The area now known as Harrington Park was originally home to the
Muringong, southernmost of the
Darug people. Shortly after the arrival of the
First Fleet in Sydney in 1788, four cows and two bulls strayed from a Government Farm at Rosehill and found their way to a rich expanse of lush land southwest of Sydney. It was seven years before the healthy herd (which had grown in number) was discovered. Governor Hunter had the region surveyed in 1795 and named it Cowpastures in honour of the herd. The region was declared a Government reserve although settlers such as
John Macarthur soon lobbied the Governor for land grants in the rich farming area. In 1813, in the area was granted to trader Captain William Douglas Campbell as compensation for the loss of his
snow Harrington which was seized by convicts, from its anchorage in Sydney Harbour, on the evening of 15 May 1808. In March 1809, His Majesty’s Ship
Dedaigneuse fell in with the
Harrington near Manila, in the
Philippines. After a short engagement, the vessel was driven on shore and totally destroyed. Campbell called the land
Harrington Park in remembrance of his vessel. When Captain Campbell died in 1827, he left Harrington Park to his two nephews, Murdock and John from Scotland, both of whom worked on the land. In 1833, young Murdock was shot on the property by
bushranger James Lockhardt. Abraham Davy bought Harrington Park from James Rofe in June 1853 for 2000 pounds. The property was sold by Jane Davy in 1875, after the death of her husband and eldest son Daniel in 1874. There are interesting photos of Harrington Park and the family taken in 1871 in descendants' possession. While the Davys lived at Harrington Park it was frequently visited by Quakers from around the world, and a sketch from 1854 by Frederick Mackie (a visiting Quaker) is in the Nan Kivell collection in
National Library of Australia in Canberra. Harrington Park Post Office opened on 16 October 1876. Harrington Park was leased for several years before being sold to Abraham Davy in the 1859s, who later sold the property to Mr. and Mrs. William Rudd in 1875. After Mrs. Rudd's death in 1902, their grandson William Britton and his sister Mrs. Dunlop took control of the estate. They sold the property in the 1920s as a dairy farm to the Giddins family who in turn sold it to Arthur Swan. In 1944, Sir
Warwick Oswald Fairfax (at that time a director of
John Fairfax Ltd) bought Harrington Park and the adjacent property (which was land granted to Lieutenant Edward Lord on 10 June 1815) from Swan. Sir Warwick Fairfax carried out renovations and additions to the homestead and set up a nursery in the 1950s specialising in camellias, roses and imported flowers. Until 1976, Sir Warwick ran a Poll Hereford stud where he bred many show-winning champions. He spent much time at Harrington Park with his family and dogs. It was a place where he enjoyed writing, country walks, picnics and devoting time to his family. The Harrington Park property is owned by the estate of
Mary, Lady Fairfax. == Heritage listings ==