Parramatta Road, Concord, 1940

Parramatta Road, Concord, 1940. Courtesy NSW State Records & Archives

Local residents will recognise this view of Parramatta Road, Concord by the dip in the road and the Arnott’s subway bridge in the distance – still there 82 years later. Built in 1914 it is listed on the State Heritage Inventory [1] and recognises its proximity to the former Arnott’s Biscuit factory on the far side of the bridge. It is a little more difficult to recognise the surrounding landscape. With the major roadworks and resumptions later required for the building of the M4 motorway, none of the other buildings remain.

Taken from the corner of Young Street in 1940, engineering business W. McAtamney & Co. at 167 Parramatta Road advertises gates, ramps, sheep feeders and saw benches for sale. If the sign looks bright and shiny that’s because the business appears to have only opened there that year. William James McAtamney relocated from Wellington, NSW to live in Everton Road and later, Carrington Avenue, Strathfield. Today the site of W. McAtamney’s business is occupied by apartments on the corner of Young Street while Homebush City Motors is situated beyond that on Queen Street. In 1940, the surprisingly-named Dubbo Motors occupied almost the same site, although its premises were somewhat smaller.

Close-up of main photo with Arnott’s sign on subway bridge and horse-drawn cart, with Homebush in the distance

A horse-drawn cart can be seen in the middle of Parramatta Road, beneath the towering telegraph poles. A number of shops stand on the south side of Parramatta Road, with Strathfield Body Works the most prominent. These have also been replaced with apartment blocks.

Advertisment for Strathfield Body Works. The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate 18 January 1939 p.11

The shop on the far left appears to be a laundry, while the sign for ‘Herald’ further down the slope probably advertises a newsagent.

Aerial view of Homebush by Milton Kent c.1935-42. Courtesy State Library of NSW

This close-up of the same stretch of road at a similar time is from the opposite direction with the railway bridge in the bottom right-hand corner. The shops can be seen on either side of Parramatta Road, surrounded by cottages that no longer stand.

Aerial view of Homebush by Milton Kent c.1935-42. Courtesy State Library of NSW

The original photo also shows the extensive Arnott’s Biscuit factory and His Master’s Voice (HMV) in the top right of the photo.

 

By J.J. MacRitchie

 

References

[1] NSW State Heritage Inventory ‘Railway bridge with Arnotts sign over road.’ https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=2450188

 

See also:

Jones, Cathy (2017) ‘Arnotts Rail Bridge Homebush’ https://strathfieldheritage.com/2017/11/13/arnotts-rail-bridge-homebush/