Nelson Lodge, Heritage site in New South Wales, Australia.
Nelson Lodge is a two-storey colonial residence at 125 Unwins Bridge Road, Tempe, built around 1858 for William Wells, a former convict who ran the Lord Nelson Hotel in The Rocks. The house later served as a nursery and was renamed Leinster Hall under Catherine Birrell in the 1870s. It is also known as Milford Haven.
Nelson Lodge was probably built around 1858 for William Wells, a former convict transported in 1817 who ran the Lord Nelson Hotel in The Rocks. By 1861 he lived here and the Sands Directory listed a nursery on the site in 1862. Edward Greville, MLA for Braidwood, owned it from about 1873 to 1878, and Catherine Birrell, who bought it in 1878 for £2,400, renamed it Leinster Hall. It joined the State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The house was renamed Leinster Hall by Catherine Birrell, who bought it in 1878 for 2400 pounds and died there in 1882, aged 45. William Wells, a former convict transported in 1817, built it around 1858 and kept a nursery on the grounds by 1862. From about 1873 to 1878 it was a Sydney base for Edward Greville, the MLA for Braidwood.
Nelson Lodge stands at 125 Unwins Bridge Road in Tempe, a short walk from Tempe railway station on the Illawarra line. It is a private residence, so the house and grounds are not open to visitors; the 1858 building and its garden setting can be seen from the street. Collins Street, formerly Railway Street, runs along the edge of the original property.
The house carries three names: Nelson Lodge, Milford Haven and Leinster Hall. Catherine Birrell, who bought it in 1878 for 2400 pounds, is credited with the change to Leinster Hall; she died in 1882, aged 45, and the property passed to Francis and Teresa Birrell.
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