Green's Exchange, also known as Green's Auction Mart, was a business on King William Street, Adelaide, in the early colonial days of South Australia. It was not the first, and by no means the only stock exchange in Adelaide, but was notable in its alternative use as a venue for large public meetings and performances.
George Green (c. 1820 – 20 January 1895) arrived in South Australia in March 1848 aboard David Malcolm from London. He had studied civil engineering in Britain, but finding little demand for the profession, turned to land surveying, with offices at 65 King William Street adjacent the Bank of Australasia from 1850. [1] By June 1853 he was advertising as a land agent and auctioneer with offices at the same address, under he title "Exchange Auction Mart" (still operating 1886). He also acted as a gold buyer for some of the banks, was for a time a director of the Moonta mines, and managed "Green's Exchange Room", which operated from May 1853 to at least November 1889. [2]
Green had an arrangement with one William Green of Melbourne, who conducted a similar business from premises at 74 Queen Street, Melbourne [3] later 30 Queen Street as "Green's Land, Share, and Adelaide Agency" [4] later land agent and auctioneer at 71 Russell Street, proved insolvent 1863, [5] back to 74 Queen Street in 1864. His subsequent history and relationship with George Green (if any) is yet to be found.
Green entered into partnership with J. H. Parr as auctioneers and commission agents sometime before September 1857 and W. G. Luxmoore joined before November that year. The partnership Green, Parr & Luxmoore was dissolved in March 1863. [6] He had a separate partnership with William Wadham (1824–1895) [7] from around 1857; Wadham moved to partnership with George Dutton Green (1 May 1850 – 27 April 1911) as Green & Co.
Green built a home on Palmer Place, and Wadham built a residence,. [8] "Rhyllon", a few doors away. [7] He retired around 1880, though his involvement with the Exchange ceased around 1875, and returned to England, where he died, leaving a widow, two sons and two daughters. [9]
In 1854 Green remodelled the interior, to make a large open room suitable for meetings, concerts and receptions, though the pillars supporting the roof structure made it unsuitable for use as a ballroom. [10] On both sides of the main entrance to the Exchange were offices of the South Australian Telegraph Department. Charles Todd, the Superintendent of Telegraphs, had those on the lefthand side, and the public offices on the right. The Exchange room was directly behind these offices; and on each side of the gallery which overlooked "The Room" (which had a glass roof) was a number of small professional offices, occupied by such as solicitor Henry Hay Mildred. The offices over the Telegraph Office were occupied by solicitors Belt, Cullen, & Wigley. Businessmen mentioned as habitués include T. F. Monteith, F. P. Bayley, C. J. Barry, William Mitchell, Walter Duffield, Capt. John Hart, John Dunn, Beeby & Dunstan and Thomas Magarey. The southern side was then a vacant block, with a garden behind the railing fence; later an extension of the Bank of Australasia. The northern side was a wine and spirits store used by R. H. Wigg, later the Bank of South Australia, and the Union Bank. Scott, Young, & Co., drapers, occupied the next building, the rear of which housed Henry Noltenius' wine store. The building was later leased by Hill, Mills, & Co., railway carriers, and their successors C. R. Darton & Co. This building occupied the northernmost site of what became Bowman's Arcade, [11] which occupied most of the eastern half of Town Acre 109.
Green's lease elapsed shortly after his son George Dutton Green and others erected the Pirie Street Exchange, and the site reverted to T. G. Waterhouse, for whom Broken Hill Chambers (opened 1890), was built on the site by William McLean [12] [13] of the Melbourne firm of McLean Brothers, Rigg & Co. [14] to the design of English & Soward. A feature of the building was a glass-roofed arcade running clear through to Gilbert Place. [15] The freehold was sold to William Kither acting for Keith Bowman, and renamed Bowman's Arcade, [11] which served Adelaide for a hundred years, and home of John Mack's camera shop.
The South Australian Company, also referred to as the South Australia Company, was formed in London on 9 October 1835, after the South Australia (Foundation) Act 1834 had established the new British Province of South Australia, with the South Australian Colonization Commission set up to oversee implementation of the Act.
Pirie Street is a road on the east side of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It runs east–west, between East Terrace and King William Street. After crossing King William Street, it continues as Waymouth Street. It forms the southern boundary of Hindmarsh Square which is in the centre of the north-east quadrant of the city centre.
Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.
He avoided rote learning, punishment and religious instruction, but taught moral philosophy, physiology, political economy and mechanical drawing ... (and) surveying on field trips.
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John Bentham Neales, frequently referred to as "J. Bentham Neales" or "Bentham Neales", was a businessman and politician in the early days of South Australia, by some regarded as the "Father of Mining in South Australia".
William Knox Simms was a brewer, businessman and politician in the early days of South Australia.
Quiz was a weekly newspaper published in Adelaide, South Australia from 1889 to 1910. Between 1890 and 1900 it was known as Quiz and The Lantern.
Cawthorne and Co, also known as Cawthorne's Limited, was a company founded in 1870 in Adelaide, South Australia, by Charles Cawthorne and his father William Anderson Cawthorne, which dealt in musical instruments, sheet music and recordings, and acted as concert promoters.
George Dutton Green was a land agent, auctioneer and politician in the colony of South Australia. He was generally referred to as "Dutton Green" and adopted it as his family name, occasionally hyphenated.
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D. & W. Murray was a drapers shop in Adelaide founded by brothers David Murray and William Mackintosh Murray, which became the wholesale draper D. & W. Murray Limited, with warehouses in three States, then Goode, Durrant & Murray second in importance only to G. & R. Wills.
The West End Brewery in Hindley Street, Adelaide, was a South Australian brewer of beer founded in the colony of South Australia in 1859 by a consortium of brewers. Its West End Ale was a popular brand and the enterprise was a successful one. The company merged with the Kent Town Brewery and Ben Rounsevell's wine and spirit business to create the South Australian Brewing, Malting, Wine and Spirit Company, in 1888, which continued to use the West End brand.
Daniel Garlick was an architect in the early days of South Australia. During his lifetime, his architectural practice names were Garlick & Son and Jackman & Garlick. After his death his name was perpetuated by two rival firms: Garlick & Sibley and then Garlick, Sibley & Wooldridge; and Garlick & Jackman and then Garlick, Jackman & Gooden.
The Pirie Street Brewery was a brewery situated on Pirie and Wyatt Streets, Adelaide, in the early days of the British colony of South Australia. It was succeeded on the same site after a few years by the Adelaide Brewery. Its original address was 50-62 Wyatt Street; today the buildings at 54–60 are heritage-listed in the South Australian Heritage Register, and there is a remaining building at 113 Pirie Street now occupied by the Hill Smith Gallery.
Thomas Playford was a non-conformist minister of religion, teacher and farmer in the early days of the British colony of South Australia. The first-born son of the next three generations were also named Thomas; the second and fourth became premiers of South Australia. His time in South Australia was closely linked with that of his brother, John Playford, sister Hannah Welbourn née Playford (1813–1865), and Hannah's husband Thomas Welbourn (1812–1879).
Henry Hussey was a pastor in the colonial days of South Australia, closely associated with the Christian Church on Bentham Street along with pastors Abbott, Finlayson and Playford. He was the author of several influential books on religious themes, and a memoir.
David Gall was a printer in the early days of colonial South Australia.
The Nimble Ninepence was a variety store in Adelaide in the early days of the colony of South Australia, with a branch store at Kapunda, The shop was destroyed in one of the city's earliest major fires. The name comes from the proverb "Better a nimble ninepence than a slow shilling", implying that the store did more trade by virtue of its lower profit margins.
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