This image is from the City of Sydney's Foundations for a City: Building Sydney Town Hall exhibition http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/history/foundations
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at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
In 1865 the Council once again applied for a
grant of a portion of the Old Burial Ground (a.k.a. Cathedral Close).
A Government Select Committee recommended the Old Burial Ground
site. Among those who provided evidence to the Select Committee
was Edward Bell, the City Engineer. Bell showed the committee various
plans that were drawn up for a Town Hall. These early plans for
the Town Hall do not survive in the City Archives collection, however
a tantalising glimpse of what might have been is shown in Bell’s
“Plan of Old Burial Ground shewing Alignment of Streets”
reproduced in the Select Committee Report. Bell drew this plan to
illustrate the amount of land required for a Town Hall and how it
might be positioned. It shows an elegant curved ceremonial entrance
fronting George Street, with a U shaped building. (This building
was also shown on alternative Town Hall site plans drawn by Bell.
As far as he was concerned, one size fitted all.) But the Council
was already conducting an architectural design competition, and
this Town Hall design was just one of many on offer.
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