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    The history of the humble Sydney shop awning (or not so humble in some cases) Where did it all begin? The first documented awnings appeared in Syria and ancient Egypt and were simple structures of hides hung between poles to create shade from the sun. Probably the most significant awning of the ancient world was the famed velarium which provided shade for up to a third of the Colosseum’s arena and seating area. Constructed from the same materials that were then used to make sails and complete with timber framing and ropes, the structure was maintained by sailors who had the specific knowledge required to manage the sails and ropes and pulleys. When the first settlers arrived in Australia they built their houses and shops along very British designs but something was added to the idea and design of a typical British shop, something that the old country had rarely possessed itself although some might argue its inhabitants and pedestrians would have appreciated the protection from the rain. The Awning…and in some cases the shop-awning and supported verandah. At first these were supported with wooden posts down to ground level and were in some cases multi storied, some have suggested the idea for the structures came from India and the wide verandahs that the British had discovered during their rule of India since 1757 only 13 years before Cook was to discover Australia and just over 30 years before the first fleet was to arrive. What we do know for sure is that for obvious reasons (protection from fierce heat and heavy rains) the shop-awning took hold in Australia in a way that it never had elsewhere. You can still see these supported structures occasionally on the Sydney streetscape although more of a rarity now, there is a great example just up the road from my home in Balmain at the once glorious Exchange Hotel:     By 1908 the motor car had well and truly arrived and with it the problems of bad driving (you can see examples of that too just up the road from my home in Balmain) The damage being caused to the supporting posts was becoming so common that councils legislated to require awnings to be suspended and to remove posts and obstacles from the footpath. Retailers preferred the suspended style because it improved sight lines to window displays particularly from cars. Suspended awnings also created a consistent height line that unified the various building frontages in commercial streets. Awnings occupy a unique place in law. They are hybrids of ownership in that they are attached to private buildings yet extend into and over the public domain. The building owner has the legal obligation to maintain the awning, the local council has the legal obligation to ensure that members of the public are safe and not at risk from the structure above them. Apart from their most obvious function of providing weather and sun protection to pedestrians and building frontages, awnings also contribute significantly to the urban environment. Shop Awnings define pedestrian space and have been characteristic of shops, cafes, hotels, and other buildings reliant on pedestrian interaction from Sydney’s earliest days. Uniquely Australian they represent a link with the past and we should treasure them and restore them sympathetically where possible. There are some fantastic examples of shop awnings with highly detailed filigree steelwork and wonderful almost pieces of art in pressed tin soffits. Next time you’re sat outside a coffee shop or walking along the street take the time to look up, there is something seemingly floating up there above your head, secured with its angled tension rods and outrigger frames and we should take more pride that we still have so many of them to appreciate.   Mark Redgewell 27^th June 2023 © www.awningsrus.com.au