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lumber yard by Messrs. Talbot for seven or eight years. Had I not done my duty to the city it would have been a lumber yard still, and the public deprived of a very convenient thoroughfare. Lawsuits followed, and obstacles were thrown in the way, but all the difficulties have at length been removed. I have the pleasure of declaring 'Moore's Stairs' opened for traffic.
162:. The whole design was to be supported on sandstone arches and in an area 20 feet wide. A building contract was drawn up and signed in March 1867. However, a land ownership claim was raised by the Mr. Talbot, owner of the Talbot Stores buildings on either side. The dispute was resolved in January 1868 with the
173:, known as Melbourne bluestone, which was more hard-wearing than the soft Sydney sandstone. The stairs today are this second design–consisting of a single straight flight with an intermediate landing–although they have undergone several restorations and the width of the space either side has been increased.
194:
In order that what I say may not be misunderstood, or inadvertently misrepresented, I have written down what I propose to say in opening these stairs. In July 1866, the ground on which these stairs are erected was pointed out to me as public property. It was then fenced in, and had been used as a
552:
426:, City of Sydney Archives, 2496/73; "Moore Stairs, East Circular Quay; proposal for Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Society Ltd to cooperate in suggested restoration", City of Sydney Archives, 1377/70. Cited in Preston, Jennifer (2018).
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538:
141:
and the quay had "been the subject of loud complaint" for a number of years. The first design for the stairs, in a drawing by the City
Engineer Edward Bell in 1866, shows a single flight of "bottom block
422:"Moore stairs & Circular Quay East. Repair of stairway & beautification of adjoining areas. Contribution by Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Scty. Ltd. Towards cost of beautification",
146:
stones" rising to a mid-landing where the stairway divides into two and rises in separate flights to
Macquarie Street. The space between the flights held a wrought iron lamp frame and
268:. They are listed on the NSW Heritage register with the statement of significance that they provide "...a thin vista of Circular Quay in an otherwise impenetrable wall of buildings."
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208:(also named in his honour). The events were reported seriously, and satirically, in the local papers. Both the stairs, and the park, are now commonly known as Moore, not Moore
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was responsible for the stairs' maintenance. They received various official complaints about the need for cleaning, barricading against
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were installed, and eventually, removed – after neighbour and former litigant Mr. Talbot complained they were a "criminal nuisance".
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494:"Letter: Circular Quay, complain of the stench from the closets & urinals under Moore's Steps and ask that they be removed"
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and other dignitaries, the public stars were officially opened at half-past twelve on
Wednesday, 9 September 1868 by the Mayor
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for the queen and three for the Mayor. The party then departed to a ceremonial planting of trees in
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A bottle was thereupon smashed by the Mayor "in the most approved orthodox manner", followed by
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An alternate design was then drawn up and again signed by Bell, with the material changing to a
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proclaimed the land as being "...dedicated to the public as a thoroughfare and footway".
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buildings – 3-7 Macquarie Street, and 61 Macquarie Street – directly opposite the
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252:(2011). The Moore Stairs are visible between the central and right buildings.
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The stairs remain today, delineating the boundary between two of the
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This
Knowledge (XXG) article is substantially built upon the essay "
409:
Edward Bell, Plan of Steps (Macquarie St. North), 15 December 1866,
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20:
356:
New South Wales
Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832–1900)
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383:"Opening of Moore's Stairs—Planting of Trees at Moore's Park"
16:
Heritage-listed flight of stairs in Sydney, Australia
228:, and for the removal of refuse. Under the archways
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By the 1860s, the difficulty of getting between the
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413:, E3-51/2. Cited in Preston, Jennifer (2018).
86:notice of the reserving of the land as a public
65:, they were named in honour of the city's mayor
527:. Imported to Knowledge (XXG) on 19 April 2021.
519:" (2018) written by Dr Jennifer Preston in the
191:
546:
8:
908:Royal Automobile Club of Australia building
1275:Little Hunter and Hamilton Street Precinct
553:
539:
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125:and the stairs visible between them, 1890.
346:
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592:Clarence Street Police Station (former)
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220:Having completed its construction, the
1250:Other significant historical features
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375:
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7:
1033:Churches and other places of worship
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311:
309:
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158:blocks and topped with a half-round
61:, Australia. Constructed in 1868 of
1194:Cultural institutions and parklands
647:Health Department building (former)
878:Perpetual Trustee Company building
108:. Unveiled on September 9th, 1868.
14:
818:Hawken and Vance Produce Exchange
707:Sydney Water Head Office (former)
264:and aligned with the ends of the
1326:Sydney central business district
602:Department of Education Building
562:Sydney central business district
115:
97:
76:
492:Talbot & Son (April 1872).
