Correspondence file between Alexander Barrie and Town Clerk, City of Melbourne, re Barrie Alley, 17 April 1868, courtesy of Public Record Office Victoria, Victorian Archives Centre.
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Barry Lane runs between Little Bourke and Lonsdale streets, parallel with Queen Street. In 1895, the lane then known as Tankards Place contained Edwards and Wetenhall saddletree makers, the Shamrock Hotel, and the Temperance Hotel. The Shamrock Hotel was built in 1862 and run by Michael O'Brien until his death in 1870, when his widow Ellen took over the licence and ran the hotel for another 28 years. Hotels such as the Temperance were established in direct competition to licensed hotels such as the Shamrock, in order to offer Melburnians an alternative public space in which to socialise, away from the evils of drink. These hotels generally failed financially, and many eventually sought liquor licenses. In 2008 Barry Lane backed onto the law chambers, offices, and cafes of Queen Street. It contains a car park, and offers little pedestrian amenity.