The ornate marble gravestone of James French, the 19th-century pioneer after whom Frenchs Forest is named, has been rescued from potential destruction thanks to a school librarian’s determination and swift action by heritage experts.
Read: The Forest High School Frenchs Forest Campus Closes After 64 Years
For more than six decades, the headstone has hung on the auditorium wall at The Forest High School, largely unnoticed and gathering dust behind glass. But with the school slated for demolition next year to make way for the new Frenchs Forest Town Centre, the future of this significant piece of local history was uncertain.
Nicole Murray, the school’s librarian, raised the alarm after discovering the historic relic wouldn’t be transferred to the school’s new site at Allambie Heights. Her research and persistence sparked a rescue mission that culminated on 16 December, when Metropolitan Memorial Parks stonemasons carefully removed the 130-kilogram monument.
The gravestone, crafted from Italian Carrara marble, originally marked French’s burial site at what was then Chatswood South Methodist Cemetery—now Pioneers’ Memorial Reserve in Lane Cove North. It was moved to the school in the late 1960s or early 1970s and placed in a specially constructed wooden and glass cabinet after vandals damaged it at the cemetery.
Who Was James French?
James French was far more than just a name on street signs and suburb maps across the Northern Beaches. Born in 1817, he was a pioneering figure who played a crucial role in the area’s early development during the mid-1800s.
French established a thriving timber cutting business and orchard in what would become Frenchs Forest. His timber operation was substantial enough that he built a residence near present-day Hilmer Street to oversee the tree felling operations. The harvested timber was then milled and transported by boat from Bantry Bay back into Sydney Harbour.
Beyond his commercial ventures, French served the community in official capacities as both a Special Constable and Ranger of Crown Lands. While his main home was in Willoughby, his presence and enterprise in the forest area was significant enough that the suburb would eventually bear his name.
French died in 1893, leaving behind a legacy that would endure for more than 130 years in the place names of Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
A Librarian’s Campaign
Murray’s concern grew when she learned the headstone’s fate was uncertain. She began an email and telephone campaign, reaching out to organisations including the National Trust and Lane Cove Council to ensure the monument wouldn’t be lost or discarded.
Her efforts resonated beyond the school community. Even descendants of James French contacted the school, asking what would happen to their ancestor’s memorial. Murray’s queries eventually reached Metropolitan Memorial Parks, the NSW agency that manages cemeteries on behalf of Crown Lands, which took on the preservation task.
The removal was supervised by MMP Heritage Stonemason Specialist Sach Killam, who noted that the headstone’s decades indoors had actually worked in its favour. Being sheltered from the weather and kept upright for 60 years has been beneficial for the marble’s preservation.
Killam said MMP is prepared to repair the monument, which would likely involve installing hidden pins to fix fractures and hand-carved sections to match missing stone.
A Broader Mission
The rescue of French’s headstone is part of MMP’s Monument Safety & Conservation Program, an initiative designed to preserve and improve the safety of monuments at memorial parks, cemeteries and throughout the community.
The headstone now sits temporarily in the local studies section of Lane Cove Library while repairs are considered. Lane Cove Council, which manages Pioneers’ Memorial Reserve where French is interred, will determine the best long-term solution for the monument, including the possibility of returning it to his gravesite.
Read: Major Residential Development Greenlit in Frenchs Forest Town Centre
For Frenchs Forest residents who pass street signs and hear their suburb’s name daily, the rescue ensures that James French’s story—and the tangible evidence of his legacy—won’t disappear when the wrecking ball arrives.
Published 21-January-2026
