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ATP's Operating Blacksmith's Shop
One of the features of the ATP has been the continuation operation of Blacksmith’s shop in Bays 1 & 2 South at the ATP. The construction of the ATP even included the erecting of an acoustic wall so the workshop could continue to function in proximity to its new uses. From the very beginning it has been seen as maintaining a link to the buildings industrial past but that was at threat in 2008 with the RWA serving the occupants with a notice to quit by the 30th September 2008. Following a successful campaign and Open Day the RWA and the Blacksmiths entered into a Lease that preserves the operating Blacksmiths and recognises the importance of heritage preservation in the setting up of the Technology Park. Here you can explore the issues and this successful campaign.
- Wrought Artworks Request for Support for Sunday 17th August 2008
- This email was circulated by Wrought Artworks requesting support for their Open Day on Sunday August 17th 2008 and for support of the campaign to keep the Blacksmiths operating at the Australian Technology Park.
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Poster for ATP's Blacksmithshop Open Day - 17th August 2008
- An Open Day will be held on Sunday 17th August 2008 from 10am – 2 pm at the ATP's Blacksmiths Shop with tours on the hour of the workshop, blacksmithing demonstrations and explanations of steam powered blacksmithing assemblages by Guido the Blacksmith. The Blacksmiths have been served a Notice to quit by the RWA so unless this is overturned this will be the last opportunity to see the Guido working old Blacksmith Shop. Please download this poster to promote the Open Day. File is 633 KB JPG.
- Persons to Lobby over Proposal to Remove Wrought Artworks from ATP
- Wrought Artworks is asking people to communicate their concern about the decision to force them out and to close the ATP’s Blacksmith Workshop. The contact list below is provided by Wrought Artworks for lobbying purposes.
- Video on Blacksmithing at ATP Eveleigh & Campain to Save it
- This 10 minute video is about Wrought Artworks who have operated the ATP Blacksmith Shop for the last 17 years as part of heritage conservation at the ATP. The RWA has now served them with a notice to quit the premises and a campaign is being run to maintain the Blacksmith operations at the ATP.
- Ditching Eveleigh agreement robs the future by discounting the past
- The efforts of the head of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority, Robert Domm, to evict the blacksmith from the heritage Eveleigh Technology site should alarm all communities in NSW - not just heritage supporters ("Battle stations for Eveleigh," August 2-3) writes Brian Dunnett in this letter to the Sydney Morning Herald of 4th August 2008.
- Wrought Artworks Letter to RWA Board Members - 13 March 2008
- This letter was sent by Wrought Artworks to RWA Board members in March 2008 outlining their history and their problems in dealing with the RWA.
- Wrought Artworks letter to Clover Moore - 24 April 2008
- This letter was sent by Wrought Artworks Lord Mayor Clover Moore on 24 April 2008 outlining the company's problem with the RWA.
- Sartor Should Save Blacksmith’s Shop
- Minister for Redfern-Waterloo Frank Sartor should step in to save the historic blacksmiths shop at the Australian Technology Park (ATP) at Redfern, according to NSW Greens MP, Sylvia Hale in this media release of 6th August 2008.
- Clover Moore Letter to Minister Frank Sartor over Eveleigh Blacksmith Workshop
- The letter below was written by Clover Moore MP to Minister responsible for Redfern Waterloo Frank Sartor on 6th June 2008. The letter asks the Minister to "Could you please review the decision to evict Wrought Artworks, consider alternative arrangements to maintain this workshop and inform me what action you will take?". The text of the full letter is provided below:
- National Trust Moves to Save ATP's functioning Blacksmith's Shop
- In this letter from the Trust in support of the re-nomination of the Large Erecting Shop for a National Listing. The National Trust advises the Federal Department that it will be nominating The blacksmith Shop for a National Listing and that thaey are seeking urgent action by the Minister to protect the site and retain the operation of the Blacksmith.
- ATP Blacksmith Shop - Sartor breaks Department of Planning promise
- Wrought Artworks the self-funding operators of the historical Eveleigh Blacksmithing Bays of 17 years are under threat of closure from the Redfern-Waterloo Authority reports this media release from Wrought Artworks of 3rd July 2008.
- National Trust Letter to DoP Heritage Branch about Blacksmith's Shop
- In this letter of 14 July 2008 from the The National Trust to the Heritage Branch, Department of Planning the Trust says "It is difficult to imagine any more appropriate operation in this historic workshop. This is one of those rare occurrences when the perfect "tenant" can be found for such a unique and historically important industrial heritage site and collection".
