Old Police Station, The Rocks

In the 1890s a Royal Commission was formed "to make a diligent and full inquiry with the view of ascertaining the undoubted facts in the matter of alleged illicit gambling and immoralities among the Chinese resident in George-Street North, in the said City of Sydney and neighbourhood, and the alleged bribery or misconduct of any members of the NSW Police Force in relation thereto". The commission's investigation was to take three months from the 20 August 1891, but required two extensions before a final report was given in January 1892.

The two 'illegal' forms of gambling introduced by the Chinese were fan-tan (a game of chance) and pak-ah-pu (a sort of lottery). The Commission found that:[1]

'Generally lottery tickets are sold amongst a display of bogus wares in the front shops, and fan-tan is carried on in one or more of the rooms behind. Access to the fan-tan rooms is gained as a rule through narrow passages, and then only at the pleasure of sentinels, who, according to the apparent intentions of the visitors, suspiciously open or double-bar the heavy doors with which ingress is regulated. Means of escape in case of surprise are artful and manifold, often from the same house leading into a back street, adjacent dwellings on either side, and across rear balconies and roofs to more distant houses tenanted by accomplices'.

In George Street North, the games mainly attracted wharf-labourers, sailors and coal-lumpers, and, because of the low cost, children were also buying the pak-ah-pu lottery tickets. The Commission put forward the following recommendations:[1]

For the suppression of gambling

• That Non-commissioned Officers and Senior-constables be empowered without procuring a Magistrate's warrant to enter any house suspected on being a public gambling resort.
• That persons found on premises where gambling is in progress should be liable to arrest and summary conviction.
• That where gambling implements are found on suspected premises, the occupant should thereby be rendered liable to prosecution, and the onus of proof cast upon the accused of his being there for a lawful purpose.
• That the sale and purchase of pak-ah-pu tickets be made a misdemeanour.
• That, in houses suspected as public gambling resorts, the existence of barricades against police inspection be declared unlawful.
• That the police should, by the frequent visitation of gaming-houses, in addition to organised raids, harass those who make a living by gambling, or who gamble for amusement, as much as possible, without neglecting their duty in other directions.

For the suppression of opium smoking

• A stricter enforcement of the law relating to the sale and distribution of opium.

For improvement in the sanitary condition of Chinese residences

• A Common Lodging House Act, compelling the keepers of lodging-houses of all descriptions to provide adequate accommodation (cubic space, ventilation, water-closets, etc.).
• That Parliament should give its favourable consideration to the new Bill for the better government of the City of Sydney, now in course of preparation by the City Council

There were also many allegations against policemen taking bribes from the Chinese gamblers to turn a blind eye on the illegal gaming rooms. Some allegations, 'As reported in the press some of the statements volunteered by the deputation and the Members of Parliament who introduced them to the Colonial Secretary were:[1]

'It would be most advisable to change the police. North George-street was regarded by the police as one of the best beats for making money.'

However, the Commission found that the witnesses bringing bribery charges against the police could not substantiate their claims without exception they had based their statements on mere suspicion, or upon allegations that had come to them second-hand. For the most part the evidence was hopelessly general. Indeed, so far as the more serious allegations made by the deputation to the Colonial Secretary were concerned, the witnesses against the police had so utterly failed to establish their case that the police were examined, and severely cross-examined, on the charges of bribery with a view to seeing if, by any chance, they would implicate themselves; and that they certainly did not. In general, the Commission emphatically discredited the charges of bribery against the police and rejected the charge of alleged inactivity by the police towards the Chinese gambling problem.[1]

The site was purchased from a Mr Billyard by the NSW Department of Public Works as a site for a watch house late in 1879. Additional land between the George Street North site and the Harrington Street site was later resumed. An outbreak of the Bubonic plague occurred in Sydney in 1900. The Government began resuming private property in The Rocks and demolishing large amounts of housing. Commercial properties were leased back to their former owners. The Rocks Resumption Board and the Sydney Harbour Trust also widened streets and redeveloped the waterfront in an effort to clean up the city.[1]

Tenders were called for the erection of the Police Station on 10 May 1881. The successful tenderer was W Cain and Sons. They were informed of the acceptance in June 1881 and the building was completed in 1882 and occupied by police in 1883. It is now one of only two nineteenth century police stations in the inner city area. The Government Architect, James Barnet, designed the building in the form of a Palladian Water Gate. This was a structure where boats could discharge passengers with comfort and dry feet, and was considered as a "curious conceit for a police station". Barnet was influenced by a quay-side Lower George Street site.[1]

Above the lofty entrance arch to the Police Station are Queen Victoria's initials with a lion's head, the symbol of British justice, with a policeman's truncheon in its mouth. The message of the head and truncheon is clear: Uphold the law, or else. . . They are representative of the very visual and conscious representation of government authority Barnet imbued in the design of his government buildings. These buildings were also a reflection of a type of conservatism in Barnet's attitude towards authority through the use of symbolism in carvings and an imposing, classic, style and form that reflected the authority of the function of the building.[1]

