INTRODUCTIONThis guideline explains the importance ofhistorical research and analysis in assessing theheritage significance of an item. It is writtenprimarily for those new to the process and explainswhere to start, and who to contact for help.

WHY IS HISTORY IMPORTANT ININVESTIGATING HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE?Heritage comprises those things which we valueand want to pass from one generation to the next— our inheritance. Knowing the historicalbackground of a heritage item and seeing it incontext helps to explain why it is significant. Theanalysis of history, which includes very recenthistory, forms the core of any heritage assessmentprocess. The NSW Heritage Management System,outlined in the NSW Heritage Manual, requiresthat an historical context report be done in orderto assess an item and state its significance.

Assessment of heritage significance is multi-disciplinary. It includes an investigation ofhistory, geography, community esteem andaesthetic quality, as well as research andeducational potential. Although ‘heritage’ is oftenassociated with the finest of our architecturalheritage — the handsome building produced fromwealth, the grand buildings of church and state —this view emphasises physical values. However,some of these items may not be as historicallysignificant as, for example, workers’ housing or afactory retaining a traditional manufacturingprocess. Consideration of historical context istherefore essential for a balanced view.

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InvestigatingHistory

A Guideline for

Historical Research

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WHAT IS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE?Historical significance is popularly considered interms of age — the older an item or event, themore ‘historic’ it is; or fame — its associationwith a well-known person or event. However,historians consider that an emphasis on age alonedenies the continuity of history, and the place ofthe present or recent past within this; while aconcentration on items associated with famouspersons, places or events narrows our view ofwhat constitutes history.

It is important for an analysis of significancethat a heritage item ‘documents’ its history. Ifdocuments are understood to be sources ofinformation, then they include not only thosetraditionally relied on (for example, archives andphotographs) but also buildings, works, relics andplaces that:

• show significant evidence of humanoccupation or activity

• are associated with a significant activity,event, historical phase or person

• maintain or show the continuity of a historicalprocess or activity.

To the trained eye, a building can reveal as muchabout historical significance as a set of letters ordiaries. These different types of evidencecomplement each other, and it is throughhistorical research that this information isbrought together for a more accurate impression.To be considered historically significant, aheritage item needs to inform us in anexceptional way about its time and place.

Kimbell’s Kitchen Bakery, Wellington has beenoperated by the present owners since 1971 when it wassold by the Kimbell family. The two-storey verandawas removed in 1960. Photographs obtained from theKimbell family, the Wellington Museum and HistoricalSociety were copied and enlarged to show the detailingand provided the information needed for its restoration.Photos: E. & F Ogdon.

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WHAT IS INVOLVED IN RESEARCHING HISTORYAND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE?Historical research aims to find out the ‘facts’about an item or event — a fundamental thoughoften neglected requirement for identifying andinterpreting heritage. Analysing these facts is thework of a professional historian. This level ofanalysis is needed to fully understand andcommunicate historical significance, and wouldbe done in a heritage study or for a conservationmanagement plan. To get in touch with aprofessional historian, and for further advice, seeContacts, page 4.

If analysis and interpretation is not required, thenthere is basic research you can do yourself. Beaware that information can be misleading, orwrong, and that evidence may be available insources which are not immediately obvious — forexample, primary sources (these are originaldocuments such as letters and maps). These tendto be more reliable than secondary sources, whichare someone else’s interpretation of events.

WHERE IS A GOOD PLACE TO START?There are some excellent guides on researchingthe history of heritage items, see FurtherInformation, page 7.

Primary SourcesConsider visiting the local history section of yourlocal library. Many libraries have well-establishedsystems for researching the history of a propertyusing maps and council rate assessment books,and have on microfilm Sands Sydney Directoriesfrom 1858 to 1933 — a fundamental reference forthe older areas of Sydney. A useful guide tocouncil records is Local Government...LocalHistory: A Guide to NSW Local GovernmentMinute Books and Rate Records by J. Hughes.

There are also specialised libraries and archives ingovernment departments such as State Rail, SydneyWater and Department of Urban Affairs andPlanning, as well as in other types of organisations.

Secondary SourcesBoth local and specialised libraries are good sourcesof specialised (for example, company) histories.Such histories may be in the form of books,pamphlets or magazines. Though they may containinaccuracies, these secondary sources are usefulin establishing a broad picture and might containinformation on the item you are researching.

Blackett’s design for the University of Sydney wasmodelled on the quadrangle precincts of Oxford andCambridge. This 1871 photograph shows the completedmain building from Victoria Park. While the university’sarchive has an extensive collection showing theconstruction of the building, the main plans have beenlost. Photo: University of Sydney Archives.

