by Cathy Jones
Torrington Road Strathfield is located between The Boulevarde and Parsons Avenue. The old was previously known as Woodgreen Rd when it was created by a subdivision of the Strathfield Estate.
The street takes its name from the home ‘Torrington’ which was built by the first Mayor of Strathfield George Hardie c.1880. The house was located on a large area of land, with substantial setbacks to The Boulevarde. The house was named after the village of Torrington in Devonshire where the Hardie family originated. The photo above is likely to be ‘Torrington’ or ‘Torringfton House”, as it is sometimes called. This photo appears in notes from Mrs Ida Hardie
‘Torrington’ was purchased in 1886 by James Matthew Toohey (1850-1895), the famous brewer (Toohey’s Beer) and NSW Member of Parliament for South Sydney (1882-1893). The Toohey family retained ownership until Mrs Mary Toohey’s death in 1913. ‘Torrington’ was then demolished and the property subdivided and sold as individual lots . The sub-division of ‘Torrington’ created wide blocks of shallow depth along Torrington Rd backing onto Woodward Avenue, consequently there were no homes, which faced the north side of Woodward Avenue between The Boulevarde and Parsons Avenue. Though more recently, some properties are establishing entries from the rear of their properties onto Woodward Avenue.
Strathfield Heritage 