Paddington Reservoir

Paddington Reservoir
Western Chamber, Paddington Reservoir Gardens, pictured in 2010
Type	Urban park
Location	255a Oxford Street, Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°53′07″S 151°13′37″E / 33.8853°S 151.22697°E / -33.8853; 151.22697
Created	2008 (2008) (as an urban park)
Operated by	City of Sydney
Open	24 hours
Status	Open all year
Elevation	65 metres (214 ft) AHD
Built	1864 – March 1866 (1866-03) (as a water reservoir)[1]
Built for	Metropolitan Board of Water and Sewerage, Sydney
Restored by	Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Architect	Edward Bell
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name	Paddington Reservoir; Walter Read Reserve; Paddington Reservoir Gardens (2009+); Reservoir Gardens
Type	State heritage (built)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	515
Type	Water Supply Reservoir/Dam
Category	Utilities – Water

The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park located at 255a Oxford Street in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Paddington. It was designed by Edward Bell and built from 1864 to 1866 and operated as a water reservoir which accepted water from the Botany Swamps pumping station for supply to parts of Sydney between 1866 and 1899. In the twentieth century the site variously functioned as a service station and storage and mechanical workshop site. In 2006 work commenced to convert the site into a sunken garden and park. It is also known as Walter Read Reserve; Paddington Reservoir Gardens; Reservoir Gardens. The property is owned by City of Sydney. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.^[2]