Corners of Melbourne

Robyn Annear has written a number of books relating to the history of Melbourne. She is an avid user of Trove and this book results from searching records about Melbourne up to 1899 with the limiter 'at the corner'. This produced a range of incidents within a series of broad themes, many of which appear in this book of anecdotes. The subtitle for the book, Corners of Melbourne, is The great Orange-peel panic and other stories from the streets. Most of the stories revolve around corner locations in the city of Melbourne as well as suburbs such as Collingwood, Fitzroy, Carlton and West Melbourne.

Themes covered in this book include accidents that occurred when people slipped on discarded orange and other fruit skins on the flagstones recently laid in Melbourne, accidents that occurred with horses in overcrowded streets, drinking taps and horse troughs, public urinals rather than small lanes used as toilets, street stalls, speakers on a range of topics on street corners, pick pockets, 'entertainers', card readers etc., hoardings with advertising signs and a variety of entertainment set up on land near street corners. 

One chapter covers larrikins, a term first used in the press in 1870 to describe groups of young men (sometimes women) who congregated together in the streets at night and caused havoc. Some would go on the rampage and damage private and public property. The limited police force had difficulty handing the situation. Reading this chapter made me think that not much has changed considering the behavior of some young people today.

Robyn Annear has written an interesting account of lesser known aspects of life in Melbourne in the nineteenth century.