George Foster and his blueprints: a talk by Ron Ringer

Ron Ringer, a presenter to MHS on two previous occasions, will talk about blueprints and the curious story of George Foster & Sons, late of 1-29 Princes Highway, St Peters.

Time: 10 for 10.30am start.

Where: The Pavilion, Marrickville Library, corner Marrickville & Livingstone Roads. 

Ron is an independent consulting historian; the author of numerous publications including educational textbooks and commissioned histories; and he enjoys writing reviews for the online music platform, classikON. He has been a guest speaker at events hosted by U3A, Rotary and other pro bono organisations. Ron also works in the field of academic editing, and recently completed a two-year placement at Vilnius Technical University in Lithuania. 

The building that once housed the engineering firm of George Foster on Princes Highway has now been repurposed as apartment dwellings. Standing immediately opposite the former Bedford Brickworks, in its heyday Fosters employed scores of skilled tradesmen in its foundry and also draughtsmen and women in its offices above.

From 1898 until the 1970s, Fosters built and repaired much of the engineering equipment used in the brickyards along the so-called ‘Golden Mile’ that stretched as far as Tempe and the current location of IKEA. Foster also serviced many other engineering projects throughout Sydney. 

But how did the process of manufacture commence? Of course, it started in the office above the foundry with the preparation of blueprints. Everyone knows that the housebuilder works according to plans, which are usually prepared by the architect. A more accurate term for a plan is the word, blueprint. House plans are just one example of working drawings prepared by architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, aviation engineers and many other professionals. 

Blueprinting is the standard method used to copy large architectural and construction drawings. A blueprint used to consist of white lines on a blue background. A more recent process uses blue lines on a white background. 

Ron Ringer will deliver an illustrated presentation and a hands-on examination of actual blueprints that date from the early 20th century.