FERNHILL 457-459 Princes Highway
SEACROFT
Address 57-59 Princes Highway, Fernhill 2519
Deposited Plan Lot 202 DP804501
GPS Coordinates -34.38365, 150.89463
Hidden behind a tall conifer hedge at Fernhill is Seacroft, a delightful example of domestic Federation Queen Anne style architecture. The house, whilst in a sound condition, has looked neglected for some time. It is being restored by its new owners. The restoration process will be the subject of an episode of the television show, Restoration Australia, in 2021.
The land on which Seacroft stands was part of a 1,920 acre grant, Balgownie, to John Buckland. Part of the land came into the possession of John Stewart. He was a local member of the NSW Parliament, veterinary surgeon and land speculator. Stewart also owned Keera Vale house (Bukari St, West Wollongong) that was the subject of a previous episode of Restoration Australia.
On 3 December 1904, allotments on the 40 acre Fernhill estate were offered for auction by the sons of John Stewart who had died in 1896. 157 allotments were available but only 53 sold [Illawarra Mercury 10 Dec 1904 p2]
The auctioneer W H Rees sold some blocks privately but the bulk of lots in the southern section were offered again in 1906. Several of the original purchasers sold their allotments without building on them.
Blocks 20, 21 and 22 were acquired by James Thomas Watson but he sold them in July 1908 to Stanley Ewart Elphinstone. [NSW Land Title 1659-231] Elphinstone was a local builder and land developer whose mother, Annie, acquired lots 18 and 19 in May 1905. [NSW Land Title 996-57]
The Elphinstone allotments (in white on the plan) faced the Main South Coast Road now the Princes Highway. On the subdivision plan, Caldwell Avenue was identified as Balgownie Lane. At that time, the present Balgownie Rd was known as School Lane!
Elphinstone mortgaged the land in 1909 and may have used the funds to build the house. The property was sold in 1914 to Lawrence Crofton. Thereafter the house ownership alternated between members of the Crofton and Collier families.
According to the Wollongong City Heritage Study of the building conducted in 1991 by McDonald McPhee and Conacher, the property was sold to the NSW Housing Commission in 1979. The three allotments were re-subdivided into two allotments in 1990. [NSW Land Title 13349-242].
The property was sold to the current owners in 2018. It was described in the real estate advertisement as having 3 large bedrooms, generous separate lounge and dining rooms. Character filled throughout with 3 fireplaces, high ceilings and wide hallway.
Restoration of period homes and buildings depends on many variables including money, vision, determination, luck and stamina. Programmes such as Restoration Australia heighten awareness of the need to save and preserve the past. They also reveal the pitfalls and the joy of undertaking projects that others deem impossible.
Author: John Shipp
December 2020
| Fernhill subdivision 1906 |
