The earliest land grants in the
Artarmon area were made in 1794-1796, by Major Francis Grose of the NSW
Corps. In 1810, Governor Macquarie granted 150 acres to the
Provost Marshall for NSW, William Gore. Gore bought out his neighbours and by
1815 owned most of the land as far west as the Pacific Highway. Gore
named his farm “Ardtermon Castle” in County Sligo, Ireland.
However, by 1818, Gore had lost all but a small portion of land on
which he built Artarmon House (the site of the Northern Sydney
Institute/Crows Nest College).
Artarmon railway station was opened in 1898 and residential subdivision followed immediately after.
Most houses in the suburb were built
in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The opening of Sydney Harbour
Bridge in 1932 was a major catalyst to development in Willoughby and
the North Shore generally.
The east side of Artarmon, now the
Artarmon Conservation Area (see below), was developed in two stages.
The major streets (e.g. Artarmon Road and Muttama Road) were partially
developed prior to World War I. Consequently, they are characterised by
development from the Federation era. There are also some villas and
houses of this period along early transport routes, such as Sydney Road.
The bulk of the area was developed
in the 1920’s and 1930’s and is predominantly bungalow
development with a few semi-detached cottages on the eastern edge. Some
two storey flat buildings, dating from the 1930’s, are located
closer to the station.
From the 1980’s to the present
there has been another generational change in Artarmon, resulting in a
wave of renovations.
The opening of the express way in 1982 has made the city much more accessible from Artarmon.
There are now three main parts to
Artarmon: the east (characterised by wide leafy streets and free
standing houses), the west (with a combination of units, townhouses,
semi-detached and free-standing houses) and the light industrial area.

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