Built of Stone

Built of Stone
Rockdale and it's surrounds have many fine stone buildings etc, all quarried from local Sand Stone mainly from areas like Arncliffe and Banksia. This stone was equal to any found in the Sydney basin. So take a walk around your local street's you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find, you do not have to go to places like Hunters Hill to find heaps of stone period homes. The photo's are just a small example of what is here in Rockdale.

10 Easy Ways to Throw Away Money

In these times of high interest rates and house price uncertainty, it makes good sense to renovate the family home. If you are fortunate enough to own a period home then you need to get the right advise so as not to wipe thousands of dollars of its value by unsympathetic renovations. It does not cost more to renovate and keep the integraty of the building intact, infact it can in some cases cost less. Many people make the mistake of replacing old features with new reproductions rather than repair the existing old pieces because it is often considered easier to do, but this often denies the building the evidence of its history. Home owners should start with the Burra Charter principals of ' do as much as necessary but as little as possible', and if you do this you will increase the value of your home not devalue it.
So we have put together a list of the 10 worst things you can do in renovating an old home:

1. Painting or Rendering Brick or Stone work. The fastest way to wipe thousands of dollars off the value of a Federation or Californian Bungalow home is to paint or render the brick or stone work. This can lead to some interesting conversations from prospective buyers trying to ask politely "WHY". Result is a $750000 Federation home - minus $50-$100000.
2. Changing the Character of a House. When planning structural changes the scope for disaster is limitless, unless you can find a buyer who shares your passion for "Corinthian Columns" holding up a bull nose veranda. Well-known gambits in renovating for a loss include replacing timber windows with aluminium ones, changing the shape of window openings, re skinning the outside brickwork with new out of character bricks, removing internal items such as fireplaces, decorative plaster ceilings, decorative timber work such as picture rails and skirting boards all of which in many cases was produced using rare Australian red cedar. Finally, the traditional front veranda demolished to make way for an aluminium car port.
3. Fake Brick or Aluminium Cladding. One method of instant depreciation is to re skin an old weatherboard house with either fake bricks or aluminium cladding. You can bet that the house will be worth $30000 less than if they had replaced the weatherboards and had the timber work repainted.
4. Creating a Desert. Removing all the trees and grass to plant concrete is a good way to reduce your gardening time. However, the effect is only likely to appeal to a purchaser longing for the days in the old prison yard.
5. Wrong Colours and Style. Real estate agents will tell you that a quick coat of paint will add value to your home and that may be true. But, the reverse is also true if you use any old paint found lying around in the garage or you know someone who can get cheap paint only thing is it is only available in "Navy Grey". As a good rule if you can only tell a red traffic light because it's the one on top of the pole then you need to seek advise on colour schemes for period houses before you start painting.
6. Stupid Alterations. Expressing your own personal preferences when they are both stupid and unpopular is a sure way to lose money. Trying to change a Federation house into a Mediterranean Mansion just doesn't work. Or trying to turn a little Victorian workers cottage into a two storie mansion is also a recipe for disaster. Also one must way up the cost of repairing past mistakes as this can be a very expensive exercise that may take many years to recoup.
7. Poor Quality Work. No matter what you see on TV, doing it yourself without the proper skills and qualifications can also lead to potential buyers walking away or offering less than what you want due to shoddy handywork.
8. Going Up. Going up is one alternative when considering additional living space, and fortunately today there are many good architects and builders hat specialise in just this type of work. Select them very carefully and always inspect previous work. When driving around if you see a house that has had this type of work done, go and knock on the door most peopel are only to willing to recommend the builder or tell you the horror stories that they went through doing the work.
9. Dual Occupancy. Again another potential area for disaster, get a good architect to design the dual occupancy so that it compliments the existing period home. That is not to say it need to be a mirror image of the old home but it should complement it. We have seen countless examples where they have built a new house at the back that not only wipes thousands of dollars of the value of the original home but when they try to sell the new home prospective buyer take one look and do the hundred meter dash to get away.
10. Ruining a Floor Plan. It is important that you renovate to suit your own style of living and in todays modern society "Open Plan" seems to be the 'Buzz Word" but remember legend has it that when Hampton Court outside London was built it was so poorly designed that the food was always cold by the time it took to get from the kitchen to the dinning room. Remember planning is everything and bad planning can wipe off thousands of dollars.

So we hope this gives you plenty to think about especially if you are about to renovate, so remember if you have an old home get as much advise as you can. There are many organisation's out there that are only too willing to help and you may actually make money on your most prized possession "Your Home".

Wollongong Road The Road to Illawarra

To understand the history and importance of Wollongong Road as it relates to Rockdale then you need to read James Jervis’ authoritative work Illawarra: a Century of History.

