Historic Sydney Mansions, Manors, Villas & Houses : Roslyndale – 38 Roslyndale Avenue – Woollahra

Roslyndale – 38 Roslyndale Avenue – Woollahra – NSW

Victorian Rustic Gothic sandstone villa · Architect F. Clarke · Built c.1865 for William James Lennon (Council) · Standing — private residence

Sandstone at the cul-de-sac end of its own avenue — Roslyndale is the surviving Woollahra house that shares a “Roslyn-” name with a demolished Potts Point giant. This draft is not Roslyn Hall. Council’s local-history card puts Victorian Rustic Gothic walls up for broker William James Lennon around 1865, to architect F. Clarke. Estate agents selling the trophy in the 2020s preferred a romantic “Dutch Colonial c.1854” line. Both traditions name Clarke; the date and style labels disagree — leave the conflict visible.

At a glance

Address: 38 Roslyndale Avenue, Woollahra NSW 2025 (live misspells Woolahra)
Architect: Frederick / F. Clarke (Council + agent agreement on surname)
Style / date (Council primary): Victorian Rustic Gothic, built by broker William James Lennon around 1865
Soft alternate (agent copy): “Dutch Colonial” sandstone manor, built c.1854
Scale (agent): c.968–1000 m² allotment; harbour glimpses; wrap verandah; Welsh slate re-tile 2000 claimed in listings
Heritage: Woollahra local-history documented; confirm LEP Schedule 5 status at publish (do not invent SHR number)
Famous later household: Frank McAlary (WWII V-J Day “Dancing Man” photograph tradition) and Patricia McAlary; long private tenure from 1978 purchase; sold 2024 (agent press: above $15m guide, undisclosed)
Fate: Standing — private residence
Disambiguation: ≠ Roslyn Hall, Potts Point / Darlinghurst (Hallen, demolished 1937)

Site & setting

Roslyndale Avenue, Woollahra — leafy cul-de-sac east of Edgecliff / Queen Street village, historically Cooper-estate leasehold country. Aboriginal Country: Gadigal / eastern harbour peoples — acknowledge at publish. The house sits behind a substantial sandstone street wall in manicured gardens; agent photography shows harbour glimpses from verandahs. Nearby Hawthornden (6 Roslyndale Avenue) was also started by Lennon in 1858 (Council fast facts) — same broker’s Woollahra footprint, different house.

Timeline

c.1858 – Lennon begins neighbouring Hawthornden (Council) — contextual.
c.1865 (Council) / c.1854 (agent soft) – Roslyndale built; architect F. Clarke; builder/owner tradition William James Lennon.
20th c. – Private occupancy chain not fully reconstructed this pass — do not invent intermediate owners.
1978 – Purchased by Frank & Patricia McAlary for $425,000 (agent press).
McAlary chapter – Long family home of the late Frank McAlary, widely identified with Sydney’s WWII “Dancing Man” celebration image (press/agent framing).
2021+ – Patricia McAlary dies; property prepared for sale after 40+ years.
2024 – Sold before auction (Bradfield BadgerFox / press); private treaty also recorded Oct 2024 in some listings — treat as recent private turnover, not a museum opening.
Live blog 2022-08 – Four exterior/garden photographs; almost no narrative text.

Architecture & interiors

Council: Victorian Rustic Gothic sandstone. Agent photography and copy: freestanding sandstone, wrap verandah, high ceilings (claimed 3.3 m), chandeliers, fireplaces, French doors, cellar, multi-bedroom plan. Prefer Council style label over “Dutch Colonial” marketing. No measured interior schedule from heritage inventory consulted this wave — caption live images from what they show, not from invented plaster lists. DA-approved Hancock Architects rejuvenation plans were marketed with the 2020s sale — flag as proposal, not as executed history, unless later evidence confirms works.

People & anecdotes

William James Lennon — broker; Council credits him as builder of Roslyndale and starter of Hawthornden.

F. Clarke — architect named by Council and by modern agents.

Frank McAlary — barrister; late-life Woollahra householder; press identification with the famous Sydney “Dancing Man” V-J Day photograph. Treat the photograph identification as the popular press tradition attached to the house sale, not as a separate archival proof chain unless you add one.

Patricia McAlary — widow; death prompted the 2020s sale.

Image gallery guidance

Keep the four live exterior/garden images; caption cautiously:

Street / sandstone wall / entry.
Garden elevations with verandah.
Detail of gables / Gothic silhouette (supports Council style reading).
Harbour-glimpse verandah if present.
Optional: historic McAlary / “Dancing Man” press images — credit carefully; do not imply the dance happened at Roslyndale.
Optional: Hawthornden neighbour only if separately illustrated and labelled.

What stands today

Roslyndale stands as a private residence at 38 Roslyndale Avenue. No public house-museum access. Respect privacy of current owners after the 2024 sale.

Sources & further reading

Woollahra Municipal Council — Local history fast facts R: Roslyndale entry: https://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/Library/Local-history/Local-history-fast-facts/R
Woollahra Council — Hawthornden (6 Roslyndale Ave) contextual: Local history fast facts H
Live post: https://historicsydneymansionsmanorshouses.blogspot.com/2022/08/roslyndale-38-roslyndale-avenue-woolahra.html
Agent / press (McAlary sale chapter; soft on build date/style): Bradfield BadgerFox listing; The Real Estate Conversation sale reports 2024–25
Related disambiguation: Roslyn Hall Potts Point draft / live post on this blog