Description
Baptist Street is an established avenue of Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) some 600m long. There are 29 specimens on the western side of the street plus three smaller recent street tree plantings in the far northern end of the street. There are 30 specimens on the eastern side of the street giving a total of 59 mature trees. They are typically 12-15m in height and 12-15m in spread with trunk diameters at 1.4m above the ground surface of 0.6-0.8m.
Although in a relatively constrained grassed verge area, the trees all appear to be in fair to good health. They provide a very memorable arching canopy over the road and adjoining terrace houses, almost completely enclosing the street in many places along its length.
Significance
Baptist Street is an aesthetically pleasing and established avenue of large Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua). It is a relatively unique, intact and long length of a single species avenue and is representative of this previously common street tree planting in the 1960 and 70’s which is now becoming relatively rare within the LGA. It is considered significant on aesthetic and historical merit as it is representative of a the 1960’s-70’s style of street landscaping in Sydney.
Historical notes
There was no street planting evident in Baptist Street in the 1943 aerial photos of the area. Although the exact planting date is unknown it is assumed the trees were planted as part of the street beautification programs of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) was a very common tree used in this period that has since been removed in many locations in the LGA due to isses with infrastructure damage and the prolific fruit drop of spiky round seed pods. Although not completely avoided as a street tree, their use is far more restricted and Baptist Street represents one of the longest, most memorable and most intact avenue plantings still remaining in the LGA.
Gallery
