“Barham” - Forbes Street - Darlinghurst

"Barham " 

"Barham" was built in 1833 & is the oldest residential building in Darlinghurst. It was purchased by SCEGGS in 1900 & has been part of the school since then. 

The Grand Villa was bought for Sir Edward Deas Thomson, who was granted over 6 acres in the new Darlinghurst Estate in 1831. Thomson was born in Edinburgh and migrated to Australia in 1828-1829 when he was appointed the dual role of Clerk to the Executive and Legislative Councils in NSW on a salary of 600 Pounds a year

Governor Sir Ralph Dowling was very happy with Thomsons hard work & competance & granted him the land in Darlinghurst. John Verge was employed to design "Barham"whicvh was initially leased to Colonel Kenneth Snodgrass, before Thomson moved in with his wife, Anna Maria, the daughter of Sir Richard Bourke. 

When Thomsonleft public office he was elected as Vice Chancellor Of University of Sydney in 1865, retaining his position until he was forced to resign due to ill health in 1873. 

the couple raised their 2 sons and 5 daughters at "Barham" & remained there for 40 Years until Thomsons death in July 1879. He was buried at St Judes Church of England, Randwick

Thomson's daughter, Susan, married William John Maclaey, who was Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleays oldest son. Alexander was granted 54 Acres at Elizabeth Bay and he also employed John Verge To design his Villa. 

After Thomson's death in 1879, "Barham" was purchased by members of the Ogilvie Pastoralist family who then sold it to SCEGGS in 1900 

"Barham" is located just off Forbes Street within the grounds of SCEGGS and not be viewed from the street

BishopsCourt -

Bishopscourt, also known as Greenoaks, is a historic Gothic Revival mansion at Darling Point in Sydney. Built in the nineteenth century, it reflects the area’s development as an affluent harbourside suburb and has long been associated with the Anglican Church.

Bishops  Court At Darling Point Was The Original Site Where ThoMas Mort Had His Cottage. 

The Original Mansion Was Built In The 1860's And Was Designed By Edmund Blackett. 

The Hordern Family Home - 14 Ginahgulla Road - Bellevue Hill

This Was The Home To One Of Australia's Mosr Imoortant And Influential Dynasties. This House Is Firmly Entrenched In Rhe Nations History

It Occupies A Magnificent 2,700 sqm Parcel Of Land 

More Than Likely The Best Example Left In Sydney Of Professor Leslie Wilkinson's Style. 

Sydney Cove 1788

Here is a sketch I Did of Sydney cove in July 1788

"Cairo" - 81 Macleay Street, Potts Point

Ok

This Was Pulled Down To Make Way For The Chevron Hotel. 

WHAT A SHAME!!!'  THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL MANSION 

Sophienburg estate Liverpool

RUINS of a long lost Georgian estate once owned by prominent figures from Liverpool’s history have been discovered but an archaeologist is now needed to uncover the story behind the enigmatic site.

The remnants of Sophienburg estate were found last year by the City of Liverpool and District Historical Society’s president Glen op den Brouw.

Working on a hunch about where the estate would have lain, the Liverpool resident was walking through dense bushland in Casula when he stumbled upon several stone pieces.

A Classic Georgian Manor - Mosman

Positioned In The Prestigious Balmoral Dress Circle, This Impeccably Reatored Georgia. colonial Manor Is Neatled On A Bast 2163sqm Landholding. Reminiscent Of The Sttely Rural Retreat, The Reaidence Is Set Amid Magnificent Heritage Hepunds Which Provide A Unique Level Of Peace And Seclusoon. 

5 Eastbourne Road, Darling Point.

Wednesday 9th Nobemver 2016

Historic Charm 

Beathtaking Views 

Built In The 1880's, This Freestanding Villa Presents A unique  Opportunity

Lectura - 24 Lang Road - Centennial Park

Lactura c1910. 1031sqm

265 Oxford Street- Town Homes

Without A Doubt One Of Paddingtons Finest Transformations, This Divine Turn Key Projecy Offers An Enviable Lifestyle. Hints Of Character, Intertwined With Contrmporary Chich Finishes Gives Thus Once In A. lifetime Town home A Truly Unique Aesetic. 