- Traders of the Lost Arts – Guido Gouverneur Blacksmith
- Geraldine O’Brien meets a small group of passionate people who keep the skills of a bygone era safe for the future in this article in the the(sydney)magazine July 08. [One of those people is Guido Gouverneur who has been served with a notice to quit his Australian Technology Park workshop by the RWA / ATP – we have reproduced the extract on Guido from the(Sydney)magazine article given the campaign to keep Guido at one of the last two functioning sections of the old Eveleigh Railyards – REDWatch]
- Heritage blacksmith workshop told to close
- History could be torn from its roots in one of Sydney’s most historic precincts if the Redfern-Waterloo Authority’s (RWA) eviction of the blacksmiths at the Eveleigh Railway Yard substantiates reports Emma Kemp in City News of 5th July 2008.
- Battle Stations for North Eveleigh
- This article writen by Sunanda Creagh in the Sydney Morning Herald of August 2, 2008 about the broader issues of North Eveleigh also covers the problems facing Wrought artworks at the ATP Blacksmith Shop. The articlke reports that "The ALP's lord mayoral candidate, Meredith Burgmann, says she will lobby her Labor colleagues on behalf of Gouverneur. "I think Sydney's industrial heritage is fast disappearing and something as important as this needs to be kept," she says".
- RWA Letter to Editor on North Eveleigh & ATP Blacksmith - August 4th 2008
- This letter was submitted by Robert Domm to the Sydney Morning Herald in response to the SMH's "Battle Stations for North Eveleigh" on August 2 2008 and Brian Dunnett's letter "Ditching Eveleigh agreement robs the future by discounting the past". In the letter the RWA say "This commercial issue is being misrepresented as a heritage issue ... Should the current business be required to vacate, the ATP will keep the heritage equipment in place and establish an alternative blacksmithing operation sympathetic to the history of the site."
- Brian Dunnett Replies to Robert Domm on North Eveleigh
- Brian Dunnett responded to Robert Domm's response to the SMH's "Battle Stations for North Eveleigh" on August 2 and Brian Dunnett's letter "Ditching Eveleigh agreement robs the future by discounting the past" that was published in the SMH on the 4th August.
- Forget about flavour and paint the town beige
- In the extract below Elizabeth Farrelly in her Sydney Morning Herald column of 6th August 2008 refers to Wrought Artworks.
- Future is bleak for blacksmiths at ATP
- Approval of the Redfern Waterloo Authority’s re-development in the Australian Technology Park and North Eveleigh will provide 1,260 new homes for the South Sydney area, but already it has forced some of the existing residents out of their places of business writes Nicholas McCallum in the South Sydney Herald of August 2008.
- Anvil chorus sparks an overwrought row
- IN BAY Two of the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, a scene from another century unfolds writes Sunanda Creagh Urban Affairs Reporter in the Sydney Morning Herald of August 8, 2008.
- Tussle over blacksmith heritage
- BLACKSMITHS in Eveleigh, Sydney, are campaigning against the State Government’s move to evict them from their workshop. For the past 17 years, Wrought Artworks has had free use of the furnace workshop in Bay Two of the Australian Technology Park. Using ancient blacksmith techniques, metal is melted in a furnace and banged into shape by a steam-powered hammer reports www.metalworker.com.au.
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Meridith Burgman ALP Candidate's petition on Blacksmith Shop
- This petition has been put out by the ALP Meredith Burgmann for Mayor campaign. The petition states: Save the Eveleigh Blacksmith Shop - We call on the Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, to ensure the heritage blacksmithing equipment in place in the Australian Technology Park is preserved. We also call on the Minister to ensure blacksmithing operation sympathetic to the history of the site are continued - “Sydney’s industrial heritage is fast disappearing and something as important as this needs to be kept,” Meredith Burgmann, SMH, 2nd August, 2008.
- Michael Clarke letter to SMH of 10th August 2008
- The following letter was written to the SMH but unpublished. Michael Clarke was involved in 2006 as the Chairman of the Engineering Heritage Committee in correspondence with the Minister over arrangements for Heritage preservation at the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop.
- Under the Hammer
- Is the state's valuable heritage being put under the hammer by a State Government more interested in forging relationships with developers? Asks Quentin Dempster on ABC’s Stateline NSW on 8th August 2008. The report from Reporter Nick Grimm is in the broadcast transcript below.
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ATP Letter to Wrought Artworks 12th August 2008
- This letter was sent by the ATP to the Directors of Wrought Artworks by the ATP Managing Director Robert Domm. The letter puts the RWA position on the issue and includes a "without prejudice" offer to resolve the dispute. The letter was made available by the ATP in line with the letters last paragraph.
- Wrought Artworks Rebuttal of Robert Domm's Statements
- The following statement from Wrought Artworks responds to various statements made by the RWA and ATP Managing Director Robert Domm about Wrought Artworks. The initial statements are in bold and the response of the Wrought Artworks Director's follow.
