by Cathy Jones (2026)
‘Carminya’ 25 Homebush Road Strathfield is a two storey Federation house. The house was built in 1899 as the home residence of architect Charles Slatyer, of the firm Slatyer & Cosh, who designed the house. The house was originally numbered 19 Homebush Road, but was renumbered in 1960 to 25 Homebush Road.
This property is situated on the original Thomas Rose land grant of 1793. The land passed to Edward Powell and by the 1880’s the land was generally owned by William Russell. In October 1888, six acres in the northern part of Russell’s land was acquired by the President and Fellows of Camden Congregational College, with the intention of building a theological college in Strathfield. An additional five perches fronting Homebush Road was added from the Frederick Meredith 1793 grant, thereby the land fronted Albert Road, Homebush Road and Beresford Road. In response to 1890s economic depression, the College decided to subdivide the land into lots and offer it for sale in 1898. This subdivision created residential lots in Albert Rd (65-103 Albert Rd), Homebush Rd (25-39 Homebush Rd) and parts of Beresford Rd.
The land on which ‘Carminya’ is built is located on the south-west corner of Homebush and Beresford Roads Strathfield. This land was purchased by George Todman, merchant, from the Fellows of Camden Congregational College in September 1898. The land was purchased with the intention of building a new house for Todman’s daughter Elsie, upon her marriage to architect Charles Slatyer. In December 1899, Charles Slatyer purchased land at the rear of the house facing Beresford Road. Both lots contained restrictions on land to the erection of one residence only.
The house was designed by Slatyer as his home residence. At the time this house was designed, Slatyer was in the partnership Slatyer & Cosh (with Thomas Cosh). The design of the house is featured as ‘A residence at Strathfield NSW’, Building Engineering and Mining Journal, December 2 1899:
‘The illustration this week is that of a residence recently completed at Strathfield, which occupies a picked site at the corner of Homebush and Beresford Roads. Enfield OK facing bricks have been used for external walls, which are built hollow and Goodlet and Smith’s tiles are used for the roof. The house was erected for Mr Slatyer. Messrs Slatyer and Cosh were the architects and Mr T E Quiggin, the contractor. All the sanitary plumbing and drainage has been executed in accordance with the Water and Sewerage Board’s requirements’.
Charles Henry Slatyer (1856-1919) was a prominent Sydney architect. Slatyer worked as a partner in the architectural firms Ellis & Slatyer (with John Ellis), Slatyer & Cosh (with Thomas Cosh) and Slatyer & Shiels (with Nico Sheils). Slatyer was a Fellow of the Institute of Architects (NSW Branch) and in 1919 was elected as the Institute’s President. He lived in Strathfield from c.1885 until his death in 1919. In 1899, the same year he built ‘Carminya’, he married Elsie Todman. Elsie was the daughter of George Todman, of ‘Milroy’ Albert Rd Strathfield, a wealthy tobacco merchant and philanthropist. Slatyer designed many residential homes in Strathfield and partnered with Todman on a range of projects including the Todman estate in Kensington and the redesign of Todman’s Strathfield home ‘Milroy’ in Albert Road in 1913.
Slatyer and Todman family were involved in the Homebush-Strathfield Congregational now (Uniting Church – Korean Parish). Charles Slatyer for many years was the Hon. Secretary of the Homebush-Strathfield Congregational Church and his obituary notes that he also was once Secretary of Camden College, incidentally the former owners of the land on which ‘Carminya’ is built.
Slatyer designed many residential homes in Strathfield including ‘Glen Luna’ 2-4 Carrington Avenue (1899) and ‘Halsbury’ 12-14 Albyn Rd (1899), both owned Dr George Sly. He designed homes for members of the Todman family including ‘Inglethorpe’ 89 Redmyre Rd (1916), ‘Virginia’ 79 Redmyre Rd (1906) and ‘Winkurra’, 15 Florence Street (1906). He also designed the original Arnott’s Biscuits Factory buildings in George Street Homebush.
Slatyer died in 1919. ‘Carminya’ was transferred by transmission to Perpetual Trustee Company of NSW in February 1920. In August 1921, ownership transferred to George Todman, which was then transferred in 1922 to the Permanent Trustee Company. Slatyer’s widow Elise, continued to live at ‘Carminya’ until her death in 1947.
In January 1948, the house was sold by the Permanent Trustee to Dr Kevin Fagan and his wife, Fagan. In November 1970, the property transferred to Dr Brian Cooper, medical practitioner and his wife Mary Cooper (nee Kevans). The land at the rear of ‘Carminya’ was also sold to a separate owner in 1948.
In April 1975, Mrs Mary Cooper was registered as sole owner after the death of Dr Cooper. In August 1987, the property was transferred (by transmission) to Hunter Russell Cottle and Mary Therese Cottle as joint tenants, following the death of Mrs Cooper in 1983. In May 1988. the property was transferred to Frank Indovino and Filippa Idovino as joint tenants.
‘Carminya’ is listed as a heritage item on the Strathfield Local Environmental Plan.
References
‘A residence at Strathfield NSW’ (1899 December 2), Building Engineering and Mining Journal
Department of Valuer-General, Municipality of Strathfield, Valuation Lists
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986.
NSW Land Registry
Sands Sydney and Suburban Directory
