By Cathy Jones 2024
‘Manx Cottage’ 1 Eastbourne Avenue Homebush West is a single storey weatherboard cottage with a symmetrical façade, built in 1891. Features include a corrugated iron hip roof and a corrugated iron bull nosed verandah roof. The verandah has a balustrated valance, timber balustrades, turned decorative timber posts and brackets.
This house is located on the 210 acre land granted to John Fleming in 1806. Part of the Fleming land was acquired for railway purposes. The western rail line from Sydney to Parramatta and Flemington Rail Station is built on this land grant. Ownership of Fleming’s grant was acquired by William George Pennington, William Mackenzie Snr, Robert John King, James Clegg Taylor and Charles Wye Weekes and subdivided in 1881 as deposited plan 827 and marketed as the ‘Flemington Estate’.
In May 1885, Lot 33, Section 10 on which ‘Manx Cottage’ is located was sold to George Coates[1]. Coates transferred the land in June 1891 to Richard Harrington, a carpenter[2]. A cottage was built in 1891[3]. Harrington was a petitioner in October 1891 to annexe the unincorporated area of Flemington to Strathfield Council.[4] The area of Flemington was added to Strathfield Council in February 1892 and was a ward (Flemington Ward) until 1916, when the three Council wards of Strathfield, Homebush and Flemington were abolished and the Municipality became one ward[5].
The house is named as ‘Woodward’ in the 1915 Sands Directory. The house was numbered 1 Eastbourne Avenue and though the street was renumbered in 1957, this house was not renumbered.
In July 1924, the property was transferred by transmission to Harrington’s widow Alice. In December 1924, part of the land was subdivided creating Lot B (now 3 Eastbourne Rd) which was sold to Benjamin Williams[6]. The house known as ‘Manx Cottage’ and the residue of land was transferred to Ernest Richard Gale (1884-1960), a labourer in July 1927[7]. Gale purchased the property for £525. Gale was born on the Isle of Man and migrated to Australia in 1913[8]. He married Catherine Jane Keegan (1887-1957) in 1916 in Burwood. Gale named the house ‘Manx Cottage’, which is a reference to his birthplace on the Isle of Man.
In November 1960, after the death of Ernest Gale, the house was transferred to his children Nancy Jean Walsh, Douglas Gale and Keegan Gale as joint tenants[9]. In December 1960, the house was transferred to Alice Mary Charlton, of Flemington[10]. In March 1961, the house was transferred to John Thomas Scott, mail officer and his wife, Frances[11]. In 31 January 1962, the house transferred to Vincent Slaven, a signalman [12].
Footnotes
[1] Certificate of Title v.754 f.219
[2] Certificate of Title v.1020 f.38
[3] It is likely Harrington built the cottage in 1891. The first Strathfield Council valuation records that include the area of Flemington are 1892-93 and a cottage occupies this land under ownership of Harrington.
[4] NSW Government Gazette 6 October 1891. Harrington is listed as a freeholder ie land owner.
[5] Wards are electoral divisions where all eligible voters vote to elect one or more Aldermen (in NSW known as Councillors since 1993) in Council elections.
[6] Certificate of Title v3679 f.36
[7] Certificate of Title v.4045 f.169
[8] Gale arrived from the Isle of Man to Sydney via Geelong, Victoria in 1913. State Archives and Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood, NSW, Australia; Inward passenger lists; Series: 13278; Roll: 2072. Isle of Man is one of the British Isles, located in the Irish Sea off the northwest coast of England. The island lies roughly equal distance between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom but rather is a crown possession (since 1828) that is self-governing in its internal affairs under the supervision of the British Home Office.
[9] Certificate of Title v.4045 f.169
[10] Certificate of Title v.4045 f.169
[11] Certificate of Title v.4045 f.169
[12] Certificate of Title v.4045 f.169
