Edgerley

Item details


Name of item:	Edgerley
Other name/s:	Ramona; Haughly
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Location:	Lat: -33.8691587750 Long: 151.2271569110
Primary address:	18-18a Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay, NSW 2011
Parish:	Alexandria
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Sydney
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	La Perouse

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1		DP	123549

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
18-18a Billyard Avenue	Elizabeth Bay	Sydney	Alexandria	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
	Private

Statement of significance:


	Edgerley is a significant example of a large, late Victorian residence. The interior contains fine examples of cedar joinery including a staircase, fireplace surrounds as well as leadlight windows. The gardens are significant for the rare example of mature palms and ferns. Edgerley is also significant through its association with eminent poet, Kenneth Slessor, who lived there for a period in the 1930s.
	Date significance updated: 24 Apr 09
	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


Construction years:	1885-
Physical description:	Site: Edgerley (aka Ramona) stands upon land identified as Lot 1, Deposited Plan 75455. The property consists of earthen terraces which descend from a high point on Billyard Ave to an area of reclaimed foreshore land granted by the Crown in 1909. Lot 1 was formerly identified as the majority of lot 38 and part of lot 37 of the third subdivision of the Elizabeth Bay Estate put up for 99 year leasehold at auction in July 1882. Ramona is possibly the last remaining single-family dwelling in this portion of Billyard Avenue. It is a grand house with particularly fine harbour views. The original setting has, to a large extent, been compromised by subsequent higher density development comprising apartment blocks and converted grand houses. The existing landscaping in the forecourt area was introduced in relatively recent times (Heritage Council report, 2009). 'Famous for its ornate leadlight windows, (red) cedar joinery and spectacular harbour views (Pike, 2020). 1884 house known as 'Haughly' built. 1885. Construction of seawall and foreshore reclamation 1893-97. The Hon. F. B. Suttor, pastoralist and politician of note resided at Haughly 1930. Plans lodged for changes to flats or boarding house rooms for separate occupancy including introduction of additional bathrooms. The existing garage (2009) at the southwestern corner is a greatly modified version of an earlier garage known to have existed in 1952 and may date back to the 1920s (Heritage Council report, 2009) The existing(2009) single garage attached to the northern side of the house was built after 1984 (Heritage Council report, 2009). 1986 Heritage Council of NSW deferred consideration of application for alterations and additions and requested a Conservation Plan.
	Date condition updated:13 Jul 20
Modifications and dates:	1930. Plans lodged for changes to flats or boarding house rooms for separate occupancy including introduction of additional bathrooms. The existing garage (2009) at the southwestern corner is a greatly modified version of an earlier garage known to have existed in 1952 and may date back to the 1920s (Heritage Council report, 2009) The existing(2009) single garage attached to the northern side of the house was built after 1984 (Heritage Council report, 2009).


Current use:	residence
Former use:	Aboriginal land, private estate, residence, shrubbery of Elizabeth Bay House estate, fishing village site

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters. With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney (Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani).

Elizabeth Bay had been the site of a fishing village established by Governor Macquarie (1810-21) in c.1815 for a composite group of Cadigal people - the indigenous inhabitants of the area surrounding Sydney Harbour - under the leadership of Bungaree (d.1830). Elizabeth Bay had been named in honour of Mrs Macquarie. Bungaree's group continued their nomadic life around the harbour foreshores. Sir Thomas Brisbane, Governor 1821-5, designated Elizabeth Bay as site of an asylum for the insane. A pen sketch by Edward Mason from 1822-3 shows a series of bark huts for the natives in the locality (Carlin, 2000, 38).

Governor Darling granted Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay 54 acres at Elizabeth Bay in 1826. Macleay's estate was developed well before the mansion (built in the 1830s to the south-west). The estate was widely considered at the time (1820s on) as "the finest house and garden in the colony". Its shrubbery below (north and north-east of the house) was where Edgerley was subdivided off and developed. After Alexander's bankruptcy his son George subdivided and sold leaseholds between 1841-82. Billyard Avenue was formed to access some of the earliest allotments.

