(Material researched & presented by Barbara Armstrong)

Mr Edward Allen Newton was a trained pharmacist and herbalist who opened his pharmacy in Sydney in 1885.

In 1900 Edward A. Newton, herbalist, was listed in the New South Wales Post Office Directory (Wise’s) at 561 George Street.

When Edward died in 1912, the business passed to his son Edward James Newton, medical herbalist, who later became Professor Emeritus of Herbal Medicine of New South Wales. The business moved to 323 Pitt Street, Sydney in the YMCA building and remained there from at least the 1930s until the early 1960s. The business continued to operate as a specialist herbal and general pharmacy.

When E.J. Newton passed away in 1960, the business was owned by his two sons, Frederick Orrell Newton and Edward Allen Newton. After his brother's death in 1974, Frederick sold the business name to Ted Herr, who continued to run the business in Bathurst Street. (This information is courtesy of a descendant of Mr Newton.)

Mr Ted Herr, who had previously worked with Fisher & Co’s homœopathic pharmacy, introduced homœopathy to the firm. (This information is courtesy of Ross Howard.)

The downstairs part of the YMCA site was dedicated to the supply of herbs and homœopathics, whilst the general pharmacy was upstairs at street level.

In 1975 The Canberra Times provided an advertisement for Newton's Pharmacy stating that it was 'the only Homeopathic, Biochemic and Herbal Chemists in Australia and New Zealand'.  They were also manufacturers of 'vitamins and nerve tablets (non habit forming)'.  They claimed to hold a 'complete stock of medicinal herbs and homeopathic medicines'.  Mail orders were accepted.

At this time Newton's Pharmacy was still located at 323 Pitt Street, Sydney; however, at some later date the business moved to 119 York Street, Sydney, where the pharmacy is still a dedicated supplier of medicinal herbs and homœopathic remedies. 

©   Barbara Armstrong

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