‘Yambah’ 28 Coventry Rd Strathfield

By Cathy Jones (2023)

’Yambah’ 28 Coventry Road Strathfield is located on the historic Village of Homebush Estate. This house is a heritage item on Strathfield Council’s Local Environmental Plan and described as:

‘A two storey Federation house has an asymmetrical facade with a slate gable roof. The ground floor is brick and the first floor is rendered brick. The verandah has shingles to the first floor and rounded timber posts. Timber windows have arched heads and a bay window is located on the ground floor. Other elements include rendered chimneys’.

Coventry Road Homebush is located within the site of various 1793 land grants offered to a group of free settlers in an area known as Liberty Plains by the NSW Colonial Government anxious to secure a food supply for the growing colony. Land was granted to Frederick Meredith 60 acres dated 28th May 1793, Thomas Rose 70 acres originally granted on 10 May 1798, Simeon Lord granted 160 acres dated 9 August 1803 and Edward Powell 19 acres dated 1 January 1810. The land proved difficult to farm and the settlers abandoned farming activity and moved from their land.

Eventually, this land and other land located in the current day Homebush West and Homebush (both sides of the railway line) came under the ownership of James Underwood, Edward Powell’s son-in-law. The land became known as the ‘Underwood Estate’. In 1878, 306 acres of the Underwood Estate was subdivided into 15 sections and marketed as ‘Village of Homebush’. This subdivision created Burlington Rd, Beresford Road, Abbotsford Rd, Bridge St, Coventry Rd, Meredith St,Homebush Crescent (later The Crescent) and Bellevue Street (later Homebush Road).

‘Yambah’ is built on part Lot 1, Section 6 of the Village of Homebush Estate. In 1906, this land was acquired by Mary Duguid. ‘Yambah’ was designed by architect Joseph Alexander Kethel. A contract was let by Kethel to builders Messrs Hocking in October 1906 to erect a residence in Coventry Road Homebush[1] . The house first appears in Sands Directory in 1908 named ‘Yambah’ and occupied by Miss Mary Duguid.[2]

Jessie Mary Duguid (1877-1947), known as Mary, was the daughter of John Kendall Duguid (1846-1901) and Jessie Young Scott (1851-1887). John Kessell Duguid was a land and shipping agent in the City business Duguid & Co. Duiguid’s brother John Peate Duguid (1875-1961), was a partner in Duguid & Co. Both Mary and her brother John established residency in the Strathfield area around 1904[3]. Mary Duguid is recorded in Sands Directory living in Burlington Road Homebush from 1904 to 1907, while John lived in Albert Road, Strathfield. Both purchased land and commissioned the architect Joseph Alexander Kethel to design new homes; Mary at ‘Yambah’ and John at ‘Dunkeld’ 19-21 Meredith Street Homebush.

While John Peate Duguid left Homebush around 1911, Mary Duguid resided at ‘Yambah’ until her death in 1947.  An application by transmission was lodged by John Peate Duguid, pastoral land agent, as the property owner on 14 April 1948[4]. The land was subdivided into Lots A and B with Lot A containing the house transferred to John Hamilton Thackray of Homebush, Insurance Officer on 21 May 1948[5].  Lot B which was located at the rear of the house and faced Dickson Street was transferred to Ann Ikin, wife of builder George Ikin in May 1948.  This lot became 4 Dickson Street.

In February 1960, Thackeray transferred ownership of ‘Yambah’ to Malcolm Bruce, solicitor, and his wife Marion Bruce and in 1980, ownership transferred to Kevin and Gabrielle O’Connor until 1985.

References

NSW Land Register, Certificate of Title v.5917 f.96

Contracts Let. (1905, August 15). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 11. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14722459

Family Notices (1947, November 1). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 38. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18048278

Fox & Associates, 1986, Heritage Inventory Sheet No.105, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986

Jones, C (2023), Ednesdor 19-21 Meredith Street Homebush viewed at https://strathfieldheritage.com/streetnames/meredith-street-homebush-revised/edensor-19-21-meredith-st-homebush/

Sands Sydney Directory for Strathfield 1908-1932

Strathfield Council Building Register

Strathfield Council Valuation Lists

Strathfield Council Rate Books 1905-1906, 1906-1907

Footnotes

[1] CONTRACTS LET. (1905, August 15). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 11.

[2] Sands Sydney Directory

[3] Jones, C (2023), Ednesdor 19-21 Meredith Street Homebush

[4] Certificate of Title v.5917 f.96

[5] Certificate of Title v.5917 f.96