Views of Maitland

Sites

Type:	Built	(Click to enlarge)
Group:	Retail and Wholesale
Category:	Shop
Town/City:	Maitland
Local Govt Area:	Maitland City
Street Address:	317 High Street, Maitland
Postcode:	2320
Description:
Tim Shellshear (1987:88-90) provides the following description: ‘Very early two storey commercial building in a terrace style in painted brickwork with horizontal cornice and low parapet concealing gutter, and with unusual pitched roof behind having virtually flat centre strip between wide chimneys and with low parapets dividing roof. Twelve panel windows along front elevation with moulded architraves possibly in sandstone. Suspended awning over footpath covering full width glass shop front set in black granite surround.’
History:
The right hand end of the building was constructed in 1849 by Dr Andrew Liddell and leased by Robert Little as a drapery business. The left hand end was built in 1853-1954, also by Liddell. Occupants included the Bank of NSW, Robert Little, jewellers and watchmakers Griffiths and Son and Frederick Currey, and drapers Benjamin and John Lee (Rudkin 2015: 6-7). From 1865 to 1881 Joseph Marks’ drapery and manchester store operated from the older, right hand end of this building. Joseph Marks and his family lived upstairs. The premises were subsequently used by James Kerr who commenced his drapery business in 1881. McNamee and Campbell (2009) observe that, by 1909, the business had 35 employees and by 1922, 120. It closed in the late 1970s.

People:
LIDDELL Andrew	1806 to 1877	Edinburgh, Maitland, Sydney
MARKS Joseph	1835 to 1919	Maitland, Sydney
Themes:
Commerce
Publications, Reports, Theses:
Maitland Mercury McNamee, Holly and Campbell, Wayne, Heritage walk: eastern end of High Street Maitland, Friends of Grossmann House. 2009 Rudkin, Val, Take A Look Back At High Street Maitland (pamphlet series), Maitland and District Historical Society 2014 Rudkin, Val, Who? What? Where? People of 19th Century High Street Maitland, Maitland and District Historical Society, Maitland 2015 Shellshear, T, High Street Study, Maitland NSW: An Architectural Assessment of the Commercial Buildings of High Street, Report for Maitland City Council. 1987