Burdekin House – 197 Macquarie Street – Sydney – NSW
Built 1841 · Architectural supervision James Hume (London-design tradition also recorded) · Demolished August 1933 — site now St Stephen’s Uniting Church
Opposite Parliament House, Macquarie Street once wore what the Sydney Herald (August 1841) called “the most handsome house in Sydney.” Merchant Thomas Burdekin barely lived to enjoy it. His widow and son Sydney kept the drawing room as a political salon. In 1929 modern artists briefly remade the upper floors. In August 1933 the house fell for a new Presbyterian church — and the wreck helped invent NSW’s heritage conscience. Some of the verandah’s Ionic columns still survive in museum care.
At a glance
- Address: 197 Macquarie Street, Sydney (western side, opposite NSW Parliament) — plaque territory outside today’s St Stephen’s
- Built: 1841 (near completion August 1841 — MHNSW); Dictionary of Sydney milestone also lists 1842
- Architect: James Hume commonly credited with supervision; Morton Herman also records a tradition of London design (MHNSW)
- Style: Regency / Greek Revival town mansion — three storeys + basement; fluted timber Ionic verandah columns; cedar stair and joinery; celebrated Louis-revival drawing room
- Original owner: Thomas Burdekin (1801–1844), ironmonger / merchant; then Mary Ann Burdekin; later Sydney Burdekin (Lord Mayor 1890–91)
- Heritage: Demolished — no standing SHR house; remnant columns held by Museums of History NSW / Caroline Simpson Library storyline
- Fate: Demolished August 1933 for St Stephen’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church, opened mid-1930s after Phillip Street church lost to Martin Place extension
Site & setting
Macquarie Street’s institutional parade — Domain, Hyde Park Barracks, Parliament — framed a private palace on a sloping lot. The house rose seven bays / ~70 ft on the ground floor, five bays above, with basement as the land fell away (MHNSW). A walled rear garden survived into the 1920s tea-house era (period press on live post).
After 1933 the Interwar Gothic church of St Stephen’s took the footprint. A pavement plaque commemorates Burdekin House (Sydney Aldermen note).
Timeline
- 1820s–30s – Thomas Burdekin builds ironmongery / merchant wealth (ADB / aldermen biographies; live post Byrne gossip is colour only).
- 1841 – House built / nearing completion; Sydney Herald praise August 1841 (MHNSW).
- 1844 – Thomas dies; Mary Ann and sons inherit.
- 1845 – Ludwig Leichhardt names the Burdekin River for Mrs Thomas Burdekin’s expedition help (journal note on live post — keep as documented anecdote).
- 1841–1922 – Family ownership/occupation (MHNSW); Sydney Burdekin’s mayoral / parliamentary years; drawing room used for party meetings.
- c.1880s – Upper wings / billiard room works associated with Oswald Hoddle Lewis (MHNSW).
- 1922 – Family leaves; hotel / syndicate schemes; RAHS lobbies to save (MHNSW).
- 1924 – T. E. Rofe purchase; RPA Hospital Ladies’ Auxiliary tea-house / artist studios upstairs (MHNSW / live post).
- 8 Oct – 21 Dec 1929 – Burdekin House Exhibition (period rooms + modernist top-floor rooms by De Maistre, Proctor, Hera Roberts, Feint, Gellert) (MHNSW).
- 1933 – Sold to St Stephen’s trustees; demolished August 1933.
- 1934+ – Demolition cited in Bronte House save campaign; later Macquarie Street debates; Annie Wyatt / National Trust foundation memory (MHNSW).
- Columns afterlife – Six cut down for St Malo, Hunters Hill; St Malo demolished 1961; remnants to National Trust then MHNSW Caroline Simpson Library (2012) (MHNSW).
Architecture & interiors
MHNSW / Herman: “finest building in the Regency style in New South Wales” — superbly built and finished under Hume’s supervision. Ten Greek-revival fluted timber verandah columns with Scamozzi-style Ionic capitals. Cedar staircase with wreathed handrail (1920s Construction articles on live post). Drawing room: full depth (~40 ft), Louis-revival plaster, painted ceilings, white onyx fireplaces — Broadbent’s “definitive example” of the style in the colony (MHNSW citing Broadbent).
Do not claim Francis Greenway authorship — period speculation exists; MHNSW / Herman favour Hume + possible London drawings.
People & anecdotes
Thomas Burdekin — English merchant; ironware fortune; short enjoyment of the house (d. 1844). Mary Ann (née Bossley) — Leichhardt’s named river acknowledgement. Sydney Burdekin — mayor, MLA; political rendezvous in the drawing room (MHNSW; live post Parkes/Robertson/Reid colour — treat as period claim).
1929 modernists — top-floor rooms now read as a landmark of Australian modern interior display (MHNSW / AGNSW Sydney moderns scholarship).
Annie Wyatt — National Trust origin story tied to Burdekin House + Commissariat Store losses (MHNSW citing Ivor Wyatt).
Image gallery guidance
Live post already carries Hardy Wilson 1914, Ashley Cooper coach entrance, 1920s–33 press and demolition views — keep and re-credit.
1. Hardy Wilson, Burdekin House, 1914 (Dixson / SLNSW — on post)
2. Verandah columns / façade before demolition (MHNSW / SLNSW)
3. Drawing-room interiors c.1905 (MHNSW story)
4. 1929 Exhibition modern rooms (Hera Roberts etc. — AGNSW / MHNSW)
5. St Stephen’s church on the site today + pavement plaque
6. Surviving columns — Museums Discovery Centre / Caroline Simpson Library displays
What stands today
Burdekin House is gone. Stand on Macquarie Street outside St Stephen’s Uniting Church (197 Macquarie Street area) and look for the commemorative plaque. Pair with Parliament House opposite and the Domain. Remnant columns: follow MHNSW / Caroline Simpson Library interpretation — two formerly displayed at Museums Discovery Centre (Castle Hill) in related essays.
Sources & further reading
- Dictionary of Sydney — Burdekin House: https://dictionaryofsydney.org/building/burdekin_house
- Museums of History NSW — “Burdekin House – St Malo columns”: https://mhnsw.au/stories/general/burdekin-house-st-malo-columns/
- MHNSW — Burdekin House columns: https://mhnsw.au/burdekin-house-columns/
- MHNSW — Salvaging demolished buildings: https://mhnsw.au/stories/general/salvaging-future-sydneys-demolished-buildings/
- City of Sydney Aldermen — Thomas Burdekin: https://www.sydneyaldermen.com.au/alderman/thomas-burdekin/
- Morton Herman, The Early Australian Architects and Their Work (1954) — Hume / London-design discussion (via MHNSW)
- Live post (clip scrapbook): https://historicsydneymansionsmanorshouses.blogspot.com/2026/06/burdekin-house-macquarie-street-sydney.html
- Trove — search “Burdekin House” Macquarie (1922–1933 demolition wave already clipped on post)
Related on this blog
- Elizabeth Bay House (Verge / Hume builder echo)
- Vaucluse House (offered painted panels 1933 — declined)
- Macquarie Street institutional set — search Parliament / Hyde Park Barracks posts
(Keep the Trove clip wall; lead with this narrative; Sources at bottom.)
Historic live gallery
Images retained from the live Blogger post:
Historic Sydney Architecture
The Burdekin House, Macquarie Street
By Florence M. Taylor.
The possession of wealth has alway [sic] inspired, encouraged and fructified the desire to possess an ambitious home. Time was when the old world nobility considered the mansion or the castle the outward personification of rank and of affluence, but more than this the home was the place of entertainment and social enjoyment which the modern amusement houses are making unnecessary. If, however, the home can no longer take the place of social entertainment, it still offers a haven for comfort, quiet retreat and family intercourse; and although in Europe one reads of fine mansions and town houses being sold to the newly rich and even destroyed to an alarming extent, there was no doubt that the competition in possession of elaborate home buildings was carried to a ridiculous extent. It was nothing for a nobleman or a person of affluence to spend £50 each season on the reconditioning of the front door; these were got up with a polish similar to that of the nobleman's carriage.
Throughout the world the making of fine houses is becoming almost a lost art, certainly a lost desire and the fine skill of the practised artisan is giving place to the rough crude workman whose one desire is to get as much as he can for as little as he can do; and skill is a thing that is considered a disgraceful possession, whilst the possession of the outward symbol of wealth—the fine home—is likely to be a danger to the possessor.
Little wonder, therefore, that so little is being done in the creation of fine mansions, hence it is all the more essential that those which have some historical connection shall be preserved, and made of interest to the people generally.
Although the older countries have perhaps suffered from a surfeit, in the newer countries of America and Australia, there are a few fine houses which have been the cradles of the nations, and if they are not pretentious they mostly have dignity.
In America the "White House," the home of the President is almost sacred ground and even the occupier is bound by most stringent rules of procedure, promulgated with the object of preserving old associations and customs, and preventing the destruction or alteration of even the most insignificant part of the President's home. The houses of Washington, Lincoln and Grant are preserved with great pride.
In Australia, such buildings are lamentably few, but those which survive are worthy of description such as Macleay House and Vaucluse House, Sydney (already described in "Building") the latter being almost daily the object of pilgrimages; the scholars from various institutions, the civil engineers, and other bodies making special excursions to view the building. Another such house is that known as "The Burdekin House" situated in Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Just as during the 19th Century the prosperous Englishman was encouraging the architect and the man skilled in art, so this English gentleman, Thomas Burdekin, thought no expenditure too much to lavish upon his home in Australia. He worked in that true spirit which recognised that to him, who made the comfort of the home his chief exertion—the end to which every enterprise and labor should tend—did thereby ensure a permanent source of happiness, realising that the man who values his home as his greatest asset in happiness can derive further happiness from inviting friends to taste the sweets of domestic enjoyment.
