A house just listed for sale perfectly illustrates the changing fortunes of Sydney suburbs and in particular, the Inner West.
100 years ago the burbs surrounding the central district were strictly either working class ghettos like Paddington and Darlinghurst (with it's sly grog shops and bordellos) or close by areas filled with the mansions of the gentry. Places like Summer Hill and Petersham with their ornate 2 or 3 storey extravagant Victorian houses with servant's quarters and yards for horses and buggies.
All that changed over the decades during which Paddington has become the suburb of choice of stockbrokers and such with nary a tiny convict built terraced house to be found for under a million dollars. While much of the Inner West mansions were broken up into boarding houses over the decades, the area has now once again become highly desirable due to it's closeness to the centre of Sydney.
The wonderful Italianate mansion Lyndhurst of the Gowings family in Petersham is a classic example. The Gowings emigrated from the UK in the late 1890's and established a department store empire. Now it's on the market with a price tag of over $3M expected at auction. Details at Ray White Real Estate, Newtown.
