Heritage in Manly

People sometimes have a negative view of heritage. When a building is heritage-listed, for example, an impression can sometimes be given that this is not a good thing for the owners of the building, and that heritage-listing might prevent them from making the most of their property. It would be wrong to have only this impression of the importance of heritage. Copies are now available of a new brochure prepared for Manly Council's Heritage Committee outlining the variety of types of heritage, and giving examples of them in the Manly area. The brochure covers areas such as sporting heritage, landscape, streetscape, shops and businesses, types of religious heritage, maritime and transport heritage and more, and it is illustrated with many fine photographs from the collections of Manly Library, Manly Art Gallery and Manly, Warringah and Pittwater Historical Society. (Pictured is the tram punt at the Spit, operating in the 1930s.) You can pick up a copy of the brochure at Manly Library or Manly Council Chambers, or download a copy from our website at
http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au/Fact-Sheets.html

Carlton Street History

This image was catalogued in our collection as 'National School, Carlton Street, Manly.' However, this could not be correct, as the National School was further along Carlton Street, nearer the escarpment. We now reckon the photo shows a property named Fernleigh, which had frontages of 58 feet to North Steyne, 105 feet to Carlton Street, and 57 feet to Whistler Street. It was built in the late 1890s, and was originally the residence of a Presbyterian clergyman, Rev Fenwick.

In November 1923 the property was offered for sale. On the block of land was the old stone cottage, which consisted of five rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, with a flag floor, and shingle and iron roof. It was a desirable location and was quickly snapped up for re-development.

The site is now occupied by the attractive apartments at number 81 North Steyne.

Dating a photo

When was this photo of Manly Cove taken? There are several clues. On the right is Manly Art Gallery, opened in 1930. The boardwalk, constructed by the Port Jackson Company, was completed in December 1931. But there is no sign of the Dressing Pavilion (now the Manly Pavilion Restaurant), which was opened in June 1933. the boardwalk looks as if it might still be under construction, and there are none of the floating pontoons or slippery-dips installed yet. The likeliest date is the summer of 1931-32. The large crowd shows what an immediate draw the enclosed pool proved to be. When completed, it was widely regarded as the "finest pool in the Commonwealth."

A Lucky Find

Sometimes very short newspaper articles can convey a whole lot. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 12 August 1914: “A baby boy, about 3 months old, was found on the edge of the cliffs at Blue Fish Point, Manly, about 8pm on Monday. It was without a stitch of clothing.”
The chances of someone finding this baby on a cold winter’s night at that location must have been very slim. What became of the infant? What became of his mother? We do not know, but let’s hope his life took a turn for the better.

Balgowlah Methodists

Judith Knox has supplied this interesting photograph of the Christian Endeavour group of Balgowlah Methodist Church. The photo was taken outside the church circa 1933. Judith's mother, Edna Winterbon, is seated in the front row, to the left of the sign. At that time, the Balgowlah Girls' Grammar School met in the church, and part of their sign is just visible. Later it became the Methodist Girls' Grammar School.