industrial annandale
taylor street.
On the eastern side of Annandale, Taylor Street follows the line of Johnston Creek. As has been noted above, a large section of the street near Booth Street runs over some of the suburb’s earliest industrial heritage in the form of the Annandale clay pit and brickworks. Its southern end also bears the marks of an early stone quarry but no record of this has been found.
Its history is otherwise typical of the suburb with industrial concerns - several quite subtantial - operating from the late 19th century in close proximity to neighbouring houses.
east side.
Nos. 75-81
The north eastern portion of Taylor Street, adjacent to what is now parkland, would once have been on the bank of the creek. Behind what is now No. 75 and probably extending to the site of the public housing located at the rear the Arrow Smoking Pipe Co once had its workshop and Marshall Manufacturing Co Limited produced preserves.
No. 45 SE Cnr Booth Street
This 1920’s or 30’s shop frontage is now incorporated into the modern supermarket building on this site. It may formerly have been No. 45 Taylor Street. It has not been possible to disentangle this building’s history from that of adjoining sites in the locality.
west side.
Lots on the west side of Taylor Street, north of Booth Street, have their rear along Nelson Lane. As described above, a number of commercial concerns once operated at the rear of these lots along the lane. That description is not repeated here.
No. 34
The west side of Taylor Street south of Booth Street is dominated by two large office / residential buildings at No. 34 and Nos. 36-60 (the latter also occupying a stretch of Booth Street). Their footprints reflect the layout of several significant industrial activities formerly along this part of the street.
DW Preston established a meat works on part of the site in 1898. The meat works operated until about the late 1920’s under a variety of names including “The Union Meat Co. Ltd”.
Birch’s Condiments may have operated a factory here for a short period in the 1930’s. However by the 1940’s NSW Bolt & Engineering Pty Ltd was manufacturing bolts and nuts on the site. Frigid Cabinets made refrigerator cabinets here in the 1950’s.
Nos. 36-60 SW Cnr Booth Street
This large retail / residential development dominates the corner of Booth and Taylor Streets. A portion of it was probably first occupied by a cabinet maker in the early 1900’s. It seems to have been largely vacant, with a portion used for residential purposes, until about 1928 when several businesses established themselves here. From 1928 and into the 1930’s WH Lavender, metal workers and machine dealers and the Annandale Machinery & Metal Merchants were on the site, though a portion was still occupied by housing until the late 1940’s. By 1950 part of the site was occupied by CJ Macklin’s motor garage and repair workshop.
No. 78A
This two story building, with a facade that bears testament its industrial past, sits at the north end of the street. It may have been built by C O’Brien, a mechanical engineer. However, it was certainly occupied by the Austral Broom Co. by 1927. They remained at the site until the mid 1930’s. The business must have been a success as in the mid 1930’s they relocated to Piper Lane and then, in the 1940’s, they moved into larger premises at No. 236-238 Johnston Street.
The Taylor Street site may have been vacant for a few years after Austral Brooms left. However, by 1945 the Workman Overall Service had set up their laundry here. They remained at No. 78A into the 1950’s.