A Visit to Lydham Hall

St George Historical Society host a talk, tour and morning tea at Lydham Hall Historic House and Museum, Rockdale. stgeorgehistsoc.org.au

Thursday 23 May 10.15 for 10.30 am

Note: This deviates from our normal meeting day of fourth Saturday of the month which will not happen this month.

Where: 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale

Getting there: Train to Rockdale Station, then walk to address. The 492 bus leaves the station and drops you at corner of Frederick Street just around the corner from the hall. There is street parking around the museum.

Cost: $15 (all inclusive, payable on the day)

Bookings: Richard 0413 335 897 or via marrickvilleheritagesociety@outlook.com

Lydham Hall is one of the oldest homes in the St George area, and is New South Wales State Heritage-listed.

It is a sandstone villa built in the early 1860s for businessman Joseph Davis, his wife Ellen and their family. Originally part of a 67-acre estate that Davis called ‘Lydham Hill’, the house occupied the highest ridge in the area and with fine views of Botany Bay. Davis had a butchering business in Newtown and used the property to fatten up cattle.

When Davis died in 1889, the property was subdivided and a smaller parcel of land was sold to local oyster farmer, Frederick Gibbins, who leased the property to a succession of wealthy tenants.

By 1890, the house stood on three and a half acres surrounded by outbuildings, paddocks, orchards and with rugged vegetation beyond. In 1907, Gibbins’ daughter, Ada, married renowned naturalist, David Stead. Stead was a widower with a young daughter, Christina.

Christina Stead would become an important, internationally acclaimed author who included references to ‘Lydham Hill’ and the surrounding area in a number of her books and short stories.

Rockdale City Council purchased Lydham Hall in 1970 as a headquarters for the St George Historical Society and its collections and archives. To commemorate the centenary of Rockdale City Council, the building opened to the public on 20 February 1971.

Closed for repairs in 2020, it remained closed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Lydham Hall reopened to the public on Sunday, 4th February 2024.

Thank you to St George Historical Society for the above information taken from their website.