At 6pm of October 30th 2021 A fire ripped through the heritage-listed house at 354 Marion Road, completely burning the building to a shell. In this fire, the skylight which was the most impressive part of the house was completely reduced to rubble. Abandoned in 2014 when it was purchased by new owners, you can see the original real estate listing here. I was lucky enough to explore this place in early 2019 when it was still in good condition, take a step back in time and see what once was, but is no longer. 

This 1880’s Victorian villa at 354 Marion Rd North Plympton is local heritage listed by the City of West Torrens. Its history is recorded in a 1998 heritage report: “The sons of A J Tolley (wine merchant) both constructed houses in Marion Road in the early 1880s. A E Tolley built ‘Bucklands’ and S C Tolley constructed this single-story stone villa. Sydney Tolley was chairman of West Torrens Council from 1885 to 1888. Tolley sold the house to Thomas Hunter in 1890, and it passed through various owners until in 1968 Arthur Benson established it as a hostel for mental health patients. In 1974 it was absorbed into the Government services for mental health but has recently reverted to a private residence.