The following extracts are taken from that document and Rockdale Its Beginning and Development by Phillip Geeves and James Jervis and revised 1986 by R.W. Rathbone.

“In 1831 it occurred to Major Mitchell The Surveyor-General of NSW) that a more direct line of road to Illawarra might be constructed from Sydney, more or less parallel to the coastline. Writing to the Colonial Secretary on August 30, 1831, the Surveyor-General said: ’The idea of a still more direct line of road to Illawarra from Sydney however, has occurred to me from a very able survey of the intervening country lately made by Assistant Surveyor Govett; this would cross the lowest ford on Cook’s River (where the settlers of that district wish to have a road) and George’s River by a ferry across a breath of two hundred and fifty yards. . .’ ”
It should be pointed out that at that time the road to the South Coast was via Appin to Wollongong. Local settlers wanted a shorter route but at that time the “wild and desolate gullies beyond Port Hacking” had proved a deterrent to more than one unhappy traveller.
“The Surveyor general furnished a report on the proposal to construct a road direct to Illawarra in 1843. Mitchell stated that he had proceeded on May 3 to mark a direct line of road along a continuous range which he had ascertained to be one eligible after studying a plan of the country made by Govett. The road between the dam at Cook’s River and George’s River was much needed . . .”
And so the road went through. It had various names, sometimes Illawarra Road, sometimes Wollongong Road and, on very early maps, it appears with the grandiose title “Sir Thomas Mitchell’s Line of Road to the Illawarra”. Convict gangs built it, following the pegs that the surveyors had driven into the earth, keeping to the benchmarks that had been blazed on trees. The road began on the southern side of Cook’s River dam adjacent to “Tempe House”. It wound its way across the alluvial flat to the reverse side of the Knoll on which Arncliffe came to be built. From there it followed the ridge, the line of which is now Forest Road, and wended its way to the crossing of the Georges River at Lugarno. The surveyors had seen some glorious views, reminiscent of Europe; it is small wonder we now have suburbs with names like Lugarno and Como.
When we drive from Arncliffe to Lugarno the winding road is a reflection of the primitive conditions under which it was first built. The immense number of age-old trees that were felled in the course of its construction can hardly be imagined; in fact it supplied the entire colony of the time with timber and charcoal for many years.
The photos are to make you curious, they are just a few of the buildings dotted along Wollongong Road, some have gone, others have not been touched in nearly one hundred years and others, have been lovingly restored by their owners. I hope this encourages you to walk your own local street and see just what is still there; you just might be pleasantly surprised.

Pioneer Buildings (Before 1884).

There are about 25 to 30 Pioneer buildings still surviving in Rockdale which were built prior to the Illawarra Rail line being opened in 1884.
Many have survived and are still worthy of their heritage status, unfortunately some have fallen in to a bad state of repair but are still worth conserving. Of these buildings there are four that are the most important pioneer building in our city. These are-

• Tempe House 1836. 1 Princes Highway Arncliffe. This palladian villa, built of rendered stone quarried from a nearby hill is the most historically significant building in Rockdale. Built in 1836 to the design of colonial architect John Verge (1782-1861) whose other work include Tusculum at Potts Point, Camden Park at Camden, Denham Court at Ingleburn, Elizabeth Bay House at Elizabeth Bay and Toxteth Park at Glebe, as a country retreat for wealthy Sydney merchant, Alexander Spark, it was so favoured by Spark that it became his principal residence and he died there in 1856. It was purchased by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney in 1881. "Tempe" is the oldest building south of the Cook's River. It is the building from which the suburb of Tempe takes its name. It was, at one time, used as a school by Caroline Chisolm. Recently it has been restored an is an excellent example of the work of a very important colonial architect.
• Lydham Hall 1860. 18 Lydham Avenue Rockdale. Lydham Hall was built in 1860 of material quarried locally by Swedish stone mason, Sven Bentson, for a local wealthy butcher, Joseph Davis. It is one of the few substantial domestic buildings erected in Sydney during the gold rush periods and represents an excellent example of the transition from the simple Georgian style of architecture to a more elaborate Victorin style. It stands on the highest point of land between the Cook's and George's River. At one time the home of David Stead who gave the suburd of Banksia its name, it was also the home of the distinguished authoress, Christina Stead.
• Wilson's Farm House 1855. 310 West Botany Street Rockdale. Wilson's Farm House is the last surviving example of the modest pioneer homes built along the banks of Muddy Creek. Constructed of locally quarried stone with rendered rubble internal partitions, it originally had a detached weatherboard kitchen. It was built somewhere about 1855 by James Wilson, formely overseer to Colonel Johnson of Annandale, on land previously owned by John Bowmer. Wilson lived there until his death in 1869. His widow remained in the cottage until 1880 and the property was still owned by the Wfamily as late as 1910. In more recent times it was the centre of a Chinese market garden until its aquisition by the then Cumberland County Council for county open space. Although the building is now owned by Rockdale City Council, it is in fair condition, though poorly sited and in need of a dedicated Conservation Plan to make sure it is conserved for the future. It is an important piece of our cities colonial past that unfortunately is being neglected by Rockdale Council.
• Forsythe 1868. 57 Hannam Street Turrella. (pictured above) This particularly attractive free stone home was built in 1868 by Samuel Jeeves, a wool scourer, who used the waters of the nearby Wolli and Bardwell Creeks to wash the fleeces bought from the numerous slaughter houses located in the immediate vicinity. This activity was moved to Botany in the 1880's. This building has been well cared for and has been renovated in the past few years. Because of its age, its association with an important early industry, its method of construction, its appearance and its architectual merit it is a worthy colonial home worthy of conservation.

