The area was inhabited by the
Kaurna people before settlement by Europeans.
Quarry and winery James Edlin opened the first
quarry in the
hundred of Adelaide on Section 1050 in 1837, to supply building stone and
slate to local builders. G. Walker Johnson and Arthur Hardy took over the quarry by 1850 and it became known as Beacon Hill Quarry. in order to establish a vineyard. His fiancée, Annie Montgomery Martin, dubbed the land "Stonyfell" (a "
fell" being a term used for barren or uncultivated high ground in
Northern England). Clark started planting the original vineyard with assistance from Robert Slape. Crompton took over the Home Park Winery at
Magill, at which time Henry Tyler was the winemaker. Crompton married Susan Mary, sister of Clark, in 1866. In 1892 he separated the quarry and wine business, forming two companies. Stonyfell took over winemaking for Arthur Formby at
Langhorne Creek in 1910; in 1955 the storage was moved to Stonyfell and the grapes from the Langhorne Creek property were crushed at Stonyfell. In 1939, the winery purchased a vineyard in Rostrevor and in 1949 another property at Magill. Ronald Martin died in a car accident in 1950; in 1958 Michael Auld was managing director and John Kilgour the winemaker. By this time, the original vineyard no longer existed but was thought to be where the Stonyfell Quarry offices stood. The Stonyfell Restaurant opened in 1981, after a -million renovation under V. Deleso, who planned to restart winery operations, using grapes from the remaining of vineyard at Stonyfell, complemented by more from
Barossa Valley vineyards. Promotions manager Kevin Parker said that activities in the functions cellar (which had been open since 1975 and seated about 200 people) had continued strongly, although wine-making had declined. However the Stonyfell Function Centre closed on 30 June 2014.
Clifton Manor The Clifton Manor estate was established by a
flour miller named George Sismey, who built the grand
Gothic Revival-style mansion in 1852. The home was first leased (in 1872) and later purchased by Nathaniel Knox, who extended and developed the gardens, planting many European trees and shrubs. The estate was subdivided in 1926 and again in 1976, reducing the size to , and since then subdivided further for housing.
Olives The Stonyfell Olive Company was founded by Joseph Crompton By the 1900 had a planted with about 10,000
olive trees, around Penfold Road. In 1901, the company employed 81 workers. In August 1932, the Stonyfell Olive Company was the largest producer of olive oil in South Australia, and it entered into an agreement with
Bickford's (manufacturers of drinks and cordials) to do the bottling of the oil.
Chiverton Another grand manor, Chiverton, was built in the
Italianate style in 1880 for merchant John Nankivell, but he soon afterwards leased the house to
Harry Bickford, the manufacturer of drinks, cordials and syrups. The house was purchased by the Anglican Community of Sisters in 1894, who established a school on the premises. In 1957 the Sisters moved their
North Adelaide school,
St Peter's Girls' School, to the Stonyfell building. The house, stables and coach house were made of stone from the nearby quarry, and are now
heritage-listed. The house is used as the school's administration building ==Description==