Historic Homes Of New South Wales - Government House -Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1930), Sunday 23 February 1908, page 7

 

Historic Homes Of New South Wales - Government House -Sunday Times Sun 23 Feb 1908, pg 7

HISTORIC HOMES
of N.S. WALE5
Written for ' Sunday Times' By MARY SALMON
XIII— GOVERNMENT HOUSE, SYDNEY.
TO all loyal subjects of the reigning sovereign of the British Dominion, the first house in a State is the Government House, round which a great amount of interest concentrates. The beautiful position of our own Vice-regal residence especially commends it to the notice of visitors, & as one gets well into the harbor coming from the ocean, there is nothing more picturesque to be seen than the stone turrets rising softly amid dark
lofty trees, and the emerald green sward which covers the slopes of the sea wall of glittering stone. For garden parties, & out-door fetes generally, there could be no more splendid position, though, at the same time, it must be confessed the public reception rooms are now quite in-adequate to entertain the number of guests who desire the entree to Vice-Regal functions, & re-construction of some of the interior of the House would bring it more up-to-date. When, in 1845, Sir George Gipps wrote, 'I am now on the point of moving into the house begun ten years ago for my predecessor,' it was with a feeling that a great improvement was being made in residential quarters for the governors & their families. It was then that a GREAT HOUSE WARMING PARTY was given on tho twenty-sixth of June, 1845, in honor of the late Queen Victoria's
anniversary of her accession & coronation. There can be few, if any, of those who attended at that festival now alive, but it was described as one of the 'most brilliant gatherings that had ever been held in Sydney, the numbers of families represented there exceeding those of any previous Vice-Regal entertainment.' But before using Government House as a residence, Governor Gipps had, in 1843, managed to hold the Birthday ball there, & to have the May levee in the re-ception rooms the same year he entered into possession. The new building was DESIGNED IN LONDON by Mr. E. Blire, & carried out under the superintendance of the then Colonial architect, Mr. Lewis, who, with Colonel Barney, was the principal advisor regard-ing the site, & the general construc-tion. The picture shows Government House with the front central porch, but in old prints we may see that the entrance hall, with the big front doors, & the exterior arch were not in existence. Built in the Tudor or Elizabethan style, it has a distinctiveness that surpasses any house in the metropolis, a& perhaps the only other residence which reminds one of this mansion is the castle of Mr. Henry Dangar's family, at Potts Point. The staircases are of Aus-tralian cedar, & the mantelpieces of local marble, which were considered very
fine in their day, & even now have a certain historical picturesqueness, as have the many small windows, & the castellated & elaborately carved turrets, all of which harmonise with the general style of architecture. But it is scarcely likely that a Government House designed & built nearly three-quarters of a cen-tury ago would be in keeping with the requirements now of a country which has grown with tremendous strides during the intervening time. It may not be generally known that in 1828 it was proposed to build the Gover-nor's residence at Elizabeth Town (Dar-linghurst), then commonly called official Town, because so many of the chief men concerned in the civil government lived in that locality. Lady Brisbane, writing to a friend in England, mentions the pro-posed position 'as scarcely as beautiful as where we now livo (at the junction of Phillip & Bridge St's), yet, being high on the hill & among other large residences, very desirable in site, I drove through the neighborhood & like it very much.' What a different aspect Darlinghurst would have assumed had several acres been absorbed for a Vice-Regal home! When we traverse that portion of Sydney now dedicated to public offices &