The man is wise who prefers and delights in a tranquil retirement of home life in preference to the questionable joys of the tumultuous city, and it has to be remembered that in the early days travel was a most difficult proposition, hence Sydney in common with all 19th Century cities was perhaps more a place of residence than of business.
Photo caption: THE FIRST FLOOR LANDING, BURDEKIN HOUSE
The stair, as will be seen, was mostly a matter of intricate curves, so dear to the heart of the skilled tradesman sixty or seventy years ago. From an artistic point of vi[e]w the gaining of stability and rigidity in the balustrading, by the use of wreathed handrails, is much to be preferred to the modern newel post.
Thomas Burdekin was that type of sturdy Englishman who braved the appalling journey in 1826 from England to Sydney. He came out to start a private bank, but finding the time was not ripe, joined with Mr. Holdsworth in buying and chartering their own ships and bringing out the goods that were required for the colony and laid a sure foundation of that great business now known as Holdsworth Macpherson and Co. His success came early and in liberal measure so that he was able to establish a home quite pretentious for the period and costly also, especially in labor.
The site of the Burdekin home no doubt was a matter of serious consideration in those far off days; naturally a high commanding situation would have been sought, notwithstanding the difficulty in water supply and other considerations and there is possibly no better position in the whole of Sydney and its environs as far as outlook, picturesqueness and comfort are concerned than that on which the building is erected.
In these days of Torrens Title it is hard to realise the complications that arose in connection with land tenure and identification. There are suburbs round Sydney where surveys were so unscientifically carried out that in closing up from two directions the two streets have become merged into one, with a useless narrow plot of ground in between for a part of their length.
Burdekin, having bought his ground and erected his house, an irate owner came forward with evidently a secure title and poor Burdekin had to pay a second purchase price which was naturally much in excess of the then value, for the right of possession.
Burdekin did not live long to enjoy his wonderful home, but he left the nation a fine legacy in three sons, one of whom (Marshall), became a barrister in 1859 and later was appointed Colonial Treasurer in the Cowper Ministry and had the misfortune to be defeated on seeking re-election; the second son J. B. Burdekin was not a seeker after fame and unlike his elder and younger brothers took no part in politics; the latter, however, was in the State Parliament for fourteen years, representing the Hawkesbury Electorate, his name is also to be seen about the city on structures erected during the years of his mayorality of the City of Sydney. Eventually he resigned and proceeded to England.
It should be said, however, in passing, that like others of Sydney's famous houses politics were intimately associated with Burdekin House for there were men such as Robertson, Parkes and Reid who were never rich enough to own even a decent residence, who utilised the homes of their political associates in much of the country's important work. It is said of Burdekin House that its drawing room became a political rendezvous and that cabinet meetings were frequently held therein.
In design, the Burdekin House is of a high order and has the stamp of an architectural genius. There is some question of doubt as to where Burdekin obtained his designs; some attribute the work to Governor Macquarie's architect—Greenway—but a further report states that an English architect sent them out to Sydney.
It is a curious fact that architecture, and peculiarly domestic architecture, is an infallible guide to the education, experience and general excellence of the designer, or just as infallibly stamps the hand of the jerry builder or the imperic who uses bombast in place of education and skill; but just as literary authors are identified by their works, so the personal character of the architect is stamped upon his work no matter how obscure the identity may be. However obscure the designer of Burdekin House may be, there is no doubt that the execution of the work did justice to him, and it is surely a privilege to be allowed to examine both the exterior and the interior from an architectural and artistic point of view.
Photo caption: THE ENTRANCE HALL, BURDEKIN HOUSE, MACQUARIE STREET, SYDNEY
The large opening in the middle distance forms the division between the entrance hall and the back staircase hall, and illustrates the delicacy of the Georgian work put into the fanlight and sidelights. It would be almost impossible to find a tradesman nowadays who could select the timber and execute this delicate tracery, the jointing of which had to be most skilfully performed; but no doubt the greatest difficulty was to find timber that could be reduced to such small proportions and such shapes without splitting.
Externally the house has been spoilt by a coating of cement on the two upper storeys, but the fine Pyrmont sandstone still lends character to the ground fl[oo]r.
Photo caption: ONE OF THE MANTELS IN THE DRAWING ROOM
The Rococo feeling has been carried throughout the whole of the decoration, which in this case is unusually extensive. Instead of the usual overmantel, the mirror is surmounted with a pretty decorative panel, and the light swags breaking across the top of the oval give a wonderful character and realism to the design. The side panels are a peculiar shape, but none the less effective because of their rounded ends.
The style of the architecture is Colonial, with Georgian details, but the usual por[c]h has been widened and lengthened to t[h]e whole extent of the facade so that [i]t becomes a verandah and be it said [th]at this verandah is practically the only decorative feature that appears externally. The crude pilasters and insignificant cornices of the upper storeys have little to recommend them either in design or execution. The verandah is the form of a very fine colonnade, with ten Ionic columns of the Scanozzi [sic] type, those flanking the entrance being grouped in pairs, and although they are of wood, they certainly exhibit a high degree of skill in their execution.
The jointing is especially fine, for the shafts are made up of staves fitted and jointed at the bottoms of the alternate flutes, and when one realises that in addition to the flutes proper entasis is given the jointing difficulty is at once apparent. Mostly these staves are secretly jointed. The capitals, in addition to the volutes, contain some delicate and well-designed floral ornamentation.
The entablature is finely moulded with medallions and it is a pity that this fine work is being allowed to go to ruin, for the want of a little paint and putty, for evidences of weather and white ants are becoming painfully apparent.
The ceiling of this verandah is panelled in cedar, and the polish has been such as to preserve and enhance the deep rich tone of this wonderful timber.
The front door presents evidences of the necessity that originally existed for providing security against intruders, the great lock having a keyhole two inches deep, but as the inhabitants must have found the carrying round of such a huge piece of ironmongery irksome, there have been added at different times smaller locks with less preposterous keyholes.
Modern additions that lend a little cheerfulness to the sombre colored door are a brass street number and electrical bell press. The knocker still survives, and as was usual its quaint eagle design.
At the back of the building the stairways are of a very poor design, economy seeming to have been a chief consideration, and the outhouses and attachments are of a nondescript character. But nature has redeemed the poorness of the architecture in providing a wonderfully green grass plot with great overspreading trees and palms. The foliage of one Acacia blankets the poor prospect of drab backs of buildings with its great height of 75 feet, and a spread of nearly 60 feet.
The essence of planning in the pre-modern days was absolute simplicity with liberal plan dimensions in contradistinction to the terrible jumble of pokey holes and corners with so-called "built-in-conveniences" that constitute the modern residence.
In the old days the building was the casket for decorative walls, ceilings and furniture, and Burdekin House was planned on these lines. A 10-ft hall runs from front to back, the front portion forming a fine vestibule, and is cut off from the back half by means of a Georgian door with side lights and fanlights, corresponding to the design of those at the entrance. The internal doorway serves to screen the staircase from the vestibule and on either side of the hall the living rooms are arranged. On the right is the drawing room, 48 feet long by 24 feet wide; originally it was divided into two rooms by means of folding doors, but these have been taken out, and the girder supporting the wall above is carried on Corinthian columns and pilasters of fine proportion and workmanship. The dining room is on the left hand side of the hall, 36 feet long and 24 feet wide. A peculiarity of the planning is that apparently ground was either originally, or at a subsequent date, utilised for the addition of narrow wings 12 feet wide, and on both sides these wings extend the whole height of the building and the whole depth except that in the front elevation they are stepped back a few inches, emphasising a peculiar break. On the ground floor these are utilised respectively as a library and morning room, but it can be imagined that rooms 12 feet wide and 48 feet long are ungainly in proportions and as they have no other access except through the principal rooms the arrangement is not a happy one, and certainly suggests an afterthought.
Photo caption: THE DINING ROOM, BURDEKIN HOUSE, MACQUARIE STREET, SYDNEY
The cornice is made up of very finely ornamented members, and the whole place is redolent of fine artisanship. The ceiling and walls are hand-painted, the fleurs de lis forming a conspicuous feature in the walls. The pattern, however, is stencilled on, but is none the less effective and has involved a great amount of skill. While the mantelpiece is a work of art in construction, the design is very poor—the lower columns are as much out of proportion, in being too thick, as the upper ones are in being too thin; in both cases correct proportions would not have involved any more work and would have looked far better.
Photo caption: THE STAIRCASE, BURDEKIN HOUSE, SYDNEY
The timber throughout is of cedar and unstintingly used; the newel and balusters being particularly substantial and businesslike in their design and construction. The carving is exquisitely wrought, and the purposeful knob of the newel contrasts with the more modern knobs with their absurd projections, calculated to obstruct the passage of, if not damage, all who use the staircase. This is not a comfortable staircase, however; the risers are so high that the sensation of ascending is like ascending the pyramids.
As the ground falls sharply away from Macquarie Street, the back portion beneath the ground floor is utilised for kitchen and offices, and this forms a very awkward arrangement in view of the modern difficulties with domestic service, though it was perhaps of little importance with plenty of cheap labor at the time the place was built.