- The Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops Open Day Sucess
- Organisers estimate that at least two thousand people took the opportunity to visit the Open Day at Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops in the Australian Technology Park during Sunday. Visitors went on guided tours of the operational heritage Blacksmiths shop and showed their support for the ongoing operation of Wrought Artworks and ongoing Heritage operations on the site.
- Resolution from the Public Meeting at The Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops Open Day Sunday 17th August 2008
- At the successful Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops Open Day on 17th August a Public Meeting was held and a motion seeking to resolve heritage issues across the former Eveleigh Rail yards was unanimously passed. The full text of the resolution passed is given below:
- Clover Moore Address to the Rally to Save Eveleigh's Blacksmithing Workshop
- This is the text of Clover Moore's address to the Rally to Save Eveleigh at the Blacksmithing Workshop Open Day - 17th August 2008.
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Clover Moore - Railway Heritage Handout 17th August 2008
- This is the leaflet handed out by Clover Moore about rail heritage issues and to encourage comment on the RWA's North Eveleigh Concept Plan.
- Eveleigh blacksmith shop threatened
- Chris Sulis is a disciple of the lost art of blacksmithing reports Sandra Fonseca in Central of 20th August 2008.
- National Trust blasts the RWA
- The National Trust has thrown its support behind Wrought Artworks, the blacksmithing workshop at Australian Technology Park (ATP) threatened with eviction by the Redfern-Waterloo Authority reports Alex McDonald in City news of 19th July 2008.
- Last-ditch effort to save a piece of rail history
- Wrought Artworks is holding an Open Day on August 17 to muster support for the ATP-based blacksmithing business, threatened with eviction by the Redfern-Waterloo Authority reports Anne Von Fehrn & Alex McDonald in City news of 3rd August 2008
- Deal hammered out
- A blacksmith threatened with eviction from the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh will be allowed to stay. Guido Gouverneur has used a workshop rent-free for 18 years, but the Redfern-Waterloo Authority told him last month that he must start paying rent. Heritage campaigners said he should be able to stay rent-free because he trains apprentices and maintains rare and old machinery. Mr Gouverneur will now rent a workshop for half the commercial rate for four years.
- Blacksmithing sparks community interest
- “Frank Sartor is a destroyer of history. If this goes, who else do we blame?” asked Colin Fenn, one of the estimated 2,000 people who attended the Open Day of Wrought Artworks and the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop on Sunday August 17, located in Bays 1 and 2 of the Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh. Guided tours were provided of the operational heritage blacksmiths’ shop, and a public meeting was held at midday to call for the immediate withdrawal of the Notice to Quit and Threat of Eviction that has been served to Wrought Artworks reports Wendy Collis in the South Sydney Herald of August 2008.
- Wrought Artworks Reaches Agreement to stay at the Locomotive Workshop Building in Redfern
- This is the media release from Minister Sartor of 22 August 2008 announcing that the agreement has been reached between the RWA and Wrought Artworks to continue at the ATP.
- Wrought Artworks Statement on Lease with RWA/ATP
- With the strong active support from heritage bodies,community, former workers, unions, councilors, and local aboriginals along with the "Keep the Tradition" media- campaign, which culminated in a very successful Openday at the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop Blacksmithing Bays, Wrought Artworks were offered a license agreement from RWA.
- Kristina Keneally letter to Wrought Artworks – 27 August 2008
- This letter was sent by Kristina Keneally as the local member for Heffron to Wrought Artworks following representations from Wrought Artworks to their local member. Letter like this were probably sent to others who contacted the local member. Wrought Artworks has replied to the letter seeking to clarify some misconceptions contained in the letter.
- Wrought Artworks Reply to Kristina Keneally's letter of 27 August 2008.
- In response to the letter from Kristina Keneally MP of 27th August 2008, Wrought Artworks replied to clarify a number of issues. As the content of the letter from Kristina Keneally was probably used in other replies from her electoral office the Wrought Artworks reply has been provided below.
- Getting Shunted
- QUENTIN DEMPSTER, PRESENTER: Getting shunted: our investigation into the eviction of a heritage blacksmith operating at Sydney's old Redfern railway yards has had a happy ending. It now appears that the future of the historic workshops has been secured. But the blacksmith's threatened eviction has become a rallying point for those who want to save more of the valuable railway heritage at Redfern. Nick Grimm reports on ABC’s NSW Stateline of 19th September 2008.
- Blacksmith Open Day at Eveleigh 2008 Video
- This link is to a Youtube video from the Wrought Artworks openday. It covers extacts from a number of the speaches from the day and some footage of the day. The content covered is broader that the Blacksmith and covers the need for a heritage solution accross the entire site.
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Letter From Smithsonian Institutie on Importance of Eveleigh - 1988
- This is a letter from 1988 from The Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of American History Washington DC about the importance, and the great rarity of the machinery collection here at Eveleigh. The File is 927 KB PDF with OCR overlay.
