Gradually we are unravelling the mystery of the various Lewis premises: not just Adelaide addresses, but also the country branches. To get an overview, I am keeping a table listing Lewis addresses and dates that I come across. I've now trawled through most of the contemporary business directories, maps and records, but there are still a couple of addresses that continue to eluded me. In terms of manufacture and the motor trade, the key early addresses were the showroom and bicycle factory in Freeman St (later renamed Gawler Place) and the early workshop in McHenry St. These buildings were quite close together and can be thought of as "the northern block" for Lewis operations. From 1905 there was a shift of emphasis a few hundred metres south to Victoria Square, Molton Street and from 1910 Gawler Place South. Again these building form a cluster: "the southern block". The majority of the photos in the Lewis Album were taken at Freeman Street, in the early workshop in McHenry St and in the Moolton Street factory which was situated across the back lane behind the Motor House in Victoria Square. In country South Australia, the Lewis Cycle and Motor Works had branches in most of the major centres, which no-doubt provided a mix of services appropriate for the areas they covered. The locations that we know of so far are: |
