In 1859 James Robert Harrison advertised for sale a newly built single-storey stone “handsome villa” together with his own weatherboard home. The hillside properties, each a third of an acre, were “romantically situated” with panoramic views of Annandale across the Toxteth Estate and Johnston’s Bay to the University of Sydney scrublands. The city was within easy walking distance via the new Pyrmont Bridge Road.
Both houses were sold and Harrison was soon disposing of his cows and other possessions, the auctioneer arranging for omnibuses to take potential purchasers every five minutes from the city to Forest Lodge.
Harrison was a grocer and wine and spirit merchant whose stores stocked everything from crockery to cartwheels. He also speculated in Crown Land bought cheaply, in areas from Oatley to Lane Cove, Coogee to Port Curtis, Homebush to Sydenham to Vaucluse. His French-born wife ran a Ladies’ Seminary.
First buyer of the Forest Lodge house was William Buchanan who became one of the colony’s three Postal Inspectors. Of his eight children born at Camber Cottage five survived infancy. In 1877 Mary Buchanan petitioned for divorce on the grounds of William’s adultery with his niece by marriage. One of the first heard behind closed doors, the case was highly publicised.
Camber Cottage was renamed Midhurst by its next owner James Giles whose family firm Thompson and Giles owned a leading department store with a mail order business for country customers. After retiring from retailing, James bought a dairy farm near Nowra which he renamed Forest Lodge.
The Hereford Street house was given its final name by professional photographer Wykes Norton, son-in-law of Michael Nason Chapman, a Sydney Mayor and longserving Glebe alderman.
Yelvertoft survives, tucked out of view.
