‘Sutherland Estate’, later renamed Locksley Hall was built in 1881 and demolished in 1937. The estate included a two storey mansion, a large lake with an island and a boat shed. During World War Two, this lake was filled in and used as an army camp. It is now known as Granville Park.
The original owner of ‘Sutherland Estate’ was Andrew Sutherland Low, a wealthy mining investor who purchased ‘a major portion of land at Merrylands originally granted to Richard Atkins in 1875’ (Humphrey, 2011, p 3). The architect was Albert Bond who ‘designed a two-storey villa in Victorian Filigree style’ featuring a ‘decorative cast iron lace with ultra thin classical columns’ on the upper storey verandah.
After the sudden death of Low in 1894, Sutherland Estate was acquired by businessman Joseph Edmund Vance, a company director at Clyde Engineering Works. It was later sold to widower Matilda Harkness who renamed it ‘Locksley Hall’ in 1907 and stayed there until her death in 1916.
In 1918, the Inter-colonial Investment Company Limited purchased Locksley Hall and its 80 acres estate from the Harkness family and subdivided the land for housing. The first 56 allotments were sold at auction on Saturday 18 October 1919. At a second auction on Saturday 1 May 1920, the Commonwealth War Service Homes Commission bought ten blocks for World War One veterans. Further allotments were sold at auction on 12 May 1921 and 1 November 1924.
On 23 February 1937 Locksley Hall in Malvern Avenue, Merrylands was demolished. Today, the house at 56 Merrylands Road, Merrylands (also known as ‘The Lodge’) remains. This house appears to have been a gatehouse of the one-time grand mansion.
Sub Division Plans:
SP 1880: Z/SP/M14/13 Woodside – Granville & Merrylands Station, Warrigal Rd, Randle St, Bennelong St, Barker St, Boomerang St, Mombri St. on Saturday 23 October 1880
SD 1886: Low, A.S. “Sutherland House | SD 1892: Low, A.S. “Sutherland House
SD 1903:
SD 1909: Harkness, Mrs N. Locksly Hall Lodge | SD 1911: Harkness, Mrs N. Locksly Hall Lodge
SD 1912: Haywood, George Locksly Hall Lodge | SD 1914: Haywood, George Locksly Hall Lodge
SD 1915: Glennon, John Locksly Hall Lodge
SD 1917: Weekes, Albert, Locksly Hall Lodge
This area was later subdivided as Locksley Estate in c.1918
SP 1919: Z/SP/M14/32 Locksley Hall Estate Merrylands – Granville Pde, Merrylands Rd, Montrose Ave, Lockley Ave, Albion Ave, Britannia Ave on Saturday 18 October 1919
SD 1920: Weekes, Albert,
SP 1920: Z/SP/M14/34 Locksley Hall No. 2 Merrylands – – Granville Pde, Merrylands Rd, Montrose Ave, Lockley Ave, Albion Ave, Britannia Ave on Saturday 1 May 1920
SP 1921: Z/SP/M14/31 Merrylands Locksley Hall – Granville Pde, Merrylands Rd, Albion Ave, Locksley Ave, Malvern Ave, Park Rd, Cumberland Ave. Baker St, Montrose Ave on Saturday 12 March 1921
SD 1923: Starkey, Ben. O | SD 1924: Starkey, Ben. O
SP 1924: Z/SP/M14/95 Merrylands – Locksley Hall – Granville Pde South, Merrylands Rd, Albion Ave, Locksley Ave, Malvern Ave, Park Rd, Woodville Pde, Cumberland Ave, Alton St, Harper St, Lowe St on Saturday 1 November 1924
SD 1932: Starkey, Ben. O.
References
Humphreys, C. (2011). ‘A. S. Low – investor and property owner’, The Granville Guardian, 18(2), pp. 3-6. http://www.granvillehistorical.org.au/resources/GranvilleGuardian2011March.pdf
Humphreys, C. (2011). ‘The Vance and harkness families of Locksley Hall’, The Granville Guardian, 18(3), pp. 2-4. http://www.granvillehistorical.org.au/resources/GranvilleGuardian2011April.pdf
Maston, W. (1999). ‘Locksley Hall’ in Joy Hughes (ed.). Demolished houses of Sydney. Glebe, N.S.W.: Historic House Trust of New South Wales, pp. 103
Merrylands Subdivision Plans – http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/content_lists/subdivision_plans/merrylands.html NSW Heritage Register – The Lodge (Database no. 2240393) http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=2240393
Aerial photograph, Sutherland Estate, Granville, 1943, Parramatta Council GIS
Anne Tsang, Research Assistant, Parramatta Council Heritage Centre, 2015