By Cathy Jones 2025
‘Camira’ 34 Vernon Street Strathfield was built in 1891 on the corner of Alviston Street. The house is a two storey Victorian Italianate style and had a 31 foot frontage which was very narrow by the usual Strathfield Municipal standards of 50 feet frontages. However, the property had the advantage of two frontages. In April 1940, Strathfield Council approved the conversion of the building into two flats.
The house first appears in the 1892 Sands Directory with Edward Hobson as the occupier. The house was named Camira. Vernon Street was renumbered in 1966 but this house’s numbering was unchanged.
This house is located on land originally granted to James Wilshire in 1810. Wiltshire’s grant was subdivided by William Whaley Billyard in 1867 and marketed as the ‘Redmire Estate’. In 1868, 22 acres was purchased by Mary Ann Renny, wife of Walter Renny of City of Sydney, painter. In 1874, Renny with ‘the consent of her husband’ sold 22 acres to James Vernon, of Scone, a licensed surveyor, purchased land measuring 18 acres. On April 7 1875, Vernon transferred ownership to his son, John Vernon. Vernon authorised the power of attorney to his brother Donald Vernon, of Burwood, in June 1880. The land was subdivided and marketed for sale as the ‘Mount Vernon Estate’ (DP 528) in July 1880. The ‘Mount Vernon Estate’, created Vernon Street, Brunswick Street (then called Redmyre St) and had lots on Redmyre Road (south between Vernon Street) and Homebush Rd (east between Vernon Street and Homebush Road).
Members of the Vernon family were influential in Strathfield’s early history. Donald Vernon (1839-1891) entered the civil service when 20 years of age, and occupied several important positions in the railway department, including those of auditor and traffic manager. He was appointed Secretary for Railways in 1878, Secretary to the Railway Commissioners in 1888 and retired due to ill health in August 1899. He built and lived in the home ‘Parkstone’ c.1872 on The Boulevarde Strathfield (following subdivision of its grounds, it had a Margaret Street frontage and has since been demolished) and later moved to ‘Clewer’ Albert Road Strathfield where he died in 1891. John Vernon (1845-1924), brother of Donald Vernon, also worked for the Railway Department for 28 years before serving as NSW Auditor-General from 1902-1914. He was also a trustee of the Australian Museum. He lived at ‘Springfield’ Redmyre Road Strathfield (demolished) and ‘Iona’ 70 Redmyre Road Strathfield. Their father, James Vernon, was a surveyor. He died in 1894 at ‘Merley’ Albert Road Strathfield.
Edward Hobson, a builder acquired part of Lot 5 and Lot 5A from James Vernon in 1890. He took out a mortgage from the ES&A Chartered Bank in May 1890. It is likely the house was built in 1890-1891 as it appears in the 1892 Sands Directory occupied by Hobson. Hobson owned the property until 1911, which was known as ‘Camira’, and was occupied until then by a series of tenants including William Crane Jnr (1893-94) Albert Bassan (1895-1896), William Crane jnr (1899-1908) and Ellis Gulliver (1909-1910). In March 1911, the ES&A Bank as mortgagee exercising power of sale transferred ownership to Alice Morgan Yates, wife of Edward O’Neill Yates, an engineer. In May 1913, Yates applied for transmission and was registered as the owner after the death of his wife, Alice.
In March 1922, Yates transferred ownership to Louisa Amelia Smith, a widow. Mrs Smith owned the property until May 1940, when it was transferred to Daniel Purdy Horwood of Homebush, company secretary. Horwood lodged a building application with Strathfield Council in April 1940 to convert the house into 2 flats. The application of estimated value of £450 was approved and the builder was W Stockwell, of Granville. In May 1941, Horwood transferred ownership to Reginald Warren, a tailor, who owned the house for five years. Stephen Jones, a civil engineer was the owner from 1946 to 1957, when it was sold to John Michael Healy, a chemist.
References
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986
NSW Land Registry
Sands Sydney and Suburban Directory 1884-1932
Strathfield Council Building Register
Strathfield Council Valuation Lists 1892-97, 1900-01, 1906-07, 1917, 1920, 1924, 1936, 1942, 1947, 1957, 1960
Wise’s Post Office Suburban Directory 1904, 1908, 1936.
