Coogee Media

Smithfield Grange at 88 Brook Street Coogee, was built in 1883 for John Starkey, (1820 - 14 April 1898) a famous soft drink manufacturer. Starkey, born in Smithfield, England, named the house after his place of birth.

At the time, Coogee was growing in popularity as a tourist resort, but it remained relatively sparsely populated, with just a few cottages, shops, and villas. Smithfield Grange, perched on its Brook Street highpoint, would have been a dominant feature in the landscape.

Smithfield Grange at 88 Brook Street, Coogee, early 20th century

Smithfield Grange is an imposing Victorian mansion with an impressive tower on the eastern side facing Brook Street. Originally the house stood on the block bounded by Brook, Bream, and Mount Streets and Alison Road. Smithfield Avenue to the north of the building leads west to Bardon Park. According to early records, this reserve was once known as Smithfield Park, being dedicated in June, 1886.

Starkey's Ginger Beer Pottery Bottle
Coogee Media's Archives

Starkey arrived in Sydney in 1838 on the Rifleman. With his brother, William A. Starkey, soon after his arrival in Sydney, started business as cordial manufacturers in Elizabeth Street, Sydney. After about twenty years, the brothers dissolved their partnership and John Starkey carried on business from Phillip Street nearby until failing health compelled him to relinquish management in favour of his eldest son. Starkey's ginger beer, cordial and aerated water bottles, made in pottery and glass, are sought after by collectors of bottles and commercial ware.

Philanthropist
Starkey was philanthropically inclined, trying to help the poor and suffering of the community. For many years he was a member of the directorate of Sydney Hospital, and was also associated with the governing bodies of tbe Benevolent Asylum and the Randwick Asylum for Destitute Children. He had an interest in municipal affairs and was an Alderman on Randwick Council. He was a prominent member of the Masons and was an ex-Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of New South Wales.

Millenarian Movement
In May 1895, Starkey opened the grounds of Smithfield Grange to a large number of people, 'hundreds', including many clergymen, who had come to Coogee for a religious conference on the 'second coming of Christ'. Organisers provided tea, but attendees were asked to bring their own lunch. Despite heavy rain, people stayed from 10.30am to 4pm listening to speeches and exhortations to prepare for the advent of Christ who would reign on Earth for a thousand years - a millennium.

John Starkey married Frances E Crittenden in 1847 who predeceased him. He died at Smithfield Grange on 14th April 1898 and left a family of three sons and three daughters. He was buried at Waverley Cemetery and left his estate of £101,137 to his relatives, which according to the Reserve Bank of Australia's Pre-decimal Inflation Calculator, would be worth around $18 million (or if you look at it in another way, enough to buy three houses like Smithfield Grange in Coogee).

1902 Sale
When the Permanent Trustee Company of New South Wales advertised Smithfield Grange for sale on 16th August 1902 it described the property as:

...occupying a delightful position, commanding extensive views of the surrounding country, Coogee Bay, and the Ocean. THE HOUSE, which is substantially built, contains Entrance Hail, Double Drawingroom, Double Diningroom, 6 Large Bedrooms, Dressing-room, Bathroom, Servants' Hall, 2 Servants' Bedrooms, Kitchen, Pantry, 2 Store rooms, Man's Room and Laundry. Detached brick Billiard Room, W.B. Cottage with 4 rooms and Men's Rooms,' brick stabling and coachhouse and W.B. Stabling and Coach-house.

THE GROUNDS comprise flower, fruit, and vegetable gardens, with matured trees and shrubs, asphalt tennis court, hot-house and bush-house, large paddocks, fowl run, cow bails, etc. LAND ABOUT 8 1/2 acres, with extensive frontages to Allison Road, Bream, Brooks, and Mount Streets.

In 1902 - 1906, Sand's Directory shows Edwin Ernest Alan Oatley (1852 - 1920), justice of the peace and a property developer, in residence.

Tragic Death
From about 1907 to 1909 a Bernard Byrnes JP (d. 11 January 1909) was listed as the resident. During Byrnes' residency, a tragic accident happened which resulted in the death of a labourer, Daniel Swain 44 years old of Rennie Street Paddington. Swaine was working for a contractor with another man in late November 1907 on an open trench underneath the billiard room of the house to install sewer pipes, when the trench collapsed. Swaine was trapped and seriously injured. He died later that day at St. Vincent's Hospital.

From about 1910 to 1913 a J Leigh Jones is listed as the resident.

From about 1916 to c1922, Charles Hobson, who was the proprietor of the Coogee Aquarium in Dolphin Street, was the next resident, and likely owner (You can read more about Charles Hobson here).

Sub-division and Controversy
In 1909 a sub-division map was published which shows that the Grange's land had been subdivided into 27 residential lots, with the main house and a brick cottage being locoated on lot No. 1, and offered for sale to the public. It seems that Charles Hobson was the owner of the sub-divided land. The subdivision ultimately proved to be locally a very controversial move, which by 1917 resulted in a Local Government Department inquiry into the way it was conducted. A group called the Coogee Improvement Association was especially aggrieved by the construction of narrow roads of 30 feet wide instead of 66 feet wide (perhaps Smithfield and Leeton Avenues).

In 1927, Lot 1, the main lot on which the house stood, was further subdivided into five lots, with two lots facing Bream Street, another lot to the north of the house facing Mount Street, and finally one facing Smithfield Avenue. Other subdivisions must have been carved out of the original grounds, at some stage, to create the lots in Smithfield and Leeton Avenues.

Smithfield Grange, August 2019
with Real Estate Sale Sign

Divided into Apartments
By the mid-1920s, Sand's Sydney Directory shows that the house had been subdivided into smaller apartments. From then and until current times, advertisements offering rooms and apartments for rent can be found in Sydney newspapers. Unlike a lot of local historic mansions which had been divided into small rented apartments, Smithfield Grange was not left to fall into a ramshackle collection of rundown flats and was still in reasonably good order. In April 1990, when it was described as a "boarding house", it was sold for $705,000. It was reported that the new owner intended to restore it to its Victorian glory days.

Sold in 2019 for $6.3 Million
And so in August 2019, Smithfield Grange was sold at auction for $6.3 million. The real estate advert says it then comprised 14 one bedroom apartments, on a 1100 square metre plot, having had only four owners over 136 years. We know two of them were John Starkey and Charles Hobson, but we have not yet discovered who the other two owners were.

Those who inspected the property prior to its auction reported that though it was, at that stage, clearly being used as a number of separate apartments, the building and fittings were still in good condition, and though needing some update and tlc, the interiors still retained much to recommend it as a grand Victorian mansion. However, the important thing is that this magnificent 19th century mansion, a reminder of Coogee's Victorian era days, still stands, and its new owners are undertaking extensive restoration works with the house surrounded by hoardings and scaffolding.

Smithfield Grange surrounded by scaffolding, 2022 & Smithfield Grange, work proceeds, 2025

Copyright © Coogee Media

References