Stanmore House

Item details


Name of item:	Stanmore House
Other name/s:	Pemell House
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Location:	Lat: -33.8989619819 Long: 151.1747495770
Primary address:	88 Enmore Road, Enmore, NSW 2042
Parish:	Petersham
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Inner West
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Metropolitan

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	50	DP	3605
LOT	51	DP	3605
LOT	52	DP	3605

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
88 Enmore Road	Enmore	Inner West	Petersham	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Patris Projects Pty Ltd	Private

Statement of significance:


	Stanmore House is of State heritage significance for its associations with Mary Reibey a noted emancipist entrepreneur and the Long Innes family. Constructed circa 1847-1855 by Mary Reibey for her daughter Elizabeth Anne and son-in-law, Captain Joseph Long Innes. It is claimed that Innes' son Sir Joseph Long Innes, later Attorney General of New South Wales was born in Stanmore house in 1834. Stanmore House is a rare surviving architectural example of its period and has a unique ability to demonstrate a way of life when Newtown was considered a fashionable suburb. It is the last of the large suburban villas remaining in Newtown/Enmore from the period preceding the railway line, after which the suburb changed dramatically. The house has the ability to demonstrate the conscious attempts of the rich merchant class to recreate the marriage of architecture with landscape of the English Picturesque movement. Stanmore House is the last vestige of that era in Newtown and has unique social value in its ability to demonstrate a way of life. Stanmore House has been attributed to Henry Robertson who was a leading Sydney architect of the first half of the nineteenth century. It is the only known surviving house by him. The internal finishes of Stanmore House are of a high quality, and are largely intact. (Heritage Office files) (Long 1989)
	Date significance updated: 13 May 11
	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:	Henry Robertson (attributed)
Construction years:	1847-1855
Physical description:	Stanmore House is a substantial two-storey brick house of late Colonial Regency design. It is symmetrical with a central entrance and gable. It has a gable 'break' in its façade. The house when built has a one stroey vernadah around its perimeter. Stoned constructed verandah to rear of the house. Original basement. The interior contains original finely detailed cedar joinery, fireplaces, a geometrical staircase, fine entrance doorcase with attached columns, early ironwork and plaster ceilings.
Modifications and dates:	1930s - original front verandah enclosed by a brick wall to create kitchens as part of its conversion to flats.


Current use:	Residence
Former use:	Aboriginal land, timber-getting, farmland, residence, Flats

History

Historical notes:

June 1842 It is a time of economic depression and Mary Reibey is in a good position to buy up the Pencilville house and estate from its financially beleagured owner William Manning. Mary takes up residence.

1847-1849 Mary Reibey builds Stanmore House nearby for used for her family.

The term 'villa' was first used in England in the 17th century, partly from the Latin and Italian 'country house, farm', perhaps derived from the stem of vicus (village). The villa was a country mansion or residence, together with a farm, farm-buildings, or other house attached, built or occupied by a person of some position and wealth. It was taken to include a country seat or estate and later a residence in the country or in the neighbourhood of a town, usually standing in its own grounds. From this is was appropriated by the middleof the 18th century to mean a residence of a superior type, in the suburbs of a town or in a residential district, such as that occupied by a person of the middle class, and also a small, better-class dwelling house, usually detached or semi-detached. The term 'villa garden' was used in the context of Hobart and Sydney residences in the 1830s, and if near the coast or harbour, the appellation 'marine villa' was often applied. Australian origins probably date from the grant conditions applied to Sydney's Woolloomooloo Hill (1827, under Governor Darling), which obligated the construction of villas fulfilling certain conditions... 'with garden like domain, and external offices for stables and domestic economy' (John Buonarotti Papworth, 1825, quoted in James Broadbent's 1997 book, 'The Australian Colonial House'). Many gardens of 19th century villas followed Gardenesque conventions, with garden ornaments often complementing the architecture of the house. The term had acquired such widespread usage by the 1850s that when Jane Loudon issued a new editiion of her husband (John Claudius Loudon)'s 'Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion' (1838) she merely entitled the revised work 'The Villa Gardener' (1850). This coincided with a growing period of suburbanisation in Australia with consequent fostering of the nursery trade... By the 1880s, descriptions of Australian villas implied sufficient room for a lawn on two or three fronts of the residence...(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).

May 1855 Mary Reibey dies. Her house becomes known as Reiby House. The estate is left to her two surviving daughters Eliza Thompson and Elizabeth long Innes.

November 1855 Captain and Elizabeth Long Innes formally separate.

January 1856 Sydney Morning Herald advertisement 'To Be Let'. No mention of the garden, which would have been in its infancy. The huges pines would have been planted about this time.

1856-61 No records known.

1861-64 Stanmore House is rented to draper George Chisholm.

