By Cathy Jones
‘Tiptree’ was built in c.1906, cnr Llandilo Avenue and Kingsland Road Strathfield.
The house was built for the Rev. Charles T Newman (d.1911) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Hon. Ebenezer Vickery MLC. Elizabeth Newman was the sister of Joseph Vickery of ‘Strathfield’ and George Begg Vickery of ‘Inveresk’, both prominent businessmen who also lived in Strathfield. Her sister Amy Alfreda Vickery lived at ‘Lauriston’ The Boulevarde. Both ‘Tiptree’ and ‘Lauriston’ were designed by architect Alfred Newman, son of the Rev. Newman and his first wife.
Elizabeth Vickery was born at sea not far from the Canary Islands on the SS ‘Tiptree’ in 1860, which is the source of the name of the house. After Mrs Newman’s death in 1942, ‘Tiptree’ was sold to the Red Cross and operated during World War II as a convalescent home for servicewomen known as the Eva Hordern Red Cross Home. The home was opened on March 11 1944 by the Minister for Army, the Hon. Frank Forde. The Eva Hordern Home was the first Home in NSW which was purchased, renovated and furnished for the convalescent women of the auxillary services.
Following the war, the home was used as a Tuberculous clinic and treatment unit.
‘Tiptree’ which was demolished in 1954 and the land sub-divided in 1957 to create Tiptree Avenue, a cul-de-sac.
References
EVA HORDERN HOME FOR T.B. (1948, June 18). The Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 – 1954), p. 22. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105812352
Personal and General (1944, March 25). The Methodist (Sydney NSW: 1892-1954), p.7.
Strathfield Heritage 
Cathy
Although I was aware of Tiptree and had seen the photograph of it in “The Land” whilst it was known as Eva Hordern Red Cross Home, I had not seen the photograph accompanying your article. It was certainly a magnificent home and possibly the grandest in Strathfield. Prior to seeing this photo of Tiptree I had always thought of Wynola taking that prize. Wynola remained in largely original condition until the 1960s when I lived in a Thomas Pollard Sampson designed house in the 1925 subdivision of that grand house. Sadly after I moved to Meredith Street, Wynola was destroyed, becoming The White House, some decades before it was finally demolished. I suppose the Albert Road mansions could take honours as the grandest houses in Strathfield but they were long gone before my birth. The Llandilo Avenue of my childhood years, when residents included the Sanders, Saul and Baldwin families, had already lost Tiptree and so Llandilo itself was the outstanding heritage house on the block. Strathfield, indeed Sydney, is lucky that Lauriston still stands on The Boulevarde and unlike Llandilo still has all its street appeal. On a recent inspection of the Lauriston interiors I was taken aback by the grandeur of its vaulted ceilings fine joinery and couldn’t help but feel that Alfred Gambier Newman (1875-1921) is a tremendously underrated architect.
Scott
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Unfortunately Newman died very young about 45 years but there are examples of his designs still standing in Strathfield including his own home in Kingsland Rd and the Uniting Church in Carrington Ave. Cathy
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Newman’s early career was in South Australia and to date I haven’t found any of his work in his home state. His Vickery and Newman commissions in Sydney certainly show is talent as a designer of fine homes. His later work wasn’t as grand but was still distinguished and Camden Lodge (built in 1917 and scandalously burnt out in 2012) in Burlington Road Homebush was a good example of his middle class professional houses.
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As a descendant of Alfred G Newman (he was one of my grandfather’s older brothers), it continues to be thrilling to read these tales about Tiptree and also Strathfield and Lauriston. What spectacular houses they were. I am also related to the Vickery side as my grandmother Jeanie Freda Vickery married Arnold Leslie Newman. There is also the family link to the Carrington St Uniting Church in Strathfield. There are of course other buildings designed by my great uncle.
We have recently celebrated with the Uniting Church the belated 100th anniversary of the handing over of the Vickery family home, Edina, in Waverley to the Methodist (new Uniting) Church in 1922 as a War Memorial hospital. We realise that Edina is only still standing today because the Uniting Church has continued to use and therefore preserve it. The family acknowledge and so appreciate this.
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Cathy, thanks for your comments. I’m updating most of the Vickery information and will soon be posting an article on George Begg Vickery’s home ‘Inveresk’ and lots more. Thanks for the feedback, Cathy
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