Willandra, Ryde, Heritage homestead in Ryde, Australia
Willandra is a two-storey Colonial Georgian house at 782 Victoria Road, Ryde, built 1841–1844 by James Devlin to a design attributed to William Weaver. It crowns the ridge between Devlin's East Ryde and James Shepherd's West Ryde subdivisions, and its scale let it be seen from the Parramatta River and the main roads.
James Devlin began building Willandra, then called Ryde House, in 1841 on land from John Small's 1794 grant and occupied it in 1845. Devlin was declared bankrupt in 1844 but released from insolvency in 1845, and the family lived there until 1874. The house was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The name Ryde came from Ryde House: the rector of St Anne's, Rev. George Turner, and his wife, a native of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, inspired it, and James Devlin used the name in his 1841 subdivision. The house later took the name Willandra and is now used by local community groups.
Willandra stands at 782 Victoria Road in Ryde, owned by the City of Ryde council and used by local community groups, so access depends on those groups' bookings rather than fixed public hours. Check with the council before travelling. The house sits on a ridge above Victoria Road, and the 1841 subdivision laid out Devlin's East Ryde facing St Anne's Church and Shepherd's West Ryde facing the Parramatta road.
James Devlin began building the house in 1841 and occupied it in 1845, though he was declared bankrupt in 1844 and mortgaged the property almost as soon as it was finished. The name Ryde came from this house: the rector's wife, from Ryde on the Isle of Wight, saw a resemblance, and Devlin's 1841 subdivision used the name.
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