Glenwood House
Glenwood Park House is located on Glenwood Park Drive, Glenwood, N.S.W. It is a brick two-storey homestead. It has a verandah along the front with iron lace work around it. The house was originally built with timber French windows, however, the downstairs windows were later replaced with aluminium ones. Inside, the house has marble fireplaces and finely detailed plaster work.
Between 1853 and 1888, the Staff family developed the land at Glenwood Park as orange orchards. They held church services and Sunday school in their homestead, which was probably not the current house.
In 1888, James Cocks owned the property and also used the land for orchards. He was responsible for building the current homestead, but called it Sorrento. In the original plans for the house, there was no evidence of a kitchen or bathroom. These were probably contained in other outhouse buildings.
For the period 1912 to 1920, a gentleman called James Burns owned the land and probably continued to work the orchards. In 1920, Ernest Thompson bought the property and was thought to have removed the orchards. He used the land for crops and grazing cattle.
After 1941, the property was renamed Glenwood Park by Alfred Von Sanden. He ran horses on the land, including racehorses. From 1949, the estate was mainly used as a dairy. New buildings were added to the house, but much of the house and garden were neglected.
Fears about the future of the house were raised in 1987, as it began to deteriorate and was almost destroyed by fire. Since this time, the house has been restored and developed. Blacktown City Council approved plans in 1999 for the house to be used a medical centre and chemist.
Sources and more information:
Thorpe, W. (1993). Conservation plan: Glenwood Park, Parklea, NSW.
Blacktown City Council Library Service - Local History Section. Vertical File: Historic Buildings and Sites - Glenwood Park, Parklea.
