A repository of photographs of leadlight in homes in the Inner Western Suburbs of Sydney.
HABERFIELD
Ramsay Street
Main Period: Federation - Interwar
Leadlight apparent at No’s 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 22, 24, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 48, 57, 58, 59, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 93, 110, 120, 170, 205 & 207.
Ramsay Street runs through the centre of Haberfield. It is a busy road in peak hours and it is probably the only view most people would have of Haberfield. It was marked as a thoroughfare in the 1885 map where it is shown running between Long Cove Creek (now Hawthorne Canal) and Iron Cove Creek.
Nothing typifies the zeal of Federation more that the kangaroo and emu of the coat of arms displayed in masonry of the terrace frontages at No's 146 & 148 and 150 & 152, complete with the words 'Advance Australia'.
The first subdivision appears to have occurred not long after the land was sold by Louisa Ramsay in 1885 when it was then sold as part of the Dobroyd Estate Ashfield. Then there were the several Stanton subdivisions of the Haberfield estate between 1903 & 1907 which gave the street its distinctly Federation feel. Two subdivisions of the Northcote Estate Dobroyd and the Dobroyd Estate No2 in 1905 and 1908 respectively sold lots at the western end of Ramsay Street. By 1908 the western end of Haberfield was described as 'Haberfield Heights'.
Almost 80% of the houses in Ramsay Street have leadlight in the entrance either in the door panel, sidelights or in the fanlight or, in a small in a small number, all of them. Even fewer houses have leadlight in casement windows. T
here are some notable examples of Federation and Californian Bungalow leadlight in Ramsay Street. No 14 has two rare intersecting bull's eyes while No 58 has an even rarer 'curved' triangular bull's eye!. The entrance leadlight at No's 34, 48, 71, 81, 205 and 207 is well worth a look as is the leadlight and the unusual tapered joinery at No 36.
The Northcote Estate of 1905 did not have any frontages on the western end of Ramsay Street,
The last lots between Alt and Wattle Streets were auctioned in 1908 and some of these no longer exist because of theM4 extension.
Ramsay Street is shown in the 1885 map of the land owned by Louisa Ramsay.
Lots at the southwestern end of Ramsay Street between The Avenue (Walker) and Tenandra (Alt) were auctioned in 1885.
The St David's Estate, Part of Stanton's Haberfield Estate with lots on the southern side of Ramsay Street (1903).
Stanton's 2nd Subdivision and the very eastern end of Ramsay Street (1903).
Very few lots actually faced Ramsay Street in Stanton's 3rd Subdivision.
Lots on Ramsay Street between Dalhousie and Empire Streets were auctioned by the Haymarket Permanent, Land and Investment Company in 1905.
Lots on Ramsay Street between Alt and across Wattle Street were also auctioned by the Haymarket Permanent, Land and Investment Company in 1905. Some of these no longer exist because of theM4 extension.
Ramsay Street
No 1 is a Federation house (c.1905) with leadlight in the front door panels and in the fanlights. The design is very geometric showing a strong Victorian aesthetic and may be a later addition, but a very good one.
Photo taken at night by Clare Herscovitch