Famous Old Homes That Are Still Remembered.
Newcastle Sun (NSW : 1918 - 1954), Saturday 30 December 1939, page 6
KING'S CROSS IN EARLY DAYS
MOVE FOR ''WEST END' AT POTTS POINT Famous Old Homes That Are Still Remembered
By WALTER E. BETHEL
Old-time speculators in real estate must have had much food for thought when contemplating probable extensions of settlement in and around Sydney as a city. Which way would development manifest itself?
Shops and residences for a long time continued to jostle each other and the demarcation of the two was a long drawn-out process. A move to create a 'West End' in the vicinities of Potts Point and Darling Point was noticeable as earlv as 1830.
Darlinghurst, which was once known as Henrietta Town— rolled so as one of Mrs. Macquarie's Christian names —was also included as part of this delectable area.Ail Ail extremely well-to-do class was fast making its appearance in Sydney and the fifties saw a highly prosperous population that had built themselves commodious homes mostly in the areas referred to. Henrietta Town may be described as comprising the whole of Woolloomooloo Bay and what ls known as Darlinghurst, and the story of how j this locality became an exclusive residential area Ls made all the more Interesting now that the' towering flats and restaurants and picture shows, boarding-houses and shops galore, known as King's Cross, represent the obliterating factors of a new
age. To those of us whose memories carry back to 70 years ago, the metamorphosis is striking evidence of a progress somewhat bewildering. My own recollection may be said to date from observations commencing from 1870. as X was born in Darlinghurst in 1863. Woolloomooloo was then well on its way to become the closely packed area that its nearness to the city made inevitable. There was a time when it was very sordid growth, with aumerous little public-houses in Woolloomooloo-street and the adjacent corners. Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell was responsible for constructing V/illlamstreet, as a more direct way Into town, than that which was represented by the Old South Head-road. Many will remember his fine house, 'Craigend.' built in 1830, f refit In:; Upper William-street South (late woolcott-street). A large stone windmill shared this hill with 'Craig-end.' The mill remained a landmark long after it had ceased to function as a mill. 'Craigend' had many tenants, the remotest of which after Sir Thomas Mitchell, being W. G. J. Rogers, solicitor. and Mr. Henry Prince, ware
houseman (Prince, Ogg and Co.). As settlement crowded around, it became a hospital and then a boarding-house, before it made its exit to make room for the terraces that shot up everywhere. 'Elizabeth Bay House' was another striking landmark, and still exists to gaze contemptuously down at the latter-day tenements that arc crowded round It. Sir Ralph Darling, in 1828 granted Alexander Macleay 54 acres. This took In all Elizabeth Bay and the western frontage of Rushcutters Bay. About 11 acres near the Point itself was granted to Judge Advocate John Wylde on November 1, 1822, and six acres and a half of this was conveyed to Mr. J. H. Potts, an ofllcer of the Bank of New South Wales. From this ownership the famous Point got the name it bears to-day
Boomerah, the palatial home of the McQuades in early ? - (lays.
Dangar's Castle — as it originally was — when it was flippantly called the 'Pepper Box.' ?
Wylde-street, of course, being colled after the Judge Advocate. This area was sold in varying portions, and many fine houses were erected. Most of these were in keeping with the exclusive character of the Point. 'Bomerah,' the home of the McQuades, graced the extreme point and stands to-day shorn of much of its original splendor. An old resident named Caleb Wilson built a house on the Wylde estate, which was irreverently styled the Pepper Pot. Passing to Mr. P. Parbury, it was called 'Granthamville.' Mr. Henry Dangar then bought i.he property, and his son. Mr. H. C. Dangar, almost entirely rebuilt it, still preserving its castellated aspect. Dangar's Castle it was always called, and to-day it Is still so referred to by older folk. 'Clarens' was one of the homes of Sir James Martin. As far back as 1847 it was owned bv Georce Richard
Griffiths, the father of P. C. Griffiths. general manager of the Bank of Australasia. Close to Dangar's Castle was the Douglas grant of 1831. On this Colonel Shadforth built 'Adelaide Cottage.'.' Its grounds reached from Maclcay-st. to the waters of Woolloomooloo Bay. j. H. Challls, who so richly endowed the Sydney University, bought the property. and this, with other property.
