By Cathy Jones
Early land owners of lots from the Redmire Estate were John and Donald Vernon. Donald Vernon was traffic manager of NSW Railways and built the home ‘Parkstone’ (which has been demolished but faced Margaret Street). John Vernon, the NSW Auditor General, built ‘Springfield’ (which has been demolished and faced Redmyre Road). The Vernon’s subdivided their land c.1880 as the ‘Mount Vernon Estate’, which created Vernon Street, Brunswick Street (then called Redmyre St) and lots on Redmyre Road and Homebush Rd. Properties 34 to 70 Redmyre Road are built on the Mount Vernon Estate.
60 Redmyre Road is built on part Lot 22 and built c.1893. The house was briefly owned in 1894 by Leslie Brothers (possibly the builders) but by 1896, the house was in the ownership of John Grannes, who named the house ‘Lyttlelton”. Grannes was in the hospitality industry, managing the ‘Strand Café’ in The Strand Arcade Sydney and was the owner of a number of properties in Strathfield. Grannes died in 1919. The estate sale advertised in the Sydney Morning Herald on 5 May 1920 included:
‘LOT 8.-STRATHFIELD.-“LYTTLETON,” REDMYRE ROAD, between Vernon-street and Homebush road. BRICK COTTAGE, with slate roof, containing 6 rooms, kitchen, and offices, let at £1/10/ per week – £78 per annum. THE LAND has a frontage of 67 feet 6 Inches to Redmyre-road by a depth of about 272 feet on one side and about 300 feet on the other. TITLE TORRENS. ‘
The house was frequently tenanted by Grannes and Marion Lowe, a teacher, who owned the house from c.1923. The house was renamed ‘Oatslie’ around this time. In August 1928 Mrs Lowe sold the house to Mrs Albert Sweetnam for £1200. The house was next sold in January 1944 by the estate of Albert Miller Sweetnam to Francis Formosa, a naval canteen contractor and his wife Judith for £1750. In December 1950, the house was sold to George Gane, a builder for £4900. In May 1952, Gane sold the house to Joseph Evans, Director of Education and his wife Thelma for £6150. Mrs Evans sold the house in August 1962 to the Bush Missionary Society for £8900. In December 1964, the house was sold to chemist Ross Brown and his wife Estelle Brown for £9000. In 2003, part of the grounds of the house were subdivided.
References
NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages register
‘Estate sale’, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 1920
Sands Directory for Sydney and Suburbs 1900-1932
Strathfield Council Building Application Register
Strathfield Council Valuation Lists 1894 to 1960
Strathfield Council Notices of Land Transfer (1927-1960s)
Wise’s Post Office Directory 1908, 1936
Strathfield Heritage 