Victorian Period c.1860s – c.1890s

"Woodstock" 88-94 Redmyre Road Strathfield. Photograph 2004 taken by Cathy Jones

This period coincides with the first wave of residential development in Strathfield. The Victorian period roughly covers the reign of Queen Victoria (1839-1901). The Victorian period was characterised by unprecedented affluence, success and economic prosperity, notably wealth generated by agriculture (wool and wheat) and the discovery of gold in Victoria and NSW. Profits generated from land speculation and investment, pastoral interests and manufacturing translated into eclectic architectural styles and interior decoration.

In Strathfield, the economic prosperity of early residents of Strathfield enabled construction of substantial homes and gardens, many described as mansions or ‘country-style’ estates. Many Victorian style mansions still exist in Strathfield today, though most situated on smaller allotments of land due to later subdivisions.

The Woodward Avenue Heritage Conservation Area, including parts of The Boulevarde and Albyn Road, features many examples of Victorian architecture of the late 1880s in Strathfield. There are also excellent examples of in streets such as Redmyre Road, Florence Street, Meredith Street, Abbotsford Road, Homebush Road and Albert Road.

Articles on the following properties:

• ‘Agincourt’ Albert Road Strathfield
• ‘Broughlea’, Abbotsford Road Homebush
• ‘Brunyarra’, The Boulevarde, Strathfield
• ‘Mount Royal’, Barker Road, Strathfield
• ‘Tuxedo’, Albert Road, Strathfield
• ‘Woodstock’, Redmyre Road, Strathfield

References

Apperly, R., Irving, R., Reynolds, P., A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture, Angus & Robertson, 1995

Fox and Associates, Strathfield Heritage Study, Vol. 1 and 2, Strathfield Municipal Council, 1986.

Jones, Cathy., About Strathfield Municipality, 2^nd Edition, 2007

Jones, M A, Oasis in the West: Strathfield’s First One Hundred Years, Allen and Unwin, 1985.

Sagazio, C (ed), The National Trust Research Manual, Halstead Press, 2004

 Author

Cathy Jones.  (c) Cathy Jones 2011