(Source: http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/)

From the table below we see that the first sale was two lots (Nos 2A & 4) to Robert Winn, a builder, in August 1895 and the last lot (No 2) sold 13 years later in 1908.

House No. Purchased Purchaser
2  18 Mar 1908  John Henning, sugar boiler
2A  14 Aug 1895   Robert Coupland Winn, builder
4
6  22 Oct 1897  William James Lees, engineer
8  19 May 1896  William Dickey, blacksmith
10  4 Jul 1898  Aubrey Halloran, solicitor
12  31 Aug 1898    Christina Clark, widow
14
16  29 Feb 1904  Robert Clark, timekeeper
18   26 Feb 1904  Henry Beeson, builder 
20
22  11 Dec 1901  Joseph Jackson, police constable

 

Robert Winn (1845-1930) the son of a carpenter from Lincolnshire, England was born in Newcastle, NSW. The eldest of four siblings Robert ‘began life as a wheelwright and was the builder of the first bicycle in that city. It was made of wood, the wheels being shod with tyres from iron’1 He moved to Sydney in the late 1870s working as an architect/builder his first development bought with his brothers William and Isaac, a set of four terraces at 2-8 Olive St, Paddington which were sold in July 1883.2

He moved to Ashfield where in 1887 the family was living in Nowranie St.3 Robert’s financial success may have been short lived as he sold his stock and plant in 1888.4 However in 1890 he issued a tender for the supply of 250,000 bricks for works in Wigram Rd with his contact being Leichhardt St, Glebe Point.5 In 1895 the family is living at Bewena 43 Boyce St, Glebe.

Robert had married in Newcastle in 1870 to Annie Maria Webb, the daughter of Henry a painter and contractor from Luton, Bedfordshire who brought his family to Newcastle in 1850.6 Robert and Annie raised four children; Florence (1870-1957), Frederick (1873-1963), Charles (1874-1927) and Alfred (1879-1946) the first three being born in Newcastle the last in Paddington.7

Living in Boyce St, Robert oversaw the construction of Nos 2A and 4 in Arcadia Rd and possibly some of the other houses in the street that were bought by others prior to 1900. Nos 2A and 4 were sold to investors in December 1895 and July1896 respectively.

In subsequent years, as a successful architect based in Glebe, Robert was responsible for numerous residences in Glebe, Annandale, Petersham and Mosman, as well as commercial buildings in Redfern.8 Retiring to North Sydney he died there aged 85 on 1 August 1930, leaving an estate of £8,460 6s 5d.9

Robert Winn and his wife, Annie Maria Webb (Source: Ancestry.com)

William Dickey (1848-1940), a blacksmith, was born in Chippendale and lived nearly all his life in and around Glebe. He was 56 when he bought No 8, still involved in the politics of the Glebe Borough Council.10 With his wife Harriett (1850-1912) they had seven children, of whom Andrew (1875-1942) and Arthur (1877-1950) also lived with their families in Glebe for many years, leaving their mark in the histories of the Glebe Rowing Club and the Glebe Hockey Club.11

William lived at No 8 for almost 40 years then in the mid-1930s moved to Coogee where he died aged 91 in July 1940. His estate was valued at £2,238.

Christina Clark (1840-1921) arrived from Scotland to join her shipwright husband Robert on the ship Peerless, on 23 September 1863. Robert (1838-1891) had a successful business living with their daughter and two sons in fashionable Princes St, Sydney, now demolished and under the southern approaches to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. So it was as a widow that Christina purchased Nos 12 & 14 in August 1898 living in No 14 and leasing No 12. Following her death on 1 September 1921 Nos 12 & 14 were left to sons Robert (1867-1934) a timekeeper and James (1872-1934) a hairdresser. Her estate which included these houses in Arcadia Rd, two houses in Toxteth Rd and her residence in Cavendish St, Petersham was valued at £4,929.

No 12 was sold in 1928 but No 14 was retained by James. Robert purchased the new house on No 16 in February 1904 this then being retained by family members up to 1960.

William James Lees an engineer, possibly with the Department of Railways, owned No 6 for 6 years living there until 1904 when he sold it to John Peter Henning (1852-1921).

John Henning purchased No 2 in March 1908 selling it 8 years later in Jul 1916. He was the son of John Peter Henning and Flora both born in England who lived in Darghan St Glebe raising their family from the 1870s, later purchasing No 6 Arcadia Rd from William Lees in 1904. 

John, a sugar boiler, worked in the sugar industry probably at the CSR works in Pyrmont. His grandfather Johann was of German heritage arriving Sydney in 185312 via England with refining skills so it was not surprising that the Henning family has a long association with the sugar industry in Sydney.

