Taylor Square

Southern end of Taylor Square, Darlinghurst. 2026.

Taylor Square is a public square in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Taylor Square is located beside a major road junction, at the intersection of Bourke, Forbes, Oxford and Flinders Streets. Taylor Square is also on the border of the suburbs of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills.

Description

The first temporary rainbow crossing in Australia located between the southern and northern ends of Taylor Square on Oxford St. It was first installed in February 2013 for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and then removed in April 2013.

Taylor Square sits at the intersection of Bourke, Forbes, Oxford and Flinders streets above the tunnel section of the Eastern Distributor. The square is named after Sir Allen Taylor (1864–1940), a timber merchant, ship builder and Lord Mayor of Sydney who was responsible for the widening of Oxford Street during his tenure.

The area formerly bound by the traffic of the three streets is popularly known as "Gilligan's Island" because of three large palm trees that once occupied the strip, but have since been subsequently removed. The opening of the Eastern Distributor in December 1999 also entailed the realignment of traffic flow in the area. Direct vehicle access across Oxford Street via Bourke Street is no longer possible.

The locality is a centre of the city's nightlife, especially for its LGBTQIA+ community. Two permanent tributes are the large rainbow flag and rainbow crossing, built in 2014 and 2019 respectively.

A new rainbow crossing was installed in 2019, and was updated in 2024 to include the progress pride flag. The crossing sits adjacent to the southern end of Taylor Square, on the corner of Campbell and Bourke streets, on the border between Surry Hills and Darlinghurst.

Darlinghurst Courthouse is an imposing sandstone building on Taylor Square. It was designed by architect Mortimer Lewis (1796–1879) in 1844 and has a Greek Revival style façade. The central block is adapted from an 1823 design in Peter Nicholson's The New Practical Builder.

The first temporary rainbow crossing in Australia was located between the southern and northern ends of Taylor Square on Oxford St and was first installed in February 2013 for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and then removed in April 2013. The temporary crossing was inspired by two rainbow crossings that were created in time for the 2012 LA Pride Parade and were located alongside the LA Pride Parade route on Santa Monica Boulevard. A new permanent rainbow crossing was installed in 2019 adjacent to the southern end of Taylor Square, and was updated in 2024 to include the progress pride flag.

The square also features a large water fountain built into the pavement. This was part of a $5.25 million upgrade, in 2003, including lighting and a grass terrace. The fountain is currently being reviewed for upgrade and repair by the City of Sydney Council.

Qtopia

Construction hoarding along Oxford street in Darlinghurst, that references the underground toilets in Taylor Square, indicating its connection to the queer community through it being a beat.

In February 2024, a new museum, titled Qtopia, opened in Darlinghurst, celebrating queer stories with an extensive collection of objects related to queer culture in Sydney. It sits across three main sites which include the main building at 301 Forbes St., Darlinghurst, the substation and the underground toilet block, both of which are located at the northern end of Taylor Square.

It initially began as a temporary exhibition held during Sydney World Pride in 2023 and was located in the bandstand pavilion in Green Park, Darlinghurst, as well as at the National Art School that sits adjacent to Green Park in Darlinghurst. The underground toilet block was opened to the public in 1907 and then closed in 1998 and it now hosts "exhibitions exploring Sydney's gay beat, sauna and cruising culture of the 1980s and 90s." and it was itself the location of a popular beat in Sydney for decades until its closure in 1998. The substations 40-seat theatre hosts performances including music, drag, comedy, cabaret and poetry all year round with numerous performances being held in conjunction with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in February and March each year as well as during Pride month in June of each year.

