Coal was first mentioned in the colony in 1797, and is widely available in the Sydney basin, including Balmain. Together with wood, coal was an important source of heat- hence the chimneys on colonial buildings. Chimneys of the 1840s were very plain, usually adorned by nothing more than a single narrow horizontal band (as in the Waterman’s Cottage, and Cahermore): however, as the century progressed, they became more and more ornate (for example, Ewenton).