Have a photo...

I was going to do a post today, but Trove is down so that's that.

Have a photo instead :)

It's a clue about the next post...

If you guess what the building is, make a comment. There's no prize for a correct guess, sorry, but there's no penalty for an incorrect guess, so that's nice. :)

PS: Suggestions

If you have any more suggestions, let me know! You're welcome to comment as 'Anonymous' but you can leave a first name if you want, just so I don't have to keep writing 'the person who suggested...'! Thanks! :)

Little House on Payneham Road

A few weeks ago, someone commented on this post that they wanted to know what the building at these coordinates [34.9152263 S , 138.62305790000005 E] was. I haven't had time to visit in person, but I looked it up on Google Maps and I could just make out some words at the top:

Heating and Water Systems Installed / Gasfitter and Drainage Contractor

The person who commented thought it might have been a general store or even the remains of an old mortuary. No such luck, I'm afraid.

I looked it up in Sands & McDougall's South Australian Directory. The earliest ones were a little too vague to be particularly helpful, so I started with 1901. There weren't many buildings on Payneham Road between Baliol Street and Marlborough Street and I'm as sure as I can be that it was...a plumber's and gas fitter's shop!

In 1901, David Bell - plumber and gas fitter - was listed as living there. In 1918, he was still there and it was now known as '13 Payneham Road'. By 1946, David Bell, plumber, lived at 15 Payneham Road and 13 Payneham Road was the Central Provision Store (but I think the street numbers must have changed...or he could've moved next-door). 

I then went back to 1891 and there were only five listings for Payneham Road between Baliol and Marlborough Streets, and none of these were for gas fitters or plumbers. There was a boot maker, a woodyard, a storekeeper, the East Adelaide Timber Company and Mrs. John Penaluna - who actually lived there until at least the 1940s. 

So, there you are. Not a mortuary, although it might have been a general store but it was most probably a plumber and gas fitter's shop. Of course, there could have been a mortuary on the site in the 19th century; I'll have to do more research before I can totally rule that out.

If you want to look at Sands & McDougall's (and, I mean, who doesn't?! Actually, no, it really is quite interesting!), the State Library has a few of them in their Family History collection. 

I found the Ship Inn!

I found the Ship Inn…

Remember Sophia? She was the one who gave birth in a hen house in a garden on Currie Street. Earlier in the morning, she'd had a nobbler of brandy at the Ship Inn and the hen house was next door. I had never heard of the Ship Inn before learning about Sophia. It wasn’t the name of any pub I knew in Adelaide. I looked on the digitised newspapers, but ‘Ship Inn’ disappears soon after Sophia’s time and I couldn’t find anything else. Until I found this.

It's a bit small, but part of it says: "Going through Light Square, which at this time [1860s] was occupied by fallen women, we pass a number of cottages until we arrive at The Ship Inn, now the Bedford. A little farther on were a number of cottages and a large block of land, and so we come to Gray street." The author clearly ignored North Street, or it didn't exist at the time. 

This article popped up when I searched for ‘Currie Street’ (I guess ‘Ship Inn’ didn’t read well on their search engine). So, by World War I, it had been renamed the ‘Bedford’. So, I did another search for Bedford Hotel, Currie Street and found a photo from 1891, some ten years after Sophia’s time. I won’t post the photo here, as it’s under copyright and I don’t want to get in trouble(!), but the link is here [opens in a new window] if you want to look at it yourself. I think it looks quite nice. The caption underneath reads: “Currie Street, north side, right side of the Bedford Hotel is 2 yards west of Elizabeth Street and frontage is 15.5 yards”.

Two yards west of Elizabeth Street (estimated, of course. I didn’t bring a ruler with me) is now…not a hotel. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a photo because the building is being renovated and there were fences up. I did get a photo of the side of the building, though. The wall is made of stone and looks old - who knows what it could tell us if it could talk?!

Mrs. Gearing, the woman whose hen house Sophia gave birth in, lived next to the Ship Inn. I found this carpark on Elizabeth Street – maybe this was where Sophia’s baby was born? Maybe not? If Mrs. Gearing lived on the other side of the Ship Inn, Sophia might have given birth in this carpark. 

All I can say is there’s a lot more than meets the eye. There are buildings in Adelaide that look old and look like they could tell a lot of stories, but this one – at first glance – is not one of them.

When the weather is a little nicer, I'm going to explore more of the west end and take lots more photos. Until then, have a photo of Light Square...just because. [You can see how dark and miserable it was - this is the middle of the day!]

Suggestions, anyone?

Hey all,
I haven't posted anything for a while - I've got a couple of ideas in the pipeline, but they're going to take a while so I apologise.
In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should write here - or what you want to read/see here on the blog - I'm open to them! I'll research/write anything, as long as it's SA-based. Please comment below if you have any ideas.
Thank you!

Ursula

I’ve been trying to think of something nice to write on the blog, and this is as close as I’ve got so far. It’s still keeping to the generally sad theme of the blog, but with a little twist.

In the early 20^th century, the Destitute Asylum housed two groups of people – young (generally unmarried) mothers and elderly people. There was one exception – Ursula Curran, aged 18.