The house now known as 'Ramona' at 18 Billyard Avenue, Elizabeth Bay was previously named 'Haughly' (prior to 1926) and 'Edgerley' (1926 until about 1990). It stands upon land identified as Lot 1, Deposited Plan 75455. The property consists of earthen terraces which descend from a high point on Billyard Ave to an area of reclaimed foreshore land granted by the Crown in 1909. Lot 1 was formerly identified as the majority of lot 38 and part of lot 37 of the third subdivision of the Elizabeth Bay Estate put up for 99 year leasehold at auction in July 1882.

1882 Subdivision of part of the Macleay Estate.

1885 Construction of house known as 'Haughly' by David Peter Dickson.

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. By the 1920s, a garden attached to a large suburban house was often described as a villa garden... after WW2 the term villa was rarely used..(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).

1887 Construction of seawall and foreshore reclamation

1893-96 The Hon. F. B. Suttor, a pastoralist and politician of note resided at Haughly
1900-04 Gregory Walker, Supreme Court Judge lived at Haughly

1926 'Haughly' purchased by Myra Johnson, and renamed 'Edgerley'
1930 Plans lodged for changes to flats or boarding house rooms for separate occupancy including introduction of additional bathrooms.
1930s Poet Kenneth Slessor was a tenant in the house for a time.

The existing garage at the southwestern corner is a greatly modified version of an earlier garage that is known to have existed in 1952, and may date back to the 1920s (2009 heritage impact statement)

1979. Property given 'Recorded' listing in National Trust of Australia (NSW) Register.
1984. The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) registered proprietors
The existing single garage attached to the northern side of the house was built after 1985 (2009 heritage impact statement)
1984. Intention to demolish the building.
1986. Interim Conservation order placed over the property.
1986. Heritage Council of NSW deferred consideration of alterations and additions and requested a Conservation Plan.
1986. Conservation report prepared by Helen Proudfoot and Joy Hughes.
*The existing landscaping in the forecourt area was introduced in relatively recent times(2009 heritage impact statement)

Ramona is possibly the last remaining single-family dwelling in this portion of Billyard Avenue. The original setting has, to a large extent, been compromised by subsequent higher density development comprising apartment blocks and converted grand houses (Heritage Council report, 2009). The property belongs to Nick Paspaley Jr., head of family company, Paspaley, which pioneered the Australian South Sea peral industry (Pike, 2020).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Gardens-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural - Coasts and coastal features supporting human activities-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Modification of terrain-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Eora Nation - sites evidencing occupation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Associations with Bungaree, Cadigal man-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Cadigal tribe - Eora nation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes demonstrating styles in landscape design-
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.	Gentlemens Mansions-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Sub-division of large estates-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with William Sharp Macleay FRS, FLS, public servant, scholar and naturalist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Governor (Mjr-Gen., later Gnl., Sir) Ralph Darling and Eliza Darling, 1826-1830-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Aaron Muron Bolot, architect-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Governor Sir (later Lord) Augustus F.S.Loftus, 1879-1884+-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Alexander Sloane, Riverina pastoralist-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with the Hon. Alexander Macleay MLC, Colonial Secretary, MLA, naturalist and first Speaker of the House-

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): The maintenance of any building or item on the site, where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material.	Jun 20 1986
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	Building & Garden maint.Any interior alt 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.	Jun 17 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): (1) The maintenance of the item where maintenance means the continuous protective care of existing material;	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 Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00671	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00671	05 May 89	55	2779
Heritage Act - s.130 Order - Lapsed			19 May 86	80
Local Environmental Plan	South Sydney Local Environmental Plan Amendment	57		97
National Trust of Australia register		7377

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Aitken, Richard	2002	'Villa Garden' (entry)	View detail
Written	Pike, Ben	2020	Sydney real estate: who lives inside city's mega mansions?

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:	5045599
File number:	S91/02256 & KHC 86 1070

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