Cadmans Cottage or Cadman's Cottage is a heritage-listed former water police station and sailor's home and now visitor attraction located at 110 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by Department of Planning & Environment, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Cadmans Cottage is the second-oldest surviving residential building in Sydney, having been built in 1816 for the use of the governmental coxswains and their crews. The building is heavily steeped in the history of Sydney, also claiming the title as the first building to have been built on the shoreline of The Rocks area. It is claimed that during high tide, the water would come within of Cadmans Cottage;van Sommers, Tess; White, Unk. Sydney Sketchbook, 1965 however, due to the reclamation of land during the building of Circular Quay, the waterline has moved about away since 1816.
The building has had several different uses in its lifetime; first and foremost as the abode of the four governmental coxswains (from 1816 until 1845), the headquarters of the Sydney Water Police (from 1845 to 1864) and as the Sailor's Home (from 1865 to 1970). Restoration of Cadmans Cottage began in 1972 after it was proclaimed a heritage site under the National Parks and Wildlife Act and control of the site was handed over to the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority. A major archaeological investigation occurred in 1988 (in preparation for the bicentennial redevelopment) and since then, only minor maintenance works have been completed on the building. The building is now used as the home for the Sydney Harbour National Parks Information Centre and can be viewed by the public.
History
The formation of the Government Dockyard
Before 1797, government shipbuilding was carried out only on the eastern side of Sydney Cove. In July 1797, a site for shipbuilding was designated on the western side of the Cove. The yard became operational at the end of that year, with fences, gates and the construction of two timber sheds and a house in the north of the yard for the principle shipwright. In 1798, additions and improvements were made including the roofing of a workshop and storehouse, construction of a watch house, an apartment for the clerk, a joiners shop and a smithy. By 1804, a long open fronted building, probably a boat shed, had been constructed along the George Street frontage, and is illustrated in various views of Sydney Harbour.
There were complaints about the lack of facilities and the standard of construction of the buildings, most of which were in poor condition by 1806. A building used by the boat crews and Coxswains was reported as needing repairs and was probably demolished in 1816 on the completion of the Coxswain's Barracks, later known as Cadmans. In 1810, Lachlan Macquarie became Governor and initiated a major programme of public works, including the upgrading of the government dockyard, though little if any of this work was carried out before 1816.
Phase II: 1816–1846: The Coxswain's Barracks
There are no official records of the date of construction of the Coxswains' Barracks, now knows as Cadmans Cottage, after the longest serving government Coxswains, John Cadman. Based on the evidence of a series of sketches by James Wallis it was built between late 1815 and early 1816, on land adjoining the Government Dockyard. Wallis' drawing of the West Side of Sydney Cove, prepared between January and May 1816 shows the completed two-storey stone building located on the waters edge.Provis and Johnson; 1973
There are no known plans or specification for the building, nor records of payment for its construction. The absence of a record of payment from the Police Fund, the construction of the dockyard wall in 1818, has led Francis Greenway directed the construction of Cadman's. Tropman and Associates also consider it possible that Greenway designed the building in his capacity as Acting Colonial Architect but there is as yet no solid evidence for Greenway's involvement and this must still be considered speculative.
The harbour was the focus of the city and Cadmans as the headquarters of the Government Boats, played a key role in the early development of Sydney. The Cottage was built up against a protruding rock shelf, below the level of George Street to take advantage of its shoreline location for supervision of the Government Boats. These were either moored close by or pulled up on the shore in front, but it is highly unlikely that they would have been brought into the building given the scale of the lower room and the original doorway.
The Coxswains' Barracks (Cadmans Cottage), was occupied by the government coxswains and it probably originally served both as an office and as quarters for some of the boat crews, though the later coxswains appear to have lived there with their families. The coxswain supervised shipping on the harbour and was responsible for rostering the boat crews who were employed in the procurement and transportation of timber, grass, shells (for lime) and stores. The coxswains also provided crews for the Governor's Barge and the naval Officer's boats.
The post of government coxswain was held by four people; Bernard Williams, from 1807–1822 David Smith, from 1822–1823 John von Mangerhouse Weiss, from 1823–1826; and John Cadman, from 1827–1845.
Cadman was the longest serving of the coxswains. In 1798, he was transported to NSW for horse stealing and in the records of the Muster for Sydney for 1814 is shown as having received an unconditional pardon. He probably started work at the dockyard as Assistant Government Coxswain around the time that Williams was appointed as Coxswain. In 1823, Cadman was appointed as master of the government cutter Mars which was wrecked in 1926. Cadman was removed from his post following the sinking of the Mars and applied for another position in the dockyard. In 1827, when Weiss resigned Cadman was appointed as coxswain. Cadman married Elizabeth Mortimer, who had two daughters, on 26 October 1830 at St Phillip's Church. They all lived at the Cottage until his step-daughters married in 1842 and 1845.
