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Property Details
| Property ID: 34 |
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| Street Address: | |
| Suburb/Postcode: | Burwood
2134 |
| City: | Sydney |
| State: | NSW |
| Country: | Australia |
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| Council/LGA: | Burwood |
| Zoning: | |
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| Category: | House |
| Name(s): | |
| Built: | c. 1885 ~ 1886 |
| Architect: | |
| Builder: | |
| Architectual Type: | Victorian |
| Demolished: | No |
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A substantial, first-class two-storey Victorian villa residence, stuccoed, with a hipped roof of slate featuring several decorated chimneys. The main gable projects forward featuring a prominent, detailed bargeboard and finial. A rectangular bay projects from the main gable abundant with various decorative mouldings such bands and borders above and below the windows and across the bay. The windows are a prominent and recurring feature, with all featuring rounded heads, typically with a larger window flanked by narrower ones on either side. The verandah features highly detailed cast iron columns, arranged in pairs, fretwork brackets, frieze, balustrading and is floored with tessellated tiles and sandstone edging. Both verandah and balcony feature impressive doors with sidelights and transom window as well as 3 full-length windows. The balcony features a corrugated iron bullnose roof.
The house is one of two identical villas along with 'Malua' (No. 53) next door. There is very little difference between the two apart from some slight differences in the decoration work underneath the first floor windows in the main gabled bay. The house is in excellent condition having been well renovated and just about all of it's original features are intact. It is set well back from the street amongst established trees, shrubbery and a very attractively laid out garden.
Along with 'Malua' next door, it contributes greatly to the streetscape of Park Road and both villas paint an imposing and attractive picture when viewed from the street or from the grounds of Burwood Park. Very few of the original homes facing Burwood Park remain, as such, No. 51 & No. 53 serve as an excellent reminder of the numerous high-quality villas, mansions and semi-detached Victorian homes that once faced the park from the surrounding streets. |
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'Merioola' is one of two twin villa residences to be built on land from the 1885 subdivision of the Burwood House Estate. On July 11, 1885 an auction sale occurred, with the sale of 'Burwood House' and lots fronting Park Road (then known as Riverview terrace or Riverview street), Rowley Street (then known as Rowley Place) and Gordon Street (then known as Burwood Street). 'Burwood House' was sold as Lot 1 with the house on a 206ft by 370ft block of land. Lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the subdivision were sold with frontages to Park Road ranging from 60ft to 73ft and depths of around 220ft - each. These lots would for most part be the future locations of the houses at Number 53, 51, 49 and 47 Park Road - all of which still stand today. Two of these lots with 60ft by 220ft blocks of land were purchased for the erection of two identical villa residences - 'Malua' (No. 53) and 'Merioola' (No. 51).[1]
During August 1885, several ads were placed in the Sydney Morning Herald by the architects Ellis and Slayter to builders for tenders, "for the erection of Two First-class Villa Residences, Riverview-terrace, Burwood." Tenders closed on August 31, 1885.[2] During September, ads could be found for tenders wanted for the brickwork of two villas next to 'Burwood House', indicating that early construction work on the villas had already commenced.[3] By mid to late November ads were found calling for "6 smart carpenters, 6 joiners" for a job at River View-street, Burwood, indicating that most of the brickwork had probably been completed by this point.[4] One final ad was found in early January 1886 calling for a "good joiner" to "Apply stair hand at villas next Burwood House, Burwood".[5] Both villa residences were probably completed by around March 1886.
In late February 1886 'Merioola' appeared on the market for lease, being referred to as the "new" residence between 'Burwood House' and Miss Lester's ('Kent House') and that it would be ready for occupation in about a fortnight.[6] There is no mention made of 'Malua' (No. 53) being next door suggesting the possibility that 'Merioola' was the first of the two villas to be completed. While 'Merioola' would be put on the market for lease, 'Malua' became home to Miss Laura Hardie, the only daughter of Mr. Robert W. Hardie, a businessman. Mr. Hardie lived at the Victorian mansion 'Ilfracombe' (formerly at No. 61 Park Road - current location of Ilfracombe Avenue). 'Malua' was evidently named after Mr. Hardie's place of birth in Malua, Samoa. While entirely speculatory, it's possible that Mr. Hardie himself purchased the 2 lots of land and commissioned to have the two villas built with No. 53 to become home for his daughter and for No. 51 to be used for investment as a rental property.
While 'Merioola' would be put on the market for lease shortly after it's construction had been completed, from about 1888 to 1908, the house would be put on the market for sale on a number of occasions. Ads for it's sale were found in 1888, 1891, 1904 and 1907. It's not known if each of these times if the house was actually sold or if it was withdrawn from sale, rented out for a couple of years longer and then put back on the market again at a later date. The first ads for it's (private) sale were found during April and May 1888. The ad goes into good detail describing the house and having a 60ft frontage to Park Road and a large depth.[7]. On August 27, 1888, a son was born at 'Merioola' to Arthur L. Mullens and his wife.[8] In August 1891 the house was put on the market for sale once more.[9] By 1902, J. E. Ducker, a stock broker and member of the Sydney Stock Exchange was residing at the house with his family.[10] Prior to living at 'Merioola', the Duckers resided at the house 'Iolani', Palace Street, Petersham[11] and by the mid/later 1890's resided at a house called 'Avondale' in Forest Road, Hurstville.[12] In 1904 the Ducker family would move to a house called 'St. Ronan's' in Woodside Avenue, Strathfield, where a son would be born to the couple[13] and 'Merioola' would be put on the market for sale.[14] The house would appear on the market once more in 1907.[15]
By around the 1920's, the Begg family were residing at 'Merioola'. On January 18, 1923, George Cunningham Begg, the husband of Marion Begg, passed away at Oroya Private Hospital (formerly located at No. 2 Everton Road, Strathfield).[16] About a week later, on January 26, 1923, the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Begg's daughter, Jean Eileen, took place at 'Merioola'.[17] |
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