valued at £250,00 0, was made made over to the University by Mr. Challis. 'Tarmons,' the home of Sir Maurice O'Connell, Commandant of the New South Wales forces, stood on the site of St. Vincent's College. It. still stands there, being incorporated in the general buildings.Tusculum. Tusculum. the present private hospital, was also a well-known home and is identified with such names as that of A, B. Spark (merchant), G. J. Rogers, Bishop of Broughton, the first Bishop of Sydney, and William Long, the father-in-law of Sir James Martin, who died there. Orwell House was a house of many associations. It was a grant to the father of Sir Alfred Stephen, the third Chief Justice, and was successively occupied by Mrs. Grose, Jas. Ramond, Postmaster-General, Colonel N. C. Wilson, Mr. Justice Milford, G. R. Griffiths, and P. Parbury, who lived there in 1847. It then became owned bv Sir William Manning, and was subdivided. A notable house was Brougham Lodge, from which Brougham-street takes its name. The land was a grant to Mr. Justice Dowling in 1831. The grounds extended right down to Forbes-street. One of its frontages, Victoria-street, was constituted out of a sub-division in 184G. I remember the house when it was j Hornlman's School. In 1882 £7000 was I accepted for it. I Most of the data on which this |
article is casea was complied by tne late J. A. Dowling, to whose indefatigable nen we owe so much that is valuable in the shape of interesting reminiscence. Where the picture show now stands at the corner of Darlinghurst-road and Virtoria-street. stood Stirling Cot
tage. mis was originally part or tne Dowling grant. When Judge Dowling built 'Broug-ham Lodge,' William-street did not exist, and a track for foot passengers acted as a short cut to the city. As before stated. Sir Thomas Mitchell altered all this. Vehicular traffic orieinally came from Sydney along Hvde Park, up the Old South Head Road to the gaol, and then across by Darlinghurst-road to the hill at the top nf -Urtlltnm-effoAf
Captain John Piper found his way home to Vaucluse by way of what is now Glenmore-road. or the track known as the Point Piper-road, which turned north from St. Matthew's Church at Paddington. Over 60 years ago I walked to church, on the Point Piper-road via the Cobblers' Paddocks, adjoining
West's Bush, then on to the Glenmore-road, over Gurner's Bush and by track to Point Piper's-road. Gurner's fine old Georgian house stood where now stacks of terrace houses arc crowded into Paddington and Hargraves streets. William-street was opened for traffic in 1845, and soon many fine houses adorned its frontages. Rosebank stood in grounds now occupied by the post office. Mr. CommissaryGeneral Laidley died there. Mr. Donald Larnoch lived there in 1848. Other tenants were Mr. Arthur Little and his son Archibald, a member of the legal firm of Little and Yeomans. Captain Smith, of Macdonald and Smith, lived there, leaving it to occupy a fine mansion called Goderich in Bayswater-road. now part of the site of Hampton Court Plats. The grounds of Elierslie on the Darlinghurst-road adjoined those of Rosebank in . William-street. J. H. Want, and later on Sir Allen Taylor, subsequently resided there. Rose Hall, in Forbes-street, was part of a grant to William Cordeaux,
wno built the Hall. J. Parbury, John iWalker and Henry Bell were subsequent occupants. The Hall's grounds were gradually shorn off, Burdekin's I Premier Terrace taking the WilllamI street frontage, and houses and St. 'Peter's Church, closing In all round it. i Barham, the home of Sir Edward
The effacement of Roslyn Hall before the onslaught of the flats.
Deas Thomson, in Forbes-street, was also similarly crowded out by small tenements. Woolloomooloo Bay was formerly known as Garden Island Cove. Fronting the Cove was the Wallamooloo Farm. This was made up of 100 acres granted to John Palmer, the Commissary General. The original name of Woolloomooloo was originally given as Wallabamullah, meaning a young male k/ngaroo or a male black Kangaroo. Another version claims that it was Wallamullah. a place of plenty, or where fish were caught. Wallamooloo it was, therefore, called
up to the end of the thlrities. when the present name of Woolloomooloo became generally accented Kcllett-street, right in the heart of the King's Cross of to-day, was a famous street. Kellett House, at the back of the old-time Alberto Terrace, was once occupied by Sir Stuart Donaldson, the first Premier of New South Wales under constitutional Government. The house, formerly owned by Captain S. A. Perry, was at first known as 'Bona Vista.' Another occupant, a Mrs. Jones, recalled the house 'Darlinghurst.' as a token of her friendship for Lady Darling. It was Donaldson who called
? ' ? ? if — — . Elizabeth Bay House — the survival of the fittest.
it Kellett House. The Hotel Mansions j now occupies a large part of this historic area.Down Down the slope, a bit to the east, was a nice stone house called 'Eaton,' in which in my time lived Mr. E. Fosbery, Inspector-General of Police. Cheverells was a fine home on the Elizabeth Bay-road, built by the original David Jones. Other occupants
of Cheverells were Captain Deloltle, J. Gosling. Henry Beit, James Ewcn and Hamilton Osborne; all were wellknown personages in their day. Green Knowe was a fine home in Macleay-street that had many notable tenants, including Walter Lamb, F. H. Dangar. F. c. Griffiths, H. E. H. Allen and Bishop Saumarez Smith. This brief sketch of past days will enable readers to visualise what prevailed before the Invasion of King's Cross so completely changed the character of one of Sydney's most exclusive living areas. JEWELS ON ' ROAD.— Katoomba, Saturday: A bag containing about £400 worth of jewellery was found lying on the road in Lovell-street. The bag, which was made of canvas, and had a zip fastener, -was discovered by William Dodd, a tourist, of Concord West, and Jock Brown, of Katoomba. Subsequently, from an advertisement, they Identified the owner as Mrs. Byers. of Sydney, who lost the bag when she was driving to the city. It is stated that the bag had dropped oft the running board of her car.
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