Henrietta died on 19 September 1884 and because Challis had been residing in England, the English Inland Revenue Commission claimed legacy duties.
The University of Sydney's chancellor, Sir William Montagu Manning, strenuously argued against the Commission's claims which were subsequently abandoned.
The income from the fund has provided for seven professorships (in anatomy, zoology, engineering, history, law, modern literature, and logic and mental philosophy) and several lectureships.
When it was made public it created much interest in the University, the Senate adopted an extended scheme of teaching, and the government increased the amount of the annual grant by £5,000.
Completed in 1907 and remodelled in the Art Deco style in 1936 and again refurbished in 1973, the commercial premises provides income to sustain Challis' legacy.