Squireville

Squireville, constructed 1854-1858 and altered and extended in the 1870s, is of historical significance as an early Ryde villa built for politician and businessman James Squire Farnell (1825-1888).

The house fronts Victoria Road. It is a large two storey sandstone residence, featuring a handsome cast iron verandah, and a projecting wing that has a grotto-like niche (stucco cornice and statue) at the second storey.  The verandah has a central projecting segmented bay over the entrance. The building is roofed in terra-cotta tiles (not original).  The interiors are plain, with the exception of a fine staircase.  The ground floor of the house has features which date it to the 1850s, and the exuberant Victorian character which is evident today probably dates from a major reconstruction in the late 1870's.

The former chapel illustrates the association of the site with the Sisters of Mercy in the late 19th and early 20th century. Squireville has strong historical association with James Squire Farnell, politician and businessman, for whom the house was built, and who lived in the house with his family till 1886. James Squire Farnell was a Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly (first elected in 1860), representing St Leonards and Parramatta. Farnell was  Secretary for Lands (1872-75) under Sir Henry Parkes’ first government, and the first native born Premier of NSW (1877-1878).  Farnell continued in parliament into the 1880s, being appointed Minister for Justice in 1885. He was director of the Parramatta River Steam Co. and in the 1870s Director of the Civil Service Banking and Commercial Provident Society, and trustee and chairman of the Civil Building Society, and a prominent Mason.

The site was also associated with the Catholic church  and the provision of social services from 1889-1992, being used as St Brigid's Convent and St. Brigid's Orphanage during this period.

Squireville is a rare example of a mid nineteenth century villa in the Ryde area developed from the 1850s to the 1870s, with the 1870s alterations and additions undertaken by the original owner.

The former Chapel (constructed 1862 as the Ebenezer Chapel for the Particular Baptist Church, relocated c. 1900 to the Squireville site) located to the south of Squireville is a simple rectangular stone structure with gabled roof clad in corrugated sheet metal and featuring ventilated gablets. The front facade features 3 arch head openings, a central door with fanlight and two double hung timber windows.  The gable end features a simple circular vent.  The structure is set in landscaped grounds to the south of Squireville, and now functions as a community hall for the residential development on the site.

Site: the site contains two heritage-listed buildings, Squireville and the former chapel, which are now surrounded by residential strata units erected by Meriton in a 1993-approved development.

State Heritage Inventory