The staircase is an elaborate piece of work. The newel posts are finely carved from 9in. x 9in. cedar, the base is formed of springing acanthus leaves, the shafts are fluted and Ionic capitals are surmounted by a shell design and a heavy carved knob. Each baluster is hand carved and fluted, and is supported by a heavy moulded handrail.
The proportions of the stair, however, make the "going" heavy; the 12-inch tread is provided with a 6½-inch rise, and thus proportion is unusual. The rise should have been much less than 6½ ins. for comfort sake. The construction of this staircase as well as the whole of the internal woodwork, is of fine cedar, practically unobtainable to-day.
This staircase gives access to the two upper floors, which are devoted to bedrooms, and the building therefore shows three floors to the front facade, and four to the back. Of the interior, much can be said of the very fine and costly decorative work, and this consists for the most part of artistically designed, modelled and hand-painted ornamentation to the ceilings and walls, but in addition the novel scheme of picking out is noticed in that certain prominent portions of the decorations are lined out in silver, mostly following the prominent line forms of the ornamentation. The effect is such that the light scintillates from and emphasises the design due to the permanent polish of the covering.
BURDEKIN HOUSE
Danger of Demolition
There is a danger of Sydney losing a historic house and one of the finest examples yet remaining of Georgian architecture. This is Burdekin House, in Macquarie-street, which is now for sale.
Unless something is done to preserve it Burdekin House may before long be pulled down to make room for flats.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
SUGGESTED HISTORICAL MUSEUM.
A deputation, representing the Historical Society and the Institute of Architects, waited upon the Minister for Education (Mr. A. Bruntnell) yesterday with a request that the Government should purchase Burdekin House, with a view to utilising it as an historical museum. In reply, Mr. Bruntnell said he was in sympathy with the object of establishing an historical museum, but the financial difficulties were apparent, and he could do nothing more than promise to refer the matter to Cabinet.
GOING, GONE!
Burdekin House Furniture
GLORY OF ANTIQUE
Going, going, gone!
The old dining-room in Burdekin House, with its frescoed ceiling—cracked in places—and decorated walls, hung with paintings, in heavy gold frames, was crowded to-day.
At no reception given by the wealthy Sydney Burdekin, in days gone by, could so many people have filled the rooms of the old colonial mansion. An auction sale is a great magnet.
When Burdekin House, Macquarie-street, was offered at auction, nobody wanted it. But the sale of the furniture, which commenced to-day, was more successful.
"Never seen such a big crowd at a sale before—and I've been in the game for thirty years," said one of the auctioneer's clerks.
GOBLET AT £5
The crockery and glassware was offered first.
Wine glasses went for 2s 6d each, old English beer glasses for 35s each, and an 18th century Venetian goblet, tinted green, for £5—though the auctioneer said it was worth five times that amount.
There was much to interest lovers of the antique, and the sale attracted many connoisseurs.
It is to continue to-morrow.
Later, when all the furniture is sold perhaps somebody will buy the house, and maybe tear it down.
Then Burdekin House, with all its old political associations, will be only a memory.
NOT GOVERNMENT ACTION.
Cabinet decided to-day not to agree to the request made to the Minister of Education that Burdekin House should be resumed.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
Sir,—Last year, when the suggestion that the Government should purchase Burdekin House and convert it into an historical museum was before the public, inquiry was instituted as to the age of the building. I do not think definite information was then forthcoming. But to-day I received from Mr. Alfred Potter, of Glebe, the following copy from the "Sydney Herald" of Monday, August 30, 1841, which helps to fix the date:—
"NEW MANSION.
"Mr. Burdekin's new house in Macquarie-street is now so far completed as to enable us to pronounce it the most handsome house in Sydney.
"It is built in the style of many of the town mansions at the west end of the town, and to no part of London would it do discredit. It is exactly opposite the Council Chamber, and those who have not yet seen it would do well to take a walk for the purpose of looking at it."
From this article it is clear that Burdekin House is now nearly 82 years of age.
I am, etc., K. R. CRAMP, Honorary Secretary, Royal Australian Historical Society.
Feb. 13.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
Sold for £55,000.
PASSING OF HISTORIC HOME.
Burdekin House, rich in history as one of the quickly-disappearing links with old Sydney, was disposed of yesterday for £55,000. It, too, is to disappear, efforts to have it preserved as an historical museum having failed. A palatial hotel is to rise in its place.
The property was sold by Hardie and Gorman Proprietary, Limited, in conjunction with Messrs. Raine and Horne, acting under instructions from Mr. Alec Hay.
The purchasers are the Macquarie Properties Syndicate, and their intention is to erect a palatial hotel on the land, running from Macquarie-street to Phillip-street, the syndicate having also purchased the property facing Phillip-street at the rear of Burdekin House.
Burdekin House, in common with many other of Sydney's oldest buildings, stands to-day as a monument to the faithful workmanship of the men who planned and built for the people long ago. The historic home, regarded as the handsomest house in Sydney in its day, has weathered more than 80 years. When it was completed people were invited to look at it, such was the grace and the beauty of it. Even to-day passers-by in Macquarie-street often stop to look at it with pride, not merely as one of the architectural glories of other days, but as a building that even now does not discredit the more ornate and aristocratic company which it keeps. Now, alas, its days are numbered.
That Burdekin House is nearly 82 years of age is clear from the following interesting paragraph in the "Sydney Herald" of Monday, August 30, 1841:—
"NEW MANSION."
"Mr. Burdekin's new house in Macquarie-street is now so far completed as to enable us to pronounce it the most handsome house in Sydney.
"It is built in the style of many of the town mansions at the west end of the town, and to no part of London would it do discredit. It is exactly opposite the Council Chamber, and those who have not yet seen it would do well to take a walk for the purpose of looking at it."
Every line of that paragraph diffuses the spirit of pride with which old Sydney looked on Burdekin House when it was nearing completion. Situated immediately opposite to Parliament House, it was built by Mr. Thomas Burdekin, father of the late Mr. Sydney Burdekin, a former Mayor of Sydney, and a member of the Legislative Assembly for about 14 years. Only in June last representatives of the Royal Historical Society and of the Institute of Architects submitted to the Minister for Education a request that the Government should purchase Burdekin House, with the view of utilising it as an historical museum. Mr. Bruntnell expressed himself in sympathy with the object of establishing an historical museum, but he pointed out the difficulties from the financial aspect, and said he could do no more than promise to refer the matter to the Cabinet. Apparently the Cabinet concurred in the Minister's view that the finances were an obstacle to the realisation of the wishes of those who wanted to see the old home preserved in a national way.
A day or two afterwards Burdekin House was offered for sale, but the auctioneer was unable to secure a bid for it. If the old figures who looked down from its walls could have given articulate expression to their feelings, what would they have thought at the spectacle of seeing old Sydney's handsomest home thus passed coldly by? Then came the sale, on behalf of the Sydney Burdekin Trust, of the Georgian furniture and other effects which graced the old mansion.
Now it is to crumble to dust to satisfy the exigencies of the present day.
BURDEKIN HOUSE
HISTORIC PROPERTY SOLD
SITE FOR PALATIAL HOTEL
Burdekin House, the historic property opposite Parliament House, in Macquarie Street, has been sold for £55,000.
It was announced yesterday that Hardie and Gorman Pty., Ltd., in conjunction with Messrs. Raine and Horne, had negotiated the deal on behalf of the vendor, Mr. Alexander Hay.
The property has been purchased by an influential syndicate, Macquarie Properties, Ltd., in connection with a project for the erection of a modern palatial hotel on the site. The same syndicate recently acquired a property fronting Phillip Street, and adjoining Burdekin House at the rear, so that the proposed new structure will have access from both streets.
It is understood that £150,000 is to be expended upon the new building, and that the work will be entered upon very shortly.
Burdekin House, which occupies land with a frontage of 115ft. 6in. by a depth of 117ft. 9in., was the historic residence of the Burdekin family. Demolition will mean the removal of one of the quaint landmarks of Sydney. It was in the massive old colonial structure, with its colonnaded facade, that the Ministry was formed which pioneered the way for the old Liberal Party. Conveniently situated opposite the Legislative Assembly, it became the rendezvous for delicate party conferences, especially in the heyday of Sir George Reid, who was a close personal friend of Mr. Sydney Burdekin, the genial host of Burdekin Mansion.
PASSING OF BURDEKIN HOUSE.
[Photo caption:] Burdekin House, in Macquarie-street, one of the landmarks of Sydney, was sold yesterday for £55,000. A palatial hotel is to be erected on the site.
The old building, erected more than 80 years ago, was pronounced the handsomest house in Sydney in those days.
10/4/23.
BURDEKIN HOUSE SOLD
SITE FOR PALATIAL HOTEL.
Burdekin House, the historic property opposite Parliament House, in Macquarie Street, Sydney, has been sold for £55,000.
The property has been purchased by an influential syndicate, Macquarie Properties, Ltd., in connection with a project for the erection of a modern palatial hotel on the site. The same syndicate recently acquired a property fronting Phillip Street, and adjoining Burdekin House at the rear, so that the proposed new structure will have access from both streets.
It is understood that £150,000 is to be expended upon the new building, and that the work will be entered upon very shortly.