Reflecting Pure Quality, No Expense Has Been Spared Creating This Exclusive Sanctuary. 

Rona – 51 Fairfax Road (Ginahgulla Road gate) – Bellevue Hill – NSW

Rona – 51 Fairfax Road (Ginahgulla Road gate) – Bellevue Hill – NSW

Victorian Rustic Gothic Revival sandstone mansion · Built 1883 · Standing — private · RNE Place ID 2579 · Woollahra local heritage

Edward William Knox of Colonial Sugar Refining raised a gabled sandstone house on the Bellevue Hill crest and named it Rona. Gustavus Alphonse Morell gave it Victorian Rustic Gothic form — terracotta shingles, attic upper floor, harbour prospect — a cousin in spirit to Greycliffe at Vaucluse. Fire, flat conversion, and later private restorations changed the plan; the silhouette still reads as one of the ridge’s great Knox-era piles. This is a new scrapbook entry: no prior dedicated Rona post on the blog.

At a glance

• Address: 51 Fairfax Road, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023; also 6 Ginahgulla Road (gatehouse / Ginahgulla entry — Australian Heritage Database). Domain 2016 marketing used “2 Ginahgulla” (flag)
• Traditional Custodians: Gadigal / Cadigal Country (Bellevue Hill ridge)
• Built: 1883 for Edward William Knox (ADB; Dictionary of Sydney; AHD)
• Architect: Gustavus Alphonse Morell (G. A. Morell); Dictionary of Sydney also credits Morell and Kemp (flag partnership timing)
• Style: Victorian Rustic Gothic Revival / Neo-Gothic — Sydney sandstone, terracotta shingle roof; upper floor reads as attic storey (AHD)
• Model note: design tradition links to Greycliffe House, Vaucluse — childhood home of Mrs Knox (Edith, ne Willis) per Wikipedia (flag / cross-link Greycliffe)
• Fire & works: severely damaged 1905; restored with modifications by William Wardell Jnr (Wikipedia) / William Waddell jnr (Domain) — flag spelling
• 1951: John Mansfield removed large south centre gable → central courtyard and two apartments for Knox descendants (AHD; Wikipedia)
• Heritage: Register of the National Estate Place ID 2579 (21 Oct 1980); Woollahra LEP (Heritage NSW DB 2711104; LEP 1995 / LEP 2014 item)
• Estate: originally c.6 ha / 16 acres (Wikipedia); later reduced — Domain 2016 cited c.5,700 m²
• Fate: Standing — private residence; Knox family until late 20th century; reported sales 1989 $9.6m (John Schaeffer), 2005 (Terry & Kyril Agnew), Wikipedia asserts 2018 c.$58m (secondary — flag)

Site & setting

Bellevue Hill crest — panoramic harbour prospect cited on AHD as central to significance. Dual entries historically: Fairfax Road and Ginahgulla Road wrought-iron gates / gatehouse (Domain; AHD location line). Mature garden and state-significant trees noted in sale reporting; private — admire from public streets only.

Nearby Bellevue Hill scrapbook neighbours: Caerleon (Ginahgulla / Fairfax newspaper gentry), Ginahgulla / Fairfax House (Scots College — Victoria Road), Girrahween, Venetia / Bellevue. Do not confuse Rona’s Ginahgulla gate with Ginahgulla the Fairfax mansion.

