North Sydney lost one of its oldest buildings to redevelopment in 1935
It’s not uncommon to come across stories of old buildings condemned to be demolished in the name of the public good, generally the creation of more housing and better transport. Sometimes there is protest but generally the work proceeds.
There is no doubt that the pace of redevelopment is quickening as the pressures on providing shelter and infrastructure in a metropolis that is approaching 240 years old become more urgent and more complex.
But Sydneysiders were tearing down buildings in the name of progress or profit from the mid-1800s. Sometimes the structures were very grand and less than 50 years old. More often they were built in the decades before the discovery of gold and the spread of agriculture throughout the colony turned Sydney Harbour into a bustling waterway. Waterfront land, once abundant, became increasingly desirable in the late 19th century and into the 20th century.
Ninety years ago, in 1935, North Sydney lost one of its oldest houses. In that year Carabella House, usually called Carabella Cottage, was torn down and its ample gardens overlooking Careening Cove were subdivided into nine lots.
Carabella Cottage was built in 1829, probably of local sandstone, on five acres given to Sophia, the eldest of James and Elizabeth Milson’s six children upon her marriage to William Shairp in 1827. The word ‘Carabella’ may have been a derivation of the assumed Aboriginal name for the place, ‘Kirribilli.’ Or it might have had more exotic origins, for Cara Bella means ‘beloved beautiful’ in Italian. It was, Shairp said, a ‘beautiful villa.’
But the couple only lived there briefly, letting the dwelling out to earn rental income. An advertisement in January 1830 presented Carabella Cottage as a resort of sorts, appealing particularly to ‘officers from India and others wishing to recruit their health by sea bathing or country retirement.’ Sydney had long been connected to the sub-continent where the East India Company held sway. It remained in the Milson family until 1935.
The sale, wasn’t very successful. Only one lot went for £20 a foot. It wasn’t the worst year of the Great Depression, but the economy was still sluggish. The real estate ad had suggested that these would be ideal sites for flats and, indeed, when the lots were eventually sold, that part of McDougall Street had a line of red brick ‘walk up’ blocks fitted out with Art Deco style finishes.
But their time, too, has come and some are due to be replaced by larger buildings.
Historical Services, North Sydney Council
