By Cathy Jones (2026)
‘Waratah’ is located at 37 Homebush Road Strathfield and is Federation Queen Anne style house. It was built in 1899 for William Arnott, founder of Arnotts Biscuits. The house called ‘Waratah’ first appeared in the 1900 Sands Directory as occupied by William Arnott. The house was formerly 25 Homebush Rd and was renumbered 37 Homebush Road in 1960.
The house and its surrounding land are situated on the original 1793 Thomas Rose land grant. The land passed to Edward Powell and by the 1880’s 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 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. Due to the 1890’s economic depression, the College Trustees opted to not proceed with their plans and to subdivide the land. The land was subdivide in 1898 creating sites Albert Road (65-103 Albert Road), Homebush Road (25-39 Homebush Rd) and Beresford Road.
In July 1899, William Arnott, founder of Arnotts Biscuits, purchased land from the President of Fellows of Camden College. The house was erected in late 1899 and Arnott was the first occupant. At the meeting of Strathfield Council on 9 January 1900, the Council authorised ‘boulevarding’ works in front of Mr W Arnott’s house on Homebush Road. Boulevarding was the program of street skate enhancements such as installing footpaths, laying roads, building lawn nature strips, and planting street trees. The resolution indicates that the house had been built and Arnott was its occupant.
Arnott had moved from Newcastle. Some members of his family were already living in Strathfield. He named the house ‘Waratah’, after the suburb Waratah in Newcastle, NSW where Arnott’s bakery and biscuit business was established. Arnott lived at ‘Waratah’ for a short period before moving to ‘Arnott Holme’, 65-69 Albert Road Strathfield.
The two properties shared a common boundary and access. Arnott transferred ownership in the form of a life estate of ‘Waratah’ to his daughter Janet Dunman Perry, the wife of broker James Simpson Perry in February 1901. The title contained conditions that the property was for ‘her life for her separate use’ and that after the determination of her life estate the land ‘stands limited to the grandchildren of William Arnott, namely Lenore Scott Perry and Allan Arnott Perry and their heirs as tenants in common’. Janet Dunman Perry registered her ownership of ‘Waratah’ on the land title in 1905. The life estate was cancelled in 1949 after the death of Janet Dunman Perry in 1948.
The Perry family lived at ‘Waratah’ until about 1913, thereafter the house was leased until its sale in 1949. It was rented to Mrs Jessie Pomeroy, the widow of John Pomeroy, a partner in David Jones & Co from c.1913 to 1918. From c.1918 to 1920, it was occupied by Alfred Morgan, solicitor of the firm Alfred Morgan & Co and father of Charles Morgan, Mayor of Strathfield (1950-51) and from c.1921-1923, rented by Frederick Lindeman of the Lindeman Wines family.
From 1923 to 1944, this house was leased to Miss Margaret Thompson who operated a small school renamed ‘Branxton’, which she operated with her sister. The school was later transferred to the Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC) Croydon who maintained a campus at Margaret Street Strathfield until the late 1990s. This is now operating as ‘Lingwood’ Meriden College.
In April 1946, ‘Branxton’ was leased to Eileen Selina Meyer, wife of Arthur Anton Meyer of Homebush, Divisional Returning Officer. After the death of Janet Perry, the house was sold to Mrs Meyer by Lenore Scott Simpson Stack (nee Perry) and Alan Arnott Perry in May 1949. In 1960, ‘Branxton’ was transferred to Doris Connor, a widow of Strathfield, in March 1960. In January 1968, ‘Branxton’ was transferred to Alexandra Viglino of Strathfield, also widow. ‘Branxton’ was then transferred in May 1976 to Margaret Elias, Norah Elias and Violet Elias as tenants in common. In 1996, ‘Waratah’ was acquired by its’ current owners, who have initiated considerable restoration work including the full restoration of the front verandah. Their achievements were acknowledged as winners of the 2003 Strathfield Council Heritage Awards for outstanding restoration and conservation work.
Reference
Electorate of Parkes, Strathfield Polling Place 1903
NSW Land registry
Sands Sydney Directory
Strathfield. (1900, January 18). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved March 3, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14253752
