Gladesville was first known as Doody’s Bay, named after the convict artist John Doody, who was granted 30 acres of land there in 1795. In 1817, former convict John Glade, who had lived in the area, acquired Doody’s property, and the waterfront area on which the farm stood became known as Glade’s Bay. The popularity of the area got a significant boost in the early 1840’ when lawyer William Billyard bought a chunk of Glade’s property and constructed a wharf and road. He also began subdividing the...