Timeline

• 1 Apr 1847 – Edward William Knox born Sydney; CSR dynasty (ADB).
• 30 Jan 1878 – Marries Edith Willis at St Matthews, Manly (ADB).
• 1880 – Knox general manager of C.S.R. (ADB).
• 1883 – Rona completed; Knox commodore Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron 1883–84 (ADB).
• 1887–1902 – Knox Woollahra alderman (ADB).
• 1905 – House severely damaged by fire; Wardell/Waddell Jnr restoration (flag spelling).
• 26 Jun 1933 – E. W. Knox dies at Rona; buried Waverley after All Saints Woollahra service (ADB).
• 1951 – John Mansfield conversion: south centre gable removed; two flats around courtyard (AHD).
• Later 20th c. – Three generations of Knox descendants including Martha Rutledge line (Wikipedia — treat as secondary family note).
• 1989 – Reported sale $9.6m to art collector John Schaeffer (Domain).
• 2005 – Sold to Terry & Kyril Agnew (Domain).
• 2016 – Domain “Rona renaissance” marketing / renovation coverage.
• 2018 – Wikipedia asserts major sale c.$58m (flag / secondary).
• Today – Private heritage house; Woollahra local list + RNE archive record.

Architecture & interiors

AHD: substantial Victorian Neo-Gothic stone house with terracotta shingle roof; upper floor as attic storey; original joinery and several panelled ceilings retained at time of RNE description. 1951 Mansfield work removed original stair hall to form central courtyard and two large flats — later owners have re-roofed / re-enclosed the courtyard in glass (Wikipedia / Domain — flag adaptive phases rather than claiming untouched 1883 plan).

Prefer AHD / Heritage NSW / historic photographs over inventing plaster schedules or lost room names. Compare publicly to Greycliffe (Rustic Gothic sandstone marine villa) and Morell’s other eastern work (e.g. Swifts tradition on this blog).

People & anecdotes

Edward William Knox (18471933) CSR industrialist; shy, telephone-averse; yachtsman (Sirocco); Union Club; University Senate; gallery trustee; died at Rona (ADB — Martha Rutledge). Edith Knox (née Willis) — childhood Greycliffe link in secondary sources. Gustavus Alphonse Morell — civil engineer–architect; Swifts / theatre work in DoS architect cards. John Mansfield — 1951 flat conversion. Later private custodians (Schaeffer, Agnew, post-2018 owners) — restoration chapters; do not invent interiors from agent copy.

Image gallery guidance

1. Historic sandstone / terracotta-shingle elevation (SLNSW / Woollahra local history search). 2. Ginahgulla Road gatehouse & wrought-iron gates (public realm). 3. Fairfax Road entry / harbour prospect from street (no trespass). 4. Compare Greycliffe Rustic Gothic sandstone. 5. AHD / RNE era photos if distinct from modern marketing. 6. Trove / SMH — Knox obituary context; yacht Sirocco if illustrated.

What stands today

Rona stands as a private Woollahra heritage house. No routine public access. View façades, gates and garden edge from Fairfax Road / Ginahgulla Road footpaths without trespassing. Cross-link Bellevue Hill Fairfax–Knox ridge posts and Greycliffe.

Sources & further reading

• Heritage NSW — Rona - house (DB 2711104): https://apps.environment.nsw.gov.au/dpcheritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2711104
• Australian Heritage Database — Rona, Place ID 2579: https://environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=2579
• ADB — Knox, Edward William (1847–1933): https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/knox-edward-william-6990
• Dictionary of Sydney — Rona (building): https://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/rona
• Domain — “Rona renaissance…,” 18 Oct 2016 (sale/ownership chronology — secondary)
• Wikipedia — Rona, Bellevue Hill (portal; verify against AHD / ADB / Heritage NSW)
• Trove — search: Rona Bellevue Hill; Edward William Knox Rona; “Rona” Fairfax Road fire 1905

Related on this blog

• Greycliffe, Vaucluse — Rustic Gothic model / Willis childhood tradition
• Caerleon, Bellevue Hill — Ginahgulla ridge neighbour
• Hordern / Ginahgulla–Fairfax House (Scots) — Victoria Road Fairfax pile
• Girrahween / Venetia–Bellevue — Bellevue Hill cluster
• Swifts, Darling Point — Morell circle

Keep existing photos; add SLNSW/Trove images with captions and credits from Image gallery guidance.

12 Ferdinand Street - Hunters Hill

Exuding An Elegance & Granduer Unmatched In Heritage Value Of Period Grace, This Breathtaking 1856 Sandstone Manor Is A Remarkable Rarity. One Of Hunters Hills Oldest Homes, The Residence Is Set On Approx1,037sqm. 

