The street obviously dated from the late nineteenth century, when a quarter of the globe was imperial red and Victoria had been on the throne so long a world without her seemed impossible. The names on the buildings were drawn from the old country: Lansdowne Terrace, Devon Court, Surrey Court, Edinburgh Mansions. Some were very grand, with façades of stone, though you could see that the sides facing the alleyways were plain brick and mortar. In between these charming monuments to empire were a few ghastly modern structures, so vile Jason wondered how the town planning authorities had permitted their construction. He didn't yet know that Ozzies have been prey to every overseas fashion, no matter how unsuitable or unattractive, because they secretly believed they were provincial and uninteresting. He didn't yet know that Australia lacked the self-confidence of America.
A bar was just opening up. It was called The Lord Grey. Outside there was a picture of that good nobleman, who invented the tea. Jason went inside to see if there was work.
[Here's where I got the picture from. Note the tree ferns in the garden, and the Elm tree on the pavement!]
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