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A Direct South View of the Town of Sydney taken from the brow of the hill leading to the flag-staff
A Direct South View of the Town of Sydney taken from the brow of the hill leading to the flag-staff

A Direct South View of the Town of Sydney taken from the brow of the hill leading to the flag-staff

Engraver (1757 - 1834)
Publisher (London, 1793 - 1836)
Artist
Artist
Date25 May 1798
Object number00000874
NamePrint
MediumCopper engraving on paper.
DimensionsOverall: 180 x 248 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionAn engraving titled 'A Direct South View of the Town of Sydney taken from the brow of the hill leading to the flag-staff' published London by Cadell and Davies and engraved by James Heath. The image appeared in England in David Collins' book 'An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales' (as a plate facing page 251).HistorySydney Cove was established by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788. It was named in honour of the British Home Secretary, Thomas Townsend, Lord Sydney and chosen as the site of settlement over Botany Bay because it offered both fresh water and a secure place for ships to anchor. Phillip described Sydney Cove as having 'the best spring of water, and in which the ships can anchor so close to the shore that at a very small expense quays may be made at which the largest ships may unload'. He aimed to establish a flourishing colony and not just a penal site and supported plans to build a structured and ordered town. Early building development in the cove consisted of basic housing and some public buildings. Convicts lived in timber huts and tents until the construction of the Hyde Park Barracks in 1819. A stone quarry was also built and a number of farming plots were cultivated where the convicts could work. This image was engraved by James Heath (1757-1834) after a watercolour by Edward Dayes (1763-1804) which in turn was based on a painting by Thomas Watling (1762-1814).SignificanceThis engraving provides an early view of the settlement of Sydney just 10 years after it was first colonised by the British. Watling's depictions of Sydney are credited to be some of the most accurate representations of the settlement, providing an insight into the early landscape and buildings.