"Atherfield"- 1870 Gothic Revival Estate

 

Bulwarra - Hunter's Hill - New South Wales

This Estate Was Originally Built In 1877

Vaucluse - South Head - The Keepers Cottage

Unrivalled In Prestige, Setting Or Historical Significance. Built In 1881 As The Keepers Residence Adjacent To The 1818 Macquarie Lighthouse And Set On Over 2,600 sqm

"Boomerang" - Potts Point - New South Wales

"BOOMERANG"

"Swifts" - Darling Point - New South Wales

"SWIFTS"

Originally Built For The Tooth's Brewing Family 

Swifts Is Cirrently Owned By Shane Moran Of The Moran

Health Care Family. The Gothic

Revival Mansion Was Originally

Built by Beer Baron Sir Robert Lucas tooth In 1882 And At One Stage Was Owned By The Catholic Church. 

Goderich Lodge - Bayswater Road - Penny's Lane - Woolcott St - Darlinghurst - New South Wales

Goderich Lodge - Darlinghurst - NSW -

Bayswater Rd - Penny's Lane - Woolcott St

 DEMOLISHED

This Darlinghurst villa, was originally  designed by John Verge for the High Sheriff of NSW, Thomas Macquoid, & was situated near what is now the corner of Bayswater Road & Penny Lane, which is pretty much behind the Coca Cola Sign At Kings Cross

Born in Ireland, Macquoid came to Australia in 1829, following a period in Java, where he produced coffee crops for the East India Company, as well as a tenure as Sheriff of India.


The 1832 the mansion  was named Goderich Lodge, after Lord Goderich (Frederick John Robinson), the then Secretary of State for the colonies, who was also the British Prime Minister for a brief period. 


Macquoid arrived in Australia full of optimism for his new role in a new colony, but very soon had slunk into depression.


His first major issue was with his new job, which he believed did not have the appropriate status for such an important position. His office was also understaffed and overwhelmed with work. Litigation and bankruptcy proceedings were rife and there were over 700 summonses to be served.


To worsen things, Macquoid was also suffering financially after investing in a large farming property in the Tuggeranong Valley, near Canberra, which he named Waniassa. The country had been hit by drought, while the colony was also in financial collapse. 

Unable to cope, Macquoid committed suicide in October, 1841, leaving his son Thomas Hyam to deal with his mounting debts.

(Incidentally, Thomas Hyam was one of 121 people who died aboard the wreck of the clipper, Dunbar, which crashed into rocks at South Head, at the base of suicide-spot, The Gap, in 1857; his body was never recovered. The Dunbar's anchor was retrieved and is mounted at The Gap as a memorial.)

Goderich Lodge was sold at auction 2 months after Macquoid’s death & 
in the years that followed was rented by the First Bishop of Australia, Dr William Grant Broughton, whose wife died at the house in 1849. 

The next tenant was Surveyor General Samuel Augustus Perry, & then in the 1850s, Goderich Lodge was purchased by Frederick Tooth, of Tooth's Brewery fame, who later sold it to shipping merchant Captain Charles Smith. He died at  Lodge  from embolism in June 1897 & his wife Marjorie stayed on at the home until at least 1904 when her daughter, Marjorie, married.
By then, the original four-acre land grant had been subdivided & there were a number of properties on Macquoid's original estate. 

According to the book, Villas of Darlinghurst, Goderich Lodge, demolished in 1915, was located where the old Hampton Court Hotel sits today

The name of the old British PM still remains however, in the laneway that runs along the back of the old Hampton Court Hotel, Goderich Lane.

The Hampton Court Hotel, which has been pretty much dormant since the late 1990s has finally been refurbished into apartments, know as The Hampton.
And before you start complaining that all the old hotels in the area are being converted into apartments, the hotel actually began life as a 100-flat, apartment block, Hampton Court, after 1915. It was converted into a hotel in the late 1930s, following the death of its owner, motoring industry pioneer Albert Gordon Hampton.