Married to Maud Withers in 1911, John and Maud? had two children who grew up initially in Glebe then at Dulwich Hill. John died at 12 Wilga Ave Dulwich Hill in April 1953, aged 72.

No 2 was purchased by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan in January 1965 then demolished to make way for the construction of accommodation that in 2016 was itself demolished to make way for the accommodation complex now under construction.

Police constable Joseph Jackson purchased No 22 in December 1901 as an investment property. He lived at 25 Boyce St from 1900 to 1903 selling No 22 in November 1906.13 Details have not yet been confirmed but he may have been the constable Joseph Jackson who in his line of duty was maliciously wounded at Redfern in December 1892.14

Aubrey Halloran (1872-1966) was educated at the University of Sydney and admitted as a solicitor in 1895. Whilst practicing commercial law in and around Sydney it soon became evident that he had wider interests.

These other pursuits over time resulted in him becoming President and a Fellow of the Royal Australian Historical Society, President of the Royal Zoological Society and a Vice Patron and Fellow, President and Patron of the International Society of Australia, President and Patron of the Good Neighbour Council and of the English Speaking Union, Life Member and Fellow of the Town Planning Association. He was awarded an OBE for his charity work in January 1954.14

In 1961 the University of Sydney awarded Aubrey the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.15

Aubrey was the eldest of eight children to public school teacher Thomas Joseph and Annie. Growing up the family followed Thomas to his postings within country NSW and around Sydney so Aubrey would have had a wide range of experiences before starting at University. He purchased No 10 and lived there until he married Ethel M Martin at Goulburn in October 1907, then sold it in October 1910. Aubrey and Ethel moved to live at Darling Point where they raised a son and two daughters.

Henry Beeson (1851-1930) was the architect/builder of over 26 houses in Glebe. He also built houses in Forest Lodge, Annandale, Leichhardt and Centennial Park.16

The son of Birmingham carpenter and joiner Robert Beeson and his wife Ann, Henry was the 7th child in a family of nine. He immigrated in about 1875, paid for his future wife Caroline Ann Chatterton to travel to Sydney in 1876.  They were married at St Phillip’s Church, Church Hill, Sydney on 27 January 1877 and had five daughters and a son.

The family lived in Annandale, Stanmore and Glebe during the 1880s and 90s as Henry constructed residences in these suburbs then in the early 1900s moved to Turramurra where he lived on Lane Cove Rd. He continued to build houses in Glebe including Nos 18 & 20 Arcadia Rd, both of which he sold in 1904.

A devout Methodist, Henry built the school hall at 110 Trafalgar St, Annandale in the 1880s then was instrumental in organising and undertaking the construction of the Primitive Methodist Church at 81 Johnston St. Later in Turramurra he again threw his support and energies into a new parish church.18 Henry died aged 79 on 10 March 1930. His estate was valued at £4,489 17s 11d.

Notes:
1. SMH; Tue 5 Aug 1930, p11 [Obituary]. 2. Evening News; Wed 7 Mar 1883, p.3 [Advertisement for sale of a terrace of four houses] & Vol 590 Fol.211 for details of sale. 3. Sands Directory; 4. SMH; Tue 28 Feb 1888, p.11 [Advertising sale of builder’s stock and plant]; 5. SMH; Sat 19 Apr 1890, p.4 [Advertising]. 6. Newcastle Morning Herald; Sat 5 Mar 1938, p.5 [The Webb family – associations with early Newcastle]. 7. NSW BDM records. 8. SMH advertising 1897, 1890, Construction Weekly 22 Jul 1912. 9. Findmypast; NSW Will Books. 10. Evening News; 21 Jan 1890, p.3 [Municipal Elections]. SMH; 26 Jul 1898, p.6. 11. Reference to website(s) & books on these clubs. 12. Ancestry.com; Certificate of Naturalisation also SMH Wed 14 Dec 1853 [arrival of ship Ashburton]. 13. Sands Directories & 1903-1904 NSW Census. 14. Evening News; Wed 14 December  1892, p.6 [Stabbing a Policeman]. 15. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No.2, Canberra Thu 14 Jan 1954, p75. 16. http://sydney.edu.au/arms/archives/history/HonHalloran.shtml. 17. The Sun; Mon 30 Dec 1912, p.5 [An Active Year. [£4,000,000 in City Buildings. 2 cottages for Henry Beeson]. 18. The Methodist; Sat 12 Apr 1930, p12 [The Late Henry Beeson].