NAKED CITY: TAYLOR SQUARE – TIME FOR A CAPSTAN!
Circular Quay with the bridge and the Opera House might be the scenic gateway to Sydney and Railway Square the commercial doorway with its constant hustle and bustle. But here at the Naked City we have always had a soft spot for Taylor Square, that much maligned landmark that greets many a traveller en route from Sydney airport.
Over the years successive councils have attempted to beautify and gentrify the old square which was originally named in 1909 after a former lord mayor of Sydney, Sir Allen Taylor. During the 80s and 90s it was often home to the ‘twenty four hour wine tasting’ and Gilligans Island, a green and sometimes leafy oasis amidst the concrete jungle, was a popular spot to sleep it off.
By the new millennium, under plans originally drawn up by South Sydney Council, the island underwent a radical deforestation, stripping it of both its tropical foliage and its resident rats. The infamous ‘enema’ style water feature was installed and conspiracy theories abounded that the spouts were operated via remote control cameras to keep the area free of winos and other undesirables.
When the Square fell under the authority of Sydney City Council in the noughties, numerous attempts were made to revitalize the area and recognize the contribution of the local gay community, the latest manifestation being the ill-fated rainbow crossing. The latter had all the potential of becoming an iconic Sydney “attraction” until a “Gay” backlash, instigated by Minister for Roads Duncan Gay, saw the crossing removed in the wee small hours of the night.
So what now for Taylor Square, the ‘Island’ and the expanses of concrete that seem to serve no other purpose than as a drab pedestrian concourse? For starters Gilligans needs to be placed on the World Conversation Register and replanted with a selection of flora that reflect the unique identity of the area. We would love to see something exotic, like giant sequoia cacti, towering tropical palm trees and a selection of fruit trees that would be free for the picking. With the loathsome water feature removed a new paradigm would appear.
No longer would Gilligans be synonymous with sucking the life out of a $5.99 wine cask or scoring $10 worth of home brewed Meth. Punters from all over Sydney would congregate to check out the succulents, pick a basket of free apples or kumquats and throw a picnic blanket underneath a lofty coconut palm. A roster of roving minstrels would enhance the cosmopolitan atmosphere and whilst the rainbow crossing would not be resurrected a novel set of traffic lights would be installed, sequencing through all the colours of the spectrum before they finally changed to green or red.
The T2 building, which has become something of a white elephant of late, would become a twenty-four hour detox unit where Oxford Street revellers could sleep off a hangover and enjoy a hearty breakfast before the suburban trains resumed. On the courthouse side a permanent viewing platform, safari style, would be erected, where tourists could survey the twenty-four hour action and enjoy a latte on the side.
Finally, as a homage to the Square’s vibrant history we would seriously suggest the reinstalment of the old “Time For A Capstan” clock. Forget that it was once a piece of insidious cigarette advertising and see it now as a metaphor for the area’s rebirth. The dictionary defines “capstan” as a device for controlling or applying force to another element and in this case we’d see it as the impetus that binds this inimitable area together. Stretching a point? Okay, it’s just a funky old ciggie neon but it sure looks good!
