Believe it or not King's Cross was once the party hub of London. It was where world-famous artists like Adele and The XX cut their teeth, and was a gem of the North London nightlife scene. Copyright 02/05/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. "Me and a bunch of contemporary photographers were at the Canberra Portrait Gallery, I remember seeing Rennie and he looked fantastic tanned, full of life. The building is now The Footage pub. William Street was constructed in the early 1830s to allow ease of access to the newly erected mansions along the ridge line of Woolloomooloo Hill, recently renamed Darlinghurst by Governor Darling. Estate established by Thomas Barker on land he acquired on Woolloomooloo Hill in 1833. You can withdraw your consent or find out more by clicking on our Privacy Policy link below. Early landholder in the Kings Cross area. [divider top=no size=1], The canalside Fish & Coal buildings were built as offices in 1851 as part of Lewis Cubitts design for the Kings Cross Goods Yard, where narrowboats, locomotives and horse-drawn carts all met. Mitchell's proposed street followed the easiest gradient up the hill but would have crossed the property boundary of the miller Thomas Barker's estate, and supposedly compromised the properties of his influential neighbours Thomas West and Alexander Macleay, the Colonial Secretary. [35] Work on the project began in June 1973 with bulk excavation of the sandstone for the cut-and-cover tunnel. In 1950 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer took over the Minerva and converted it to a cinema (although it had played a week of movies in 1939). Having shared a tearful, unashamedly intoxicated last dance at the nightclubs epic 2007 closing party, we next clapped eyes on the place in 2012, posting this photo of a rather sorry, windswept Wharf Road, very much awaiting its next chapter. There was the Jewish War Memorial Hall, the Swedish Club and the Greek General Consulate," Murray said. The fascination with crime and sleaze in writing about the area has dominated more recent works such as Jimmy Thompson's Snitch: Crooked Cops and Kings Cross Crims (2010), while a number of biographies have been written about Abe Saffron and his Kings Cross years. Judge and Chief Justice in Sydney from 1828 to 1844. The club provided a meeting place for members, with bars, restaurants and theatre and a regular newsletter Welcome, which documented the club's activities. Writer and activist whose work focused on social issues. Located just minutes from the station, this spot boasts an ideal location, as well as, the perfect space. Globetrotters entering these shops shut their eyes while they recapture memories of Vienna. The disappearance of Juanita Nielsen inspired the films The Killing of Angel Street (1981) and Heatwave (1982), while Winter of our Dreams (1981) had Judy Davis as a Kings Cross prostitute caught up in a murder. First there was Matter and then there was Proud2. He was the first Indigenous person to work as a director in the mainstream Australian theatre industry and was Australia's first Indigenous feature film director. 296,669,475 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust | accessdate =, cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/kings_cross | title = Kings Cross | accessdate =, (Detail from 'Sketch of the coast from Darling Harbour to Elizabeth Bay: showing the grants to Mr McLeay and six other gentlemen. Almost 50 years ago, two young photographers - Rennie Ellis from Melbourne and Wesley Stacey from Sydney - embarked on a six-month project to photograph the bustling Kings Cross scene. It was billed as "London's biggest nightclub", a 3,000-capacity venue set in a vast set of arches beneath London Bridge station, known for big-name Saturday nighters as well as regular Moondance. For more info view our privacy policy, Happy memories were made at this establishment, back in the day. It was mostly crushed into the confines of William Street and Darlinghurst Road.". Luxurious Art Deco style theatre and offices originally built in 1939 as a live entertainment complex called the Minerva. Prolific sculptor committed to construction as a method who produced totally abstract sculptures often using junk objects. Copyright 02/05/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. The Kings Cross Theatre had opened at the apex of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street in 1916, with cafs and restaurants soon appearing to take advantage of the theatre's drawing power. ", SLIDER GALLERY: Kings Cross before and after, Follow this reporter on Twitter @curious_scribe, Passion and violence: the birth of Kings Cross. [26] The Royal Australian Navy Women's Officers Club was also in Elizabeth Bay Road, while a combined Allied officers' residential club was opened in the mansion Kenneil opposite Cheverells. Alamy and its logo are trademarks of Alamy Ltd. and are registered in certain countries. Finch, Drysdale, Friend and others were regulars. It did however re-establish the Cross as a live music scene which continues into the present at venues such as the Kings Cross Hotel, diagonally opposite the old Surf City site. Google Ads Service uses this cookie to collect information about from multiple websites for retargeting ads. From 1916 pubs closed at six o'clock, which produced a flourishing sly-grog scene in Sydney and Kings Cross. This labryinth of a club was under the arches of London Bridge station and got packed out with sweaty 20-somethings without fail every weekend. Madam, sly-grog operator, drug trader and underworld figure. But it was torn down in 2009 to make way for the new Elizabeth Line. Sell e-gift vouchers to your customers; whether it be a packaged up experience or a monetary value. [25]. In the early 1960s, promoter John Harrigan leased the 5000-seater Kings Cross Theatre on Darlinghurst Road (aka The Strip) and renamed Surf City - opening it up to local acts such as Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and the Easybeats. Through the 1970s the building was used for movies as well as live shows before closing in 1979, and then re-opening as a food market. Hippies . Locality on the border of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills where Oxford Street meets Flinders and Bourke streets near Darlinghurst Courthouse which is a hub of the city's nightlife. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Privileges and all the canine comforts are his. