[1] Darlinghurst: With its elevated position over the city, the area has been called Woolloomooloo Heights, Eastern Hill and Henrietta Town.

[2][1] By 1800 several large windmills were situated on the heights of this area, using its stiff breezes to grind much-needed flour from grain.

[1] Robert Carter extended the house, replaced the shingled roof with iron and continued to live at Iona Cottage until 1884.

Jessie leased the hospital to Florence Inglis, Elizabeth Fraser and Annie Paton, spinsters and nurses, in February 1920.

In 1936 there were some minor alterations and additions to the 1935 rear wing and a seven bedroom nurses' residence was built in the grounds to the north of the house.

Major alterations were made in 1969, including the enclosure of the verandahs, and the modification of most internal and external doors to comply with Board of Health requirements.

The proposal did not proceed, and in October 1980 South Sydney Council approved an application for restoration of the building as a single dwelling.

[3] In the early 1990s the rear yard (eastern side)was excavated to establish a new garden which included relocation of palm trees.

[4][1] Iona was sold to the Gowrie-Smith family in 1994 after three years of marketing in which prospective buyers planning a boutique hotel use dropped out.

[9][11] Luhrmann and Martin extensively renovated Iona with her designer wallpaper and finishes, retaining its original flooring, tessellated tile entry, ornate plaster ceiling details throughout and fireplaces.

[1][12] Luhrmann and Martin unsuccessfully advertised the property for sale in 2013 but put it back on the market in July 2015 after relocating to New York.

[13] The new buyers are Tim Eustace and partner Salvatore Panui, who had bought Lyndhurst in Glebe in 2005, did further restoration of that house and sold it in 2016.

The dwelling was constructed around 1888 and replaced an earlier single storey timber cottage called Iona on the site.

[1] The site is irregular in shape and is located at the end of Darley Street with a second frontage to Tewkesbury Avenue; towards which the principal elevation or northern facade is oriented.

The northern and western portions of the site are not built upon and feature the grassed front yard and paved circular driveway respectively.

[1] The front yard features large mature trees along the boundaries and is predominantly grassed with some garden beds and some low sandstone walling around the edges.

A grotto style garden with sandstone walls and a circular centre feature is located in the north eastern corner of the site.

Between the rear southern elevation of the dwelling and the boundary fence is a recently landscaped yard featuring stone paving, garden beds and a fountain.

A large Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla) in the garden overhands the Tewkesbury Avenue boundary wall.

[15][1] Iona constructed c. 1888 is significant for its high aesthetic quality as a late Victorian Italianate villa demonstrating the transition into Federation period styles of residential architecture.