Ming House, on York Street near the steps to St Peter’s Church, dates to about 1715 when Caleb Wright sold a portion of his larger lot to his daughter Rhoda for a pittance. Rhoda married John Colson and the couple built the present house. Most of the building’s interesting architectural features are in the rear and include a Flemish gable and two chimneys on its north side.

In 1765 the Colsons sold the house to the recently widowed Sarah Ming, who passed the house to her son Joseph. He married Jane Mills in 1779 and they raised five children together. Joseph died in 1799, but his widow lived in the house until 1846 when she died at the age of 91. The couple’s eldest son, David Glegg Ming, became a reputable silversmith and operated a shop on the premises. After his marriage to Susannah Hayward in 1810, the couple moved into Ming House and had two children, Joseph and Mary. David died prematurely in 1819 and his seven year old son died four years later of tetanus after stepping on a rusty nail.

Mary Ming inherited the house and, after her marriage to Anthony B Hayward in 1834, the property passed into the Hayward family. It was the birthplace of St George’s mayor Joseph Ming Hayward and his daughter Lillian H Hayward, who founded the St George’s Historical Society.

In the 18th century a red brick path passed through a front garden, but these were lost when Duke of York Street was widened. The front facade has not changed substantially since the early 19th century. Its windows are set high under the eaves of the roof and the ground floor doors and windows retain the same configuration as shown in John S Humphreys’ 1923 book.