By Cathy Jones
21 to 67 Redmyre Road Strathfield are built on the ‘King Estate’. This estate includes land bounded by Ardittos Lane to the north, Elva Street to the east, Redmyre Road to the south and Homebush Road to the west. The land 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) from Powell’s Creek. 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 then 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 covenant 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”.
‘Craigenver’ 57 Redmyre Road Strathfield is a single storey face brick Federation Queen Anne style house. The house is located on Lots part 47 and 48. The land was purchased in 1911 by Sydney Solomon Meyer (1872-1936), a commercial traveller from King & Balmain. The house was built in 1911 at cost of about £600 by local builder John Dodson. The house was named “Craigenvar”. Meyer and his wife Winifred (nee Mayor) lived in the house until 1914.
In April 1914, the house was sold to Roland Cuthbert Clark (1889-1973), a merchant of Sydney. Clark was the son of Henry Marcus Clark, founder of the city based store Marcus Clark & Co. Roland Cuthbert Clark was a director of the firm.
In August 1917, the house was sold to Ray George Ironside Dent, a solicitor. In 1921, the house was sold to Christina Cowlishaw, wife of merchant Harold Cowlishaw. From 1925 to 1966, the house was owned by Alexander Thomson Ward, a commercial traveller.
Reference
Department of the Valuer General NSW – Valuation List – Valuation District of Strathfield 1924, 1930 and 1960
Electoral Roll, 1913, Electorate of Burwood, Subdivision of Strathfield (Solomon & Winifred Meyer)
Land Title Search
‘Roland Cuthbert Clark’, Dictionary of Sydney, viewed at http://dictionaryofsydney.org/person/clark_roland_cuthbert
Sands Directory for Sydney and Suburbs 1900-1932
Strathfield Council, Minutes of Council meeting
Strathfield Council Notices of Land Transfer (1927-1960s)
Strathfield Heritage 