Cadman held the position of coxswain and occupied the Cottage until he retired in 1845. Francis Low's Directory for 1847 advertises the John Cadman Steam Packet Hotel at Parramatta confirming that he had departed from Sydney by this time. Following his retirement the post of Government Coxswain was abolished and the functions were taken over by various other bodies, including the Water Police, Customs and private traders. Cadman died in 1848 and was buried in the Sandhills Cemetery until 1901 when work commenced on Central Station and he and his headstone were relocated to Bunnerong Cemetery at Botany.
Phase III: 1846–1864: The Water Police
The Water Police took over Cadmans between 1846 and 1849 and the building may have been vacant for several years after Cadman's retirement. There is some uncertainty as to the year of occupation of Cadmans by the Water Police. Thorp and Proudfoot believe this to have been around 1847. Thorp quoted the allocation of in the estimates of 1847 "for the establishment of a Police Court on the northern part of the City of Sydney for the purposes of general and Water Police". Though this location is rather vague Kent believes that it does refer to Cadmans but as there is no documentary evidence that any construction was done at this time, or that the funds were spent, questions that the Water Police actually took over the building in this year. The re-establishment of the Water Police was gazetted in January 1847 but the Water Police Office in George Street was not gazetted as a Court of Petty Sessions or a clerk appointed until January 1849, which is considered by Kent to be a more likely time for its occupation by the Water Police.
Some alterations were made to the building around this time. In 1853 tenders were advertised for the construction of an additional room. The specifications for the work sho that a major addition to the southern side of Cadmans Cottage, later referred to as the "keepers room" or "turnkeys room" had already been constructed. There is no record of its construction. It may have been built towards the end of the Coxswain's phase or when the Water Police took over the Cottage. Proudfoot and Tropman attribute the design of the addition to Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis. However, although the design is consistent with Lewis' work there is, as yet, no documentary evidence to support his involvement.
By the end of 1854, the Water Police offices consisted of a brick walled enclosure, containing a clearing house, the Cottage, with a cell on the lower floor, the keepers room built -1847 and on the upper floor the office and presumably living quarters. In 1854 the building was reported as being inadequate for the Water Police's purposes and the next year tenders were let for the construction of a new station. Cadmans continued to be used as a Water Police lock-up and there are records of requests for its repair up until 1857.
During the Water Police's occupation of the cottage major changes to the face of the harbour took place. The quay was extended from the Kings Wharf along the western side of Sydney Cove to Campbells Wharf across the shoreline in front of Cadmans, along the present alignment of Quay Street. The earlier docks of the old Government Dockyard, the rocks above high water, and the beaches on the western side of the Cove, were accessible underneath the new timber wharf and a plan of 1860 shows the area in front of Cadmans as still being covered at high tide.
Phase IV: 1864–1970: The Sailors Home
In 1863, a proposal for the construction of a Sailors Home was put forward and the site between Cadmans Cottage and the Mariners Chapel to the north was chosen. The report of the Annual Meeting of the Sailors Home in 1864 indicates that Cadmans had been restored as a residence for the manager of the Sailors Home. The Sailors Home, opened in 1864 was only partially completed. The proposed eastern facade and southern wing, which would have required the destruction of Cadmans, was not built because of financial constraints and Cadmans continued as the manager's residence.
The land in front of Cadmans was probably filled and raised sometime between 1870 and 1875,Gojak; 1990: pers comm. the docks and foreshore were obliterated and the visual association of Cadmans with the harbour was removed. Later during this period the area in front of the Cottage was turned into a garden. In the 1880s, further work on Circular Quay, to increase the capacity of the wharfs was carried out. In 1901 government wharfs became the responsibility of the Sydney Harbour Trust.
In that year the government resumed all land in The Rocks because of an outbreak of bubonic plague and demolished the worst slums for public health reasons. In 1926, the Sailors Home was extended and from then on the managers lived in the main building. In 1927 the Maritime Services Board took control of the entire area. Cadmans was used to accommodate visiting merchant sailor at this time.
In the first thirty years of the 20th century, there was a growing awareness of Australia's past and an awakening of historical interest. This was reflected in the inauguration of the Royal Australian Historical Society in 1901 and an increasing resistance to the demolition of significant buildings.Barnett-Spies; 1987 Federation sparked further interest in the early years of European settlement and increased feelings of the need to preserved buildings surviving from the 19th century. Public debate over the demolition of important buildings focussed on two area; Macquarie Street and Circular Quay.