Miranda 39 Alexandra Street Hunters Hill

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Ernest McDaniel
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1 Miranda 39 Alexandra Street Hunters Hill No. 39 is a two storey brick bald-faced shop and residence on a corner on the peninsula in Hunters Hill. The building is Heritage listed as a property of some significance. The building is believed to have been named Miranda. After the initial subdivision in 1863, the block and several adjacent to it (down to Martha Street) were owned by the family of John Cuneo and formed Cuneo s Recreation Ground. Following further subdivision, the land was in the Clarke family (the first permanent settlers in Woolwich in the 1830s and to which Clarkes Point owes its name) from 1892 until 1963, the Binns family from 1963 to 1973 and P.F. Marketing Pty Ltd until It has been a corner shop and grocer, an antique shop, a furniture showroom and art gallery and a real estate agency. A nursery has operated in the garden since the 1970s. The second floor had been a private residence until it was purchased in The building itself is largely original. Plans were drawn up for renovations in the 1960s but they were not executed. Minor changes to the floor plan have been made both upstairs and down as well as a small re-configuration on the southern side to house the garden centre. These changes have had little structural significance to the building. The building is listed in the Hunter s Hill Local Environmental Plan No 1, Schedule 6 Items of the environmental heritage with the date of construction circa Title information The property is known as Lot 1, Deposited Plan No: , Parish of Hunters Hill, County of Cumberland. Previous title deeds are: 1863: Volume 1 Folio : Volume 53 Folio : Volume 1064 Folio : Volume 1138 Folio : Volume 4892 Folio : Volume Folio 147 1

2 Ownership and use The land was originally part of a Crown Grant of thirty two acres to William Morgan in December 1834, and was then part of an 1863 subdivision by Jane Foss, Thomas Ambrose Foss and Samuel Thompson. A portion of the subdivision was sold to John Le Gay Brereton of five acres, two roods and 28 perches or thereabouts. In 1867 John Cuneo bought a parcel of land known as Lot 24, Section 2 from John Le Gay Brereton (the land was bounded by Onions Point Road (now Ferry Street) and Government Road 1 chain wide (now Alexandra Street)). During the 1880s this land was known as Cuneo s Recreation Ground. The land was transferred from John Cuneo to Phillip Richard Spry Bailey and Thomas Cuneo in 1889, then again in 1891 to Phillip Richard Spry Bailey, Joseph William Rinaldi and Garibaldi Camilio Cuneo (see note below). They subdivided the land into several lots and sold a lot of 16 ½ perches to Joseph Frederick Clarke and Edwin Clarke as tenants in common in The 1892 title showed Joseph already owned the adjacent block of 18 perches. There was a change to the title to just Joseph Clarke in August 1894 and in January 1895 Joseph put the first of three mortgages over the land. The mortgagor was Richard Yeomans of Sydney, Solicitor. These were discharged in There were several lessees listed on the titles, the first was Robert Byers Bedford (1923 to 1929), then Percy Perkins (storekeeper) from 1929 until From 1934 to 1937 David Ferguson (storekeeper) was the lessee, then John Forenson (also a storekeeper) from 1937 until In 1939, ownership was transferred to Joseph s sons Archibald Frederick Clarke and Victor William Clarke and continuously leased. In 1950 title was transferred to Victor William Clarke. The building was leased out to S R Buttle Pty Ltd from 1951 until In 1959 it was transferred to Mona May Glennie Clarke, who sold to Stuart Lester Binns and Phyllis Mary Clare Binns in They lived upstairs and had an antique shop downstairs. They in turn sold to P.F. Marketing Pty Ltd (the Steenbeek family) in The building was used as a furniture showroom, with the Hunters Hill Gallery upstairs. The Hunters Hill Trust had an office in the space during this period. There was a nursery in the garden from the 1970s. The building has been leased to various real estate agents since the early 1980s. Note: Joseph Rinaldi married John Cuneo s daughter Annette in April Garibaldi Cuneo, one of John s sons, lived in Foss Street and died in Phillip Richard Spry Bailey, L.Th. was the incumbent Church of England Minister/ Rector from 1882 to 1900 in the Hunters Hill parish and first Rector in All Saints Church, adjacent to 39 Alexandra Street. It would be fascinating to know why the Church of England Rev. Bailey coowned the property with members of a prominent Catholic family. 2

