By Cathy Jones
19 Merley Road Strathfield was built in 1941 on the Inveresk Estate and was demolished c.2006. The house occupied the corner of Merley Road and Dickson Street.
The house was a single storey brick Interwar style house with hipped glazed terracotta tiled roof, large semi-circular bay with brick parapet featuring two parallel brick corbels and a continuous line of windows. The front fence was a low brick fence matching the house.
This house was built on the Inveresk Estate. The Inveresk Estate was a subdivision of the grounds of merchant George Begg Vickery’s home ‘Inveresk’. After Vickery’s death in 1938, his son Ottamar Vickery subdivided his father’s estate creating an eastern extension of the street Merley Road and the park ‘Inveresk Park’.
In 1941, Mrs Gladys Ridgewell bought Lot 20 from Vickery for £525. She lodged an application to build a new house in October 1941 at an estimated value of £1600. The builder was R E Midson, 14 Gordon St Mosman. Shortly after the construction was completed the house was sold to Edward Cronan, a master butcher and his wife Jessie Cronan for £3,400 pounds. In 1948, Edward Cronan sold to Colin Stuart, a construction engineer for £3200. Stuart remained the owner until 1963, when the house was sold to John Budgen, Bank Officer and his wife Elsie for £10,900.
References
Department of Valuer-General, Valuation Lists, Municipality of Strathfield
Strathfield Council Building Register
Notices of Land Transfers
Strathfield Heritage 