Complex sentence: In 1924, the house was subdivided and converted to flats--the beginning a long period of decline--but in 1959 it was acquired by the Sydney surgeon Geoffrey Lancelot Davis for the sum of 4500 Pounds.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1924, the house was subdivided and converted to flats--the beginning a long period of decline. In 1959 it was acquired by the Sydney surgeon Geoffrey Lancelot Davis for the sum of 4500 Pounds.