Burdekin House, which occupies land with a frontage of 115ft. 6in. by a depth of 117ft. 9in., was the historic residence of the Burdekin family. Demolition will mean the removal of one of the quaint landmarks of Sydney. It was in the massive old colonial structure, with its colonaded [sic] facade, that the Ministry was formed which pioneered the way for the old Liberal Party. Conveniently situated opposite the Legislative Assembly, it became the rendezvous for delicate party conferences, especially in the heyday of Sir George Reid, who was a close personal friend of Mr Sydney Burdekin, the genial host of Burdekin Mansion.
FATE OF BURDEKIN HOUSE
Inquiries show that the question of finance stands in the way of realising the hope that Burdekin House, about to be demolished to make way for a new hotel in Macquarie Street, might be re-erected on another site, and used as an historical museum. Apart from this use, the consensus of opinion is that neither the historical nor the architectural features of the building justify the expense of its preservation.
It is stated that though the Royal Historical Society is still keen to secure the place for a museum, it can not contribute in financing any removal project, as the historical features would hardly warrant the expense.
EXIT HISTORIC "BURDEKIN HOUSE"!
ENTER "WALDORF-ASTORIA"!
Magnificent New Hotel for Sydney
Following close on the announcement of the sale of the celebrated and stately old "Burdekin House," opposite the Houses of Parliament, in Macquarie Street, Sydney, comes the announcement by the purchasers, the Macquarie Properties Syndicate, of their intention to erect on this historic and beautiful site, a palatial hotel, which, for modern hotel design, equipment, accommodation, and service, will eclipse anything of its kind in Australia.
One needs only to recall the recent terrific rush to secure accommodation at Easter-time in Sydney, and the uncomfortable packing of guests into all sorts of corners to illustrate how greatly Sydney is lacking in hotel accommodation. Apart from the holiday period, race seasons, and summer months, numerous visitors from the country, Inter-State, and overseas, often find it necessary to go to the expense of taking furnished flats near to the city, even though only here for a short stay, as the best accommodation of the few really better-class hotels is always greatly in demand.
Two directors of the new enterprise, and the architect, having recently toured the United States and the Continent, have purposely inspected the finest of hotels in the principal cities of each country, and gathered the very latest of the tried and best ideas for the new hotel. An examination of the preliminary plans, which are by the well-known Sydney architect, S. H. Buchanan, F.I.A., reveals a wealth of new departures not previously attempted in Australia.
The guest motoring to the "Waldorf Astoria" will not have to alight outside, from his car, but will drive right into the heart of the hotel, and be ushered from the car to an elevator, and whisked direct to the lounge, the dining hall, grill room, or to his own particular floor; his car, instead of having to return to any special garage, can be taken in charge by an attendant, cleaned, tuned-up, and garaged in the hotel garage basement until again required. This innovation is made practical by the unique position of the "Waldorf Astoria," extending as it does from Macquarie Street in the front, to Phillip Street at the rear.
In addition to having distinctive surroundings, the "Waldorf Astoria" will be within five minutes' walking distance of the most important points of the city—the exchanges, principal shopping centres, G.P.O., business centres, clubs, etc. It will be exceptionally convenient to the Central Station by reason of the St. James' Square Station of the new City Railway being within 250 yards. The directors have mentioned their intention of having, if possible, a sub-station—"Waldorf Astoria"—leading direct into the hotel, which means that when the northern trains are diverted to the City Railway route, the traveller arriving from Brisbane will step from the train direct into his hotel.
The stately pile of the new "Waldorf" will rear itself eleven stories from the footpath, and, in addition, will have main and sub basements. The estimated cost of the hotel complete, including land and appointments, is £350,000. The construction is to be of reinforced concrete, with an ornate and most imposing style of architectural treatment for the main entrances, facades, and principal rooms. The concrete and steel construction incidentally enables the principal upright columns in the main rooms to be farther apart than the ordinary, thus allowing of unhampered space in these important sections.
The "Waldorf Astoria" Hotel will be a community in itself; nothing that can add to the comfort and convenience of guests and visitors has been overlooked. Commencing with the garage accommodation and service, and the motorists' entrance from the sub-basement in Phillip Street, there is then the basement proper, in which is installed a cafeteria—billiard rooms, hairdressing saloons (for both ladies and gentlemen), general toilet accommodation—luggage and hotel storage, and the hotel's own modernly equipped electric laundry. The ground floor from the main entrance will be approached through a handsomely treated loggia and a finely appointed roomy vestibule giving entrance under a well-lighted Luxford dome to a luxurious lounge of a type to be seen only in hotels of the Biltmore, Savoy, Cecil, and Pennsylvania class; the spacious and attractively designed liquor bar is on the opposite side of the lounge. The usual flower stalls, cloak room, booking office, tobacco divans, 'phone bureaux and exchange, porters' office, theatre booking stands, newspaper and post and telegraph office, will be conveniently disposed on this floor. Nine floors of the "Waldorf Astoria" will be devoted to artistically appointed bedrooms of various dimensions, totalling in all at the commencement some 250 rooms, arranged singly and in suites. The majority of bedrooms are each to be provided with bathroom, etc., and built-in wadrobes [sic]; most of the remaining bedrooms will have a bathroom to each two. By reason of the good area of land it will be possible to add to the Phillip Street side of the hotel and increase the accommodation to between four and five hundred rooms.
In passing, it is worthy of note to see that one of the most important features of modern building, that is natural lighting, has been given most generous consideration in the proposed construction of the "Waldorf Astoria." Its layout is after the type of the famous American H-section buildings, which, though making a considerable sacrifice of valuable building space, allows the natural daylight to flood into all rooms in every part of the building. The sacrifice is more than rewarded by the immense improvement in the ventilation, as well as the lighting, and is in striking contrast with the stuffiness and dimness and consequent unhealthiness of apartment and hotel buildings of ordinary design. The unique aspect of this new hotel, east by north, enables all rooms to receive a share of the morning sunlight, and to also enjoy the cooling afternoon shade, and be protected from both the southerly and westerly winds.
A private wireless set capable of communicating Inter-State and with the arriving overseas shipping, and also of receiving messages from Europe and U.S.A., is a proposal which the directors are intending to adopt.
Besides the main Macquarie Street entrance to the "Waldorf Astoria," the plans show several independent entrances for guests and visitors; in particular, there is the private entrance to the residential portion which is a decided advantage for ladies and children. On either side of the main entrance is placed a series of professional rooms, with waiting rooms for medical and dental surgeries. A modernly-equipped Turkish bath (both plunge and douche) will afford another admirable convenience for residents and visitors.
A whole floor will be devoted for the accommodation of the staff, comfortably and attractively furnished. The management control will radiate from one centre, and communication and transport will be greatly facilitated by the complete system of pneumatic tubes throughout the hotel.
The Macquarie Properties Syndicate are the proprietors of the new "Waldorf Astoria"; secretary, C. A. O. Sindel; architect, S. H. Buchanan, F.I.A.; builder, F. Dinham, M.B.A.; auditor, G. T. Clarke (late Lord Mayor of Sydney); solicitor, Wm. Arnott; bankers, the E. S. and A. Bank, Ltd., Martin Place, Sydney.
[Photo caption (part 2):] HISTORIC BURDEKIN HOUSE. This building will shortly be demolished, and on the site will be erected a magnificent hotel—the Waldorf Astoria.
[Sketch caption (part 4):] THE "WALDORF ASTORIA" HOTEL, FOR SYDNEY. The above sketch shows an elevation of the new hotel, which it is proposed to erect on the site of Burdekin House.
NOT A BID
For Burdekin House
There was a fair attendance at Raine and Horne's auction rooms to-day, when the historic old Macquarie-street building, "Burdekin House," was again put up for auction. However, it did not elicit a bid.
BURDEKIN HOUSE
HISTORIC SITE SOLD
The famous Burdekin House, in Macquarie Street, has been sold, on behalf of Mr. A. Hay, one of the trustees for the Burdekin Estate, to Mr. T. E. Rofe, of Wahroonga. The whole of the Macquarie Street property, including the historic mansion and lodge at the side, have been sold by the trustees to Mr. Rofe, the purchase price being between £50,000 and £60,000 cash. It is the intention of Mr. Rofe at once to remodel Burdekin House and build professional chambers on the adjoining vacant allotment. Mr. Hay has, with the consent of the new owner, presented the Sydney Municipal Council with the palm trees in front of the old mansion, and the civic authorities will transplant them.
The sale was carried out by Messrs. Raine and Horne and Hardie and Gorman, acting in conjunction with Mr. J. T. Bull, on behalf of the trustees of the Burdekin Estate.
A SYDNEY MANSION.
BURDEKIN HOUSE SOLD.
SYDNEY, Tuesday.
This afternoon a contract was signed by Mr. T. E. Rofe for the purchase of Burdekin House, Macquarie street, Sydney, for £50,000. Burdekin House was for years the home of the Burdekin family. Its wide halls, spacious rooms, and stately entrances are well known to those who remember the pleasant gatherings held there in days gone by. The land has a frontage of 115 ft.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
Sold Yesterday.
CONTRACT PRICE £50,000.
Yesterday afternoon a contract was signed for the purchase of Burdekin House, in Macquarie-street, by Mr. T. E. Rofe, for the sum of £50,000. The selling agents were Messrs. Raine and Horne and Hardie and Gorman Proprietary, Ltd. This property was to have been submitted to auction to-morrow morning in the rooms of Messrs. Raine and Horne but yesterday morning the auctioneers announced that the property would be withdrawn from the list.
