"Woodville"

Item details


Name of item:	"Woodville"
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Primary address:	79 Edgbaston Road, Beverly Hills, NSW 2209
Parish:	St George
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Georges River

Boundary:

Property boundary. Both the house and its setting (current lot) contribute to the heritage significance of the Item.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
79 Edgbaston Road	Beverly Hills	Georges River	St George	Cumberland	Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The property at 79 Edgbaston Road is of historic and aesthetic heritage significance to the local area as an early and very good example of the pattern of development in Beverly Hills following the opening of the area for subdivision in 1894. Both the house and its setting contribute to the heritage significance of the property. The property is historically significant as one of the first to be purchased and developed on the northern side of Stoney Creek Road as part of the Penshurst Park Estate, with the property recorded as occupied by 1900. The original owners took advantage of the large (c.1 acre) lot size to use the property for poultry raising before the western two-thirds was resumed by the NSW Housing Commission to provide homes to help address the post-War housing shortage. Further re-subdivision of the residue provides evidence of the increasing suburbanisation of the Beverly Hills area in the mid 20th century following the opening of the East Hills Railway line and the completion of the area’s evolution from a rural to suburban cultural landscape. The house is an altered, yet still legible, example of a simple Federation-style with evidence of superior craftsmanship in its detailing, making it a distinctive example of its type and a prominent element in the streetscape of Edgbaston Road and Mercury Street. It demonstrates many of the defining characteristics of the Federation bungalow typology including the hipped and gabled roof rising to a short ridge set parallel to the main frontage with the gable also addressing this elevation; two-tone brickwork with a dark sand face brick (characteristic of the local area) with red quoining; timber fenestration and detailing to verandah and window hood and tessellated tiling to the verandah. The second gable at the southern end of the verandah has been added but reads as sympathetic to the traditional Federation form, although it can be readily distinguished as new work on closer inspection. The large addition to the rear is distinctive due to the prominent location of the property on a corner lot but it is not consistent with the traditional Federation typology and does not contribute to the heritage significance of the property. The garden has been significantly reduced from the original one acre, but the current boundary has existed for over 70 years; and the garden is mature and contributory to the heritage values of the property. The property demonstrates historic and aesthetic heritage values that satisfy the NSW Heritage Council’s Criteria for local heritage significance.
	Date significance updated: 30 Oct 20
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Unknown
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Physical description:	A substantial home in the Federation style. The elevation to Edgbaston Road is largely intact and of very good aesthetic quality. The original house was a characteristic example of a simple hipped and gabled Federation house with a verandah addressing Edgbaston Road and Mercury Street. Original detailing is simple but of good quality and is substantially intact and/or carefully repaired and reconstructed. The original brickwork is characteristic of the Federation period, being a plain brown face brick with a richer red brick to quoins and window surrounds, with rounded brick profiles to the windows and door opening onto the verandah (a detail characteristic of quality homes of the period). Evidence of original tuck-pointing can be seen under the shelter of the verandah but has weathered to the more exposed parts of the façade. A gilded name plate with the name “Woodville” is fixed next to the front door. Elements such as the front door and windows read as intact, with leadlight glazing to the Federation-style leaf and side panels. The windows are pairs of narrow double-hung sashes framed by the rounded red bricks. The windows to the gable end are also paired narrow sash windows with plain glazing. They are sheltered by a wide awning with timber brackets and a shingle-tile roof. The base of the building and front steps are face brick, the steps featuring slate treads. The wider jointing near the stairs and lack of riser tiles indicate the front steps may have been rebuilt. The tessellated tiles to the verandah are characteristic of the period and are likely to be original. Timber work to the verandah consists of simple fretworked timber brackets and turned timber posts. Lining to the eaves is typical of the early-mid Federation period with roughcast gables and half-timber style strapping. The western elevation has been rendered and painted. The addition to the rear has been designed to reference the original style, but not all elements are sympathetic. The east-facing gable was added as part of this addition and reads as sympathetic, being consistent with the Federation typology yet clearly discernible as new work on closer inspection. The main addition is large in volume with a complex roof form. The dormer windows are awkwardly proportioned and are clearly visible from the public domain, rising above the ridge when viewed from street level. The addition to the rear includes a gazebo-styled room with octagonal footprint and faceted roof. The roof of the house has been re-tiled in a sympathetic manner. Fences are not original but are sympathetic in scale, form, materials and detailing (timber picket to the main elevations and taller timber with hedge to the rear of the return verandah facing Mercury Street). The garden is excellent – well planted and maintained. It makes a sound contribution to the streetscape presentation of the property. (Note: this description is not exhaustive and provides a summary of the property as seen from the public domain and publicly available aerial photographs only. It may not mention all features that do, or do not, contribute to the heritage significance of the property.)
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Excellent presentation, the property is very well maintained.
	Date condition updated:28 Aug 12
Modifications and dates:	Pre-2009. Large addition at rear; some repair and replacement work to the remaining original fabric. Roof cladding (tiles) replaced.
Further information:	This assessment of heritage significance is based on inspection of the property from the public domain, which may include the street, nearby accessible places such as parks and/or publicly available aerial photographs. It is a summary only and may not mention all fabric that informed the assessment of the property's heritage significance. More detailed investigation may reveal that fabric described in this form as original was added later in traditional form and/or materials. This will not necessarily affect the assessed heritage significance of the property. Heritage Inventory sheets are based on the information available at the time of their preparation. This information can be limited and may not include interiors, fabric not visible from a public place, landscape elements or research into social or built archaeological heritage potential. Potential Aboriginal heritage values applicable to the particular site have not been identified. Further research and detailed investigation of fabric may reveal new or altered aspects of significance, and the inventory sheet may be updated by Council as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with limited information does not mean that items or elements are not significant.