The history of the head and truncheon are a constant source of interest. Folk legends abound. Historic sources indicate that the existing truncheon is the original. Other sources relate that in 1982 the truncheon was stolen, and a similar truncheon was created for a replacement. The original truncheon was made from an unknown material, and it has been suggested that the truncheon was originally bronze. The truncheon has been replaced twice between 1995 and 2000. The truncheon is currently a hardwood, and is now located in the lion's mouth facing in the opposite direction to the original.[1]

When Barnet retired, he listed among his works 155 police stations. In all, he produced over 1350 works. Early on he established general plans for building types. That is, there was a standard style for post offices, a style for courthouses and so on. Police Stations have received limited attention in studies of Barnet and his work. In one recent study of Barnet's work the only police station listed among Barnet's significant works is the former Police Station at The Rocks. The General Post Office, the Lands Department and the Australian Museum together with court houses, hospitals and post offices generally have received greater attention. This is perhaps because police stations were often a part of courthouses, broader law and justice complexes or combined with policeman's residences. This is evident in the NSW Police Service S170 register. The police stations are within the grand courthouses or the smaller bungalow and other residential style buildings where the local policeman also lived. There are some identifiable police stations by Barnet that stand alone as does the station at 127-29 George Street. This includes the Glebe Police Station. However it, as with others, were designed with nearby courts or other precincts in mind and followed the general type-specific patterns characteristic of Barnet's designs.[1]

Modifications to the building have been minor only. In 1900 a further two cell rooms were added. In 1921 a roof was erected over the exercise yard. In 1923 electric light was installed. The meal room was extended in 1957. The floor of the exercise yard has been raised. In 1937 additions to the first floor balconies were drawn up, for timber windows to be inserted into the balcony openings to George Street, and new flooring across from balcony floor to balcony floor to create a complete balcony at upper level over the portico. The unsympathetic windows which were inserted into the façade at the upper level balconies appear in a photo from 1970. These were removed and the original openings restored in the 1970s alterations.[1]

The police station ceased to operate as such on 2 November 1974, the building was transferred to the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority (SCRA) and was later opened as the Australian Craftworks Gallery. The SCRA (subsequently the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA)) was established in the late 1960s by the State Government with the aim of redeveloping the entire Rocks area. Initial schemes for complete demolition of all the buildings within The Rocks and erection of a series of towers were received with considerable public opposition, and re-development projects were halted by Green Bans imposed by the building worker's unions. The main focus of the work undertaken by the SCRA in the 1970s was the adaptive re-use of buildings such as the subject place and the Argyle Centre.[1]

During 1977 the front balconies were restored by the SCRA, which also provided the toilets on the first floor. The following year the raised exercise yard and part of the old covered yard were removed to make way for the Nurses Walk. Restoration work then proceeded, the work included the copper roof and the yard, cleaning of walls, stone paving and the steel fence to the present-day remains of the exercise yard.[1]

The building is currently occupied by Christie's, the Craftworks Gallery having vacated the building in 2003. The building is intact and in good condition. The building remained under the control of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, that promoted the conservation of significant items and buildings, such as the subject place, following established conservation principles and methodology.[2][1]

As at 27 April 2001, while the building is in overall good condition, there is some damage/deterioration of the sandstone due to poor drainage and related issues. The interior whilst largely intact, requires some maintenance. The impact of modern fittings and fixtures such as the fairy lights, and shop display fittings may require review as part of future management of the building. The modified central entry, while intrusive, is reversible and the long-term management of the building should seek to reinstate original form and detail.[1]

Archaeology Assessment Condition: Partly disturbed. Assessment Basis: Floors level with George Street, and terraced up to former level of Nurses Walk.[1]

• 1900 – Two cells added to the police station building
• 1921 – Roof erected over the exercise yard.
• 1923 – Electric light installed
• 1937 – Plans drawn up to convert first floor balconies into one balcony involving the removal of the internal wall balustrading, insertion of windows on the front façade and construction of timber floor between the two existing balconies.
• 1957 – Meal room extended.
• 1974 – Police vacated building
• 1977 – Verandah restored and façade cleaned. Toilets constructed on the first floor of the building. Part of the exercise yard and the old covered yard were demolished to make way for the Nurses Walk to the rear (west) of the police station building.
• 1980 – Entered in Register of Australian Heritage Commission. Commenced use as a craft centre.
• 1981 – Cast iron vents and door knob restored. Stone steps (front) reconstructed.
• 2003 – Australian Craftworks Gallery vacated the building, Christies moved in.[1]
• 2019 – Sergeant Lok, a Modern Asian restaurant and bar, took residency in the building.

• "Police Station (former), 127-129 George St, The Rocks, NSW, Australia (Place ID 2138)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 March 1978. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
• Maitland, Neil Colin (1983). George Street, The Rocks: A Streetscape Conservation Study.
• Sydney Cove Authority (SCA) (1998). SCA Register 1979-1998.
• Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority (SCRA) (1980). Building Data Sheet, HP/06, Section Survey.
• Tropman & Tropman Architects (2004). Police Station (former) Conservation Management Plan.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Police Station (former) - Australian Craftworks Gallery, entry number 1571 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on {{{accessdate}}}.