The following list of Colonial buildings are all worthy of heritage conservation and an important part of our cities history:

• Pembroke Cottage 1852. 9 Bennett Street, Kingsgrove.
• Mill Cottage 1869. 29-31 John St, Arncliffe.
• Banbury Cottage 1880. 23 Chandler Street, Rockdale.
• John Downey's Cottage 1858. 14 Downey Street, Bexley.
• Highbury 1880. Queen Street, Arncliffe.
• Mimosa 1886. 586 Forest Road, Bexley.
• George Perry's home 1880. 666 Forest Road, Bexley
• Joseph Walz's home 1880. 25 Frederick Street, Rockdale.
• The old Walker home 1870. 28 Walker Street, Arncliffe.

And three free stone buildings all built in about the 1870's:

• 211 Stoney Creek Road, Kingsgrove.
• 112 Slade Road, Bardwell Park.
• 7 Robertson Street, West kogarah.

All these buildings are if you are interested in our Colonial past, worth having a look at. It is amazing just how much history is here in our backyard.


The source of this information was originally prepared by Ron Rathbone when as Mayor of Rockdale City Council he tried to have council recognise the importance of our cities history. The information was published by Ron Rathbone in 1978, and is available from Rockdale City Council's history library.

LYDHAM HALL

"Lydham Hall" 1860
18 Lydham Avenue, Bexley 2207

Lydham Hall is a free stone family home built in 1860 of materials quarried locally by Swedish stone mason, Sven Bengton, for wealthy master butcher, Joseph Davis. It is one of the few remaining domestic buildings erected in Sydney during the period of the gold rushes and represents an exellent example of the transition from the simple Georgian style of architecture to a more elaborate Victorian style.


It stands on the highest point of land between the Cook's and George's Rivers where it commands extensive views over Botany Bay. This house is an outstanding early pioneer home, which has been restored faithfully to that early period. It is currently owned by Rockdale City Council and is managed by the St George Historical Society.

At one time it was the residence of David Stead, internationally known fisheries expert and naturalist who gave the suburb of Banksia its name. It was also the childhood home of the distinguished authoress, Christina Stead.
The building is on Rockdale City Councils heritage list and is open on weekends for viewing , times etc are available from Rockdale Council. It is worth a look especially when the roses in the rear garden are in bloom.

The building has been well maintained by the council, but it could do with a properly prepared conservation plan and a more appropriate front fence put in place more in keeping with the style and age of the building. Along with Tempe House this building is one of our cities most important links with our past.

My Favorite Little School House

These photos were taken at Arncliffe Public School, and this little school house which has remained virtually unchanged in over 129 years is my all time favourite heritage building in Rockdale. This stone and iron building is exactly what we all imagine school buildings to be back in the 1800's and if you go there today the kids are still using it just as they did back then, it is a real treat to see when school is in, with school bags hanging on hooks on the verandah and the noise of the kids learning coming out of the windows. Another piece of our beautiful history still being used today.

Tempe House During Restoration

These photos where taken during the restoration of Tempe House and the Chapel and the grounds around the house. Included are three showing the murals that were discovered under layers of old paint on the walls of the chapel. The work carried out by all those trademan is unbelievable especially if you had been fortunate enough to see Tempe House when it was open to the public back during the 1990's. We are still waiting for the new owners to open the house and chapel to the public now that the restoration work is complete. We were hoping that it would be during Heritage Week 2008 but that does not look like happening, maybe later on this year we will see Tempe House in all its glory.
We do hope you enjoy these photo's and that they have wetted your appetite to get you to see Rockdale Cities greatest treasure.