NUGAL HALL - 16-18 Milford Street, Randwick, New South Wales
Who Also Designed -
- Darlinghurst Courthouse
- Old Darlinghurst Goal
- Richmond Villa - Millers Point
- Bronte House, Bronte
- Newcastle Police Station
The home, which had 12 original principal rooms, maids’ quarters and hidden stairways, featured a grand entry hall, majestic ballroom, formal dining with adjoining sitting room, kitchen with adjoining breakfast room and a formal drawing room.
There was a modernised self-contained section with conservatory, plus a formal servants quarters with a staircase.
The house was built in 1853 for the politician and businessman Alexander McArthur by the colonial architect Mortimer Lewis.
But it then had a series of famous owners: a Randwick mayor, Magnus Peden, and then his son, the politician Sir John Peden; an owner of the Coogee Bay Hotel, Dr Fred Tidswell.
Charles Cosens Spencer, a British-born film exhibitor and producer, called it home in the years leading up to 1918.
And it then became a convalescent home for returning World War I soldiers.
As at October 2021, Nugal Hall is of State significance in NSW as an example of an impressive two storey mansion constructed of sandstone in the Gothic Revival style. Designed by the colonial architect Mortimer Lewis it was completed in 1853. The original land was a grant to Alexander McArthur, in 1851 by Governor Fitzroy, of 8.3 hectares (20.7 acres). Although not of the very high quality of a few Sydney Gothic Revival houses, Nugal Hall is nevertheless impressive. It is associated with a number of significant people. It is significant in Coogee and Randwick where increasing high rise development has deprived the area of much of its architectural history. The house sits well in its grounds and is visually important locally
The land on which Nugal Hall is built was granted to Alexander (Alex) McArthur in Randwick, over the period 1851–1853, by Governor Fitzroy. The land grants to McArthur involved four lots aggregating to some 8.4 hectares (20.7 acres) acquired by private tender on both sides of Avoca Street (then known as Frenchman's Road). McArthur (also spelled as 'MacArthur' (sic) in documents of the time) was likely investing the significant profits he had achieved at that time as a gold exporter and clothing importer in the great Australian gold rushes that started in early 1851.[4] The aggregate cost of the four lots was around £1,300.
The land granted to McArthur in Randwick extended from Judge Street to Belmore Road, and from Alison Road to Mear's Avenue. The land was bordered to the east by a 12.1 hectare (30 acre) block of land in Coogee owned by William Charles Wentworth, one of the leading figures in early colonial New South Wales and the richest man in Sydney at that time. Judge Thomas Callaghan bought a 2.1 hectare (5.2 acre) block to the south. Callaghan was another prominent Colonial figure and one of the first three judges in the Sydney Court of General and Quarter Sessions.[5]
Callaghan described the land at the time as resembling Ireland for its picturesque beauty involving waterfalls and rolling farmland from the top of the Randwick ridge line down to Coogee Beach and the Tasman Sea.[6] Callaghan named his house there as 'Avoca' after the 'Vale of Avoca' from County Wicklow in Ireland. 'Vale' means valley in Gaelic whilst 'Avoca' is said to mean 'meeting of the waters' or 'great river'. A number of streets in the immediate area were named after Judge Callaghan, including Avoca Street, Judge Street, Milford Street, and Ada Street.
Sandstone from the site on which Nugal Hall was located was used in the construction of a number of houses in the immediate vicinity. Most construction was undertaken by ticket of leave men (convicts on parole) under the supervision of Judge Callaghan. Callaghan presumably had an arrangement to use sandstone from the site of Nugal Hall for the construction of his own nearby sandstone residence 'Avoca' which was built at the same time. The stone for Nugal Hall was therefore quarried on the spot and the foundation of Nugal Hall is securely built on rock.[1][7]
Nugal Hall was designed by the Colonial Architect, Mortimer Lewis who came to Australia and worked from 1830 to 1861. Nugal Hall was one of his last buildings and was designed at the same time that Lewis was designing and building his own Gothic Revival mansion, known as Richmond Villaon the site of the current NSW Parliament buildings (now relocated to Millers Point). Lewis was a prominent architect in Colonial Sydney and involved in the design of many important government buildings, including the NSW Legislative Council Chamber (1843), the Australian Museum (1843), the Customs House on Circular Quay (1845) and the NSW Treasury Building and Premier's Office (1849). Lewis' residential designs included Bronte House (1838).
At the time of its construction during 1851–53, Nugal Hall was designed as a large two-storey Gothic Revival villa interconnected with a single-storey cottage (that echoed the villa in its design). Both buildings were interconnected with a single-storey servants quarters. The cottage and servants quarters were later subsumed within the two-storey northern extension to the house in 1885-87. The residence sat on the top of a Randwick ridge line with a commanding view over the 'Vale of Coogee' to the Tasman Sea.
Nugal Hall overlooks Wedding Cake Islandand the Coogee land-sea interface, from a ground floor terrace and gardens, ancillary to the east-facing ballroom.[1][40] The upstairs bedrooms to the east of the house have views over the Coogee basin, including of Coogee beach and out to Wedding Cake Island, while all other upper bedrooms have views that benefit from the location of Nugal Hall at the top of the ridge line above Coogee.[citation needed] The main bedroom has an east facing upper balcony positioned to watch the morning sunrise.[citation needed]
On either side of Nugal Hall's original east entrance are a large ball room and a large formal dining room. An entrance porch and terrace is accessed by french doors from the ball room. The dining room to the north of the entrance has views across the Coogee basin and Coogee Bay, partially obscured by a tree on a neighbouring property, as well as an eastern balcony with sea and beach views. Earlier views of the southern headland of Coogee Bay from the dining room were reduced by construction of a three storey building at 20 Milford Street, but most of that building is located below the line of sight from Nugal Hall due to the greater elevation of Nugal Hall. 20 Milford Street does not obstruct upstairs views. The ball room and terrace to the south of the entrance has views across the Coogee basin and Wedding Cake Island.[1]
Close up views towards Nugal Hall from the opposite side of Milford Street are largely screened by its elevation above the street, the generous front setback, and the heavily planted front garden. As a result, the house has a high degree of privacy notwithstanding its landmark stature. Nugal Hall is visible from the various locations in the surrounding area, (particularly with night time floodlights) for example from St. Brigid's Church in Brook Street, Coogee and from the Carrington Road/Coogee Bay Road corner, but is not prominent from these distant locations unless floodlit. Any earlier landmark status of the building on the Randwick skyline has been diminished by the volume and scale of surrounding development, including the Sacred Heart Church and the residential flat building at 12 Milford Street. However, Nugal Hall and its iconic palm trees are still a landmark on the hill when driving up Coogee Street.[1]
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