‘Kareela’, 196 Albert Road Strathfield, is a single storey Victorian Italianate house. The house has a hipped roof with a gabled wing. It was built c.1896.
‘Kareela’ is located on an estate made up of land originally granted to Thomas Rose 1793 and Joseph Hyde Potts in 1841. These lands were located on Albert Road and Oxford Road (from around Heyde Avenue to the top of Albert Road) which came under the ownership of the Cumberland Building Land and Investment Company Limited. This company subdivided (deposited plan 2338) and sold lots, including Lot 16 on which 196 Albert Road is located. Lot 16 measured a 50 foot frontage and 227 foot depth.
Lot 16 was sold to Amy Wood, spinster in December 1894. Wood registered a mortgage to Adelaide Suttor, wife of William Sutter of Sydney in December 1894. In May 1895, Suttor exercised the power of sale to John Mills of Sydney, an auctioneer. A mortgage was registered again to Adelaide Suttor. In November 1895, the property was transferred to William Dawson, a land agent. In December 1895, the property transferred to James Barker Ward of Surry Hills, a gentleman. It is likely the house was built and completed in 1896.
A house first appears in the 1897 Sands Directory as occupied by James Ward and named ‘Kalgoolie’.
The house was numbered 132 but renumbered in 1947 as 196 Albert Road.
In October 1901, Adelaide Suttor exercising power of sale transferred ownership to Arthur Vernon of Strathfield. Vernon (1860-1964) was the son of Donald Vernon (1839-1891), a prominent resident in Strathfield’s early history and NSW Manager of Railways. Donald Vernon lived at ‘Clewer’ [now Australian Catholic University, formerly Loreto Nursing Home], which was located opposite 194 Albert Road. Like his father, Arthur Vernon also worked for NSW Railways. Vernon called the house ‘Arkenderth’, but later named the house ‘Kareela’. He married Miriam Hall (1867-1947) and the couple had two children, Donald and Miriam.
Following the death of Arthur Vernon in 1964, the property passed to his children Donald James Vernon (1902-1974), an engineer and Miriam Parker (nee Vernon) (1905-2001) of Killarney Vale, who registered as joint tenants of the property. The property was sold in November 1964 to John Parr of Strathfield, a supervisor.
Reference
Department of Valuer-General, Municipality of Strathfield, Valuation Lists
NSW Land Registry Certificate of Title v.1151 f.205
Sands Sydney Directory
