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Statue of Captain Cook standing in front of Captain Thomas Watson's home at Randwick c1880

From the collections of the
State Library of New South Wales
[a325057 / SPF/1057]
(Mitchell Library)

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Randwick
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Residential building Sculpture
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Cook, James
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Randwick
Buildings
Star and Garter Inn Randwick
Artefacts
Captain Cook Statue Randwick

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State Library of New South Wales

Randwick

The City of Randwick in south-eastern Sydney is located on land that was once swamps and heath vegetation. Home to local Aboriginal people for thousands of years, the area remained relatively isolated to Europeans until the mid nineteenth century when Randwick village began to take shape. Little remains of this English-style village with development in post-war years dramatically changing the suburb.

Residential building

Sculpture

Cook, James

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Navigator who led the first European expedition to visit Botany Bay in 1770, after observing the transit of Venus near Tahiti.

Randwick

South-eastern, primarily residential suburb. Named after the home town of Simeon Pearce in Gloucestershire, England, it is the location of the Randwick Racecourse and Prince of Wales Hospital.

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Star and Garter Inn Randwick

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One of the earliest hotels in Randwick, the former Star and Garter Inn building became known for its distinctive castellated sandstone tower. Built at the corner of Avoca Street and Belmore Road by the alderman, William Ellis, it was then acquired by Captain Thomas Watson, a Sydney Harbour pilot who added the tower in the 1870s to enable views to Botany Bay. He named his home 'Cook's Lodge'. After his death, it became a private girls' school until the Hannan family purchased it in 1897 and operated a butchery until 1985. The building was extensively refurbished in 1987 and it now operates as a pub.

Captain Cook Statue Randwick

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Statue of Captain James Cook RN that stands on the corner of Avoca and Belmore Streets, Randwick. Probably the first statue of James Cook to be erected in Australia, it was made by sculptor Walter McGill who was commissioned by Captain Thomas Watson to create the work in 1874 for a fee of 700 pounds. Carved from sandstone from Pyrmont, it stands at about 12 feet high, on a pedestal of simlar size. It was erected in front of Watson's residence, the former Star and Garter Inn, facing Botany Bay, the location of Cook's landing in 1770, and unveiled on 27 October 1874.