Smithson’s Wine Bar

by B.J. Madden

Smithson’s Wine Bar in Stoney Creek Road was a feature of Kingsgrove’s life for about 50 years. (Smithson’s Tobacco Factory, run by Thomas Smithson, is a separate story).

James Edward Smithson was a son of Thomas Smithson, and was born on 26 February 1844 at Leeds, Yorkshire. On 7 May 1867, he married, at St. Mary’s Cathedral Sydney, Martha Jane Craven, who had been born on 29 March 1849 at Cork, Ireland. She was orphaned at a very young age and was brought to Australia by her foster parents.

After the marriage, the couple went to live at “Pembroke Cottage” in Stoney Creek Road (Now No.9 Bennett Street). J.E. Smithson bought land on the opposite side of Stoney Creek Road and built a stone house there and moved in about 1869. (Land Records indicate that he bought 2 acres 16 p an oblong block, part of lot 12, in 1871. He extended his holdings in subsequent years).

On his marriage certificate, J E Smithson’s occupation was given as tobacconist. However, he developed an extensive farm with fruit trees, vegetables, cows, pigs, fowls, horses, bees, lucerne etc. He was also a fine builder, and constructed many buildings in the St. George District and elsewhere, including “Holt House” at Sylvania. Besides his own house, he also designed and built a solid bridge in Stoney Creek Road near Laycock Street, and he built other country bridges. He also added weatherboard additions to the back of his house as the family grew.

In about 1880, they begun to sell wine on the property. At first, the wine was sold from a closed-in section of the verandah at the front of the house. A window announced “Smithson’s Wine Bar” to all passing along Stoney Creek Road. Business prospered. Christmas periods were particularly busy and saw horses and carriages lining both sides of Stoney Creek Road. Around the turn of the century, a separate building was erected for the wine bar, but it was attached to the house on the western side and the roof alignment was altered to incorporate this room. The wine bar was about 2 metres forward of the original house, with a verandah in front of that again. The original “Smithson’s Wine Bar” window was transferred from the verandah room to the new bar.

Smithson’s home and wine bar, believed to be decorated in honour of returning serviceman, Les Townsend, Bexley NSW, 1918 (courtesy Georges River Libraries Local Studies Collection)

The grapes (thought to be about 5 tons in the 19201 s) were brought in fruit boxes by train from Mudgee each year. In the early 1920’s prices were:

for port and sherry 2/- a pint, 3/0 a quart, 14/- a gallon in stone jars.

Muscat was slightly dearer at 2/3 a pint.

All the wines were naturally fortified – no spirit concentrate was ever added. There were 50 large 100 gallon casks in the cellar and there was a bottling room at the rear of the bar. James Edward Smithson had four sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Charles, was born in “Pembroke Cottage”, and the other children were born in the cottage which was to be associated with the wine bar. Charles became the wine maker. A son-in-law Fred Ball, who had married Ethel, managed the business from about 1920.

J.E.Smithson died in April 1926. The wine bar continued until it was sold by auction on 11 June 1934. The land was acquired by Bexley Municipal Council and became Kingsgrove Park for a time, prior to Bexley Golf Course being established. After Bexley Golf Club built it club house behind the wine bar building, the sturdy old stone house was demolished in the 19501s. The wine press had been sold about 1933 or 1934 to a German wine maker in Orange.

When the Smithson family first built their house in Stoney Creek Road, there was an ironbark forest on the flat. This was later cleared and the timber sold. This area became the holding yards for C. J. Stone’s slaughterhouse, the land being leased from Smithson.

This article was first published in the April 1981 edition of our magazine.

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One Reply to “Smithson’s Wine Bar”

  1. My grandfather was Walter Bennett, (Bennett Street) remember the name Pembroke cottage. My grandfather’s home was opposite Kingsgrove golf course also a home built by the convicts on the lot next door( it may have been Pembroke cottage as the name rings a bell) I lived in Kingsgrove from 40’s to mid 60’s.
    Good memories your article brings back memories. Thanks Rosaleen Scoullar ( Bennett)

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