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EVELEIGH PRECINCT CONSERVATION POLICY - 1994
- EVELEIGH PRECINCT CONSERVATION POLICY -The very first Conservation Policy by the NSW Planning Department, funded by the Federal " Better Cities program" 1994. This details what functions the Active Workshop , being 'the preferred option' ,overall operation could include. ( All of the criteria of work is performed by Wrought Artworks). File is 331 KLb PDF.
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CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN- 1995
- This is from the Conservation Management Plan 1995 Final draft, considered the last document.This is the document that the Minister of Planning refers to in his Determination of Consent. States "Bay 1 & 2 South to remain an operational workshop.....it is appropriate and desirable that a blacksmithing operation remains a long term feature of the site...the present operation is run by Guido Gouverneur, who is a sub-lessee of the site....". File is 733 KB PDF.
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DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION - 1996
- Development Application for proposed Technology Park Uses, Exhibition Space, Historic Machinery Exhibits and Educational Facilities at THE LOCOMOTIVE WORKSHOPS EVELEIGH for the AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY PARK SYDNEY LTD: 1996 . States "Bays 1 & 2 are to maintained as an operational Workshop. This are is currently occupied (leased by Wrought Artworks). It is the aim of the ATPSL to maintain the workshop as a working exhibit". File is 356 PDF.
- Engineering Heritage Committee to Minister 1996
- May 1996 Letter from M.N. Clarke Chairman of the Engineering Heritage Committee to the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning concerning Heritage retention at the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop.
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MINISTER'S MEDIA RELEASE 1997
- NEWS RELEASE FROM THE MINISTER FOR URBAN AFFAIRS AND PLANNING ;1997 Titled WORLD CLASS MACHINERY SAVED. This $300 k Government grant did not get used for its granted purpose which was to conserve and make the machinery operational. File is 164 KB PDF.
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DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION - 1996
- DETERMINATION OF DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION NO 6/96 - CONSERVATION AND REUSE OF THE LOCOMOTIVE WORKSHOPS, EVELEIGH PRECINCT, CITY WEST. 1996: Granted by the Minister of Urban Affairs and Planning on the basis of the attached schedule. His Consent Condition No: 20 reads 'The Conservation Management Plan for the building endorsed by the heritage Council on 1June 1995 and Section the Draft Management Plan for movable relics (we also have a copy of this document) shall form the basis for detailed design, conservation and interpretive decisions'. File is 468 PDF.
- Letter on Role of Blacksmith Shop in DA Approval - 1996
- The Chief of staff to the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning wrote this letter to The Institution of Engineers, Australia in July 1996 outlining the role of the Blacksmith shop in the Minister’s consent of the development application for the Locomotive Workshop building. The letter says: “The first 2 bays of the building will enable the full appreciation of the historic significance of the place, with collections and assemblages of machinery on display and machinery being operated by the blacksmith. The blacksmith operation is proposed to be open to public view. It is considered that the proposal retains the significance of the place while allowing the adaptive reuse of the building which will ensure its long term conservation.”
- Parliamentary Answer on Heritage Assistance Grant - 2000
- In 2000 Questions were asked of the NSW Government over the status of the Grant for conservation and interpretation of machinery in Bays 1 and 2. At that stage only $40,000 of the $300,000 one to one matching grant had been expended. The balance work for which the grant was given was not undertaken. It is not known if the funds were transferred to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority for the Australian Technology Park and if so what happened to the funds. Had the ATP implemented the work covered by the Heritage Assistance Grant the situation of Wrought Artworks and the equipment in Bays 1 & 2 could have been very different from what it is today.
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NOTICE TO QUIT - 2008
- NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF LICENSE AND NOTICE TO QUIT; 2008 To Guido Gouverneur & Wrought Artworks PL. File is 139 PDF.
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Keep the Tradition
- Keep the Tradition - Save the Eveleigh Blacksmiths Workshop - Don't let it be lost forever! logo
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Keept the Tradition Open Day 17 Aug 2008
- Keep the Tradition of Blacksmiths at Eveleigh - You are Invited to our Open Day Sunday August 17 2008, from 10 AM Corner Garden & Boundary St Redfern.
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Wrought Artworks Signing Lease
- These photos were taken when Wrought Artworks signed their initial lease at the ATP. Wrought Artworks say that the lease was never countersigned and returned which is why they did not have a lease in 2008.
- Dedicated to their craft.
- In a society where mass consumerism is the norm, Catherine McCormack meets four people whose livelihoods are based on craft and Tradition in VirginBlue’s April 2009 Voyeur. [Below we have extracted the portion of the article dealing with Eveleigh Blacksmith Guido Gouverneur.]
