[1] The first original depiction of a thoroughfare between Harrington and Gloucester Streets in the location of Cumberland Place appears in the 1832 NSW General Post Office (GPO) Directory.

[1] The expansion of Sydney suburbs to the east, south and west made the city too large to be depicted with much detail on most maps produced after the 1840s.

Since all plans and historic images from that date refer to the lane as Cumberland Place, it is assumed that the suggestion was acted upon.

They were apparently built some time before 1887, as the earliest documents to show the steps on Cumberland Place are the City of Sydney Sections, drawn in that year.

An etching by Lionel Lindsay, dated c. 1911, shows a narrower flight of steps from Harrington Street than exists today.

There is a landing which opens up to an area shaded a tree then concrete aggregate steps continue up to the Cambridge Street level, where there is an early lamp post (c. 1840s).

There are other such blocks found only at the Victoria Barracks, the East Sydney Technical College, the Lands Department central courtyard and at Garryowen, Rozelle Hospital.

[1] Archaeology undisturbed[1] As at 27 January 2009, Cumberland Place is of heritage significance for the State of NSW for historical and scientific reasons.

It is significant for the local area and Sydney in demonstrating the early urban character and scale of development that characterised The Rocks throughout the 19th Century, particularly as part of the Cribbs Lane.

Its physical form demonstrates the urban planning response of the early days of the European settlement to the local rocky topography.

[1] Cumberland Place and Steps was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002 having satisfied the following criteria.

Cumberland Place is historically significant as a pedestrian path that continuously connects the higher areas of The Rocks to the Sydney Cove since at least 1808.

The current configuration is historically significant in demonstrating that path, and as the southern part of Cribbs Lane that was defined in The Rocks from the 1840s.

The surviving Cumberland Place fabric is important in demonstrating the pedestrian character and modest scale of the narrow lanes that characterised The Rocks in the 19th Century.

The creation of Cumberland Place as a series of ramps, stairs and concourses demonstrates the urban planning response of the early days colony to the rocky topography.

Cumberland Place has evolved over a considerable period of time through subsequent improvements of the pathway that would originally have been selected by pedestrians due to its favourable natural terrain configuration.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The extant fabric of Cumberland Place is an example of public stairs and passageways of the 19th and 20th Centuries in Sydney, however, it does not appear to possess any rare or unusual features that could be described as important in terms of aesthetics, or of creative or technical achievement.

Cumberland Place is of interest for heritage professionals and general public for its important part in the history of The Rocks.

[1] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

It is estimated that archaeological relics of State significance may survive under the protective layers of concrete and asphalt, including below Stairs B, C and D and the associated concourses.

The surviving fabric includes original and early stone risers, bricks, and retaining walls as elements that are rare in The Rocks and Sydney terms.