1236:Sydney Conservatorium of Music
1185:Railway Square road overbridge
953:Sydney School of Arts building
748:Bathurst Street (Nos. 107–109)
445:. 19 September 1868. p. 2
391:. 10 September 1868. p. 5
1:
873:New South Wales Club building
778:Erskine Street Police Station
358:. 10 January 1868. p. 76
285:"Moore Stairs | Heritage NSW"
1170:Martin Place railway station
667:Registrar-General's building
607:Department of Lands Building
181:In the presence of the city
918:State Savings Bank building
473:. 2 October 1872. p. 3
266:Circular Quay ferry wharves
248:East Circular Quay and the
1342:
1065:Pitt Street Uniting Church
712:Treasury building (former)
587:Chief Secretary's Building
465:"SYDNEY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL"
352:"Thoroughfare and Footway"
318:Preston, Jennifer (2018).
289:www.environment.nsw.gov.au
262:Museum of Contemporary Art
150:. All three flights had a
1216:Justice and Police Museum
1045:Christ Church St Laurence
973:Trickett's Hotel (former)
753:Bulletin Place warehouses
582:Central Local Court House
437:"Opening of Moore Stairs"
388:The Sydney Morning Herald
1316:Macquarie Street, Sydney
1285:Sharpies Golf House Sign
1257:Darling Harbour Carousel
1165:St James railway station
1153:Transport infrastructure
662:Parliament House, Sydney
222:Sydney Municipal Council
1160:Central railway station
1019:Phillip Street Terraces
898:Queen Victoria Building
498:City of Sydney Archives
424:Stephenson & Turner
1175:Museum railway station
617:First Government House
564:historical attractions
324:dictionaryofsydney.org
253:
198:
84:NSW Government Gazette
26:
1040:St Andrew's Cathedral
1024:Young Street Terraces
1007:Residential buildings
838:John Bridge Woolstore
676:Supreme Court of NSW
642:Haymarket Post Office
470:Sydney Morning Herald
247:
69:, and remain in use.
24:
1226:Royal Botanic Garden
1221:Macquarie Place Park
758:Burns Philp building
721:Commercial buildings
672:State Library of NSW
570:Government buildings
521:Dictionary of Sydney
328:Dictionary of Sydney
258:Bennelong Apartments
250:Bennelong Apartments
1070:St Stephen's Church
1060:St Mary's Cathedral
888:Public Trust Office
833:International House
622:General Post Office
523:and licensed under
133:Need for the stairs
123:Talbot's woolstores
90:on 10 January 1868.
63:Melbourne bluestone
49:which connect East
43:NSW heritage listed
25:Moore Stairs (2023)
913:Sir Stamford Hotel
652:Hyde Park Barracks
254:
164:Government Gazette
27:
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1201:Australian Museum
843:Judges House, The
690:Old Registry Wing
657:Hyde Park Obelisk
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1290:Sydney Town Hall
1055:St James' Church
858:Metters Building
823:Hinchcliff House
813:Grahame's Corner
627:Government House
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47:flight of stairs
37:) also known as
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968:Transport House
963:The Sydney Club
903:Red Cross House
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45:public access
35:Moore's Stairs
33:, (originally
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320:"Moore Steps"
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230:earth closets
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187:Charles Moore
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67:Charles Moore
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51:Circular Quay
48:
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36:
32:
23:
19:
1267:
1263:
1134:Royal George
1129:Metropolitan
1094:Bristol Arms
987:York Street
946:Nos. 163–169
936:Nos. 139–153
931:Nos. 121–127
893:Qantas House
863:MLC Building
808:GIO building
796:Nos. 348–352
768:CML building
733:APA building
635:Nos. 181–187
514:
501:. Retrieved
497:
487:
475:. Retrieved
468:
459:
447:. Retrieved
442:Sydney Punch
440:
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393:. Retrieved
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360:. Retrieved
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331:. Retrieved
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292:. Retrieved
288:
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255:
219:
209:
206:Moore's Park
202:three cheers
199:
193:
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180:
168:
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139:Tarpeian Way
136:
88:thoroughfare
38:
34:
31:Moore Stairs
30:
28:
18:
1295:Tank Stream
1104:Dundee Arms
1099:Crown (pub)
983:Wales House
958:Trades Hall
853:Liner House
702:Sydney Mint
680:Banco Court
631:Hay Street
517:Moore steps
216:Maintenance
39:Moore Steps
1310:Categories
1241:The Domain
1082:and hotels
848:Kyle House
272:References
1321:Stairways
1211:Hyde Park
1124:Hotel CBD
1119:Hollywood
738:AWA Tower
728:AMA House
1270:Memorial
1266:I – SMS
1139:Skinners
1089:Arthouse
503:23 April
477:26 April
449:23 April
395:23 April
362:22 April
333:20 April
294:20 April
183:aldermen
148:gas lamp
41:, are a
941:No. 161
801:No. 354
791:No. 343
786:No. 341
177:Opening
144:Pyrmont
1264:Sydney
1144:Sussex
1114:George
996:No. 73
991:No. 22
234:urinal
232:and a
171:basalt
160:coping
156:ashlar
59:Sydney
1268:Emden
1262:HMAS
1109:Grace
525:CC BY
53:with
1080:Pubs
505:2021
479:2021
451:2021
397:2021
364:2021
335:2021
296:2021
104:The
29:The
57:in
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372:^
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287:.
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210:'s
189:,
554:e
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540:v
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399:.
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337:.
298:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
