Surry Hills was once the centre of New South Wales’ ‘rag trade’: a short history of fashion manufacturing in Sydney

Surry Hills was once the centre of New South Wales’ ‘rag trade’: a short history of fashion manufacturing in Sydney

Top Dog factory for men's hats, Surry Hills, 1941 State Library of New South WalesSydney has awoken to the smouldering ruins of its largest city fire in 55 years. The “abandoned building” in Randle Street, Surry Hills, adjacent to Central Station was once the R.C. Henderson Ladies Hat factory, a six-storey brick structure built in 1912. Empty for some time, the space was slated to become a boutique hotel. Full of wooden trusses and likely old m…