Designed by famous architect, Emil Sodersteen (1899-1961) in 1930, Cheddington, at 63 Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay, is gloriously eclectic.

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Cheddington was part of a movement of inner city high-rise living in the 1930s.

Its architect was prolific. Sodersteen also designed other landmarks nearby including Werrington (1930), 7 Manning Street, Twenty (1930) at 20 Macleay Street, Birtley Towers (1934), 8 Birtley Place, Marlborough Hall (1938), 4 Ward Avenue and CBD apartments at 7 Elizabeth Street. He was famous for his commercial buildings including The City Mutual Life (CML) Building (1936), Hunter and Bligh Streets, and the QBE Building (1939-40) (formerly Bryant House) at 80 Pitt Street, both incorporating his jazzy zig-zag window design.

He designed Cheddington before leaving for Europe in 1936. Overseas, he was inspired by the modern functional architectural style of Dutch architects, Willem Dudock and H. P. Berlage and Swedish design, from where his family originated. He said he was not, however, impressed with architecture or the quality of workmanship in Britain or America.

After returning to Sydney he adopted a more modernist approach to design.

His post-overseas tour produced a modernist design for Marlborough Hall (1938) and is in stark contrast to Cheddington, built in 1930. Cheddington incorporates Corinthian-style corkscrew or barley twist columns, urns, Roman arches, terracotta roof tiles, a marbled entrance portico, interior terrazzo steps, neo-Georgian windows and elegant ceiling mouldings; all an amalgam of popular 1930s design themes.

Cheddington shares its name with small English Bedfordshire village about 80 km north west of London.

By Andrew Woodhouse, Director, Heritage Solutions