Byrnes Cloth Factory, Parramatta River.

Scarce c.19th hand coloured engraving of Byrne’s cloth Factory on the Parramatta River in 1854.

Byrne built their factory on the lot to the south of the Rivercat Wharf on George Street and next to Harrisford House, James and William Byrnes, had an allotment from which they conducted their river ferry and industrial interests and agencies in the 1840’s and 50’s. In 1841 the two brothers built a steam flour mill on land leased from the Elizabeth farm estate. They must have done well for five years later they built a five story cloth mill next to the first mill. The new mill was located approximately between the modern Noller Parade and the Rivercat wharf to the east of a line drawn to the river through modern Purchase Street. By January 1847 the cloth factory was manufacturing lama cloth, tweeds (and a durable cloth called ‘Parramatta Tweed’), checks, doeskins and kerseymeres and for the first time tartans were woven in the colony. Using imported English machinery, the mill started with 39 employees and by 1849 had manufactured 32,882 yards of tweed.

References;
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 15440a.

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