The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.
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Macdermott, Henry
Arriving as a soldier with the 39th Regiment in 1827, Henry Macdermott decided to stay, and built a business and a reputation as a radical politician.
State Theatre
The State Theatre was built at the height of cinema-going in Australia, just before the 1930s Depression. It was designed to seat nearly 3,000, with room for an orchestra and a Wurlitzer organ.
Fisher, Henry
A settler who made a success in business, Henry Fisher also dabbled in local politics.
Excerpt of oral history interview with Jane Lanyon about life as a child in the inner city during the Depression, by historian Sue Rosen at Redfern, 19 November 1994
Jane Lanyon was born in 1920 in Chippendale and moved to nearby Redfern when she was six. In her interview she recalls many facets of her childhood: local industry, poverty, midnight ‘flits’ to avoid the landlord, and many other survival strategies. In the excerpt below she…
Forest Lodge
The inner-west suburb of Forest Lodge was named after a Regency villa built there in 1836, and has seen many changes since its days as an arcadian retreat. The strong working class culture that shaped Forest Lodge for most of the 19th and 20th centuries has given way as new …
Martin Place
A pedestrian street created in stages from the 1980s to the 1970s, Martin Place has been called the heart of the city.
The Bridge Street Affray
On 2 February 1894 three men attempted to rob the offices of the Union Steamship Company on Bridge Street in the city. Several police constables were brutally attacked and injured when they confronted the thieves. Officers of the New South Wales Police have carried firearms…