Thomas Saywell
Thomas Saywell (1837–1928) was an English-born tobacco manufacturer, property developer, mine owner, and business person in New South Wales, Australia.
[1] Thomas Saywell's father, George, was an expert in setting up steam-driven mechanical lace-making machines.
With scant prospects at home in England, the workers petitioned the English government to assist them to migrate to a British colony.
Thomas Saywell tobacconist's operation grew, in 1870, when he bought plant and machinery of the Eagle Tobacco Factory and installed it in his shop at 4 Park Street.
In February 1873, Saywell bought land on Clarence Street, Sydney, and over the next two years built a tobacco factory there.
The company were manufacturers and importers of ironwork for buildings and bridges, steam engines, wire rope, pipes, pumps, mining equipment, and machine tools.
He was able to do this because he did so in partnership with people, who had greater knowledge and experience in the industry, notably William Wilson (c.1840—1896),[13][14] who took charge of the mining and construction activities.
[20] In 1891, Saywell and his business partner William Wilson bought the South Clifton colliery from the North Illawarra Coal Company.
[24] In the early 1880s, Saywell, anticipating the effect of the Illawarra railway, bought a large tract of land—in those days mainly sandhills—which ran from the beach frontage at Lady Robinson's Beach on Botany Bay, west to what is now Francis Avenue and as far north what is now as Bestic Street.
In early 1886, the NSW Government resumed the entire length of Lady Robinson's Beach and a narrow strip of the foreshore land, totalling around 105 acres, running from Cooks River to Sans Souci.
[26] In 1887, the Saywell family moved from Petersham to 'Nevada', 8 The Grand Parade, on Lady Robinson's Beach, in what would later become known as the suburb of Brighton-le-Sands.
It ran from Rockdale railway station to Lady Robinson's Beach at Brighton-le-Sands, along Bay Street, before originally turning left on the Grand Parade, were it terminated, allowing access to a new sea baths and hotel.
There was wharf for steamers, refreshment rooms, waiting-rooms, ticket-office, laundries, and caretakers' offices would be housed in buildings forming an entrance to the baths.
The hotel's architecture followed an eclectic mixture of Russian, Indian and Western influences, including towers and minarets.
It was Saywell, in collaboration with Samuel Cook, who had Norfolk Island pine trees planted, as a windbreak and to stabilize drifting sand opposite the New Brighton Hotel.
[32] On the southern side of Bay Street and west of The Grand Parade, opposite to his hotel, Saywell made a picnic grounds known as 'Shady Nook'.
Otherwise, in marked contrast to the nearby hotel, the facilities were basic and built for vandal resistance rather than comfort, including a heavy see-saw made from tramway sleepers, which had to be used carefully to avoid injury.
[46] However, Saywell's d.c. system was far too small, too unreliable, and too antiquated to serve the growing St George area.
[47] Once alternating current electricity became available from the newly established St George County Council, Saywell's power station closed.
He moved to Mosman, for the last few years of his life, living in a house named 'Nottingham' in Middle Head Road, where he died on 23 November 1928, aged 92.
Although the incident was witnessed by a police constable and Bruce had been drinking, a coroner returned a verdict of accidental death.
[70][71][72][73] During the early hours of the morning of 22 April 1932, Saywell's son, Claude Victor, a wealthy solicitor, and his wife, Adeline Rebecca, were brutally attacked at their home in Bellevue Hill.
Mrs Saywell later regained consciousness in hospital, but she had lost the ability to speak and was left permanently paralysed.
The previous day Mrs Saywell had slammed the front door in the face of a hawker, and there was also some speculation that the attack may have been related to Claude Victor's work as a solicitor.
The coronial inquiry, which attracted widespread public interest, resulted in a finding of murder by an unknown person.
Kemmis had also been attacked using a claw hammer, which was found discarded on land near Wahroonga railway station.
At the time of his brother Claude's murder, Thomas was living in America, although that may have been due to complicated marital and child custody matters.
He was "driving wildly", after a day on which he had consumed a "considerable amount of liquor", when he lost control at a bend in the road.
[94][95][96] Despite accepting evidence of alcohol consumption and excessive speed, the finding of a coroner's inquest was accidental death.
[52] The main legacies of Thomas Saywell are the various tracts of land which he sub-divided and sold in the suburbs of Sydney, at St Leonards, Chatswood, Redfern, Alexandria and, most of all, Brighton-le-Sands.