Burdekin House is a well-known landmark in Macquarie-street. It was for years the home of the Burdekin family. Its wide halls, spacious rooms, and stately entrance were familiar to old residents, for it was the scene of many pleasant gatherings in days gone by. The land has a total frontage to Macquarie-street of a little over 115 feet. The portion of the area upon which the house is built has a depth of 116 feet, but adjoining the house on the southern side is a carriage drive of 35 feet frontage by a depth of 74 feet.
BURDEKIN HOUSE, SYDNEY
The Macquarie Street Front
[Photo caption:] This facade is in the typical, symmetrical classic style of the Georgian era, in which style most of Australia's early buildings were erected. The ample window area and the full length verandah, in place of the usual English Georgian porch, show the concessions to climatic requirements, while the architectural treatment, such as the fine Classic columns, show how well early architects combined practical and aesthetic requirements.
Burdekin House
After being vacant for about two years, Burdekin House, in Macquarie-street, has blossomed out into a tea and luncheon room under the auspices of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
IN Sydney there are many excellent tea and luncheon rooms staffed by amateurs, and carried on for the benefit of hospitals and other institutions, and Burdekin House, in Macquarie-street, is the latest acquisition to the ranks. There are many memories attached to the old stone house, which has been made available to the hospital by Mr. T. E. Rofe at a "peppercorn" rental. With Mrs. Arthur [illegible] at the head of affairs, and a commandant for each day in charge of 12 voluntary waitresses, success should result, and the coffers of Prince Alfred Hospital should be considerably replenished. In its [illegible] Burdekin House was the most hospitable home in the State. Presided over by the late Mrs. Sydney Burdekin, one of the most gracious hostesses Sydney has ever known, it was the meeting-ground for members of Sydney society, and there were few prominent folk who were not entertained at dinner or at the afternoon tea parties which were a feature of those days. Mrs. Burdekin had the assistance of her three daughters, Mrs. James Ai[illegible]on (who died some years ago), Mrs. Alexander Hay, and Miss Alice Burdekin. Mrs. Hay and her sister are nearly always on the wing, and spend much of their time in England. Many a happy hour was spent by crowds of guests in the historic home, and at Christmas time there was always something special as befitted the occasion.
MACQUARIE-STREET has always been a centre of attraction during festive and other periods. When there was an opening of Parliament in progress Mrs. Burdekin was sure to be entertaining a party to morning tea, and the wide unroofed balcony always held a bevy of smart folk with gay parasols over their heads. But with the passing of its chatelaine the glories of Burdekin House were dimmed, and now the historic home has opened its doors to a different generation, and the ballroom, once the home of the stately waltz, the old-fashioned lancers and quadrilles, will re-echo with the sounds of syncopated jazz music, and curious and excited crowds will take possession of the lawn at the back and drink their tea under the shelter of a spreading acacia tree. Other times, other manners! The new colour scheme chosen by the hospital auxiliary is a warm golden yellow, and Mrs. Charles Walker, the organising secretary, has managed to secure golden china to match. Several handsome gifts have been received from sympathisers, notably a fine carved mahogany sideboard and waggon from Mrs. Alfred Phillips. These are placed in the main cafe. There are rooms set apart for small parties and for bridge, and ample accommodation for wedding and other teas. It is proposed to erect a small stage in the ballroom where one-act plays will be given, and thus prove a lure to visitors. Burdekin House is now the centre of attraction. It has taken on a new lease of life. For the sake of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, let us hope that the venture will prove an outstanding success. Willing and voluntary labour can achieve much, so that the outlook is a bright one.
BURDEKIN HOUSE
OLD LANDMARK TO GO.
Burdekin House, Macquarie-street, one of Sydney's oldest landmarks, is to give way, at last, to a modern building costing £160,000. The owner, Mr T. E. Rofe, proposes to erect on the site a unique 13-storey block of flats and professional rooms. Plans have been prepared and tenders called.
With a frontage of 80 feet and a depth of 116 feet, the land is valued at £50,000. To extend the building into Phillip-street, T. E. Rofe and J. J. Mulligan have bought Nos. 142-4, with a frontage of 40 feet to the latter street, for £25,000.
Plans already prepared, however, concern only Burdekin House.
The new structure will be unique and will present a particularly pleasing facade to Macquarie-street, next to the extended Martin Place. It will comprise eight floors of doctors' and dentists' rooms, and five floors of flats of the Astor type. On the roof will be an operating theatre for doctors.
Occupants of flats will be singularly well served. They will be able to dine on the premises, contract any ill they choose, consult a doctor below them, and have an operation on the roof.
[Following item on the clipping:] The death occurred in Sydney on Tuesday of Mr T. A. Stirton, a member of the committee of the Australian Jockey Club. Mr Stirton was the owner of many horses trained by J. A. Scully, and he raced the champion Cetigne. He imported a large number of horses from England, and two of them, Mullabawn and La[illegible]kspur, won a double for him just prior to the A.J.C. Spring meeting.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
Quiet Macquarie-street has a goodly number of massive and sedate buildings that seem to spell history in each grey stone. One of the most attractive, yet unpretentious of these is Burdekin House, drawn back from the roadway, and half-screened by tall green palms. Here, a mansion that is valued at £80,000, returns to its owner the modest rental of one shilling a week. Yet it is a hive of industry from day to day, and is responsible for many hundreds of pounds being added to the coffers of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Up to a year or so ago there were a cafe and tea rooms at Burdekin House, conducted by voluntary workers for the hospital. But now the cafe is sub-let to the committee of the Children's Library, Surry Hills, which pays a good rental, so the hospital is assured of a definite revenue. The cafe serves very good luncheons and teas, and is well patronised, particularly by members of the medical profession. The apartments, which consist of seventeen or so rooms, are always occupied, and account for a large portion of the profits, which Mrs. Walker, the organising secretary of the hospital, is able to hand over each month to the finance committee.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
A Place of Memories.
(BY DORA WILCOX.)
Even though Burdekin House should at last go the way of the many beautiful and historic buildings which have been destroyed in and about Sydney, future generations will know what was its outward appearance. So early as 1848, its Macquarie-street elevation, with the little chapel beside it, was used as an illustration to a book on Sydney; and in our own time Hardy Wilson has drawn and Sydney Ure Smith has etched it. But, so far as one knows, no Australian novelist has done for it what Dickens has done for English homes, both great and small; nor has any verse-writer used it as a setting. And yet its very name runs trippingly off the tongue into metre. Here is a beginning, which some Australian Austin Dobson may better:—
"At Burdekin House in Macquarie-street,
Charlotte and Mary and Caroline meet,
Laughing girl-ghosts of the long ago,
Each in a crinoline, each with her beau."
Mary has always been a favourite name, and when Burdekin House was building there were probably many Charlottes and Carolines in Sydney, born in the 'twenties, when their mothers still remembered the Royal Princess who did not live to become Queen of England, and her unfortunate mother, the Queen who was never crowned. Between 1830 and the accession of Queen Victoria, there was no doubt a crop of little Adelaides, named in honour of the wife of William the Fourth. One amongst them is remembered as the first Australian-born woman painter, Adelaide Ironside.
IN THE FORTIES.
A coloured print, published in London, shows the sort of costume worn by young Sydney ladies when they went to the first parties given at Burdekin House. It was an age of large houses, of large families, of large appetites (judging by the recipes given in contemporary cookery books), and large staffs of servants, and of large furniture. The lady in the print sits before a huge cheval glass; behind her is her gilded harp, and a bowl full of cabbage-roses. Her hair is dressed in waves higher up on the forehead, with a cabbage-rose tucked in at one side. Her unflounced skirt is very full, and adorned with a double row of flowers at the hem. The flowers are almost as large as are the patterns on the carpet. The corsage is tight-fitting, and cut very low, whilst her bare arms emerge from rolls of tulle.
An article published in the Sydney "Herald" gives an interesting account of the price of living in 1841. Port wine and sherry cost more than champagne and claret, but good claret could be had at 2/ a bottle. House rent was dear. Eggs cost 4d each, butter 4/ the pound, and turkeys 25/. Shops at that time were well stocked, but gin-palaces were even more numerous, though not so glittering as those of London.
W. T. Paves describes the town four years after Thomas Burdekin died, as being changed for the worse, over-trading and extravagance having led to universal bankruptcy and insolvency. Yet all the same he found the main streets of the city "elegant, spacious, and convenient," while many of the shops, houses, public buildings, and churches would be considered ornamental even in the metropolis of the Empire." The "demesne" enchanted him, making, as it did, "with the beautiful scenery, and the pure sky, one of the most delightful lounges imaginable." There, twice a week, one of the military bands played for a couple of hours, "drawing together all the rank, beauty, and fashion on horseback, en voiture, or on foot."
Meantime the fashions were changing. As a witty writer in an English magazine—possibly Charles Dickens himself—observed in 1854: "The bonnet of beauty has fallen from its cocked-up elevation on the frontal bone to its recumbent position on the dorsal vertebrae; while even that conservative institution, the hat of man, has fluctuated between the chimney-pot and the D'Orsay, the wide-awake and the Jim-Crow, the Guerilla and the Kossuth, and now seems to lean towards the Turkish fez."
CRINOLINES AND BUSTLES.
What a setting the great staircase, the verandahs, and the delightful garden of Burdekin House would make for a parade of costumes worn by men, women, and children from the time of its building to the present day. Such a pageant would be of interest to us all, for however modern we are pleased to think ourselves, we cannot dissociate the present from the past. For it was our own forbears who wore those amazing crinolines and carried those absurd parasoles [sic], or those top-hats and tight-fitting bluff trousers. Later on, fashions, particularly for women, changed completely, but became even less sensible. Bustles had their uses—ladies were known to pack their night-attire into them when sleeping away from home—but what can be said for trained skirts worn by day? Some of us can still remember the labour of holding them to avoid dust or mud.
