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Business operation system (BOS); Archives investigator

Related series

Fire Insurance Plans Reference Microfilm

Creating agencies

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Land use, employment and related statistical surveys

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This item is no longer under copyright in Australia and is in the public domain. It may be used freely. When using or sharing this item attribution should be given to the City of Sydney Archives.

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Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939

Description

Unique IDAS-0928Start date1st January 1916Start date qualifiercircaEnd date1st January 1940End date qualifiercircaFormatPlanDescriptionThis set of detail survey maps of Sydney in the inter-war period was prepared by the Fire Underwriters’ Association of NSW. The maps were originally produced in 1916, reprinted and extended on 1 August 1925, revised and reprinted in April 1933, and revised in July 1940. Their purpose was to record the locations and plan view of properties, together with the building materials, associated fire risks, and fire precautions. This information could then be used to assess the level of risk for a building to be insured. The maps cover the commercial heart of the City, from Circular Quay to Haymarket, and from Darling Harbour to Elizabeth Street. Additional areas included are: parts of East Sydney; blocks around Bay St Ultimo; and some high-risk industrial sites on Blackwattle Bay. The scale of the plans is 40 feet to the inch (1:480) except for the original key map which is 528 feet to the inch (1:6336). The key map includes an explanatory legend for the colours and symbols used in the maps. The maps are extensively annotated to show the names of firms occupying buildings, the businesses they conducted, and details such as positioning of stairways and street addresses. When a building was demolished, or a new building constructed, or significant changes made, amendments to the relevant map sheet were issued by the Fire Underwriters’ Association. These were intended to be cut to shape and pasted over the obsolete section of the map, to bring it up to date. Many of the original sheets in the City of Sydney Archives have these pasted updates added.
Relationship legacy dataCREATED BY: City Architect and Building Surveyors Department II AG-0016 (01/01/1937 to 01/01/1940) CREATED BY: Electricity Department AG-0084 (01/01/1916 to 01/01/1936) RELATED TO: Fire Insurance Plans Reference Microfilm AS-0931 (01/01/1916 to 01/01/1940) RELATED TO: Land use, employment and related statistical surveys AY-94 (01/01/1916 to 01/01/1940) LanguageEnglish (eng)More informationThis map appeared in the City of Sydney's 2017 exhibition "Our City - 175 Years in 175 Objects" - Item 83 - Building - Fire - Fire Underwriters' Association of NSW, Detail Survey Maps, 1916-1940 (page 103 in exhibition catalogue)

Map

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 215, 216, 217, 218

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 210, 211, 212

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 186, 187

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 185, 185a, 188

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 182, 183, 184, 193, 194

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 178, 180

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 177, 181

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 176, 204

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 173, 174

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 168, 170

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 166, 167

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 159, 160

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 158, 163

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 153, 154

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 150, 151

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 148, 149

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 146, 147

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 140, 144

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 136, 138

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 132, 133, 134, 135, 139

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 123, 124

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 122, 130

Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939: Blocks 120, 121

Box

Fire Insurance Plans - CSA025449

Access

Public access statusOpen to public accessPublic access noteAccess Notes:
Restriction Category:

Identification and Arrangement

Source system ID928System of arrangementNumerical by block numberCopiesColour reproductions of the plans were made in 1996. These are available in the Archives Search Room, and the original copies were retired.
CRS 929, Fire Insurance Plans Master Microfilm, 1987
CRS 930, Fire Insurance Plans Duplicate Microfilm, 1987
CRS 931, Fire Insurance Plans Reference Microfilm, 1987

Disposal

Disposal statusArchived

Data Quality

Legacy dataRegistered by: Angela McGing
Registered date: 15/04/1996
Amendments:
Last amendment date: None
Other Disposal Instruments:
Bridging aids:
System of arrangements: Numerical by block number
Series control status:
Repository:
UpdatedDate: 25/07/2006
UpdatedUser: Jul 25 2006 1:35PM

BOS Series Description:
These are detailed survey maps of the City prepared by the Fire and Accident Underwriters Association of NSW. The maps were originally prepared in 1916, reprinted and extended on 1 August 1925, revised and reprinted in April 1933, and revised in July 1940.

Each sheet shows the block in detail, including the street name and number, the name of the business or building, the use, the location of stairs, lifts, skylights, the number of floors, and the location of hydraulic mains. The sheets are also hand-coloured to show construction materials, for example, yellow for wooden walls and red for brick walls. All of the symbols and the colours used on the plan are explained in an accompanying plan. An index map shows the numbers that have been used to identify each block.

Each sheet was signed and dated by the draftsman responsible. Most of the plans were drawn by Thomas Murray. Some are also signed by the person who carried out the survey. Blocks 178 and 180 were surveyed by E B Dunstan, Assistant Surveyor.

The plans were acquired from the Association in 1934, by the General Manager of the Electricity Department. In a minute to the Town Clerk on 24 November 1933, he wrote that "In connection with the conversion of the electricity supply in the City area from Direct Current to Alternating Current it is necessary to obtain certain particulars with regard to building frontages, type of building etc. To collect this information would be
costly and on enquiry it is found that the Fire & Accident Underwriters' Association of NSW possess up to-date City Block plans giving all the information that is required. I have been in communication with the Association and have been informed that a set of Block Plans will be given to the City Council without charge". (CRS 34, TC 5048/1933).

The Association asked that the plans not leave the possession of the Council, that they be used by Council officers in their official capacity only, and that no copies of the plans would be made.

When amendments to the plans were made by the Fire Underwriter's Association, a sheet with the new sections was forwarded to Council, who would then cut the individual sections out and paste them over the original. These later additions were not individually dated, so it is not easy to ascertain what revision they were part of.

When the Electricity Department was separated from Council to become the Sydney County Council in 1936, the plans were retained by the City Architect and Building Surveyor's Department.
Start Date qual: c.
Start Date: 01/01/1916
End Date qual: c.
End Date: 01/01/1940

Relationships

Collection175 Exhibition CollectionSource systemBusiness operation system (BOS); Archives investigatorRelated seriesFire Insurance Plans Reference MicrofilmCreating agenciesElectricity DepartmentCity Architect and Building Surveyor's Department IIRelated activitiesLand use, employment and related statistical surveys

Registration

Date registered5th December 2018Registered byData Migration UserRegistration statusApproved

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Plans of Sydney (Fire Underwriters), 1917-1939