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Artists’ camps
The enthusiasm for painting outdoors, embraced by the Impressionist movement in France, hit Sydney in the 1880s. A handful of artist camps were established around Sydney Harbour in the last two decades of the 19th century, leading to a prolific creative outpouring of...
True brew
In 1835, two brewers, John Tooth and his brother-in-law Charles Newnham, established a new brewery on the outskirts of the city. Named the Kent Brewery after the part of England they'd come from, it was set in a lush green area of market gardens and fresh water, ideal...
A Scuffle on the Scaffold: the execution of Thomas Kelly
Any event that involves a large number of people, no matter how carefully planned, carries a risk of something going wrong. People run late. People turn up who you were not expecting. Very occasionally, someone starts a brawl. [button...
2SER Radiothon
We love being part of the 2SER community and telling stories of Sydney's history to breakfast listeners each week. While the annual 2SER subscription and fundraising drive is happening, the Dictionary of Sydney segment with Alex on 2SER Breakfast will be on...
Get on your dancing shoes
Once the most glamorous dance hall in Sydney, the Trocadero on George Street hosted queens, dukes, and international stars, as well as Sydneysiders out for a good time. Listen to Lisa...
Darlinghurst Gaol and the National Art School
Darlinghurst Gaol, on the hill at the top of Oxford Street, is one of the largest standing colonial projects left in Sydney, and yet, many Sydneysiders barely notice it anymore. Listen to Mark and...
The first woman hanged in Sydney
On 23 November 1789, Ann Davis became the first woman hanged in New South Wales. Davis was, as we would say today, ‘known to...
Seeing things in Black and White
The Society of Australian Black and White Artists, now the Australian Cartoonists Association, is the world's oldest cartooning organisation. It was formally established in 1924 in a cartoonist's studio on the first floor of the old Royal Arcade which linked George...
Condemned and Demolished!
An exhibition highlighting one of the City of Sydney's most important photographic collections explores the physical changes the City went through at the turn of the 20th century and the way people lived during this time, as well as the importance for future...
Happy History Week
This week organisations across the state are celebrating History Week 2020, the festival organised by the History Council of NSW. ...
