He bought land at Dawes Point overlooking Sydney Cove from John Baughan and commenced trading gradually building up a reputation as a shrewd but honest merchant.

Hence on 29 June 1814, Robert Campbell was granted 3 acres, 3 roods, bounded on the south by the premises occupied by the Naval Officer, on the southwest by a road leading to Dawes Point Battery, and on the east by Sydney Cove, "in consequence of his having erected thereon several large and expensive Buildings".

Campbell was later restored to full control of his business by the arrival of Governor Macquarie in 1810, but he was forced to leave it in the hands of Charles Hook, when he went back to Britain to give evidence at the trials following the rebellion.

Alternatively, the dating of the mortgage, in the wake of one of the most devastating financial depressions in early Australia, may indicate an attempt to salvage their business using their land as a source of working capital.

[1] As construction work on the stores was being completed, Robert Campbell junior died at Duntroon, on 30 March 1859 leaving his elder brother John in charge of the firm.

As late as 1875, the cemetery which had been established on part of Campbell's land in the 1790s before he took possession of the site was still visible at the rear of the store, where a tombstone of a marine, John Jones, who died in 1792 could be made out.

Before the sale could be finalised there were some impediments in the title which the Campbells had to eliminate, most notably the outstanding mortgage from June 1843 now held by the Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance Company of Sydney.

Also in 1901, the Sydney Harbour Trust compiled a Register of Assets, which described for the former Campbell's Wharf, "Two large store stone and brick, slate roof each three floors.

One of the first acts of the Harbour Trust after it gained control of the area in 1901 was an attempt to relieve congestion by the resumption of foreshore land and constructing two jetties and a longshore wharf on the eastern side of Bennelong Point.

The eastern side of the quay was devoted to recreational traffic by the 1930s and was completely remodelled for that purpose in the 1950s, commercial activity continued in the vicinity of Campbell's Wharf into the late 1950s and early 1960s.

[1][8] In 2011 discussions were initiated between Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) and a Joint Venture comprising Dockside and Imperial Peking restaurant group.

By letter dated 19 November 2012 the existing lessees put forward submissions to SHFA including a Financial Offer for the re-development of Campbell’s Stores.

The proposed adaptive reuse of the existing building for restaurants, cafes and bars will complete the planned conservation of the Campbell’s Stores to an ongoing viable use for future generations.

The continued use of the building for restaurants is in accordance with the recommendations of the Conservation Management Plan, which seeks to maximise public access to the Campbell’s Stores to enable an appreciation of its heritage significance by a broad range of visitors.

The construction of the third level by the ASN Co in the mid 1880s demonstrates a further period of economic growth and also of a change in the functional operation of the Stores, as evidenced by the inter-connection of the top floor spaces.

[1] Campbell's Stores represent a surviving example of mid nineteenth century style warehouses; a building type once common around Sydney Cove, but now rare.

They also have the ability to contribute further to our understanding of the use and operations of mid-nineteenth century warehouse buildings, particularly in relation to goods handling and the changes in technology that occurred over time.

The remnant hoisting equipment of the Campbell's Stores building provides evidence of the changes of technology in goods handling and haulage that occurred during the nineteenth and twentieth century.

The construction of the additional six bays between 1858 and 1861 demonstrate further economic growth and the impact of the 1851 gold rushes, that resulted in an increased colonial population and the need in Sydney and NSW for commercial storage.

The withdrawal of the ASN Co from Campbell's Stores in the late 1880s reflects the increasing dominance of Darling Harbour as the principal area of commercial shipping activity in Sydney.

The installation of hydraulic hoisting equipment following the addition of the third level to the Campbell Stores illustrates the goods handling and haulage technology introduced in the late nineteenth century.

The construction of Hickson Road and its impact on Campbell's Stores is evidence of work of the Sydney Harbour Trust and the changes that occurred in this area as a result of the bubonic plague scares of 1901.

The demolition of the southernmost bay of Campbell's Stores to facilitate construction of the elevated roadway for the Overseas Passenger Terminal development is evidence of a shift away from the traditional usage of this area.

The fabric and use changes instigated by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority in the early 1970s are further evidence of the increasing importance of The Rocks as a tourist destination and cultural area and an interest in historic buildings generally.

The technology in use in the operation of the hydraulic hoisting equipment and winch is associated with the Clyde Industries Group, one of the earliest and largest manufacturing organisations in Australian history.

Hudson Brothers dominated the Australian manufacturing industry in the late nineteenth century and was later amalgamated into Clyde Engineering Co Ltd, responsible for rolling stock, steam locomotives and, most famously, the structural steel for the northern approaches to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The gabled bay form, cat-head beams, hoists, goods aprons and doors are typical of the older, mid-nineteenth century, warehouse buildings.

The hydraulic hoisting equipment and winches in particular are a prominent aesthetic element of the Campbell's Stores and are evocative of the industrial origins of this dockside site in Sydney Harbour.

Its high level of recognition is due, in part, to its location in one of the key recreational and tourist areas in Sydney and because of its popular restaurant use and resultant public exposure.

They also have the potential to contribute further to our understanding of the use and operations of mid-nineteenth century warehouse buildings, particularly in the area of goods handling and the changes in technology that occurred over time.