Juniper Hall 248-250 Oxford Street Update

A short history of Juniper Hall

This State Heritage listed property, located at 248-250 Oxford St Paddington, is the oldest surviving house east of Sydney’s CBD. The two storey Georgian colonial villa was constructed in 1824-5, with a third attic storey and additional wings added in 1890. The Hall was built for his family by Robert Cooper, an emancipist and gin distiller.

By 1850 due to financial difficulties, Cooper leased the house as an orphanage; this gave way to a girls’ school in 1858, later to a home for destitute children. By 1895, re-named Ormond House, it was used by the State Children’s Relief Board, and in 1910 as offices of the Children’s Court. In 1924 the house was purchased by a businessman and turned into eight flats with a row of shops built along Oxford St. It soon fell into disrepair, and development applications were lodged with Woollahra Council in the early 1980s for demolition and re-development as a shopping arcade.

Juniper Hall saved by community groups including the Paddington Society

A community campaign was launched to save Juniper Hall, led by Friends of Juniper Hall and the Paddington Society. Included was a huge march down Oxford Street and a public rally headed by Pat Thompson (pictured above). As a result, Woollahra Council refused the applications and the State government gazetted a Permanent Conservation Order on the building. In 1983 NSW Premier, Neville Wran, agreed to a Bicentennial Grant of $750,00 to the National Trust to buy the property, augmented by $200,000 from Woollahra Council. Community and corporate (Amatil) funding of around $1,000,000 followed in addition to $500,000 from a bequest by Leslie Bridal, a Paddington resident and member of the Society. Along with restoration of the house, the front boundary wall and front garden were re-instated to match the original appearance. The purchase and restoration cost close to $2.5 million.

The row of Oxford St shops was demolished (see picture below) and the restored house was opened to the public in 1988 as the Museum of Childhood, with a National Trust shop and café.  In 1992 due to financial considerations Juniper Hall was closed by the Trust and leased to commercial tenants.

New Leasehold for The Moran Arts Foundation

In 2013, the Moran family, descendants of the original owners, acquired a 99-year leasehold from the National Trust through Juniper Hall Pty Ltd (The Moran Arts Foundation) with the family assuming responsibility for its maintenance. A Conservation Management Plan was produced in May 2016.

Since Juniper Hall is a Heritage Item in both the NSW State Heritage Register and Woollahra LEP, any demolition or development must be approved by Woollahra Council. In 2019 a development application for a new art gallery at the rear was approved, while a further December 2025 application for basement parking was refused in June 2026, mainly due to heritage and archaeological concerns.

Change of Ownership

The Society was notified in February 2026 by the National Trust of a change of ownership. An excerpt from the letter to the Society is below:

…….. The National Trust has decided to sell Juniper Hall to a company associated with the Moran family as it is better suited to be cared for by an entity related to the descendants of the original owners. This sale will secure its future for subsequent generations and maintain its legacy as an historic property of significance……..

For now Heritage NSW, The National Trust and The Paddington Society will continue to monitor and make submissions to Council on any future development proposals.

The Society looks forward to seeing continuing access to the house via the Moran Arts Exhibitions.