Durham Hall is associated with George Hill (1802–1883). The Australian Dictionary of Biography 1851–1890 states that he was an alderman, magistrate and sporting patron. Born in Parramatta, son of a convict, he amassed his fortune through work as a butcher and innkeeper, accumulating real estate in Surry Hills and the Murrumbidgee district. Hill was elected to be the first Sydney Municipal Council in 1842 as part of an Australian-born faction, and by 1850 was Mayor. During this period he became a magistrate. He was said to have...brought "dignity and respect" to the office and was praised for reforming abuses in the police courts.
