History
It is believed that the suburb was named by General Sir Thomas Mitchell to commemorate Sir James Willoughby Gordon, with whom he had served during the Peninsular War and who was the quartermaster-general in England when the First Fleet sailed to Botany Bay. The suburb of Willoughby also commemorates his name.
The first Lane Cove Post Office opened on 1 February 1860 and was renamed Gordon on 1 June 1879. Gordon Railway Station was built in 1888.
Gordon Public School, now used as a library, was constructed in 1878 on the Pacific Highway, having been designed by George Mansfield. A Gothic Revival style was used in accordance with the tradition that educational buildings, like churches, were designed in a Gothic style. A second block was added in 1912. The school buildings are one of the few remaining buildings that date back to the pioneering days of northern Sydney. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate.
Annie Wyatt was the founder of the National Trust in Australia. She lived for a time in a single-storey cottage in Park Avenue.
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