Major Australian history libraries are theMitchell Library, part of the State Library ofNSW, and the Royal Australian Historical Society(RAHS) library, both of which are in Sydney. TheRAHS has, on computer, a local history andheritage bibliography for the whole of NSW.

Current and previous owners of a heritage item aswell as other members of the local communitycan be valuable (though not necessarily accurate)sources of information.

For a more detailed introduction to historicalresearch sources see Regional Histories, producedby the Heritage Office and Department of UrbanAffairs and Planning.

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Historic Houses TrustLyndhurst Conservation Resource Centre,‘Lyndhurst’, 61 Darghan Street, Glebe(02) 9692 8366. The Centre was established by theHistoric Houses Trust to record the design ofhouses, furnishings and gardens in NSW.Reference collections of wallpapers, textiles, floorcoverings and fittings are being developed,together with a library which contains animportant collection of design pattern books,handbooks and trade catalogues. Interiordecoration, furniture and furnishings, garden andhouse design for the early 19th century to thepresent, in country and city, sophisticated andvernacular, are included.

Land Titles OfficeQueens Square, Sydney (02) 9228 6666.The official land ownership registry for NSW, itcontains a wealth of historical information andmaps as well as title information on all propertyin NSW.

Local Council ArchivesContact local council libraries or the AustralianSociety of Archivists (NSW), PO Box A952,Sydney South NSW 2000.

Mitchell LibraryState Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney(02) 9230 1414.The major Australian historycollection, including books, newspapers, maps,photographs and manuscripts.

CONTACTSArchives Office of NSW2 Globe Street, The Rocks (02) 9237 0254.Contains the official historical records of theState. Many of these records (which includedocuments, maps and photographs) help toidentify the history of specific sites.

Australian ArchivesLevel 17, 477 Pitt Street, Sydney (02) 9201 3100.Holds Commonwealth Government recordsrelating to NSW.

Department of Land and Water Conservation23–33 Bridge Street, Sydney (02) 9228 6415. Thedepartment holds and sells copies of current andarchival maps.

Department of Urban Affairs and PlanningGovernor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place,Sydney (02) 9391 2000. The department’s librarycontains many studies of sites and regions, localhistories and planning information. The departmentalso has an information centre where copies ofthe Heritage Office’s publications can be obtained.

Heritage OfficeThe office, established 1 July 1996, is currentlylocated at Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 FarrerPlace, Sydney. (02) 9391 2115. It intends torelocate to Parramatta at the end of 1996. TheHeritage Office maintains lists of heritageconsultants, including historians.

Drawing: Alburytown perspective,1881. Documentslike this helphistorians andheritage consultantsto map successivestages in thedevelopment ofa city.

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historians. The association has a professionaladvisory service to answer enquiries oncommissioning historical work and produces aregister of consulting historians. Its publicationsinclude The Role of History in ConservationWork and Commissioning a History.

Royal Australian Historical Society133 Macquarie Street, Sydney (02) 9247 8001. Themajor community (amateur) history organisationin NSW. It has a comprehensive local historylibrary and produces many publications. A seriesof Technical Information Service Bulletins areavailable for sale from the Society (or forreference in the Society’s library). It also organisesseminars and tours.

Transport ArchivesState Rail, 11–31 York Street, Sydney(02) 9219 8888. State Rail has an extensive archiveof railway and tramway records open to the public.

Water AuthoritiesSydney region: Sydney Water, 115–123 BathurstStreet, Sydney (02) 9350 6969. Other areas: checkyour local phone book. Water authorities holdcurrent and archival drainage maps of areas andproperties, often including detailed surveys,photographs and other information.

Note: Some organisations may charge fees foraccess and the provision of information.

National Maritime Museum Library13a Union Street, Pyrmont (02) 9552 7777.The museum library comprises of a specialistcollection on maritime history, includingshipping registers.

National Trust of Australia (NSW)Observatory Hill, Millers Point (02) 9258 0123.The major community heritage organisation inNSW and custodian of a number of historicproperties. It has comprehensive bookshops atObservatory Hill and other locations andmaintains an extensive register supported bylisting sheets with detailed information onproperties.

Organ Historical Trust of AustraliaGPO Box 676, Sydney 2001 (02) 9399 9932. Theextensive archive and research collection ofOHTA includes detailed documentations of mostof the historic pipe organs in Australasia, as wellas records from Australian and English organbuilders. The archive is situated within the libraryof the University of Melbourne, and is accessibleupon application to OHTA. OHTA can also adviseon the location of research material in privatecollections. Copies of many reports on NSW pipeorgans are located in the Department of UrbanAffairs and Planning’s library.