tram stations, we can scarcely realise that at what is now the corner of Bridge with Phillip streets, the first au-thenticated permanent home of our Governors stood, surrounded by trees & overgrown with foliage. Mrs. Meredith gives the most interesting description of the old house. 'It was just within the Domain precincts, approached by a prolongation of Bridge-street. Facing the house was a fine green lawn sloping to-wards the water, surrounded by noble trees, its original view being intercepted by wharves & the Quay.' The major portion of the building stood in what is now Phillip-street, Lady Gipps' garden being situated on what is now the Colonial Secretary's Office & Office of Public Works. The original cot-tage in Pitt Row, often alluded to by old-timers as the first Government House, is said to have no historical data to authen-ticate it. Probably servants attached to Government House may have lived in it, but there is no reason to believe that the house, pulled down about 1868, where Vic-kery's Chambers now stand, ever was the residence of an early Governor. But al-though no trace of the fine old cottage mansion at Bridge-street (of which there are many prints extant) remains, & even the last tree that marked the garden has been sacrificed to modern progress, yet we may bear this house in
grateful memory among historic homes, since there eight of our Governors passed their sojourn among us. It was here that just a century ago JOHN MACARTHUR FACED GOVERNOR BLIGH in the notable rebellion that ended by the stormiest scene that has ever been en-acted in the Government House through-out the British Dominion. 'From the windows,' quotes Mr. J. P. McGuanne, in a paper for the Historical Society, 'could be seen the preparations at Wynyard Square, when the officers of the New South Wales Corps had deter-mined to depose Bligh. Soldiers forming into line, flags flying, band playing, offi-cers in advance proceeding down George St, turning into Bridge-street, where Mrs. Putland (Bligh's housekeeper & daughter) with parachute extended, or-dered them to retire, thus somewhat re-tarding their entry, until her father, though BURNING WITH INDIGNATION, might have time to secrete his seals of office & private documents.' The story that Captain Bligh was ever found under a bed is more than unlikely, for although the bluff sea captain may have had his faults, cowardice is the one that seems most impossible, & one can scarcely believe that the man who had gone through stress & storm by land & sea, would hide under a pallet bed,
such as the old pictures represent him to do. One explanation of the story is that a French caricaturist, who was in Sydney about that time, published a cartoon called the 'Capture of Bligh,' & this gave rise to the story. The writer has heard that a copy of this picture is among the reserve drawings in the Art Gallery, & some day, no doubt, will be publicly shown. The marriage of Mrs. Putland (Bligh's daughter) with Sir Maurice O'ConnelI took place from Government House, being the first having a Vice-Regal residence for its festivities. Sir Maurice O'Connell then took his bride to India, but returned after on absence of 24 years with his re-giment, the 73rd, & resided in Balcombe's House, in the street named years before after him. A story is told of a novel way in which the state of a Go-vernor's temper was tried by his wife. Mrs. Macquarie did not appear, so far as history relates, to be, as a rule, very much afraid of her somewhat arbitrary lord & master ; but when he was busy in the study, it is said, she never disturbed him by any messages from the outside world without first applying a test. She had an old bonnet which she threw into the middle of the room. If he ROSE & KICKED IT OUT,
she regarded it as a signal 'dangerous.' If he let it lie, she knew he was safe to be approached. An enduring memorial of Mrs. Macquarie is her 'Chair' of solid rock at Yurong Point, where so many thousands of men & women have, like she did, wandered through the spacious Domain &, finding peace & pleasure in the glorious view therefrom, have rested awhile where she is said constantly to have sat & mused. The recall of Governor Macquarie is associated with the Domain. He ordered a high wall to be built in order to sepa-rate his private grounds from the public area, & warned trespassers that they
were not to make a common footpath through to Woolloomooloo. His guards caught six men & two women, & he ordered the men to be flogged, & the women to be imprisoned. One William Blake, a free man, caused a petition to be signed for Macquarie's recall, & took the same to England, with the result that Macquarie went away before his time. Two children of Governor Brisbane first saw the light in old Government House — Eleanor Australia, born April 7, 1823 ; & Thomas Australius, August 24, 1824. There was a sadness over the fate of both these very charming young people, for Thomas died at Gibraltar, aged 25, of rock fever, when on a visit to his fellow-officers ; & his sister died of consump-tion at the early age of 29. Perhaps NO SUCH DISTINGUISHED MAN was ever in early days our Governor, & yet he was by no means as successful as a coarser-natured but more business-like an official would probably have been. The Agricultural Society owed much to him, as also did astronomical research. It was in his time that large holdings began to be taken up, & the A. A. Company first got land. In 1830 Sir W. E. Parry, the great Arctic explorer, was commissioner for the company, &, being with his wife (a daughter of Lord Stanley) on a visit to Government House, a son was born there. This was the Right Reverend Edward Parry, afterwards Bishop Parry. THE FIRST BIRTH, however, at Government House took place in 1805, when little Elizabeth King was born. The mother, with Mrs. Parker, were noted for being the first two ladies to come to the settlement. They arrived by the Gorgon, 1791, & were the guests of Governor Phillip. It was during Go-
