By Cathy Jones
The land bounded by Ardittos Lane to the north, Elva Street to the east, Redmyre Road to the south and Homebush Road to the west was purchased by Robert Joshua King and Mary Ann Balmain, wife of surveyor and Strathfield Council Town Clerk John Hope Balmain, in 1903. Prior to this time, it was largely considered unusable due to the presence of a watercourse and creek (which is now a Sydney Water closed stormwater conduit). King and Balmain subdivided the two allotments into 66 feet wide blocks fronting Redmyre Road and The Avenue (later Churchill Avenue), a new street to link Elva Street and Homebush Road. The land was auctioned as the ‘King Estate’.
The land was gradually taken up with the last allotments sold in 1914. Many of the sales did not correspond with the original subdivisions, a number of purchasers preferring narrower frontages. A convenant was placed on most sales requiring ‘one main building only on the said land and such building shall be a double fronted…and be built of brick and/stone with roof of slates and/or tiles and shall not cost less than £300”.
21 to 67 Redmyre Road are built on the ‘King Estate’.
In October 1907, land was purchased from King and Balmain by John Dodson, a local builder. Council records indicate that the house was built in 1907 by Dodson. The house was named ‘Cora Lynn’.
Dodson rented the house to Charles Turner until the house was sold in 1911 to Horace Wise, a clerk. In March 1915, ownership was transferred to the Rev. William Halse Rogers (d.1924), a Methodist Minister and his wife. Rogers held many charges throughout NSW and Queensland, after arriving in 1876. He received his training in Richmond College London. From 1896 to 1903 Mr. Rogers was secretary of the Methodist Conference, and in 1904 he was elected president. He retired from active work in 1911 owing to ill health and moved to Strathfield. Rogers was the father of Sir Percival Halse Rogers (1883-1945), judge, Royal Commissioner, Director Sydney Hospital (1930-1945), Chancellor Sydney University (1936-1941).
After the death of Rogers in 1924, the house was sold to William Boyd McNaught, a plumber and his wife Jane. From 1951-1960, the house was owned by Samuel Rogers, a public accountant.
References
Department of the Valuer General NSW – Valuation List – Valuation District of Strathfield 1924, 1930 and 1960
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986
Land Titles Register
Sands Directory for Sydney and Suburbs 1900-1932
Strathfield Council Valuation Lists 1894 to 1920
Strathfield Council Notices of Land Transfer (1927-1960s)
