Fairlight

This small residential suburb nestled between Balgowlah and Manly has retained most of the natural beauty and some of the charm it had when first settled in the mid 1800's. It boasts views of both North Harbour and the harbour waters beyond Manly Cove. It also was the site of some historical significance...

Fairlight's namesake was the home of Henry Gilbert Smith, regarded as the founder of Manly. His elegant two storey georgian style sandstone mansion set in parklike grounds on the waterfront at Fairlight was designed by well known Sydney architect, Edmund Blackett and completed in May 1860. The house was named for the birthplace in England of Smiths first wife, an historic village near Hastings on England's South coast.

Smith only stayed in the home briefly, returning to England after the death of his second wife Anne from tuberculosis in 1867. After being let to a succession of tenants it was finally sold in 1880 to John Woods and subdivided leaving Fairlight House standing on less than 1 hectare of its original 14. Its longest continuous residends were the McIntyres who purchased it in 1910 and lived there for the next 29 years.

Within 2 months of the McIntyres selling Fairlight House to a builder in 1939 the beautiful historic mansion was demolished to make way for blocks of flats.

There have been many high rise buildings erected during the past 20 years but the entire waterfront is now a reserve with a beautiful walkway, Esplanade Park giving access to Fairlight Pool and Delwood Beach.