The mansion ‘Bickley’ once stood on the corner of Albyn and Kingsland Road (20 Albyn Road). It was designed by architect George Sydney Jones and built for his aunt Helen Jones, widow of Edward Lloyd Jones, Chairman of David Jones & Co.
‘Bickley’ was one of the many homes built by members of the Jones, Thompson and Wilshire families who resided in Strathfield for many decades. These families were very prominent in Sydney in business, architecture and politics as well as their close association with the Congregational Church. Indeed, Strathfield is mainly built on the original James Wilshire grant of 1808, which was later known as the Redmire Estate.
Mrs Jones gifted the house to her daughter Alice and husband Arthur Ross Nott. After the death of his wife, Nott submitted plans for conversion of ‘Bickley’ into a boarding house in 1950, which was often the fate of the old Strathfield mansions in the 1950s.
After the death of Nott, the house and land were purchased by Don Sumner. Sumner demolished ‘Bickley’ and then subdivided the property, creating residential lots facing Albyn Rd and Kingsland Rd. Sumner applied for approval to construct a new house, which was completed in 1958 but has recently been demolished.
Strathfield Heritage 
20 Albyn Road belonged to my friend’s family Graham Sumner, he has two other siblings a younger brother Paul and a sister Michelle.. Don Sumner owned 2 cake shops, one in Burwood Road the” Black Forest” up past the Post Office and the one in Strathfield was Sunshine cakes..and an Office block in the Boulevarde as well..such a shame that” Bickley” was demolished,but I guess it must have been in a pretty shabby condition surely to demolish it?. we didn’t know the family then…I actually thought that Sumner’s newest house was listed also..?
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reading further I noticed the Sumner house never did get listed..pays to pay attention!..:)
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Thiis was great to read
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