By Cathy Jones
‘Kelvin’, a Victorian style cottage, is located at 12 Woodward Avenue Strathfield.
‘Kelvin’ is located within the Woodward Avenue Heritage Conservation Area, which features predominantly Victorian houses, in Woodward Avenue, The Boulevarde and Albyn Road. This precinct is built on the 1880 subdivision of the Woodgreen Estate and is one of Strathfield’s earliest residential developments.
Both 10 and 12 Woodward Avenue appear to have been built as investment properties and have similar histories of ownership. ‘Kelvin’ was built c.1893 and owned until c.1906 by James Barker and then by John Grannes until c.1909.
During this period, the house was leased to Mrs James Williamson from 1897 to 1906, Patrick Clifford from 1907 to 1908, Ernest John Phillips of ‘independent means’ from 1909 to 1912, Miss Watts 1913-1914, P W Higgins 1915, Charles Benson, a mechanic, in 1917, Charles Short from 1919 to 1920 who called the house ‘Mehl’. The house again was named ‘Kelvin’ when occupied by Mrs Edith Burgoyne in 1921 and the Rev. A C Corlette from 1922 to 1923.
Both 10 and 12 Woodward Avenue were purchased c.1915 by members of the Scholes family: 12 Woodward Avenue by Joseph Scholes and 10 Woodward by his son Llewellyn Scholes. From 1924 ‘Kelvin’ was occupied by Annie Moore, daughter of Joseph Scholes and her husband John Moore. Ownership was transferred by transmission from estate of Joseph Scholes estate to his daughter, Mrs Annie Moore in 1933. Mrs Moore lived at ‘Kelvin’ until her death in 1955. Ownership then transferred to Isabelle Neal.
References
Department of Valuer-General, Valuation Lists, Municipality of Strathfield
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986
NSW Electoral Roll, 1903, Electorate of Parkes
NSW Electoral Roll, 1915, Electorate of Nepean
Sands Sydney Directory, published by John Sands [1889-1932]
Strathfield Council Building Registers
Strathfield Council Valuation Lists 1894, 1896, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1914, 1917
Strathfield Heritage 