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Something went wrong, please try again later. People may rave about London's nightlife, but compared to other big cities, clubs and bars shut early and are expensive. Local area magazine established as a newsletter by the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross in 1967. The strip clubs, night clubs, prostitution and drug trade that characterised the Cross stemmed from those two tumultuous periods of history. During the same period Slessor was writing about, a seedier side was emerging, as the razor gangs, thugs and standover men previously associated with Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo began to creep into the area, taking advantage of the late night scene. Hair opened at Metro Theatre in Kings Cross in 1969 and had six African Americans in its cast - including singer Marcia Hines, who was 16. Inner-city suburb located immediately to the south east of the central business district. These were forerunners (by a long way) to the Kings Cross Injecting Room which opened in 2001. People from across the capital will flock to Herbal, an exposed brick warehouse which regularly hosted big name DJs. With the Korean War and the Vietnam War following close behind World War II, the Cross continued as the place of choice for troops heading off or in Sydney on Rest & Recreation leave. The Minerva opened as a live theatre on 18 May 1939. SLIDER GALLERY: Click here for pictures of how Kings Cross looked back then. The late award-winning. Architect who pioneered Art Deco style in Sydney, designing the Anzac War Memorial in Hyde Park and other important buildings. ", "It was such an amazing time to be in Kings Cross, I remember seeing Frank Packer at one of the clubs letting off steam it was a place full of activity but in such a small space. Long known as a bohemian haunt, the Cross became the site of some of the city's biggest musical events after World War II. Chapel that pioneered outreach and support for Kings Cross's homeless, disadvantaged and drug-affected residents. There are enough literary references to sustain walking tours of the sites and to publish a book about them, Mandy Sayer and Louis Nowra's In the gutter looking at the stars (2000). By the 1980s dozens of new nightclubs and bars including Area, Club 57, Danceteria, Limelight, Mudd Club, Palladium, Paradise . Tombolo de Trafalgar. Sydney - the most dangerous R and R City for US servicemen c1969, Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service 1994. "Rennie was truly amazing at capturing sexuality and life in a way that was never vulgar or coarse, but full of humour and vitality. Photojournalist Robert McFarlane, a contemporary of Ellis, recalled his work and the times. Kings Cross exists in Sydney's imagination as much as it does in any physical form. Thank you. The West End establishment started out as a burlesque club but later became a staple for Central London's "fringe-culture" community. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It was later published and edited byJuanita Neilsen. Located in a washed-out Gothic style building, its infamous Hellfire Club played host to bondage nights where leather clad S&M fans of both genders could run riot with whips, ropes, hot wax and. New streets were laid out to access the growing number of allotments for sale, including Victoria Street which was created in 1837. Architect and engineer who designed the Argyle Cut in The Rocks. We took a nostalgic look back at some of the capital's notorious nightclubs which have all closed since 2000. Alamy and its logo are trademarks of Alamy Ltd. and are registered in certain countries. The estate and garden were to become world recognised before financial difficulties resulted in his son gaining control and its subsequent subdivision. The road was too steep for horse carts and omnibuses and the junction at the top was one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the entire city. Shirley Beiger escorted by police officers at city Coroner's Court for the inquest into the death of Arthur Barry Griffith. The Cross, with its close proximity to the CBD, was home to some of Sydney's most luxurious villas - and first flats. Originally printed in a lean-to shed at the back of Government House, the newspaper moved to different premises in Macquarie Place in 1808 and then to a building on lower George Street in December 1810. Referendum held by the New South Wales government on 10 June 1916 to determine the closing hour of pubs and hotels. [17] The artist William Dobell lived on the corner of Darlinghurst Road and Roslyn Street for a few years in the early 1940s, with Russell Drysdale and Donald Friend living nearby. His camera was like a key to opening doors", Furci said. For many people, the Cross refers to the larger zone from the top of William Street, along Darlinghurst Road to Macleay Street, down Bayswater Road to Elizabeth Bay Road and north along Victoria Street into the edges of Potts Point. Political club formed as an electoral branch of the Liberal Association of New South Wales to promote the cause of liberalism. Astoria in Charing Cross Road was London's largest live music club for years. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Say what you like about Jamie and online, many people certainly do but his heart remains undeniably in the right place. Whether you're looking for a low-key drink with pals or fancy dancing the night away to music spun by live DJs, Supermax is a firm choice. Inner suburb to the east of the city which has been home to both gentry and underclass. She was sent off to boarding school, and then returned to New Guinea with her mother after World War II ended. It is a stone chasm echoing with romance and adventure and hidden drunks.' Festival of art, music and performance held in Sydney in January. One of Sydney's biggest 'beat' music venues in the 1960s, located in the former Kings Cross Theatre that was demolished to make way for the underground railway station and the Crest Hotel. The most prominent mills were those belonging to Thomas Barker and the one built adjacent to Thomas Mitchell's property, Craigend. It had to close due to Network Rail redevelopment in 2013. RM 2K5GX1C - London, UK. Another long-planned piece of transport infrastructure to go through the Cross was a road tunnel to ease the notorious traffic congestion there. I was at a bar in Kings Cross area when you walked in the bar was a step higher than the tables. Photos showcase lost glory of Kings Cross. Comprising both villa and windmills on his 9 acres, the estate was subdivided in 1889. Many a themed student bash was hosted at London Bridge's notorious Cable Club in the mid 2000s.