Rocking the suburb
The fascinating history of a terrace house was uncovered during its renovation
Photography by Tom Ferguson
Every house in Paddington has a history but some have a history more interesting than others. At least that is what Woollahra garden designer Adam Robinson discovered when he started work refreshing the outdoor areas of this remarkable home on Caledonia St.
The house, relatively unassuming from the outside, has one of the neighbourhood’s more engrossing pasts — it was for decades Sydney’s most notorious sly-grog den.
“The front houses are actually two terraces from circa 1885 but we don’t know when they were amalgamated into one dwelling, possibly in the 1950s,” Robinson says. “Out the back is a ‘warehouse’ that was likely added in the 70s.”
Robinson had no idea about the home’s interesting back story when he started work on the place. The brief was to create an “inviting and highly functional space that looks great from all angles”.
The previous owners of the house, which changed hands in 2018 and received a full renovation from Studio P Architecture & Interiors, had fashioned the rear areas with a 1980s Mediterranean vibe, with grape vines creeping up colonnades and bougainvillea running along trellises. Robinson decided to keep the Mediterranean theme but brought contemporary sensibilities to the project.
“We created a sun-drenched courtyard filled with a handsome olive tree and the sun-dappled, cooling turquoise water of the spa as a backdrop. The courtyard acts like a magnet drawing you outside. The dual mini-pool/spa had limited space surrounding it so we had to ensure any design we came up with felt earthed and anchored within the garden," he says.
“We decided on an ample amount of planting to create the desired oasis-style feel, without cluttering the area. Our intention was to create an aspect of space even though floorspace was restricted. The pool has a lockable lid for safety and keeping it clean.
“The plant palette included two palms that frame the daybed, so the garden felt established and grounded from day one. Also included were striking and architectural specimens including agaves and cactuses nestled in beds of softer, mounding shrubs and grasses that established fertile lushness, texture and verdure.
“We used gravel rather than traditional mulch over garden beds to retain moisture in the soil but to also provide a light, white, Mediterranean style and that delicious crunch-aesthetic sound underfoot, though there are also steppers in place to afford effortless passage leading through the courtyard to pool and daybed.
“The canopy of the palms and olive tree overhead create a green roof of dappled shade, an inviting place to spend time and relax in seclusion from a tall neighbouring building.”
The architects and interior designers used the term 'rock ‘n’ roll style' to describe their vision for the home, and that certainly is in keeping with the property’s history.
“The house was one of Sydney’s most historic criminal landmarks in the 40s and 50s and the city’s biggest and most notorious sly-grog distribution establishment,” Robinson says he was told of the property.
“Every taxi driver in town knew where to take people. It was owned by Elwyn Thomas who claimed to be a legitimate bookmaker. He formed a club called the Metropolitan Cricketers Club and illegally sold liquor after pubs closed at 6pm for three times the price.
“Customers would hide cash into betting slips to pay for the grog. It was declared a ‘disorderly house’ in August 1949 which meant anyone on the premises could be arrested.”
The house, which was widely reported about in the newspapers of the era, was eventually sold.
“It was purchased by his long time ‘friend’ Thelma Evans for £450 cash in 1951. She also owned number 56 Caledonia St and often stored the grog there, too. It carried on as a sly grog den (after they moved to Maroubra) under new ‘ownership’ for many years after.”
These days the house is far more genteel, an urban oasis, albeit with a rock star heritage.
Caledonia St Terrace
Landscape design: Adam Robinson Design
Architect and interiors: Studio P
Project build: Prepared Projects
Landscape installation: CC Landscapes