Historic houses - “Nerrigundah"

On the corner of Church and Rosehill Streets, Parramatta, were two significant houses - “Nerrigundah” (see photo above) and "Glen Ross Private Hospital". Both have long since been demolished and replaced by the auto alley car saleyards which is also undergoing redevelopment. 

“Nerrigundah” was on the northwest corner of 15 Church Street and Rosehill Streets, the present site of the Volvo Cars Parramatta Sales Department (but listed as Wagon Wheels Jeeps, 29-31 Church Street/ 23 Great Western Highway, Parramatta in NSW Lands Register Services).[2] It was built in 1908 for Richard Charles Summons (1863-1919), his wife Margaret nee Graham (1863-1935) and their family of 6 children including Pearl Pearce née Summons (1888-1964), Everitt Graham (1891-1918), Margaret Kathleen Stronach, former Smart née Summons (1894-1982), Amy Georgina McDonald née Summons(1897-1977), Alma Frances Jean Humphris née Summons (1900-1981) and Eileen Una May Symonds nee Summons (1905-1988).[3]

Mrs Margaret Summon was the daughter of John Graham and Susannah (Crowe) Graham. She was born at Nerrigundah near Moruya (birth registered in Broulee, NSW) in 1863 and was the sister of James Henry Graham (1865-1930, former Mayor of Parramatta), Sarah J Graham and John F Graham. In 1886, she married Richard Summons at Otford (marriage registered in Woonona, NSW) before the Summons settled in Parramatta where Richard founded his business.[4]

The surname Summons and Grahams should be familiar for anyone interested in the manufacturing industry in Parramatta or interested in collecting glass drink bottles. Summons and Graham was a well known cordial manufacturing company on Dixon Street, Parramatta in the early twentieth century.[5] Below is a photo of the factory as seen in local newspaper. We also have a Council's cultural collection also holds some of their objects which can be explored online via our website https://heritagecentre.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/explore

But the focus of this article is on "Nerrigundah". As shown in the featured image above, it was published as one of the “District homes — No. 22” in The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (dated 7 January 1927, p. 5).[1] 

After its completion, the Summons family hosted a large home warming on Thursday September 1908 with a who's who of locals gathered at the two storey house with the first floor converted into a dance hall and upstairs rooms used as card game parlours. There was violin solos and singing provided by the children.[8]

During World War One, their only son Everitt Graham Summons (1891-1918) enlisted on 9 July 1915 in the Australian Imperial Force and left Sydney for Egypt with the 6th Light Horse Regiment, 10th Reinforcement on 12 October 1915 aboard HMAT A4 Pera. He had previously served 2 years in the Kings School Cadets and 2 years in the NSW Lancers. According to his military papers, Everitt was transferred to the 15th Australian Field Artillery Brigade in April 1916, promoted to Corporal in May and then arrived in France in June 1916. In January 1917, he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Field Artillery Brigade. In early September 1918, he was promoted to the ranks of Sergeant. Sadly, he was wounded on 30 September 1918 while serving near Ronssoy, France, and died later that day at the Casualty Clearing Station. He was 27 years old and is buried in the Ronssoy Communal Cemetery, Somme, France[9] 

On 18 August 1919, Richard passed away at the Parramatta District Hospital aged 56. On 22 August 1935, Margaret passed away in Parramatta aged 72.[10] The property then went into transmission with Pearl the eldest daughter and her brother in law Cecil Harold Newton Smart of Roseville becoming joint tenants from 7 February 1936. Cecil was the first husband of Margaret Kathleen Summons, second daughter and third child of Richard and Margaret. He was a civil servant who married Margaret in 1919 in Parramatta. He also walked his sister-in-law Alma Frances Jean Summons down the aisle when she married Frank Blake Humphris on Easter April 1922. Cecil died in 1943 and his widow Margaret later remarried in 1950 to William Stronach.

In 1938, according to the title deeds, the house and garage at Section 1, Lot corner 2 and 3 which was once part of Meehan’s grant subdivision was transferred to Rizcullah Anthony Coorey of Parramatta. Mr Coorey was recorded as being a drapery hawker.[11] 

The house Nerrigundah became a boarding and residence known as 'Belvedere guest house'.[12] It was under the management of proprietor M J Gleeson and one of the residences was Nurse Phillips of the Parramatta District Hospital.[13] 

As house numbers changed overtime, 15 Church Street was later renumbered as 23 Church Street and from the early 1950s it became The Gowrie Private Hotel[14] and from 1962 it was The Cedar Motel with the phone number 635-6055.[15] 

On Wednesday 20 December 1967 it opened as The Palm Spring Motel.

