As George Allen’s business flourished and his family grew, he decided to move from Elizabeth Street, which served as both office and home, to a new residence.
In 1829 he engaged the highly regarded colonial architect John Verge to design a new family home. Toxteth Park was built on a large estate in Glebe, comprising a two-storey building, chapel, orchard, cricket pitch and several smaller homes. It was named after the London home of Sir Robert Wigram, who had shown George and his family such unwavering support. Although the estate has since been subdivided, many of the nearby streets have been named after the Allen family.
The original Toxteth Park family home still stands. In 1901 it was purchased by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict, and it is now used as a congregational centre, with offices and the congregational archives.
When George died in 1877, his eldest son, Wigram (later Sir Wigram), became master of the house. Wigram quickly set about making it his own, extending the first floor to include a ballroom and more bedrooms, and adding a third storey and a tower – additions unlikely to have met his father's approval.
Unlike his father, Wigram was quite partial to such distractions. It was with both pleasure and acclaim that, in 1881, he hosted Queen Victoria’s grandsons, 17-year-old Prince Albert (known as Edward) and his 15-year-old brother Prince George (later crowned King George V), who were visiting Sydney as midshipmen aboard HMS Bacchante.
Toxteth Park Estate poster - National Library of Australia
Toxteth Park - Mitchell library, State Library of Victoria
Toxteth house illustration
Toxteth George Allen hymn book