This group of four 19^th century terraces, now altered, is a fascinating piece of our rich urban history.

No. 92 -98 Brougham Street originally comprised a set of four Victorian terraces. The terraces first appear on the “Woolcott & Clarke’s Map of the City of Sydney” in1854. The City Council Assessment Book of 1855 lists the property owner of the terraces as “John Curtiss” with the terraces as being constructed of brick with a wooden shingled roof, two storeys with five bedrooms each.

At this time, the terraces were numbered 170 to 176 Brougham Street.

According to the Sands’ Urban Directory of 1858 the occupants of 96-96 were, in numerical order, Frederick A. Jenson, James Kew and Robert Harris. The occupant of 98 was unidentified. According to council’s rates assessment books the terraces were subsequently all owned by a Mr Henry Allen by 1871.

In 1871 the terraces appear in the rate books as being of three storeys and six bedrooms each, indicating that the roof spaces had been converted into attic bedrooms.

In 1977 alterations were made to the terraces to provide bathrooms to first floor, amend kitchens, reopen the first-floor verandas by removing the existing windows, removal of the external chimneys, removal of the rear dormer windows, re-roofing in galvanised iron and provision of new timber framed dormers to the front.

The front verandahs on the first floor that had been enclosed to create sunrooms off the front bedrooms. Council archival photos show No. 94 with a first-floor rear addition.

No. 96 Brougham Street was significantly altered in 1935/1936.

This terrace was covered with a new face brick façade and converted into flats. Parts of the original terrace still remain underneath the brick addition. In 1978 the seven lettings were converted into three flats comprising of one single bed self-contained flat on the ground each floor. In 1980 the terrace was converted into a strata title site.

98 Brougham Street was also altered and in 1949 an application was made to enclose the front balcony.

This group of terraces illustrates the continual evolution of sites to accommodate contemporary needs.

By Andrew Woodhouse

Heritage Solutions