History

Taylor Square was the site of the public execution of John Knatchbull for murder in 1844, with a crowd of 10,000 people reportedly in attendance.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Rainbow crossing at Taylor Square to become more inclusive". City Hub. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026. The rainbow was installed on Oxford Street in February 2013 to celebrate 35 years of Mardi Gras. It was approved as a temporary artwork until the end of March, but Mayor Clover Moore, and many others, wanted it to stay.
  2. 1 2 "Sydney will soon have a new rainbow crossing at Taylor Square". star observer. 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Back to black: rainbow crossing removed". star observer. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 June 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "Allen Taylor". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Gilligan's Island". City Hub Sydney | Your Local Independent News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "Sydney's rainbow crossing at Taylor Square to be unveiled this weekend". star observer. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Rainbow crossing at Taylor Square to become more inclusive". City Hub. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026. The rainbow was installed on Oxford Street in February 2013 to celebrate 35 years of Mardi Gras. It was approved as a temporary artwork until the end of March, but Mayor Clover Moore, and many others, wanted it to stay.
  8. ↑ "Crossing the rainbow on Taylor Square | City of Sydney - News". news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Sydney's Taylor Square Rainbow Crossing Updated to Progress Pride Flag". star observer. 3 June 2024. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Apperly, Irving & Reynolds, 1989.
  11. ↑ "Sydney's Rainbow Crossings". Dictionary of Sydney. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2026. Rainbow crosswalks on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood were [Sydney] Lord Mayor Clover Moore's inspiration. These had been painted as part of the 2012 Gay Pride Month celebrations in the USA and they had been such a success that they were allowed to remain in place... ...A budget of $75,000 was initially allocated by the City of Sydney for painting coloured stripes at two existing crossings on Oxford Street with the same hard-wearing and non-skid material used to mark bus lanes...
  12. ↑ Duvander, Martin (18 October 2012). "Rainbow Crosswalks: Why I, a Straight Man, Wanted West Hollywood to Be a Little Gayer". Huff Post Gay Voices. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013. A few weeks after this, with the support of the West Hollywood City Council and lobbying from others in the LGBT community and residents of West Hollywood, the rainbow crosswalks sailed through and became a reality, complete with a little glitter mixed into the paint for extra West Hollywood sparkle, and installed just in time for L.A. Pride. The paint was still wet just a few hours before the Dyke March kicked things off.
  13. ↑ "Rainbow Crosswalk". Time Out. 26 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2026. The city painted two rainbow crosswalks on San Vicente Boulevard in late 2012, and ever since it seems nearly impossible to imagine the area without them. The intersection with Santa Monica Boulevard marks the longtime (and now likely former) home of LA Pride, as well as a spot along the Pride Parade route and at the gateway to one of the most vibrant gay villages in the world.
  14. ↑ "Decision - Taylor Square Water Feature Maintenance and Upgrade". meetings.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Proud, pink and full of pop: The artwork making Oxford Street look the part". City of Sydney. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jordan Hirst (22 April 2024). "Qtopia Sydney has transformed the Taylor Square substation". Q news. Retrieved 26 March 2025. The historic Underground Men's Conveniences were built over a century ago at Taylor Square. The public toilet was also a popular beat in the heart of gay Sydney for decades until its closure in 1988. Now as part of Qtopia, The Toilet Block will host adults-only exhibitions exploring Sydney's gay beat, sauna and cruising culture of the 1980s and 90s.
  17. ↑ Douglas Magaletti (3 January 2024). "The Polson Effect". Star Observer. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Douglas Magaletti (27 March 2024). "The Substation At LGBTQ Museum Qtopia Sydney Now open". Star Observer. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  19. ↑ "Locations". Qtopia Sydney. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  20. ↑ Declan Bowring (17 February 2023). "Australian-first queer museum Qtopia opens as Sydney WorldPride kicks off". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Declan Bowring (23 February 2024). "Sydney's first queer museum Qtopia opens at permanent site in Darlinghurst police station". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Taylor Square Substation No.6 & Underground Public Conveniences". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning and Environment. H01700. Retrieved 14 October 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
  23. ↑ "applications now open for pride fest 2026". Qtopia Sydney.
  24. ↑ Norrie, Philip Anthony (2007). "An Analysis of the Causes of Death in Darlinghurst Gaol 1867-1914 and the Fate of the Homeless in Nineteenth Century Sydney" (pdf of 187 pages). Thesis for Master of Arts (Research). University of Sydney. Retrieved 14 March 2008. page 103: The most famous public hanging at the goal was that of aristocrat John Knatchbull at 7 a.m. on Tuesday 13 February 1844. He was executed for murdering Ellen Jamieson and a crowd of over 10,000 witnessed his death. The last public hanging occurred on 21 September 1852, when murderer, Thomas Green, was dispatched.
  25. ↑ Pelly, John (31 January 2005). "History in the dock". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 March 2008. These public events continued until John Knatchbull - found guilty of murder after the court rejected the colony's first recorded insanity plea - met his fate in Taylor Square in February 1844. The newspapers offered disapproving words about the number of women and children in the crowd of 10,000.

33°52′51″S 151°13′01″E / 33.8808°S 151.2169°E / -33.8808; 151.2169