Current use:	Residential
Former use:	Residential

History

Historical notes:

79 Edgbaston Road is located within the 1605 acres granted to Dr Robert Townson in 1810. The Grant extended from Broadarrow Road in the north to Hurstville Road (south of the Illawarra railway line). It was purchased in 1832 by John Connell, after which the area between Forest Road, Stoney Creek Road, Dumbleton Road (King Georges Road) and Queensbury Road became known locally as Connell’s Brush (or Bush) in acknowledgement of its still undeveloped character without significant agricultural use apart from timber cutting and charcoal burning. After Connell’s death in 1849 the area east of today’s Queensbury Road was inherited by his grandson, Elias Pearson Laycock. Laycock retained the land and in 1867 converted almost all (except for 25 acres that had been sold to Longfield) to Torrens Title with a subdivision to create 30 small farm lots of up to 25 acres each. Early sales were mostly of the lots south of Forest Road. Almost the entire area of Connell’s Bush lying north of Gannons Forest Road (Forest Road) was acquired by Thomas Salter in 1879, who continued the large lot sales and started to also sell smaller parcels of 6-10 acres and some suburban-sized lots as the Penshurst Park Estate. The boundaries between the 6-10 acre lots formed the current street pattern as each was re-subdivided for residential development in the following years by early purchasers. The majority residue was purchased by the Penshurst Park Estate. The size of the Estate necessitated a controlled series of land releases, and the area north of Stoney Creek Road (known at the time as Kingsgrove Road) which included Lots X1 and Y, U1, V1 and W1, plus part of Lots A, A2, B, E, F, I and Z of Laycock's original subdivision (DP53) was not opened for sale until 1894, at which time the 25 acre lots were re-subdivided into c.1 acre parcels advertised as being suitable for small farms and activities such as poultry and pig keeping with future development potential. The distance from Penshurst Station ensured that the sales of these lots were slow, with the first sales not recorded until the turn of the century.

Lot 9 of Section H (DP3658) was purchased by Priscilla Humphreys, a widow, on 26 November 1900. She appears to have built the house immediately, being listed in the Sands Directory of the same year as resident in Mercury Street, Penshurst (the lots in the 1894 subdivision addressed Mercury Street, with their long side boundaries along Edgbaston Road). By 1901 (NSW Births, deaths and Marriages) she had married Alfred Woodyatt, a poultry farmer and the Sands Directory for 1902 and 1903-1904 Electoral Roll shows them both as resident at the property.

The property was sold in 1921 to James Boggie of Arncliffe, a shipwright and Herbert Francis Vaughan, a Sydney Clerk as Tenants in Common. Within six months they had re-sold the property to Hugh Keys, a Gentleman of Penshurst. The Sands Directory shows Keys as resident until 1929, although by 1926 the Title had been transferred to Edward James Keys, Engineer of Five Dock and Andrew Keys of Byron Bay, a retired farmer. The following year, it passed to widow Susan Catherine Keys of Penshurst. She sold it to William Woodward Clark of Rockdale in 1929.

