By Cathy Jones
‘Mia Mia’, a Victorian style cottage, is located at 10 Woodward Avenue Strathfield.
‘Mia Mia’ 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 early ownership. The house were initially owned by James Barker and then by John Grannes and both were leased.
‘Mia Mia’ was built c.1894 and owned until c.1906 by James Barker and then by John Grannes until c.1909. During this period, this house was leased to J B Messent from c.1898 to c.1900, Charles Cowdery from c.1901 to c.1906 and Robert Ward c.1907 to c.1908. Ownership of the house changed c.1909 to Leslie Myles (d.1942), a bank clerk, who owned the house until 1921.
The house was then sold to the Scholes family who continuously owned the house until the 1960s, renaming the house ‘Toolambar’. The first owner was Llewellyn Scholes (1892-1935), son of Joseph Scholes JP of ‘Inglenook’ Margaret Street and great-nephew of Judge Edward Scholes. Scholes studied dentistry and graduated at Sydney University in 1914 and transferred to the dental services of the Army Medical Corps in 1915 at Lemnos, later Egypt and France.
After returning to Sydney in 1918, he established a dental practice in Macquarie Street and contributed to dental associations and literature. He married Edna Moses (d.1981) and the house transferred to her ownership at his death in 1935. Mrs Edna Scholes remained the owner at least until the 1960s.
References
Department of Valuer-General, Valuation Lists, Municipality of Strathfield
Fox & Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, 1986
Llewellyn Scholes. (1935, 15 March). Windsor and Richmond Gazette.
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 