Westpac Group Archives, Sydney

Identity area

Identifier

daa/201

Authorized form of name

Westpac Group Archives, Sydney

Parallel form(s) of name

Other form(s) of name

  • Formerly Westpac Historical Services

Type

  • Business

Contact area

 

Head of Historical Services

Type

Address

Street address

Unit 2, Building A, 16 Mars Road, Lane Cove West

Locality

Sydney

Region

New South Wales

Country name

Postal code

2066

Telephone

02 9214 2229

Fax

Email

Note

Description area

History

Westpac has a long and proud history as Australia's first and oldest bank. It was established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales under a charter of incorporation provided by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. In October 1982 it changed its name to Westpac Banking Corporation following the acquisition of the Commercial Bank of Australia. For further details about the bank's history, see https://www.westpac.com.au/about-westpac/westpac-group/company-overview/our-history/?searchsource=search-results&kw=our%20history&cat=other&rank=9&result-type=natural

Westpac's archives was established in 1955 under the purview of notable economic historians and is one of only a handful of corporate collections in Australia and is the largest privately held archives in the Southern Hemisphere. It holds almost six kilometres of records and a photographic collection with more than 10 000 images, and 5000 or so architectural plans.

Geographical and cultural context

Mandates/Sources of authority

Administrative structure

Officer-in-charge: Head of Historical Services

Records management and collecting policies

Records deemed to be of permanent value from Westpac Banking Corporation and its predecessors:

  • Bank of New South Wales
  • Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd
  • Australian Joint Stock Bank Ltd
  • Australian Bank of Commerce
  • City Bank of Sydney
  • Australian and European Bank
  • Town and Country Bank
  • Mercantile Bank of Sydney
  • Bank of Tasmania
  • National Bank of Tasmania.
    Rare banking memorabilia and the papers of former officials are also accepted.

Buildings

Holdings

Includes, for example:

  • Bank of New South Wales - Chief Inspector: Half yearly reports, 1907-1971 (80m)
  • Various Branches: Current account ledgers, 1850-1950 (50m)
  • Chief Executive: Correspondence, 1864- present (50m)
  • Premises Departments: Branch photographs, 1870- present; Architectural drawings, 1870- present
  • Westpac Banking Corporation (and predecessors): Board minutes, 1817- present (60m).

Finding aids, guides and publications

Access area

Opening times

No longer open to the public: visit by appointment only.

Access conditions and requirements

Researchers must complete an application for access to archival records. Advance notice of visit required including proof of identity.

Accessibility

Services area

Research services

Research services provided by staff in response to written (letter or email) or telephone requests.

Reproduction services

Limited copying services available for photographs.

Public areas

Control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Revised 4 May 2018

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Maintenance notes

Access points

Access Points

  • Industry, Manufacturing and Commerce (Thematic area)
  • Clipboard

Primary contact

Unit 2, Building A, 16 Mars Road, Lane Cove West
Sydney, New South Wales 2066