The land was then subdivided and the western two-thirds was resumed by the NSW Housing Commission in 1946 with four cottages added. The residue was purchased by Julia Beryl Field and Leslie William Clark as joint tenants. Julia Field took full ownership in 1948 and then re-subdivided it and sold Lot A (81 Edgbaston Road) to Albert Henry Newton, a Lorry driver of St Peters in 1952. Julia Field remained living in the house at 79 Edgbaston Road (Lot B) until the 1960s.

Search of Land Title records relating to the property 1867-1965, including: 53-186; 389- 224; 395 -205; 690-217; 880-107; 890-170; 1310-20; 1338-227; 5579-58; and 6527-119. Also 5647-110.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The property Woodville at 79 Edgbaston Road is of historic significance to the local area for the evidence that it provides of the transformation of the area from undeveloped bushland to a suburban cultural landscape over the 50 years from the 1890s to the 1950s. It was one of the first parcels to be purchased on the northern side of Stoney Creek Road following its release as part of the third subdivision of the Penshurst Park Estate, being sold and occupied in 1900. Its likely early use as a poultry farm made use of the full acre (approximately) of the original lot (Lot 9 in Sec.H), with the house built at the eastern end with its address to Mercury Street, although the principal elevation faced the more favourable northern side to Edgbaston Road as can be seen in the house today. The property remained intact but largely overgrown until 1946 when the western two-thirds was resumed by the NSW Housing Commission for the construction of four cottages to help meet the critical post-war housing shortage, an important theme in NSW’s history. The residue was then re-subdivided twice more from the western edge. By 1952 the original lot had been transformed into a suburban cultural landscape that is now representative of the pattern of development in the local area. The historic heritage values of the property are demonstrated by both the house and its setting. Together they satisfy the Criteria for historic heritage significance at the local level.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Woodville is of aesthetic heritage significance to the local area as a very good example of a Federation bungalow with distinctive streetscape presence in an important corner location. The house has undergone extensive alterations and additions, particularly to the rear, but the property as a whole continues to demonstrate most of the characteristics of the distinctive Federation Bungalow style such as the high-pitched hipped and gabled roof form clad in Marseilles pattern terracotta tiles (which have been replaced but are sympathetic), the tuck-pointed face brick in two colours to simulate quoining, with superior details such as rounded brick profiles to openings on the trafficable verandah; leadlight Federation-style front door with highlight and sidelights and tessellated tiles to the return verandah distinguishing this property as one that was built, and has been conserved, with careful attention to detail. The large addition to the rear does not contribute to these aesthetic heritage values, being inconsistent with the Federation typology for the rear of this type of bungalow. The garden is traditional and contributes to the aesthetic heritage values of the property despite the planting being relatively recent. The setting reads as intact despite the original lot on which the house was built being eroded through re-subdivision between 1946 and 1952. The scale, proportions and orientation of the current lot is consistent with and contributes to the spatial rhythm of Edgbaston Road. The aesthetic heritage values of the property are demonstrated by both the house and its setting. Together they satisfy the Criteria for aesthetic heritage significance at the local level.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The property is rare as the earliest surviving property of the Penshurst Park Estate in the Beverly Hills area. The survival of evidence of the first layer of subdivision in the former Hurstville area is increasingly rare.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The front part of the house is a very good representative example of a brick Federation bungalow with fine detailing. The reduced curtilage is representative of the pattern of successive re-subdivision that characterised the development of the Beverly Hills area following the opening of the East Hills railway line.
Integrity/Intactness:	The original built form is substantially intact with exception of the rear wall which was demolished to allow the addition. The back garden space has been largely covered by this addition. The original curtilage (Lot 9 of Section H) has been reduced through re-subdivision. The reduced curtilage has been intact for approximately 70 years.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

The original fabric and its contributory setting should be retained and conserved. Face brickwork is not to be rendered or painted. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. Archival and photographic recording, in accordance with Heritage Council guidelines, should be undertaken before major changes. Reversal of the addition to the rear or the garages could not be achieved without major demolition and conjectural reconstruction and is therefore not required for heritage reasons.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Georges River Local Environmental Plan 2021	I8	07 Dec 12

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Review of State Heritage Inventory Forms for the former Hurstville Local Government Area	2019	3	Conroy Heritage Planning	RC	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Title
Photograph	Hurstville Council	SIX aerial mapping
Written	Hurstville Council	Rate and Valuation Books
Written	NSW Land and Property Information	The Hurstville Story
Written	NSW Land and Property Information	Sands Directory
Written	NSW Registrar General	Land Titles
Graphic	various	Hurstville Subdivision Plans
Written	various	TROVE- Historic newspaper collection

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1810070

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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