But Burdekin House has not only been a meeting-place for persons of wealth and fashion, but for men of State, and the imaginative may catch a glimpse of Sir George Reid, or of the leonine head of Sir Henry Parkes, silhouetted against the windows of the drawing-room where, it is said, more than one Government was formed.
Since the mansion passed into the hands of its present owner, it has, thanks to his generosity, been a source of revenue for the Prince Alfred Hospital. Now it is to enter upon a new phase of its existence, for under its roof is to be gathered a collection of antiques, open to the public for three months, all proceeds going towards the funds of the hospital. No more suitable place for the exhibition of these treasures could possibly be found. Amongst them may be seen an example of the sedan chairs (introduced into England from Naples about 1634), which were popular in the 18th century for the conveyance of fine gentlemen with carefully-curled hair, as well as for that of fine ladies. There will also be on view hand-made laces and fabrics, glass and china, prints and paintings, furniture and silver of beautiful workmanship. Many of these objects are, of course, far older than is the city of Sydney.
THE RARE AND BEAUTIFUL.
It is astonishing that so many rare and exquisite things should be found upon this side of the world, but some were brought here in very early times by owners unconscious of their value. Two of the finest examples of the art of Godfrey Kneller, who flourished as a portrait painter during the reign of Charles II., are hidden away in a certain small, modern bungalow, which contains also a miniature by Cosway; and there exists in Sydney a set of Jacobean chairs found in a dealer's dirty attic, and bought for a few pounds. Another set of the same date, in perfect condition, found its way to a New Zealand township far from any railway.
But besides imported antiques, there will be shown at Burdekin House pieces of furniture very interesting to us because they were made in Australia, of Australian wood—notably of Richmond River cedar. One such is a work-table, with a deep receptacle into which Charlottes or Adelaides of the colonial days would hastily bundle their mending when their beaux came to call.
Old houses, old furniture, have been connected so long with human lives that they seem to have developed a life of their own. As a French writer expresses it, they seem to tell in a whisper the history of the past. If we could only hear, what secrets we should learn!
It is a curious fact that the name of the architect of Burdekin House is not known. Hardy Wilson thought it might be Greenway, but according to Mr. C. H. Bertie this is impossible, as the designs probably came from England. Many owners, however, know the history of their antique possessions. Some of the silver to be exhibited was certainly used by King George the Third. A pair of candlesticks now in Sydney, which were buried in Belgium during the war, can be traced back to their original owner, an eccentric gentleman with such a passion for cats that he disinherited his only son on suspicion of having murdered one of fifty felines! Good antiques fetch very high prices, but their real value lies in their excellence of design, workmanship, and material. Everyone cannot have Chippendale chairs, but it is possible to have furniture which expresses individual taste. During this exhibition rooms will be set apart for the display of painted furniture and modern decorations too seldom seen in Sydney. How unattractive seem machine-made "bedroom suites" of depressing uniformity in comparison with one designed by a European artist as a marriage gift, and decorated with wreaths of the flowers that grew in the old-world garden in which the lovers first met!
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
Sir,—With regard as to who was the architect of what has become to be called Burdekin House, I may say that when writing a paper for the Royal Australian Historical Society I gave credit to Mr. John Verge as being the architect who constructed it. He was the most prominent architect in the thirties, and among his works of that period are the church in Pitt-street built by the Congregationalists, and now forming part of the School of Arts; the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Church of England), at Denham Court, near Liverpool; the Church of England church at Bungonia, near Goulburn; the large building for Mr. Samuel Lyons that formerly occupied the site in George-street on which the P. and O. Company and the Union S.S. Company's offices now stand; and Lyons Terrace in Liverpool-street; and I was informed by a member of Mr. Verge's family that he built the house in Macquarie-street for Mr. Thomas Burdekin. I am, etc.,
JAMES H. WATSON,
Honorary Research Secretary, Royal Australian Historical Society.
Sept. 18.
THE CENTURIES—ROOM BY ROOM
Charm of Burdekin House Furniture Exhibition
Passing from one room to another at the Burdekin House exhibition of rare and exquisite antique and modern examples, which will continue for 10 weeks, is like walking through centuries of furniture, porcelain, silver, and old pictures.
It is a surprise to find a sedan chair in the collection, and a Chippendale mahogany tallboy, and a wonderful old dresser with spice cupboards catches the eye.
The English oak, walnut, and mahogany periods are well represented and the furniture of other countries is full of interest.
Then one reaches the top floor, with a set of rooms furnished in the modern manner—with simplicity and brightness. The difference in the construction of appointments is a pleasant variation from orthodox methods.
In the rare collection of pictures, there is a Venetian landscape by Turner, and a fine portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence.
Buy Burdekin House!
Mr. Sydney Ure Smith, at the opening of the exhibition, suggested that funds be raised to secure Burdekin House for the State as a museum for furniture and the decorative arts. With this object in view Mr. T. E. Rofe, owner, would consider a reasonable offer.
The Governor, opening the exhibition, said that Lady de Chair had always desired to see such a display in Sydney.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
Exhibition of Furniture.
OLD AND MODERN STYLES.
Anyone who is deluded enough to believe that Australians are incorrigible Philistines should pay a visit to the Burdekin House exhibition of furniture, old and modern, which was opened by the Governor yesterday. The beautiful old building in Macquarie-street has been stocked with a loan collection of treasures brought together from many Sydney homes and arranged with striking effect in the various rooms. The whole provides a remarkable lesson in the development of taste in modern times, and reveals the fact that Australia has connoisseurs of rare taste and discernment in the choice of their valued possessions.
Almost every period is represented, but the bulk of the exhibits exemplify the art of the last three centuries. The arrangement of the rooms has been a work of trained intelligence. As the visitor wanders through the building the exhibition presents itself as nothing short of the history of taste from Caroline to Victorian times and the revolutionary ideas of to-day. It betrays all the permutations of the British attitude to familiar household objects, revealing the secret workings of the human mind and exactly what concessions people of former days were prepared to make to the comfort and the graces of home life.
One of the rooms has been arranged as a Georgian dining-room—the comfortable mid-eighteenth century style of broad-seated chairs, with graceful legs, in the simplest Chippendale manner. There is an elegance and dignity about the small bureaux, the wine-coolers, and the mellow sheen of the table surfaces which breathe the very spirit of the Augustan age. It is illuminating to pass from here into a Victorian room expressive of the pomposity and solid grandeur that characterised the more crowded homes of our grandfathers. It has been said that there is something almost theological about the heavier pieces of a Victorian menage. They certainly have a latent dogmatism and an air of finality about their mahogany bulk as one sees them at Burdekin House.
It is easier perhaps for people to appraise the aesthetic values of the exhibits of earlier periods than those of three or four short generations ago. The examples of Sheraton, Heppelwhite, and Chippendale provide less of a challenge to our twentieth century notions of how a chair or a table should be shaped. A bedroom of Empire and Sheraton period, with its tiny dressing tables and shining mahogany, has a particular charm of its own, and a set of creamy-white covered Danish Empire chairs which adorns one of the rooms is really exquisite.
The art of the furniture-maker that was introduced by Chippendale is exemplified in many beautiful exhibits. There is a fine Chippendale serpentine chest of drawers in mahogany, with canted corners and fluted pilasters; and a delightful cabinet with dentil cornice and slender carved legs. These and a couple of tallboys show at its best the graces of typical Chippendale designs and the simplicity of the detail. Sheraton exhibits are more numerous. A mahogany dressing table has wonderfully ingenious internal arrangements, and is beautifully inlaid with satinwood and ebony.
Several of the exhibits have something more than an aesthetic interest. Amongst them is a sundial, the first made in New South Wales, the numerals so arranged as to suit the movements of the sun in this hemisphere. A sedan chair, the inside of which is upholstered in old figured watered silk, was originally the property of the daughter of Charles James Fox, and an Italian walnut Renaissance chair was formerly in the possession of Lord Kitchener.
The resources of this exhibition appear to be endless, for they include displays of old silver and Sheffield plate, a number of old hangings, china and glass, rugs, textiles, prints, and a great many pictures. Among the latter is a fine Lawrence portrait, a Frans Van Mieris, a Guido Reni, a Madonna and Child, originally owned by the Toledo family, a Turner painting of the Grand Canal at Venice, one of Canaletto's Venetian scenes, oil paintings by Balthasar Denner, Krosbeek Molenaer, and Van de Velde, and several Baxter prints.
A remarkable contrast to the furniture of former days is provided in the rooms given over to art moderne at the top of the building, and for many these will be the most interesting rooms of all. A man's bedroom arranged and decorated by Mr. Roi de Mestre is a specially tasteful piece of work. A bed of simplest form is built into a recess and a cedar bookcase follows in design the "set-back" architecture of the American skyscraper. The colour scheme is particularly successful. The whole plan is symptomatic of the present-day movement towards simplification and towards fresh adventures in the realm of colours. Other interesting exhibits are two living rooms, one arranged by Miss Hera Roberts, showing tables and chairs based on the simplest primary forms, and a bookcase also owing something to the influence of the American zoning laws; and another, the work of Miss Thea Proctor, furnished to harmonise with the colour scheme of the hangings. Professor Sadler has designed a room largely in Japanese style, and there are men's studies designed by Messrs Adrian Feint and Leon Gellert, and Henry Pynor and Frank Weitzel respectively. It is claimed that nothing as complete as these rooms, illustrative of modern tendencies has been seen before in Sydney, and they show that good modern furniture can be designed and made here.