According to Parramatta Cityscope for 1982, the Palm Springs Motel was a two storey building with self-contained units and a garden to Church Street. Again the site and the land on the opposite corner was owned by R.A.C. Investments Pty Ltd, a company owned by the Coorey family of Parramatta.[19] 

Today Nerriggundah no longer exists and has been replaced as the site is part of Parramatta’s Auto Alley. Based on Council development applications and newspaper advertisement, in 1989, Terry Shield Toyota appears to have been operating there before it changed hands to Wagon Wheels Jeeps and now in 2021 is the site for Volvo Car Parramatta as its vehicle showroom, sales and hire premises.[20]

 Anne Tsang, Research Assistant, Parramatta Heritage Centre, City of Parramatta, 2021

References

1. District homes — No. 22 (1927, January 7). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 5. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106225451
2. Brevities. [A handsome two-storey residence] (1908, May 16). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 1. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85984999 ; City of Sydney (2021) Sands postal directory. In City of Sydney Archives & History Resources. Available online via https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/495003
3. Swadling, Lindsay. (2019). Richard Charles Summons (1863 - 1919), WikiTrees.com. Retrieved from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Summons-23 
4. Bartholomew, Gaye. (2019) Margaret Graham (1863 - 1935), WikiTrees.com. Retrieved from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Graham-387
5. Carney, Martin. (1998). A cordial factory at Parramatta, New South Wales, Australasian Historical Archaeology, 16, pp.  80-93. Retrieved from http://www.asha.org.au/pdf/australasian_historical_archaeology/16_04_Carney.pdf
6. Summons and Graham's Cordial Factory, Dixon Street, Parramatta (1905, December 16). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 7. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86176949
7. City of Parramatta. (2021). Employees of Summons and Graham Pty Ltd, Dixon Street, Parramatta, assembled in front of commercial vehicles on company premises, ca. 1920s - 1930s. In Local Studies Photograph Collection, object number LSP01044. Retrieved from https://heritagecentre.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/objects/8926/employees-of-summons-and-graham-pty-ltd-dixon-street-parramatta-assembled-in-front-of-commercial-vehicles-on-company-premises-ca-1920s-1930s
8. House warming (1908, September 5). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85985976
9. The Cumberland Argus. (1920). Parramatta and District Soldiers who fought in the Great War, 1914-1919, p. 64. Available online via https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/blog/2014/08/07/the-argus-war-book-parramatta-and-district-soldiers-who-fought-in-the-great-war ; Our brave boys on the battle fields. Sergt. Everitt G. Summons. (1918, October 19). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 10. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article86205446 ; Western Sydney University (2021). Summons, Everitt Graham (PDF). Available online via World War One Exhibition https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/rams/archives/world_war_one_exhibition ; Australian War Memorial (2021). Roll of honour : Everitt Graham Summons. Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1672838 ; National Archives of Australia (2021). NAA: B2455, Summons, Everitt Graham. Item ID 8097026. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8097026 ; The King's School (n.d.). Summons, Everitt Graham. Retrieved from https://www.kings.edu.au/anzac/doc/Summons-Everitt-Graham.html
10. Summons [death notice]. (1919, August 19). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 6 ; Summons [death notice]. (1935, August 23). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 10. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17199472 ; Summons [funeral notice]. (1935, August 23). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 9. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17199493 ; Mrs. M. Summons. (1935, August 31). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 21. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17175760  
11. NSW Land Register Services. (2021). Certificate of title, volume 1838 – folio 197. In Historical Land Record Viewer [database online] Available online via https://hlrv.nswlrs.com.au/
12. Board and residence : Belvedere guest house (1938, November 16). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 12. Retrieved, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104983248
13. District nurse. (1939, March 15). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate, p. 11. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106210951
14. Gowrie Private Hotel. (1957, November 6). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 23.
15. Motel. The Cedar Motel. (1962, July 25). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 25.
16. Motels. Grand opening. (1967 December 21). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 19.
17. Palm Springs Motel. (1967, December 20). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 25.
18. City of Parramatta. (2021). Photograph of Parramatta Road 'Auto Alley'. Features neon sign for 'Palm Springs Motel'. In Community Archives Collection, object number ACC209/0010. Retrieved from https://heritagecentre.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/objects/42138/parramatta-road-auto-alleyBottom of Form
19. Cityscope (1982). Parramatta Cityscope. Milsons Point, N.S.W. : Cityscope Publications, map 37 ; Terry Shields Toyota [advertisement] (1989, February 18). The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 202
20. City of Parramatta. (2021) Find a property [database online] Retrieved from https://onlineservices.parracity.nsw.gov.au/ePathway/Prod/Web/GeneralEnquiry/EnquiryDetailView.aspx?Id=301369