Professional Historians Association NSW IncGPO Box 2437, Sydney 2001 (02) 9331 6920.The professional body representing qualified

Watercolour byWil l iam Bradley,depicting GovernorPhillip’s house, a smalltwo-storey cottage builtof bricks made fromlocal clay. The housetook a year to build andwas the first majorbuilding in the colony.Archive resources likethis drawing were avaluable primary sourceof information, helpingto guide archaeologicalinvestigations of thesite two centuries later.Photo: courtesy MitchellLibrary, State Libraryof New South Wales,Sydney.

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View from south east (after).Photo: Ron Sharp.

View from south east (before).Photo: Ken Young.

Hand-drawn contract drawing No. 9 — A copy of the original 1880 plan.Extract — front elevation. Source: State Rail Authority.

View from south west oncompletion of the first stage ofconstruction. Photo: Ken Young.

The State Rail Authority’s original plans helpedheritage consultant, Ken Young, to accurately restorethe former stationmaster’s residence, ‘Billabong’, inCulcairn. The building now houses the local museum.The success of the project has encouraged theconservation of other significant buildings in the town.

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Professional Historians Association NSW Inc.1993, Commissioning a History, PHA (NSW),Sydney.

Rickard, J. & Spearritt, P. (eds) 1991, Packagingthe Past? Public Histories, Australian HistoricalStudies, vol. 24, no. 96, Melbourne UniversityPress, Melbourne.

Royal Australian Historical Society, Oral Historyfor the Local Community, Technical InformationService Bulletin No. 3, RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, ResearchingOld Buildings, Technical Information ServiceBulletin No. 4, RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, LocalGovernment Records and the Local Historian,Technical Information Service Bulletin No. 7,RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, UsingDirectories in Local History Research,Technical Information Service Bulletin No. 10,RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, Using Mapsin Local History, Technical Information ServiceBulletin No. 15, RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, ‘How old ismy house? ’, Technical Information ServiceBulletin No. 17, RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, ResearchTools for Local and Family Historians,Technical Information Service Bulletin No. 19,RAHS, Sydney.

Royal Australian Historical Society, Land Useand Ownership, Technical Information ServiceBulletin No. 26, RAHS, Sydney.

Sands Sydney Directories 1858 to 1933.

Seddon, G. & Davis, M. (eds) 1976, Man andLandscape in Australia, Australian GovernmentPublishing Service, Canberra.

Young, G. 1988, Conservation, History andDevelopment, Department of Environment andPlanning, Sydney.

FURTHER INFORMATIONDatabasesAustralian Heritage Commission, HERA,Canberra. A bibliographic database whichcurrently lists over 14 000 records, including allreferences to heritage publications after 1986, andmajor overseas references that have relevance forAustralia. Emphasis is placed on reports writtenor commissioned by government and non-government heritage agencies in Australia. Thedatabase is accessible on two online networks andon CD-Rom. Contact (06) 271 2111.

Royal Australian Historical Society, LocalHistory and Heritage Bibliography, Sydney. Acomputerised database which lists local historysources for NSW. Contact the society’s library on(02) 9247 8001.

PublicationsDavison, G. 1991, What Makes a BuildingHistoric?, Historic Buildings Council, Melbourne.

Davison, G. & McConville, C. 1991, A HeritageHandbook, Allen & Unwin, North Sydney.

Heritage Office & Department of Urban Affairsand Planning 1996, Regional Histories, HO/DUAP,Sydney.

Heritage Office & Department of Urban Affairsand Planning 1996, History and Heritage, NSWHeritage Manual, HO/DUAP, Sydney.

Donovan, P. 1987, ‘How historians can keepheritage architects honest’, Historic Environment,vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 8–14.

Etherington, N. 1988, ‘What to preserve?Historians’ approaches to defining Australia’sheritage’. Paper given to the Australian HistoricalAssociation Conference, Sydney.

Hughes, J. 1990, Local Government...LocalHistory: A Guide to NSW Local GovernmentMinute Books and Rate Records. RoyalAustralian Historical Society, Sydney.

Kass, T. (ed) 1993, The Role of History inConservation Work. Sydney, ProfessionalHistorians Association NSW Inc., Sydney.

Lowenthal, D. 1986, ‘Heritage — and itsinterpreters’, Heritage Australia, vol. 5, no. 2,pp. 42–45.