By Cathy Jones
‘Birralee’ Albert Road Strathfield was built for solicitor Charles Laurence (1845-1925). He married Ellen Underwood (grand-daughter of Joseph Underwood, who owned large tracts of land in early Strathfield and Homebush). He was the father of Ernest Laurence, a solicitor and Mayor of Strathfield.
Laurence acquired the land in 1888. It appears that the house was built in 1889. ‘Birralee’ appears for the first time in Sands Directory in 1890 as occupied by Charles Laurence.
The house was transferred to Cecil Wilkinson, a photographer in 1922. It was sold in 1938 to sisters Mildred Watson and Ethel Sydney Watson and was renamed ‘Avoca’. It was owned from 1944 to 1965 by Jaan Lipping of Thirlmere, poultry farmer and Lydia Tipping, his wife. The house was renumbered from 48 Albert Road to 140-144 Albert Road.
In 1965, the property was resumed by the Crown and according to its deed ‘Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is now the registered proprietor of land’. The land was obviously acquired for educational purposes and is part of the site of Strathfield Girls High.
References
NSW Land Register, Certificates of Title
Department of Valuer-General, Valuation Lists, Municipality of Strathfield
Strathfield District Historical Society (photo of Birralee)
