Susannah Place Sydney

Susannah Place is one of the very few extant buildings to have witnessed the first phases of colonial settlement in Sydney. The 1844 construction had been inhabited from the 1840s to the later half of the 20th century. Occupied chiefly by artisans, traders, sailors and laborers, the interiors today narrate the changing patterns of working class life in Sydney. Susannah Place is now a heritage site comprising of four buildings that unveil the essence of domestic life in the past century. The importance of the building lies in the fact that it has never been considerably reconstructed since its first occupancy.

The museum housed in the Susannah Place displays the knickknacks of daily use. In fact, the number of amenities present at Susannah Place makes it distinct from the other housings of the Rocks. The layers of wallpapers adorning the walls show how tastes and designs have evolved down the years. The building still has functioning water closets, bathrooms and laundries that challenge the concept that the Rocks had always been plague and pestilence stricken. The museum has a collection that includes a bathtub, a porcelain pieces, broken bits of a doll’s face, and other usual household items that narrate silent tales of the people who are probably no more. There is also a shop that has been reconstructed out of an original 1915 store.

Susannah Place had survived several attempts to revive it, and in the move to preserve the original Rocks, it has been credited as a building steeped with history and heritage. It is now maintained by the Historic Houses Trust who keeps the building open everyday for public viewing.

Address: Susannah Place Museum
58–64 Gloucester Street
The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000

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