3 Sands Directory The Sands Directory was published from 1858 to 1932/33. Hunters Hill was listed from It was essentially the records kept by travelling salesmen of the names of people they visited (occupants, rather than owners). The Sands had two sections, the municipal section had streets are arranged in alphabetical order; then each side listed separately - north and south sides. The alphabetical section contained names and addresses in Sydney in the relevant year. These two sets of data don t always match up, as the following table shows. Date Municipal listing 1 Alphabetical listing 1890 Murray John Blacksmith Clarke E & J grocers, Alexander Street Murray John Blacksmith Jones Rev. John Clarke E and J Grocers Clarke Joseph grocer, Brown Street Clarke Joseph grocer, Brown Street 1893 Clarke J, Alexander Street 1898 Clarke J, Alexander Street 1900 Hurst DE storekeeper and agent Clarke J, Alexander Street 1901 Clarke Joseph, Fernbank Ave Woolwich Clarke J, Clarke Road Woolwich 1902 Hurst DE storekeeper and agent Clarke Joseph, Fernbank Ave Woolwich Clarke J, Clarke Road Woolwich 1905 & 06 Clarke Joseph, Alexandria Street 1909 Callaghan G C storekeeper 1910 Callaghan G C storekeeper 1913 Bold E S & Co grocers, 1920 Cecil R Finney Clarke J, Alexandra Street Clarke Joseph, Alexandra Street Clarke Joseph, Alexandra Street 1 The block can be identified as on the southern side of Alexandra Street. No. 39 was the first entry after the cross street Ferry Street, with the prior entry being the Garibaldi Hotel (built in the 1860s). 2 Note the different spellings of Alexandra Street. Brown Street was a small laneway perpendicular to Alexandra Street on the northern side. It is present on early maps (eg. 1886) but is no longer there. 3

4 Joseph Clarke 1841 The census showed William and Charlotte Clarke living in Hunters Hill. William may have had brothers Charles, Edward and James (who also married a Charlotte). William built Fernbank and James built Woodstock, both in Woolwich William and Charlotte had children Edwin, Rev. FW, Joseph F and Ernest H (and Lucy?). Charlotte died in 1891 at Fernbank, Hunters Hill Joseph F Clarke born (father s name William, mother s name Charlotte) Joseph married Marie Potts and had four children (Olive, Archibald, Victor and Millicent) Joseph (with Edwin Clarke) bought what became 39 Alexandra Street; he also bought the adjacent block. Joseph put the first mortgage on no. 39 in January February 25, Joseph Clarke died in Eastwood, NSW Property passes to Archibald Frederick Clarke and Victor William Clarke. Other information The 1890 photograph (attached) is consistent with the Sands Directory which lists Clarke E & J Grocers in Joseph and Edwin Clarke did not purchase the corner property until 1892, when the land was subdivided. Joseph apparently bought out his brother in 1894 and then mortgaged the property in Edwin Clarke continued to live in Hunters Hill, in various addresses on or near Woolwich Road. Sarah and James Seymour bought lots 25, 26 and 31, noted on Volume 1, Folio 148 at the time John Cuneo bought Lot 24. These are marked on a map (circa 1882) as Seymours Pleasure Grounds and were purchased by the Church of England in 1884 as the site for All Saints Church. A Richardson and Wrench advertising poster lists that land for sale in 1882, adjacent to Cuneo s Recreation Ground. In addition, a map of the municipality (by Higinbotham, Robinson and Harrison) dated 1886 shows what is known to be Lot 24 as being owned by John Cuneo, adjacent to land owned by the Church of England. The 1886 Higinbotham map shows two blocks opposite no. 39 Alexandra Street (on the northern side of Alexandra Street) as belonging to Elizabeth Potts. In 1886 Joseph married Marie Potts, but it is not known if there was a connection. 4

5 Photographs 2010: 39 Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill, (reproduced from Google Earth) 1890: E & J Clarke grocers, 39 Alexandra St., Hunter's Hill (supplied M & M Linder) 5

6 References Australian births deaths and marriages, various dates, digital archives available on < Emanuel C, Thompson, P 1973 Hunter s Hill Sketchbook, Rigby Press. Higinbotham & Robinson, Maps of municipalities surrounding the city of Sydney, National Library of Australia, < Higinbotham, Robinson and Harrison, 1886, Map of the Municipality of Hunters Hill, situate in the Parish of Hunters Hill [cartographic material]. MAP F 150, National Library of Australia, < Hunter s Hill Trust 1982 Heritage of Hunter s Hill 3 rd edition, The Hunters Hill Trust. Hunters Hill Trust 1985, Hunters Hill Trust Journal, vol 14, no. 1. Hunters Hill Trust 1995, Hunters Hill Trust Journal, vol 24, no Land and Property Management Authority (NSW) Title deeds: 39 Alexandra Street Hunters Hill National Trust of Australia (NSW) 1977 Old Buildings of Hunters Hill, Macarthur Press Books Pty Ltd. Phippen, A 2010 Local Studies and Family History Librarian, City of Ryde, personal communication. Richardson and Wrench sale poster dated 23 September 1882, Heights of Hunters Hill [B HEIG, Ryde Municipal Library Historical Collection]. Sands Sydney, Suburban and Country Commercial Directory (editions consulted from 1890 to 1920), available on < Sherry B, Baglin D 1989 Hunter s Hill Australia s Oldest Garden Suburb, David Ell Press, Sydney. Sydney Morning Herald, various dates, digital archive copies available from the National Library of Australia at < M & M Linder, 1890 photograph Clarkes Store. K Norris, 1974 sketch of Hunters Hill Gallery. 6

heritage property nomination form

HERITAGE PRESERVATION SERVICES heritage property nomination form Return to: Heritage Preservation Services City Planning Division Toronto City Hall, 17 th Floor, East Tower Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2 (416)