Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Mount Errington

2008
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Mount Errington

Mount Errington is a neighbourhood on the western side of the suburb of Hornsby, in Hornsby Shire. It is named after the stately home built there by Oscar Garibaldi Roberts.

[media]In 1897, Roberts's wife, Anne, purchased 1¼ acres (5058 square metres) on the corner of Rosemead Road and Dural Street, which was the highest point in Hornsby. The two-storey house was built in the Arts and Craft style between 1898 and 1899. Roberts was joint owner of Fairfax and Roberts Jewellers, of Sydney, and the Shire President of Hornsby Shire's Provisional Council, which was set up by the New South Wales government before the first Council elections were held in 1906. Roberts remained a Councillor till 1917. [1]

The name Mount Errington became associated with the neighbourhood in 1913, when Roberts began to sell off his subdivision using that name in advertisements. [2]

In the Federation period, the Mount Errington area was the 'top end of town' and featured several grand residences which contrasted with the working-class housing closer to the railway station. Residents included businessmen, professionals, writers, and artists. [3]

Subsequently, many of the larger blocks of land were subdivided, and many of the larger houses have been converted into nursing homes or apartment buildings, but enough of the original character has been preserved for Mount Errington to be recognised as a heritage precinct. [4]

Notes

[1] Claire Schofield, The Shaping of Hornsby Shire, Hornsby Shire Council, Hornsby NSW, 1988, pp 96, 104; Helen Barker and May Elven, Houses of the Hornsby Shire, vol 1, Hornsby Shire Historical Society, Hornsby NSW, 1989, pp 52–54

[2] Mari Metzke and Elizabeth A Roberts, Federation Hornsby: The Development of the Mount Errington Area, Hornsby Historical Society, Hornsby NSW, 1997, p 10

[3] Mari Metzke and Elizabeth A Roberts, Federation Hornsby: The Development of the Mount Errington Area, Hornsby Historical Society, Hornsby NSW, 1997, pp 36–39

[4] Mari Metzke and Elizabeth A Roberts, Federation Hornsby: The Development of the Mount Errington Area, Hornsby Historical Society, Hornsby NSW, 1997, p 43

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