1864-68 The house is rented to flour miller James Pemell (1816-1906) JP MLA.

1868-72 The house is rented to Daniel Henry.

11 October 1871 The Pencilville Estate is subdivided and the dense rows of Victorian terraces are built. The link - physically and visually between the houses of mother and daughter is broken. The open, semi-rural nature of the suburb disappears; the centre of Newtown, by now a major commercial centre shifts to the east.

3 July 1872 Daniel Henry buys Stanmore House. The sale documents are the first recorded reference to the name 'Stanmore House'.

1876 Daniel Henry sells to James Pemell (his stepfather-in-law)

11 November 1899 James Pemell subdivides the estate; the eastern verandah and service wing are demolished.

1902 Sarah Rebecca Henry buys the house from stepfather James Pemell and demolishes the western service wing to make Pemell Lane.

1903 Doctor Richard Trindall builds a two storey Queen Anne Federation house and surgery named Cronulla six feet away on the west side.

1916 Doctor Daniel Henry Beegling buys Stanmore House and uses it as a surgery; it passes to his widow Jean in 1926.

1930 Margaret Finlay buys the house and ivides it into four flats. A new brick faade is built upon the original stone front verandah. Three shops facing Enmore Road are built on the remaining pocket of garden.

1935 Edward Thomas Byrnes buys the house (which passes to his widow Elizabeth in 1960). A garage is added.

1964 Reibey House is demolished.

1970 Patris Projects buys Stanmore House and divides it into seven flats. Aluminium windows are put in, the back verandah is partially enclosed with fibro and the staircae balustrade is lost.

1982 The house is Classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

1985 Cronulla is damaged in a fire and demolished: the cause of the fire is not found.

24 April 1989 The Heritage Council of NSW places Permanent Conservation Order No. 662 on Stanmore House.

June 1995 The Heritage Council approves $3000 funding through its Heritage Assistance program to Marrickville Council for a Development Control Plan for the entire block bounded by Enmore Road, Reiby and Simmons Street and Pemell Lane. (Long 1995)

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Demonstrating emancipist's entrepreneurial activities-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Mary Reiby, emancipist business woman-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Daniel T.B. Henry JP, businessman-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Eliza Thompson, emancipist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Elizabeth Long Innes, military establishment wife-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with William Manning, landowner, Australian Agricultural Company Commissioner-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with George Chisholm, draper-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with James Pemell, flour miller-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Dr Henry Beegling, doctor-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Sarah Rebecca Henry, landowner-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Margaret Finlay, landowner-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Edward Byrne, landowner-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Stanmore House is the last of the large suburban villas remaining in Newtown/Enmore from the period preceding the railway line, after which the suburb changed dramatically. The house has the ability to demonstrate the conscious attempts of the rich merchant class to recreate the marriage of architecture with landscape of the English Picturesque movement. Stanmore House is the last vestige of that era in Newtown and has unique social value in its ability to demonstrate a way of life.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Stanmore House is of State heritage significance for its associations with Mary Reibey a noted emancipist entrepreneur and the Long Innes family. Constructed circa 1847-1855 by Mary Reibey for her daughter Elizabeth Anne and son-in-law, Captain Joseph Long Innes.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	It is a interesting example of colonial architecture, having a gabled centre break front similar to Sydney's first government House, but in surviving form possibly only found at the Windsor Rectory and Stradbroke on the Patterson River.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The gable 'break' in the façade, which together with that at St. Matthews rectory Windsor is unique for its period. Stanmore House has been attributed to Henry Robertson who was a leading Sydney architect of the first half of the nineteenth century. It is the only known surviving house by him.
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:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	Record converted from HIS events Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): (1) The maintenance of any building or item on the site where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material; and (2) All horticultural management, including the repair and maintenance of existing fences, gates, garden walls. (3) Internal alterations to the commercial premises on the site fronting Enmore Road.	Aug 22 1986
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	gen bld & garden + refer file Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): (1) The maintenance of any building or item on the site where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material; (2)All horticultural management including the repair and maintenance of existing fences, gates and garden walls; and (3) Internal alterations to the commercial premises on the site fronting Enmore Road.	Aug 19 1988
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	See File For Schedule Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): The maintenance of any building or item on the site where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material. All horticultural management, including the repair and maintenance of existing fences, gates and garden walls. Internal alterations to the commercial premises on the site fronting Enmore Road.	May 5 1989
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	00662	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00662	05 May 89	055	2779
Local Environmental Plan		01 Sep 89

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Aitken, Richard	2002	'Villa Garden' (entry)	View detail
Written	Long, Elisha	1995	Journal of the Marrickville Heritage Society, No. 9, pp 6 -12
Written	Long, Elisha	1989	Stanmore House: A Conservation Study

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:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045003
File number:	S90/05914 & HC 32397

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