Balgowlah/Seaforth Library 
(formerly Balgowlah Public School) 
Corner Frenchs Forest & Sydney Roads, Seaforth 

In 1893/4 a new school house for 81 pupils was erected here on about two acres of land resumed from Andrew Hinchcliff's estate. It was built of local stone by James Booth of Pittwater for £260. It replaced an earlier school established by the Government in 1881, which had been housed in an existing weatherboard cottage. The area was still semi rural and relatively isolated. In 1936 land to the north was acquired for the present Seaforth Public School which opened in 1940. The original school building stood empty until 1944 when it was converted into a children's library and craft centre by a group of local women. In 1945 the Balgowlah/Seaforth Library was officially opened and receives an annual subsidy from Manly Council. In 1978, after libraries were established in public schools, membership was extended to adults. Today, the original old stone building is heritage listed and remains a monument to the community efforts that have sustained it.

Photograph courtesy: Manly, Warringah & Pittwater Historical Society 

14. St Paul's Church, Seaforth 
(on reverse of Balgowlah/Seaforth Library plaque) 

From 1843 Anglican worship on the peninsula was centred around St Thomas' Church at North Sydney. More parishes were established as the population grew. After 1859 residents of Middle Harbour, now Seaforth, attended Church of England services in Manly. As the population increased in the Middle Harbour area the need arose for a closer, more convenient place of worship. In 1871 parishioners began holding their own church services in a room in Peter Ellery's home overlooking the Spit. Ellery was a pioneer of the district who operated a ferry service across the Spit in the late 1840s. Donations were collected for the cost of acquiring land and constructing a church. Peter Ellery offered a piece of land and the foundation stone was laid in 1873. The church was designed in the Victorian gothic style by Alfred Cook and completed in 1875 and was known as St Paul's Middle Harbour. From 1906 this area was known as Seaforth. The present St Paul's Church, designed by Lloyd Wynn was officially opened by the Most Rev. H.R. Gough, Archbishop of Sydney on 30 April 1961.The original sandstone church, with a new tile roof, has been incorporated as a chapel and holds many memorials.

Photograph courtesy: Manly Art Gallery & Museum

15. Dalwood Home 
21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth 

In 1928, A.E. Dalwood donated his property to the Food for Babies Fund which cared for mothers and babies from disadvantaged families. In 1932 Dalwood Home was incorporated as a secondschedule public hospital and later brought under the control of Manly-Warringah Area Health Service. Since 1992, Dalwood Home has been the responsibility of Manly Hospital and its range of services has been expanded. Currently there is a family care centre, day care centre, assessment centre and school for country children. The principal building is heritage listed. The original sandstone building was erected as a family retreat by Theodore Gurney, a Professor of Mathematics at Sydney University. He named it Clavering after the village in Essex where his father had been vicar. After Gurney's return to England in 1902 the building lay vacant for many years. It was acquired by A.E. Dalwood who sold off the land surrounding this grand home in 1922. He retained the house and a small acreage around it. Theodore Gurney and A.E. Dalwood are remembered by Seaforth street names, Gurney Crescent, Clavering Road and Dalwood Avenue.

Dalwood Home, c1928
Photograph courtesy: Seaforth Public School and Manly Library 

16. Federation 
Federation Point, Commonwealth Parade 
Sir Edmund Barton (1849-1920) 

Local resident and first Prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton lived at Calahla (now called Whitehall) corner Woodland and White Streets, Balgowlah from 1888 to 1891, and then in James Street, Manly until 1893. He entered New South Wales Parliament 1879. In 1891 he succeeded Sir Henry Parkes as leader of the Federation Movement in New South Wales. In support of this cause Barton coined the phrase: There will be a nation for a continent and a continent for a nation. He became first Prime Minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. Then he served as a judge in the first High Court until his death in 1920. 

Commonwealth Parade 
The road above was originally a walking track known locally as Lovers' Lane. Following a petition from a resident, Manly Council developed a road from West Esplanade towards North Harbour. It was completed in 1901 and named Commonwealth Parade to commemorate the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January, 1901. 

Federation Point Named by Manly Council in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of the Australian Colonies. 

Sir Edmund Barton
Photograph courtesy: State Library of NSW 

Heritage Plaques in Manly
Key to Plaque locations

1 The Aboriginal Heritage of Manly East Esplanade Reserve 
2 Manly Cove 1856 / Henry Gilbert Smith Manly Cove, west side of Manly Wharf 
3 The Corso 1920s The Corso, outside Coles 
4 The Corso 1915 / Bards of Manly The Corso, Manly Beach end 
5 Marine Parade 1920s Marine Parade overlooking Manly Beach 
6 South Steyne c.1929 North Steyne, grassed area near Carlton Street 
7 Ivanhoe Park c.1930 Ivanhoe Park, near cnr Sydney & Pittwater Roads 
8 Fairlight House On Scenic Foreshore Walkway near Fairlight Beach 
9 Village of North Harbour North Harbour Reserve near Beach Street 
10 Dalley's Castle / Dalley Park In Gilbert Park near Tower Street 
11 Queenscliff Bridge / Manly Lagoon West side of Queenscliff Bridge in park 
12 Jenkins Road On Scenic Foreshore Walkway near King and Lauderdale Avenues 
13 Bridging the Spit Start of Scenic Foreshore Walkway in Avona Crescent 
14 Balgowlah-Seaforth Library / St Paul's Church Corner Frenchs Forest & Sydney Roads, Seaforth 
15 Dalwood House 21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth 
16 Federation Federation Point, Commonwealth Parade 

This publication has been produced by Manly Council's Heritage Committee, 2002