters (and Thomas St no longer runs through to Harris St). His last Sands appearance is 1891, so just like Mr Simpson’s, this cover is more than 130 years old.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading a little about the early infrastructure development of the suburb. Someone tell the council to crack out the heritage listings for these remaining covers.
For those wondering whether they could get their own piece of drainage memorabilia, you are in luck. The Terrace Detective, in association with a local bronze foundry, is teaming up to make a limited run of replicas that we plan to sell at Journals as paperweights. We’ll let you know when they are available, though our weekly newsletter The Paddo Papers.
And just in case anyone is keeping score, that is another case closed.