The proceeds are to go to the funds of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
The opening ceremony is reported in another column.
Furniture Ancient and Modern.
Exhibition at Burdekin House.
Sydney has no museum of decorative and applied art, but at the moment it has a wonderful substitute in the exhibition of antique and modern furniture in old Burdekin House, Macquarie Street. To benefit the Prince Alfred Hospital, for three months we can gaze lovingly and longingly upon the exquisite pieces of days gone by, and chuckle or gasp at the bold bid the present is making for the furnishing of to-day and to-morrow.
Burdekin House, lent by Mr. T. E. Rofe, is an ideal setting for the valuable antiques loaned by Australian collectors; though one wonders what the ghosts of the stately 'eighties think of the ultra-modern rooms on the third floor where Professor Sadler, Messrs. Adrian Feint, Leon Gellert, Roi de Mestre, Henry Pyner, and Frank Wietzel, and the Misses Thea Proctor and Hera Roberts have done their best—and worst!—to supply the sharpest of contrasts.
The committee, artists to the finger-tips, has, by arranging the exhibits into the oak, walnut and mahogany periods, covered practically the whole range of Old English furniture.
The basement rooms contain the oak, dating from earliest times to the end of Charles II.'s reign, and the sturdy refectory and gate-leg tables, the Welsh dressers, the chests, cupboards, presses and chairs, all show the rough hewn strength of Tudor-Jacobean times, now mellowed and softened with the years. Here, too, are the old fire-dogs, the fire-backs in wrought iron, the brasses and pewter of the period, still reflecting the ever-changing pageant of life in their polished surfaces.
On the ground floor comes the walnut period, where William and Mary and Queen Anne pieces show the effects of foreign craftsmen, and the influence of Holland and France is clearly to be seen. Walnut veneer, with marquetry inlays, was used to fashion the huge Dutch semi-circular corner cupboards, tallboys, loughboys, presses, almirahs, and bureaux, with their lovely, simple lines, and wealth of beauty and design in the inlays. The more ornate French influence is seen in the gilded pieces of Louis XIV. and XV. design, the chiffoniers, consoles, and cabriole-legged chairs, the beautiful old china and silver. Here is the sedan chair from the Penfold Highland collection, which once carried the beautiful daughter of Charles James Fox, and which to modern utilitarian eyes would make such a charming telephone booth! Here, too, are samples of lacquer work, Chinese and English, fashionable about Charles II.'s time. It died out in the early days of George II., to be revived about the middle of the 18th century.
Mounting the stairs, we enter the realm of mahogany. First used in 1720, it was not until the duty was removed in 1735 that mahogany became the medium for what many consider the finest period of English cabinetmaking, the chosen of the great craftsmen Chippendale, Adam, Hopplewhite [sic] and Sheraton. Lightness and grace combined with strength and utility, marks this period, with its tapering spindle legs, its claw-and-ball feet, bow-fronted dressing tables and sideboards, tallboys, cabinets, with dentil cornices, and spinets. A fiddle-back double bed in mahogany, loaned by Dr. Oscar Paul, is the admiration of all beholders, as is its embroidered bed-spread in tones of blue wool. Chairs with ribbon-backs, fluted legs, shield-backs; pembroke and pie-crust tables, wine-coolers, card tables inlaid with holly wood, all the furnishings of a more graceful and leisured age are there, shining softly with the polish of long-dead hands—and raw linseed oil! With them are the papier mache tables, chairs, and trays, inlaid with mother o' pearl, which have just come back into fashion, and solid Victorian pieces in Spanish mahogany and cedar.
And on the top floor, devoid of sentiment, utterly simple, bare and practical, are the modern rooms . . making up in color what they lack in craftsmanship! These will be described in detail in our next issue, and all who have the opportunity to visit this unique exhibition should go and compare for themselves the wonderful workmanship of the past, softened, it is true, by the passage of the years, with the angular, uncompromisingly assertive simplicity of the present. Which way lies progress? H. W. Beecher says:
"We should so live and labor in our time that what came to us as seed may go to the next generation as blossom, and that what came to us as blossom may go to them as fruit. This is what we mean by progress."
[Photo caption (part 2):] Welsh Oak Cwpurdd-Tridarn, or Three-Piece Cupboard, dated 1765, with inlaid panels. Centre cupboard inlaid with twelve-pointed star. (Lent by Mrs. J. Campbell-Foreman.)
[Photo caption (part 3):] Jacobean oak coffer, about 1660, the front decorated with shaped panels formed by applied moulding. (Lent by Professor E. H. Waterhouse.)
Burdekin House Exhibition.
Furnishings Past and Present.
(Continued.)
Hesitation, suspicion and frank amazement greeted the first efforts of modern interior decorators to break away from the traditions and prejudices of the nineteenth century. But, like the widow of old, they have gained the day, not only by reason of their importunity, but because they have builded upon a sure foundation . . . . the simple primary forms of cube, prism, cylinder, cone, pyramid, and sphere. With these goes a definite color scheme, to provide an ideal background for modern dress, with its severity of line, and simplicity.
On the Continent and in America the new movement is well-established, but Australia has been slow in grasping the change of ideas, and the present exhibition at Burdekin House, Macquarie Street, is for many the first opportunity of judging it for themselves. Here, alongside the masterpieces of past centuries, are a series of room showing varying phases of modern interiors. "You pays your money, and you takes your choice."
If you incline towards the colorful, a man's study, with purple skirtings and yellow cornices, should more than satisfy. The furniture is painted in alternate shades of puce, yellow, orange and various reds, and life-sized Egyptian figures cavort around the walls. Personally, we felt that "home was never like this"—except after a heavy lobster supper!
A refreshing contrast is Miss Hera Roberts' conception of a living room, in soft sage greens and greys, with dark green lacquered furniture. The chairs represent the halves of a cylinder divided diagonally, the pneumatic-cushioned seats and curved backs in keeping with the restfulness of the whole interior (see illustration). What furniture there is, is rectangular.
A man's bedroom by Roi de Mestre is effectively compact. The bed is merely a built-out portion of the wall, with cushioned mattress seat to serve as lounge. The furniture is of cedar; just a desk, a chair with quadrantal arms, and a bookcase-cabinet in the form of a set-back American skyscraper obeying the zoning laws. One picture and one piece of statuary alone adorn this masculine downrightness.
But ever more severe is the Japanese room arranged by Professor Sadler. At first glance it appears to contain nothing but a matting-covered floor and two queer screened lamps, but on closer inspection, a screen, a Japanese tea-kettle, clock, and hand-warmer take shape. A European version of this Japanese room, including two easy chairs, settee, liquer [sic] cabinet, and small table makes a bid for Eastern simplicity in furnishings.
Miss Thea Proctor, well-known Sydney artist, aided and abetted by Messrs. Beard Watson and Co., has painted her furniture dark blue, to harmonise with the French cretonne curtains. One small red lacquer stool and two pictures provide color contrast. The floor is felt-covered, in three shades of buff, the lightest in the centre. One cactus (in pot) seems to be the finishing touch to all these rooms—a final defiant note from nature against curves!
A room decorated by Adrian Feint and Leon Gellert has a black floor felt to set off an orange and blue rug. The chairs are upholstered in blue, and the combination desk and book-shelf (see illustration) is lacquered orange, against a background of plain cream walls. A green—a very much-too-green—bathroom completes the display.
What is the message to be learnt from this utter and inflexible simplicity? In its original form, the revolt against the drab fussiness, the nick-nacks, the hangings, and the bric-a-brac of the Victorian era, went to the other extreme, and swept away every vestige of comfort. Bare walls, bare floor space, the mininium [sic] of angular furniture, the banishment of all sentiment, left the beholder aghast. Now, while all that is unnecessary is eliminated, we have comfortable chairs and useful furniture, with even a picture or so like an oasis on the walls. Modern art, like modern architecture, has utility as its inspiration. It recognises the need for restful simplicity in our homes, as an antidote for the complexities of modern life—and, above all, color.
But there is the danger that in our modern complacency, we shall become blatant, and seek to hide our lack of craftsmanship under many coats of paint! That is where the corrective influence of the beautiful old pieces also on exhibition, comes in. The fine workmanship, the patient artistry of the past, only increases and mellows with the years, but when Time has rubbed the corners off our modern angularities, and cracked the paintwork, what will remain to cherish for the generations to come? I suppose the answer is that if we go on discarding sentiment at the present rate the generations to come will not want to cherish anything! Which certainly brings us back to essentials—and that is the mission of the modern decorator!
[Photo caption (parts 2–3):] Desk with vermilion lacquer finish, adapted from a modern French design by Mr. Adrian Feint. The arrangement of the shelves has been suggested by the aeroplane hangar. (Made by Beard Watson & Co., Ltd.)
[Photo caption (part 4):] Armchair for living room in dark green lacquer finish, upholstered in grey-green and silver. Adapted from a modern Continental design by Miss Hera Roberts. (Made by Beard Watson & Co., Ltd.)
PROUD OF THEIR ANCESTORS
Descendants Meet at Burdekin House
WITH genealogical trees dating earlier than 1825, the present-day descendants of our pioneering ancestors gathered at Burdekin House on Saturday night to make the first reception of the Women's Pioneer Society a memorable event in the history of the movement.
