Major historical significance of the Edwin Davey Flour Mill

This is what the developer says:

Built in 1896, the Edwin Davey & Sons Flour Mill was one of Sydney's longest serving flour mills. A familiar and much-loved site with enormous historical significance, it underwent a no-expense-spared rebuild in 1911 after fire destroyed much of the building. The mill continued flour production until its closure in 1996, after nearly 100 years of operation. Today, its remaining walls stand as one of the last vestiges of an industry once prevalent in the area. The prominent warehouse façade of the building has become a popular, much-photographed cultural site thanks to its dramatic presence.

Photos taken inside the mill and the old train line next to the mill.

From the Australian Government Department of the Environment is a major entry on the flour mill which shows its historical significance.

Built in 1896, the Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill forms part of a collection of buildings which record the development of Pyrmont and Ultimo as an industrial and warehouse district on the southern fringe of the Central Business District during the latter half of the nineteenth century. This pattern of development forms a crucial part of the historic pattern of development of Sydney as the capital city and commercial centre of NSW, based on the industrial and transport opportunities created by the waterfrontages of this and other peninsulas in Sydney Harbour. The Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill was the last flour mill operating in the inner city area of Sydney and was amongst the longest operating mills in this area. It is one of the few remaining industrial buildings in this part of Ultimo (Criterion A.4) (Historic Themes: 3.10 Altering the environment for economic development; 3.12 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity; 4.1 Planning urban settlement; 5.2 Organising workers and work places). It is a good representative of a turn of the century roller mill building constructed in Sydney. Although stripped of equipment now, it retains the basic features of its former operational layout and technology, representing this phase of the industry and demonstrating the general utility and durability of that technology. The building is an example of a utilitarian Federation Free Classical architectural style (Criterion D.2). It is prominently located and is a minor landmark in its area (Criterion E.1).

The main building of the Edwin Davey and Sons Flour Mill is a four storey brick flour mill with corrugated iron roof behind a plain parapet and rectangular window openings. The northern frontage has a large triangular pediment bearing the business name. There is a three storey brick addition on the south side with different window arrangements and on the western side, an extension built out to the cliff line which matches the detailing of the earlier eastern side. The interior comprises timber post and beam framing and timber floors. It has a rail siding from the Darling Harbour/Lilyfield Goods Line below the escarpment on the northern side, with some remaining wheat elevation gear and there are corrugated iron clad extensions at the rear of the mill building. 

The Ultimo end of the Pyrmont peninsula remained as an undeveloped grazing property until the 1860s, in the ownership of Surgeon John Harris and his heirs. The complications of the inheritance prevented subdivision of the estate until after 1859 but, when commenced, the construction of houses and factories proceeded rapidly, with many land owners, including the Harris family members, building working class terrace houses for lease. The existing development in Pyrmont and around the edges of the Harris estate consisted of predominantly quarrying, manufacturing and processing works and the provision of workers' housing found a ready market. By the end of the century, newer, larger industrial concerns were purchasing large blocks of Ultimo property and demolishing the residences to erect large factories and warehouses, with the wool industry being at the forefront of this phase, especially along Wattle Street. This created a distinct block pattern of development in the area, with blocks of housing alternating with blocks containing industrial buildings, facilities and other workplaces. By the early twentieth century, the waterfront, power station and railway industries were also influential in the economy of the area, while no new housing was built in Ultimo from 1902 till the 1970s. 
 
Technological and social changes after the end of World War Two though, led to the progressive abandonment of the inner city fringes as industrial areas and the Ultimo/Pyrmont area suffered rapid declines in both workplaces and population. Since the 1970s, the area has been gradually redeveloped for housing and commercial activities. When the auctioning of Block 42 of the Harris Estate was advertised for Monday, February 25, 1895, ten lots of Block 42 were purchased by Stephen Freeman, both in his own name and later as S Freeman and Sons Limited, from The Perpetual Trustee Company (Limited), Administrator of the estate of John Harris of Shane's Park. S Freeman and Sons were a firm producing a range of household products, including Bathos baking powder, egg powder, self raising flour, flaked oatmeal, Maori coffee, spices, lemon and orange peels, extract of soap, borax and sand soaps, castor and salad oils, soda crystals, square and bag blue, pickles, jelly tablets, sauces, vinegar and cordials. Freeman and Sons built a flour mill on the site, described as an eight bag plant, which was operating from 1896. This mill was then purchased by Edwin Davey and Sons in 1900. When Davey purchased the Ultimo Roller Mills in Sydney, he already owned mills at Angaston, Eudunda and Salisbury in South Australia, with a head office and stores in Currie Street, Adelaide. The main purpose for Edwin Davey establishing or acquiring a Sydney mill was the need for a more efficient means of producing flour for export, particularly for trade with the Far East and the Pacific. He was already selling flour to Auckland, Samoa and Calcutta through a Sydney based agent. Port facilities, freight costs and shipping in Sydney were preferable to those in Adelaide. 
 
The Ultimo Mill was refitted and went into production in 1901 using the brand name Chanticleer Flour. The mill quickly built a reputation for the quality of the flour produced there. An early award the firm received was a gold medal from the Franco-British Exhibition in 1908. In the same year, local recognition occurred when Chanticleer flour took first prize for bread, together with a special prize, at the Sydney Royal Agricultural Society Show and prizes at the Taree and Kempsey Shows for home made bread, scones and cakes. The mill operated and expanded, with a fire in the 1920s as the only major interruption, until 1992, by which time the company had become part of Weston Milling Ltd and the Ultimo mill was small and old fashioned compared to modern facilities. The mill was closed, the machinery removed and the site sold for development.