La Maison History

La Maison is the translation of French words meaning ‘The House’, which pays homage to the boarding house that La Maison Randwick once was.

Then, La Maison represented opportunity and new beginnings. Now, La Maison Randwick represents the perfect union of luxury and lifestyle.

History of the Randwick area

Randwick was Sydney’s first suburban municipality and is often described as a ‘beautiful marine suburb’.

Randwick was named after the village of Randwick, Gloucestershire, England, birthplace of Simeon Henry Pearce, who became Mayor of Randwick no fewer than six times. Simeon, who migrated to Australia in 1842, and his brother James who arrived in 1848, were responsible for the founding and early development of Randwick.

Randwick has always been synonymous with racing, in fact land was set aside for a racecourse and racing commenced in the early 1830’s.

In 1838 Coogee was pronounced a township, and in 1855 the new village of Long Bay was established. In the same year, the Destitute Children's Asylum was set up. In 1859 the Randwick Municipality was proclaimed and the first council elections held.

By the early 1860’s Randwick boasted 800 residents, a considerable population at that time. By 1900, almost ninety per cent of the population lived in Randwick, with the remainder mostly in Coogee, and a few people living in the new suburb of Kensington.

By 1911, the population had reached more than 18,000, rising to 50,000 in 1921. A rise in wealth and new development after World War I meant that the population continued to grow, reaching 78,957 by 1933.