This City of Sydney Archives photograph (above) was taken in 1910 from Bayswater Road, looking down Penny Lane before Hampton Court was built.

The Victorian-era terrace house to the left would have been built up alongside Goderich Lodge as the land was subdivided. Shame there are no photographs of the lodge, which was obviously further back somewhere.

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Empire - Syd - Sat 29 Oct 1864 Pg 7 

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Origianl Plan Of Land Grant Showing Goderich Lodge And Kellett House 

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ANYTHING LEFT OF THE GODERICH ESTATE -------- GONE BY 1909

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Brougham Lodge - Darlinghurst -

Brougham Lodge was built in 1831 for the second Chief Justice of NSW, Sir James Dowling, who took over the role after Francis Forbes was given long leave in September 1835. 

Sir Dowling was born in London in 1787 and studied at St Paul's School and worked as a parliamentary reporter before being called to the bar in 1815, at the age of 28. 

Thirteen years later, at 41, he decided that he wanted to make ''myself useful to the public'' and advance his ''private interests and welfare of my numerous family,'' and so applied to the Colonial Office for an appointment abroad. 

In February 1828 Sir Dowling arrived in Sydney aboard the Hooghly with his wife, Maria Sheen, and their six children. The couple had ten children but four died in infancy. Maria, his wife, died six years after their arrival in Australia and Sir Dowling then remarried Harriet Ritchie, the widowed daughter of John Blaxland (older brother of Blue Mountains settler Gregory Blaxland). The newlyweds made Kings Cross their home, living at one of the busiest junctions in the area, but I'll get to that later.

Sir Dowling initially came to Australia to act as puisne judge, or regular judge, but in 1835 he won the battle against Sir William Burton for the role of Chief Justice. He was also knighted in 1838.

Sir Dowling was a hard-working jurist, described by one colleague as having a ''painstaking and anxious industry rarely equalled'' who ''never failed to make himself its master in every detail'' of cases brought before him.

In 1829 he delivered the first sitting of the Supreme Court in the Hunter Valley (at the Union Inn) and also travelled to Norfolk Island for the same in 1833.

He worked so hard that in 1840, his daughter, Lady Dowling, despaired: ''Papa has for six days been at court until seven and eight o'clock in the evening. Yesterday he was there from 10am until three this morning.''

It seemed Sir Dowling was driven by a desire to build a good life for his children. 

His salary as a puisne judge was 1000 Pounds a year, which doubled when he became chief justice. 

Still, in 1828 he wrote to his patron, Lord Henry Brougham, in England, that ''Without parsimonious economy . . . I cannot keep out of debt . . . even with my frugal habits.

''I have been obliged to mortgage the little property I have scraped together to enable me to maintain and educate my children.''

But this dedication to his children and the role of Chief Justice would eventually take its toll. 

In 1840 he was advised by his doctor to take medical leave for three months and a year later Sir Dowling applied for 18 months leave in order to regain back his strength lost from ''13 years of incessant judicial labour, never once relaxed''.

But his seniors refused this leave until June 1844 when Sir Dowling collapsed on the bench. 

Sir Dowling eventually booked passage on a ship but before he could sail, he died on September 27, 1844, aged just 56.

Sir Dowling's home from 1831 to his death was Brougham Lodge, which was built at what is now the junction between Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street in Kings Cross. He was granted over eight acres there in 1831. Brougham Lodge was initially designed by an unknown architect, but John Verge completed the designs.

The painting at the top of this post also shows the two windmills, known as the North Darlinghurst Mills, which featured on the Kings Cross landscape in the 1830s. There were also three other windmills on Darlinghurst Road - Clarkson's Mill and two wooden-post mills - as well as the Craigend Mill, all located along the ridge line and in the highest points of the neighbourhood so as to best catch the air currents. The mills were used as a source of renewable energy and to grind grain.

After Sir Dowling's death, the former chief justice's home was tenanted and also used as a boys's school. It was sold to developers in 1882 for 7000 Pounds and demolished soon after.

The Holiday Inn now marks the site of Brougham Lodge.