Printable house story46 Waterview St, Balmain NSW 2041
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Balmoral House, 46 Waterview Street. Photograph date unknown. Photograph: Balmain Association. Leichhardt Historical Journal No. 24 (2014), p. 37 (PDF p. 39).
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46 Waterview St, Balmain NSW 2041

46 Waterview St, Balmain NSW 2041

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Cover photo: Balmoral House, 46 Waterview Street. Photograph date unknown. Photograph: Balmain Association. Leichhardt Historical Journal No. 24 (2014), p. 37 (PDF p. 39). — Date unknown

Year built1853
Timeline entries15
Memories0
Photos2

At a glance

  • Known asBelmont House (Mrs Grey, by 1869)
  • House typeCottage
  • StyleVictorian 1840 1890
  • HeritageYes

The story of this house

Balmoral House and its beginningsBalmoral House at 46 Waterview Street is a surviving two-storey stone villa whose history began with an earlier cottage and an unfinished building project.

In April 1842, storekeeper Frederick Morris bought lot 29 of the Waterview Estate for £33.

By 1844 it held a weatherboard cottage and garden.

Morris and his wife Rebecca sold the property that February to William Annett Falconer Townend, who began a more ambitious house of dressed stone.

Townend’s financial difficulties brought the property to auction in August 1847, with the stone house still unfinished. [1] Merchants Henry Ferris and George Wilkie acquired the unfinished property and advertised it for sale in May 1848.

William Henry Sawyer subsequently bought it, selling to Dr Frederick Harpur in August 1851.

Reynolds considers that Townend’s unfinished stone structure became the later Balmoral House; this should not be confused with the earlier weatherboard cottage.

Harpur’s December 1851 mortgage described the house as under construction.

By July 1853, he reported it completed. [1] Harpur assembled a substantial holding: adjoining Waterview Street lots gave him a frontage of 198 feet, while land extending towards Campbell Street provided stables, outbuildings and easier access across the steep terrain.

He lived in the completed house until selling it to master mariner Thomas Coutts in January 1859 for £2,500. [1] The Coutts years and later tenantsCoutts and his family occupied the house from about 1860, and he enlarged the holding in 1863.

A particularly personal trace of their occupation was an inscription made in a porch window by Thomas Coutts junior, dated 16 January 1865.

Reynolds records that it remained visible in the early 1980s.

The family connection also carries a difficult history: the journal discusses the 1848…

Full story, source details and updates continue on the live Housetory page via the QR code.

Timeline highlights

A compact summary of key moments. Scan the QR code to read the full timeline online.

  1. Earlier cottage recorded on the Balmoral House site

    An earlier cottage on the site that later became Balmoral House.

  2. Balmoral House recorded in course of erection

    Dr Frederick Harpur mortgaged a house on the site in 1851 while it was in the course of erection.

  3. Balmoral House recorded as finished

    Dr Frederick Harpur stated in 1853 that the house was finished.

  4. Thomas Coutts purchased Balmoral House in January 1859

    Dr Frederick Harpur sold the house to master mariner Thomas Coutts in January 1859 for £2,500.

  5. Thomas Coutts and family at Balmoral House

    Thomas Coutts and his family occupying Balmoral House from about 1860.

  6. Coutts expanded the grounds in June 1863

    Thomas Coutts purchased the adjoining Campbell Street lot 9 in June 1863.

  7. Thomas Coutts junior inscribed a window in 1865

    A porch-window inscription by Thomas Coutts junior was dated 16 January 1865. Reynolds records it as still visible in the early…

  8. Mrs Grey used the name Belmont House by 1869

    By 1869 the Coutts trustees had let the house to Mrs Grey, who called it Belmont House.

  9. John Paul purchased the house in February 1875

    The Coutts trustees sold the house and grounds to shipchandler John Paul for £1,560 in February 1875.

  10. Balmoral House sold to Henry Henderson Beattie

    The sale of Balmoral House to shipbuilder Henry Henderson Beattie in 1876.

  11. Janet Millar Beattie died in June 1904

    Janet Millar Beattie, who oversaw the Balmoral House household, died on 26 June 1904.

  12. Henry Henderson Beattie died in June 1911

    Henry Henderson Beattie remained at Balmoral House after Janet’s death and died on 24 June 1911.

  1. Earlier cottage recorded on the Balmoral House site

    An earlier cottage on the site that later became Balmoral House.

  2. Balmoral House recorded in course of erection

    Dr Frederick Harpur mortgaged a house on the site in 1851 while it was in the course of erection.

  3. Balmoral House recorded as finished

    Dr Frederick Harpur stated in 1853 that the house was finished.

  4. Thomas Coutts purchased Balmoral House in January 1859

    Dr Frederick Harpur sold the house to master mariner Thomas Coutts in January 1859 for £2,500.

  5. Thomas Coutts and family at Balmoral House

    Thomas Coutts and his family occupying Balmoral House from about 1860.

Memories, sources & further reading

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Selected photos

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