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The Manse ( now demolished)
Former St Paul’s Presbyterian Manse — historical photograph (journal p. 15)
Printable house storyFormer Weston Road (now Victoria Road), near Darling Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 — demolished historic manse
Former Weston Road (now Victoria Road), near Darling Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 — demolished historic manse
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Cover photo: Former St Paul’s Presbyterian Manse — historical photograph (journal p. 15) — Date unknown
At a glance
- Current statusUnknown
The story of this house
Former St Paul’s Presbyterian ManseThe former St Paul’s Presbyterian Manse belongs to the first substantial period of building around the western end of the Balmain peninsula.
The small Balmain West Presbyterian congregation began worship in a rented Goodsir Street cottage in 1873, established a church building in 1876 and welcomed the Reverend George Grimm as its minister in 1880.
With no manse available, Grimm initially lived at Carieville, the stone villa at 8 White Street in Balmain.
Plans for a purpose-built minister’s residence took shape beside the church.
On 25 August 1883 William Wright of Drummoyne House laid its foundation stone.
The house faced Weston Road, later Victoria Road, contained ten rooms and was ready for occupation early in 1884.
Alexander Elphinstone is associated with the design in later Rozelle histories.
The residence and its neighbour, the original church building, appear together in a photograph reproduced in Journal 9; a second photograph shows the manse at the left of Rozelle Post Office in 1895.
Grimm remained a leading Presbyterian minister and teacher until his death in 1897.
The building itself did not survive.
During the widening of Victoria Road in the mid-1950s, the manse, original church and Rozelle Post Office were removed.
This Housetory proposal must therefore be a virtual historic-site story using its documented photograph and approximate historic setting: it must not show a current extant house or place a precise marker without a verified historical plan.
Source: John Williams, “Reverend George Grimm (1833–1897): A Biographical Study”, Leichhardt Historical Journal No.
9 (1980), pp.
13–17; photograph at PDF page 15.
View LHJ source PDF.
Historical site only: the original manse was demolished.
Its exact current cadastral position remains to be researched; do not associate…
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.
- 1873 — Balmain West congregation begins
Services in a rented cottage at 13 Goodsir Street.
- 25 August 1883 — Manse foundation stone laid
William Wright lays stone for the ten-room residence.
- Early 1884 — New manse occupied
The residence is ready for Reverend George Grimm.
- 1895 — Manse shown beside Rozelle Post Office
Original historical streetscape survives in LHJ 9 photograph.
- Mid-1950s — Manse demolished for Victoria Road widening
The original church and post office were also removed.
- 1873 — Balmain West congregation begins
Services in a rented cottage at 13 Goodsir Street.
- 25 August 1883 — Manse foundation stone laid
William Wright lays stone for the ten-room residence.
- Early 1884 — New manse occupied
The residence is ready for Reverend George Grimm.
- 1895 — Manse shown beside Rozelle Post Office
Original historical streetscape survives in LHJ 9 photograph.
- Mid-1950s — Manse demolished for Victoria Road widening
The original church and post office were also removed.
Memories, sources & further reading
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Selected photos
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https://housetory.com.au/index.php/explore/houses/lhj-photo-v001-f48c0b4a531630a5