vernor King's term that a tragic event happened, when Colonel de La Clampe DROPPED DEAD AFTER DANCING a quadrille at Government House ball. He was a French refugee, who, coming to Australia, took to farming, for which he was totally unfitted, enduring many hardships before his death in 1801. Perhaps no Governor was less popular than Sir Ralph Darling, though his wife appears to have done all in her power socially to bring together the people of New South Wales, & to bridge over the strong feelings that existed between the children of the emancipists & the free settlers. At her balls were to be seen for the first time the 'Currency Lasses,' the daughters of emancipists who had at-tained good positions. The social soirees are mentioned as being the most looked for fetes ; whilst she was the first also to entertain children at parties in the colony. Somehow Sir Ralph Darling man-aged to offend everyone so greatly that at his departure there were rejoicings on all hands. He quarrelled with the Press, with the military, with racing men, & private property-owners ; & the day when he left Sydney was MARKED BY A GREAT FETE given by Wentworth, when a bullock was
roasted whole, & Watson's Bay was visited by thousands of people, to whom free drink & a banquet were given. 'The Glorification of Vaucluse' was an event that lived in the memory of many old residents. Lady Darling unjustly shared the indignities of her husband, as some miscreants, bent on mischief, put a bullock's head on a pole, &, pulling out into the stream where lay the departing vessel, they attempted to frighten Lady Darling by raising the horrid spectacle before her. Sir Richard Bourke appeared to care very little for his Sydney Vice-Regal resi-dence. He spoke of the house as a lot of rooms to which each Governor added an extra one as necessity arose. He also wrote to the British authorities, saying that some of the grounds should be alien-ated for wharfage & city expansion, & at the same time he urged a new house, & greater privacy by high walls. This was in 1837, but it was nearly ten years after, when Governor Bourke had long severed his connection with the colony, that a removal took place. It may be said that his resignation was due to the attacks made upon him by the extension of protection & hospitality in making Government House a depot for the first unmarried emigrants. A pamphlet sup-posed to have been written by a convict, incited by Judge Sherry, criticising the Governor, produced much ill-feeling, & though Sir Richard Bourke, upon his leaving the country, had the honor of the first statue erected to a Governor (in the Domain), yet he had many annoying mo-ments prior to his leaving us. His daughter, Anna Maria, was married to Mr. E. Deas Thomson, but the ceremony took place from Government House, Parramatta. Tho gay & volatile Sir Charles Fitzroy, with his following of clever, but wild young aides & secretaries, did not im prove tho reputation of social life at tho Vice-Regal seat. Dr. Lang mado scath ing remarks regarding tho 'prlvate life'
of His Excellency, & a fierce fire of pub licity boat upon every littlo failing, which was not lessened when Lady Mary Fitz roy was accidentally killed 'by her husband in imprudently acting as charioteer at tho time.' A censorship was placed., over tho peoplo invited to Government Houso, & many leading men refused to allow their wives & daughters to at tend functions there. Tho sons of Go vernor Fitzroy appeared to have been tho causo of much of the troublo. being wild & racketty 'chips of the old' block,' ac-. cording to repute, & much that would havo passed unnoticed in a largo commu nity was eagerly sought as news, & enlarged upon by scandal-loving people. When Governor Dennison left Sydney twenty-four presentation speeches of re gret came to him, & Lady Dennison; spoko ot the pain of her adieux, first is tho public, then to her personal friends* especially the Bishop & Mrs. Barker, & last, but saddest, to many old ser vants & retainers. '
FIRST GOVERNMENT HOUSE. Situated at what is now the junction of Bridge Phillip streets.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE TO-DAY.