The first
land grant in the area of Wentworth Falls was of to Edward Dougherty in 1857. The property on which Davisville was built was originally part of Dougherty's grant. David Davis, a
Sydney builder, erected his eponymous holiday home in 1888 just north of the laid-out village of Brasfort, later Wentworth Falls. Davis clearly used materials from older houses in the building of Davisville, which has confused interpretation of the interior. There seem to have been additions made to the footprint of the house after 1913, if a rough sketch of that date can be trusted. A photo of Davisville indicates the presence of the current footprint of the house including the verandah enclosures to the south, the Monterey pine (
Pinus radiata) plantings along the northern boundary (large by this time), the tennis court on the north lawn and the Monterey pine tree adjacent to the tennis court. The Monterey pine on the southern side of the garden is not present in this photo. Davis finally sold the house in 1920 to the
Young Women's Christian Association, which used it as a holiday home under the name Rennie House. Miss M. Stephens was resident at the house on behalf first of the YWCA and then their successors, the Christian Alliance of Women and Girls, from 1920 until after 1947. In 1974 the Anglican church was using Rennie House and considered building a retirement village on the site. This project was abandoned and Robert Bunda, the antique dealer of
Springwood, (cf. SP 030) bought the property around 1975. Alterations were made to the house about 1976 and it was soon sold to Mr and Mrs Seymour who leased it to a young commune around 1979. It is currently being conserved by new owners in preparation for the opening of a bed-and-breakfast establishment. An interim conservation order was placed on Davisville in 1984 after community concern was raised over its fate and the adjacent "Mon Repos" in relation to a proposed development on the adjacent land. This resulted in subdivision of the rear of Davisville to its current layout which was established as the curtilage for the house at this time. A permanent conservation order was placed on the house in 1985. Mon Repos was not saved and has been replaced by a new house. Significant alterations to the house occurred in 1985 under the ownership of Mrs G. Rawles which included alterations to the verandah, the demolition of rear outbuildings, replacement of all corrugated roofs including the bull-nosed verandah, the rewiring of all electrics and removal of pull cords, conversion of the central room along the north verandah to a bathroom (removed by the current owners). The garage was an addition under the ownership of the Westgarths in 1985. In 1998 the house was altered internally with the placement of a number of ensuites and room divisions for conversion of the house into a bed and breakfast. In 2006, under standard exemptions from the Heritage Council, Davisville underwent alterations to remove some of the 1998 Ensuites and alterations, and repair the surrounding verandah, in order to allow for the continued usage of the house as a private. == Description ==