The corner shop (and residence)

David Patrick owned and operated the corner grocer with his wife Christina nee Gordon and their 11 children (born between 1897 and 1912).

Following the deaths of David & Christina Patrick, ownership passed to their oldest son, William, who immediately transferred the property to his youngest brother, Duncan McGregor Patrick. Duncan was a storeman. He and his sister Violet remained as residents all their lives. Violet died in 1986 and Duncan finally passed away in September 1992.

When photographed in 1994 the property was being sold as a deceased estate with nearly all of the furnishings removed but many of the external and internal fittings and joinery intact and little changed from when the house was built. The remnant paint schemes, linoleum floor coverings, wallpaper trim and curtains probably dated from around the late 1940s. The surfaces were functional: easy to clean and maintain as demanded by life in a suburban corner store. It is unknown exactly how long the shop operated, but corner general stores servicing the needs of the local community are dotted around Sydney’s older suburbs and like the Patricks’ store in Leichhardt were often operated and owned by one family.

Photographer: Louise Lister

Date Photographed: November 1994

Original image format: transparency film: 6x6cms

Copyright: Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Photograph © Louise Lister