Willandra, Ryde

Willandra is a Colonial Georgian house in the Sydney suburb of Ryde. It is listed by the New South Wales Heritage Council as a place of historical significance. It was built by James Devlin in the early 1840s and has been associated with several prominent people. During the 1970s it was in danger of being demolished but it was purchased by the Ryde City Council with the assistance of the Federal Government and has been restored. It is now used by two local community groups.

Devlin family

James Devlin was born in 1808 in Sydney. His father was Arthur Devlin, an Irishman who was a leader in the 1798 Rebellion and was captured and exiled to Australia in 1805. His mother was Priscilla Squire, the daughter of James Squire, who was a brewer near Ryde. James’s father died when he was only 12 and his mother remarried. His stepfather was Thomas Small. At the age of 14, James became an apprentice wheelwright and remained in this trade for much of his life. In 1831 he married Mary Ann Hartigan and the following year they had a son James (see photo below). In 1833 Mary died in childbirth and the baby, John, died the following day.