Grantham Street, Potts Point, has a noble past but it is not based on the name of Lord Grantham, head of English family in the TV series. Downton Abbey.

It is named after the mansion, Grantham, Previously on the site.  It was named Granthamville, Dangar’s Castle and Grantham in 1870. See image above.

Caleb Wilson built his own ‘castle’ facing Macleay Street, Potts Point in 1836 on his five hectares of land after having been a settler in the Hawkesbury region, north of Sydney.  He purchased land from Judge Wylde after whom Wylde Street is named, and set about building the point’s very first home, on the site where Grantham Street and St Neot Avenue are today.

Wealthy merchant and proprietor Frederick Parbury then bought the home in the early 1840’s.  He named it Granthamville.

Another owner was Donald Larnach who purchased the house and property for £5000 – a considerable increase on Wilson’s £405 – for the land alone.

The land was then subdivided and in 1853, the section with the home was purchased by surveyor and pastoralist Henry Dangar for £6000.  The site became known as Dangar’s Castle.

Dangar was born at St Neot in Cornwall, England, after which St Neot’s Avenue is now named.

After Dangar’s death in 1861 his wife stayed on in the castle until she died in 1869 and it was inherited by one of their son’s, Henry Cary Dangar.

Henry Dangar Junior rebuilt the home to his own design in 1870, following the Norman style of architecture.

According to a 1937 article from The Sydney Morning Herald, “the palatial home… was built of solid dimension stone quarried on the waterfront”.

“Mr Dangar brought into his design the battlement walls and the old-fashioned stone fence.  The entrance porch was tiled and led into a vestibule, in which a fine mahogany staircase was built with an overhead balustraded gallery.

“Upon the rebuilding of the home in 1870, Mr Dangar renamed the house Grantham.”

Mr Dangar Junior stayed at Grantham until 1917, after which it had a succession of owners. In the mid -1930s, the 22 bedroom five bathroom house with cedar fittings was listed for sale  and in 1937 was sold for demolition.

The site was then subdivided and Grantham Street and St Neot’s Avenue were created.

A luxurious block of apartments, The Grantham, by award-winning architect, Alex Popov, is at number one Grantham Street overlooking Embarkation Park, Sydney Harbour, the city skyline, The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

By Andrew Woodhouse

Heritage Solutions