The fashionable eastern Sydney suburb of Point Piper, situated within the municipality of Woollahra, occupies a Port Jackson headland between Double Bay and Rose Bay. Originally known as Eliza Point, the vicinity was renamed Point Piper soon after the arrival of its earliest European occupant, Captain John Piper.

Born in Ayrshire Scotland in 1773, Piper fist arrived in Sydney aged twenty, a soldier of the 102nd regiment; the infamous New South Wales Corps(PEP). He served as Commandant of the Norfolk Island penal colony from 1805-1810. In 1811 he married Mary Ann Shears and returned to Sydney, retiring from the army with the rank of Lieutenant. Then in 1813 he accepted the post of Naval Officer which bought him fame and fortune.

Piper was to dispense the duties of Customs Officer, Harbour Trust and Water Police with this new appointment. He and his family would have attained a modest income if it were not for the minor matter of a five percent commission on all monetary transactions. Aided by a considerable increase in harbour traffic, Captain Piper amassed a small fortune, out earning even the Governor of the colony. The Piper's successive residences at The Rocks, Burwood and later Vaucluse proved inadequate for a family of such means. Then in 1816 Piper secured promise of the 190 acre Point Piper estate from Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

Upon this estate Piper erected the palatial Henrietta Villa. This mansion is believed to be named as a gesture of gratitude to Governor Macquarie, in honour of his wife Elizabeth Henrietta. The foundation stone was laid amid a grand masonic ceremony, directed by his Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge, Edward Sanderson. Completed four years hence at a cost of 10,000 pounds, the villa stood as the richest residence in the antipodes. The calendar of the colonial social elite revolved around the extravagant functions hosted by the Piper's at Henrietta Villa. A vast banqueting hall, fashioned in the form of St Andrews Cross, bore a splendid domed ceiling. At his personal expense, Piper had a carriageway cut through the bushland to Sydney, to accommodate his frequent visitors. For those who ventured by boat, a brass cannon salute customarily heralded their arrival.

However Piper's success at Henrietta Villa was short lived. An 1827 inquiry ordered by Governor Darling found Captain Piper to be negligent in his duties. He was instructed to pay the arrears which he had failed to collect, totalling 17,000 pounds. This plunged the Piper family into debt, forcing them to dispose of their Sydney properties. Facing such bleak prospects, Piper attempted suicide by throwing himself off a boat. This venture too proved unsuccessful, as Piper was rescued by his boatmen. In 1827 the Pipers withdrew to their remaining Bathurst property, Alloway Bank, which also plunged into ruin during the 1840s depression. Piper died in 1851, a destitute man.

The business associates Daniel Cooper and Solomon Levey acquired the Point Piper estate upon the Captain's demise. Mr Daniel Cooper, speaker of the Legislative Assembly, subsequently bought his colleague out, and ordered the demolition of Henrietta Villa. Upon this site he envisaged a residence of proportions grander than Piper's villa. The foundation stone to Cooper's Woollahra House was laid in 1856. However much delay ensued, and the impressive Victorian Italianate mansion was not completed until 1883. The Cooper's occupied Woollahra House until their return to England in 1888. A successive occupant of the House was the widow of the late Premier, Sir James Martin. Lady Martin Beach recalls her residency. Tragically Woollahra House was demolished in 1929 to accommodate residential subdivision. The only surviving evidence of its grandeur is the lodge, presently serving as the Rose Bay Police Station.

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