Heritage listing: 2070274 House, “Loyola”, 77 Mayne Street (Lot D, Section 29)
Federation Style Stone House at 77 Mayne Street
Long-time residence of Nell English
Source: Gulgong Environmental Study, July 1981 by Perumal Wrathall & Murphy
Section 29, Allots 3 and 4
Source: HLRV
Allotments 3 and 4 of Section 29 Gulgong were first purchased by Lester Stuart Donaldson in 1875 and 1876 respectively.
Allot 3 was transferred to Montague Marks of Gulgong (storekeeper) on 30 October 1883.
In 1887 the property was mortgaged to a group of Sydney men (John Newton, Christopher Newton, Sydney Norfolk Newton, William Newton and James Edwin Owen Daly). The property was transferred to them on 31 December 1896.
On 23 May 1922 it was transferred from Jane Stoll to John Patrick English and ultimately passed down to his unmarried daughter, Nell English.
RESEARCH BY BARBARA HICKSON
The first owner of 77 Mayne Street, allotments 1,2 3 and 4 was Lester Stuart Donaldson. He took up the lots in 1875 and 1876. Donaldson was working for the government, initially as a Petty Clerk (Gulgong 1871) and working his way up to become a Stipendiary Magistrate when he retired in Sydney. He didn’t build this house on the land but may have been a land speculator.
The Bathurst Times published an article on 28th Jan 1922 called MAGISTRATE'S REMINISCENCES. LS Donaldson provided a picture of his past life in Gulgong including his early interest in stage acting.
In 1871 he entered the Government service as clerk of petty sessions at Gulgong, where he stayed seven, years. It was during this period that the goldfields were worked. Ten thousand miners were there, but, said Mr. Donaldson, there was very little disorder. In fact, Captain McLerie, the inspector of police certified it to be 'the most orderly goldfields he had ever seen.'At Gulgong Mr. Donaldson saw miners carrying to the banks milk dishes full to the brim with gold. It was during his stay at Gulgong that Mr. Donaldson cultivated his natural talent for the stage, specializing in burlesque. The late Sir Samuel Wilson told him that he had chosen the wrong career, and many professional actors held the same view; but Mr. Donaldson remained a civil servant. The Gulgong burlesque troupe got its chief amusement out of Mudgee.
They would visit Mudgee at intervals, and to the great annoyance of Mudgee would advertise their performance by parading the streets on a wagon and arousing the people of Mudgee with the help of an early example of a jazz band. According to Mr. Donaldson, Mudgee, at that time, took its pleasures, if not sadly, at least with enormous seriousness; and having been intrigued into at tending (in tall white hats and other correct dress details of the period), would sit out the Gulgong performance as though it were a church service.
Donaldson was a participator in town life. He worked in the police courts 1873 and was a member of the hospital committee, later the Chairman,[1] (1872) and Treasurer (1875) and assisted with running the Gulgong School of Arts. He was in the debating society and a member of the local Turf Club.Allotment 3, the larger portion, was transferred to Montague Marks a storekeeper,[2] on the 30 October 1883. Soon after that the property was mortgaged to a group of Sydney men: Messrs. Newton and JEO Daly and the mortgage sum may have been raised to pay for improvements for the construction of the house. The land was transferred to them on 31 December 1896. [3]It was around this date (1895-96) that the house was probably built.[4]Montague Marks is the probable builder and first resident of the house. In 1890 Montague Marks, who was the treasurer of the Gulgong Hospital, was involved in a court case:The treasurer of the Gulgong Hospital appeared as defendant in BENNETT V. MARKS:The action was one which had been entered by Reginald Henry Kent Bennett, a medical practitioner against Montague Marks, treasurer of the Gulgong Hospital, to recover £2000 damages for alleged wrongful dismissal from his position of medical officer to the institution.
By 1897 Montague Marks had moved on to Junee where he became president of the Junee Hospital.[5]
The owners were then the mortgagees Messrs. Newton and JEO Daly. It is unknown who lived there.
The owners were then the mortgagees Messrs. Newton and JEO Daly. It is unknown who lived there.
On 23 May 1922 the house were sold to Jane Stoll and John Patrick English. John Patrick English was born in 1890, in Mudgee. He married Alice Mary Amy Lennox in February 1915, in Gulgong. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 1 daughter. John English was the Office Manager for Jas Loneragan Milling Co.
John died on 14 October 1956, in Gulgong, at the age of 66. The house at 77 Mayne Street was then inherited by his unmarried daughter Nell English.
___________________________________________
[2] HLRV title deed
[3] ibid.
[4] A matching house at 58 Queen Street Gulgong probably built by Margaret Buckley in 1897/8
[5] SMH 18 Jan 1897