Ursula Curran was born at the Destitute Asylum in 1886. Her mother, Mary, was unmarried. On 25 April 1887, Mary was brought before the Magistrates’ Court and fined 10s for drunkenness. She appeared in court with a babe-in-arms, Ursula, who was deemed neglected and sentenced to the Industrial School until she reached eighteen. Mary was not unknown to the Magistrates and had spent a month in gaol whilst pregnant with Ursula for stealing.  

On 19 September 1904, an article appeared in The Advertiser:

A LEGLESS GIRL IN DISTRESS

A girl who has lost both legs is at present residing at the Destitute Asylum, and her case is a sad one. The unfortunate girl is Ursula Curran, aged 18. She had been under the care of the State Children’s Department since infancy, and as she could not be boarded out to domestic service in the ordinary way, she was passed over to the care of the Destitute Asylum, where she will remain for the rest of her days unless some charitably-disposed persons come to her assistance. When the girl lost her legs, through disease rendering amputation imperative, she was 11 years of age, and lately wooden legs have been supplied to her. As these are jointless she cannot get about with any degree of comfort. It has been suggested that a fund might be raised to provide her with jointed artificial limbs, and with a sewing machine. She is fond of dewing and fancy work, and with the suggested artificial limbs, she could get about fairly well, and could do light housework. Possibly some kindly-disposed household might find room for her if she were provided with the conveniences mentioned. It seems hard that a bright young girl should be compelled to consort with very old people for the rest of her life when a few pounds would assist her to leave the Destitute Asylum. Subscriptions sent to The Advertiser office will be acknowledged.

The Advertiser aimed to raise £40 for the Ursula Curran Fund, which was meant to cover the cost of her artificial legs, a sewing machine and a new outfit. “When these objects are attained steps will be taken by The Advertiser to secure a comfortable home, where Miss Curran could reside and provide for her maintenance by doing the family sewing.” Within a week, F. Dietrich provided Ursula with a set of artificial legs at cost and gave his profit to the Fund. The following day, a representative of The Advertiser went to Mr. Hugo Wertheim’s sewing machine and piano establishment to enquire into costs for a sewing machine. The manager, Mr. Phillips, “without a moment’s hesitation”, donated a latest model Wertheim machine in an act of “spontaneous charity”.

One other particularly sweet donation was from ‘Jessie’ of Modbury. She wrote: “To the Editor.

“Sir – Please, I am forwarding to you 10/ that I have collected to help our poor crippled friend, Ursula Curran. I hoped to have got more, but I am not old enough to go far, as I am only 10 years, but I think all us little ones who have two legs ought to help a poor girl who has none. I am, &c.

“Your little sympathiser, Jessie. Modbury. October 4, 1904.”

A ‘comfortable home’ for Ursula was organised by Archbishop O’Reily and she left the Destitute Asylum on 8 October 1904. An Advertiser representative drove her to her new home in the suburbs. At the time, the Fund had raised £28, 2/9. Leaving the Destitute Asylum, Ursula said: This is the happiest day of my life. I shall never be able sufficiently to thank those who have helped me leave the Destitute Asylum. I should not like to live there all my life.

Concerts and school fundraising events were held to raise money for Ursula and by March 1905, the Fund had raised 62 8/11 and a Savings Bank account was made in Ursula’s name with 40 17/11 (the other money being used to buy her clothes).

Fourteen years later, in January 1919, another Ursula Curran Fund was established to replace her artificial limbs as the ones she was using at the time were too heavy and hurt her shoulders (I assume she had to use crutches). It was instigated by Bertha Owen, late matron of the Convalescent Hospital, Semaphore. They needed 40 for the new limbs and the amount was raised by March 1919. The new limbs were made by Mr. Ferris of Gouger Street.

And that’s all I know about Ursula. In 1919, she was thirty-three years old. I haven’t been able to find a death notice for her, so she could have lived beyond 1954 (the latest the newspapers are available online). Her story is by no means happy, but I think it’s rather sweet how many people helped her to live her own life away from the Asylum.

The Advertiser, 29 January 1885 – 10 March 1919

Off-topic: Queen Victoria's Journals

For Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee, Queen Victoria's journals have become available online through the Royal Archives. You can view them for free for a short time (I'm not sure how long) and if you have a  couple of spare hours, I recommend a viewing. They can be found here.

South Australia was founded just before the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign. The first British settlers of South Australia arrived in late 1836 and Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in June 1837.
Adelaide was named after her aunt, Queen Adelaide (Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen - like most of Queen Victoria's family, she was German), and King William Street was named after the reigning monarch at the time, Queen Victoria's uncle, King William IV. Victoria Square was named when she was still Princess Victoria. **Did you know: the streets in Adelaide change names when they hit King William Street because they were all named after commoners and a commoner cannot cross the path a monarch. So Currie Street becomes Grenfell Street, Hindley becomes Rundle etc. I can only guess that Victoria Square is in the centre because she and King William were both royal.**

King William IV had a mistress, Dorothea Jordan, with whom he had ten children, but none of them could be king or queen as they were illegitimate. Just imagine if he had married his mistress, Adelaide could have been called 'Dorothea'!! Dorothea, South Australia just doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?