On arrival each guest was announced and greeted by the president, Mrs. W. C. Lingham, who wore a becoming frock of pearl-grey satin, with a flared fitted skirt falling very long at the back.
A big blue fob hanging on a silver chain was her only ornament.
Before the dancing commenced in earnest the guests gathered in little groups around the room, and proudly exchanged the histories of their forefathers.
Young But Lusty
The Women's Pioneer Club has only been in existence a few months, and already it has a large and representative membership.
The reception committee consisted of Miss Da Silva Waugh in lido blue georgette, which featured an uneven hemline; Miss Constance Blaxland, in a becoming frock of green georgette; Mrs. K. Shekleton, in black lace inlet with georgette; Miss Carlotta Doyle, the honorary secretary, in sea green shot taffeta; and Miss Alma Laycock, the honorary treasurer, in a flowing gown of lido blue georgette.
Among the guests were Dr. and Mrs. Dight; Miss Winsome Dight, in a smart frock of black velvet; Mrs. Arthur Buckley, who danced in a long frock of lettuce green georgette; Miss Elsie Mansfield, in apricot georgette; Mrs. John Waugh, in silver brocade, inlet and draped with the palest of grey georgette; Mrs. John Eales, in bottle green satin, finished with a gold lace yolk [sic]; and Mrs. H. Marsden in dawn pink lace.
Mr. Hope Johnston was accompanied by his tall, auburn-haired wife, who looked very smart in an ivory georgette frock studded on the bodice with a sunburst of diamante.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
Retention as Historical Museum
SUGGESTED BY MR. BERTIE.
Mr. C. H. Bertie, city librarian, in a lecture to the Royal Australian Historical Society, on "Old Sydney," last night, suggested that Burdekin House should be retained for the nation and used as a Historical Museum.
He told the story about the site of Burdekin House. Thomas Burdekin, he said, built the house at a cost of £15,000, and, according to a story published in 1847, when it was erected a man calmly walked in and claimed the house. He produced an old grant. He had been in the colony in the early days, but had left it and returned to find a fine house built on his grant. It was stated that Burdekin finally agreed to pay him £600 a year in satisfaction of his claim to the site. Three years later, in 1844, Burdekin died.
"Burdekin House," proceeded Mr. Bertie, "is now suffering from century disease. As our old buildings approach their centenary mark, almost inevitably circumstances arise which suggest their removal. As a consquence [sic], we have only about four buildings in Sydney actually more than a century old. A recent example of the century disease was the old Scots Church which just managed to touch its century before it was demolished. Of these four buildings two have been threatened in recent years—the old Mint building and the Law Courts at the top of King-street. Probably within a short time we shall only have two century-old buildings. Burdekin House is within eight years of its centenary, and it is threatened. It seems a pity that we cannot preserve some of these old mansions. The last example was a beautiful old Elizabethan house, known as The Ranges, at Mosman. It was demolished a few years ago."
NEW CHURCH ON BURDEKIN SITE
BURDEKIN HOUSE, in Macquarie Street, owned by Mr. T. E. Rofe, was sold yesterday to the St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church Trust, whose present building comes down for the Martin Place extension.
Though neither party would disclose the price, it was stated that Mr. Rofe had generously agreed to certain conditions, one of which was that the sale should be subject to the approval of the Presbyterian General Assembly in May.
"The contracts were exchanged and the sale made subject to ratification by the General Assembly," said Mr. Rofe last night. "I am not at liberty to say more than that."
Though St. Stephen's is a separate trust, it is not expected that the General Assembly will object to the deal.
"I am delighted that the negotiations have been successful," said Rev. Hugh Paton, minister of St. Stephen's, last night.
"Burdekin House is undoubtedly one of the best church sites in Sydney, and the church is fortunate in having secured it."
BURDEKIN HOUSE
Historic Link With Sydney's Past
CABINET'S MEETING-PLACE
(By Walter E. Bethel)
"THERE is a house in Sydney as fine as any Earl's house in London," wrote Colonel Mundy, who lived in Sydney during Governor Fitzroy's term of office, and wrote pleasantly and widely of his colonial experiences.
The house referred to was the Burdekin Mansion, now approaching the 100th year of its existence.
The prints and maps, which show old Sydney at this time, serve to illustrate a growth which, for the most part, has now disappeared. A few public buildings, a church or two, and a private house here and there remain to tell the story of those days when our world was wide.
For a time at the outset of its career this mansion was known as the Folly, a term generally reserved, as far as houses are concerned, for "White Elephants" or something grotesque in structure.
Neither of these descriptions at any time applied to Burdekin House. The reason for it being so termed is, however, not hard to find.
With Sydney largely packed away to the west of Pitt-street, the Governor living in that straggling old building in Bridge-street, and the private homes of the rich few and far between, it must have seemed strange to Sydney's populace when Thomas Burdekin elected to house himself in such a spacious, aristocratic dwelling.
It was a goodly trait in the minds of these pioneers that when they were financially able their first step was to build themselves homes, of which they could be proud, and which in themselves would fittingly bespeak their tastes and condition.
Few Are Left
It is to this admirable quality that we have still with us a few old-time mansions to bear witness to the solid times and the solid men who preceded us. Holt built "The Warren"; Mort, "Greenoaks"; Bloxsome, "The Rangers"; Wentworth, "Vaucluse" (extending Sir Henry Brown Hayes's small beginnings); Blaxland, "Newington House"; Sir Thomas Mitchell, "Craigend" and "Carthona," and there are many more of such examples.
The buildings then erected were true to type and full of character, and Burdekin House, with its unmistakeable Georgian front, is indeed an outstanding instance.
Sir George Gipps must have looked with envious eyes on this rivalling residence and consoled himself with the reflection that a new Government House was to follow very quickly in the train of this perfectly built town residence.
The present Government House was taken over in 1845, and for the time being the Burdekin mansion was pre-eminent as Sydney's best town house, its very magnificence appealing to many as the folly of an hitherto unobtrusive citizen.
In Duncan's Directory of 1833 occurs this entry: "Thomas Burdekin, merchant, York-street." This business it would appear was the forerunner of the one carried on by Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, which afterwards became Holdsworth and Macpherson.
Foundations of Fortune
Thomas Burdekin made good use of his opportunities in the new country to which he came from Sheffield in 1826, on the ship Australia. To keen active business men Sydney at that time presented a fine field for effort. The far seeing, trafficked in land, and laid the foundations of large fortunes.
In an old-time publication a story is told to the effect that Thomas Burdekin's possession of the Macquarie-street site was defective, and that compensation had subsequently to be paid to a claimant.
Mr. Bertie told this tale at his lecture the other night.
If it is not true of the Burdekin site, and it may be, such a complication was not an uncommon happening in the long ago. The conditions of conveyancing and land transfer were not as protective as they are now, and irregular possession was an almost compulsory feature, forced upon many correlative business transactions, wherein blocks of land were offered as security for value received.
In Parliament
The old house attained its greatest prominence in Sydney Burdekin's time. Sydney, one of the sons of Thomas, was born 1839. He was educated at Cape's School and graduated B.A. at the Sydney University. He was articled to W. W. Billyard, solicitor, of Sydney, and completed his articles, but never practised. He went in largely for pastoral pursuits.
The management of the vast Burdekin estate ere long brought him to Sydney, and he successfully sought both municipal and Parliamentary honors.
Burdekin House would have made an ideal Premier's residence, as far as contiguity to Parliament House was concerned at any rate. Just a few steps across the road meant there and back again.
The part that great private residences have played in English politics is well known.
Liberal and Conservative houses presided over by capable hostesses have exercised an influence that has not altogether disappeared. The public position that Sydney Burdekin occupied—he was Mayor of Sydney more than once, as well as M.L.A.—all conspired to make him a man of affairs, and this prominence was helped by his education, wealth and social influence.
Mrs. Sydney Burdekin, moreover, was well fitted for the role of a great hostess, and did her part in the dispensation of lavish hospitalities called for by her husband's public positions. Dressmakers and frock shops must have blessed the name of this beautiful woman, who, with exquisite taste, showed Sydney for many years how to dress.
Mrs. Burdekin acted as hostess to the present King when His Majesty visited Australia for the first time as a midshipman of the Bacchante.
Together with his late brother, the Duke of Clarence, they took part in the loyal festivities of those early days, and were present at the ball at the Exhibition Building at Redfern, at which Mrs. Burdekin was the acknowledged belle.
Cabinet Meeting Place
But it is not these lighter forms of social functions that so much gained fame for Burdekin House. Rather was it that our political leaders used it for party meetings, and even Premiers held their Cabinet meetings there at times. Sir Henry Parkes and Sir George Reid, in their respective days, were familiar figures at the Burdekin House.
No use this old house has been put to, I am sure, gave Sydney Bur- [clipping ends here; rest of paragraph not shown]
Architect Unknown
As to who the architect was that built Burdekin House, we have no definite proof. Two professional men, Verge and Hume, have been mentioned as having been concerned in its erection, but proof is still wanting.
There is nothing more appealing to one's historical instincts, as an old house left amid the motley surroundings of a new intrusive age, that stand not on ceremony, but assertively crowd in on these old tenements. The spectacle of Elizabeth Bay House, to wit—the stately home of the Macleays, bereft of all its glorious gardens, and its park-like seclusion, is a sad one indeed to all lovers of good old things, and so with Burdekin House in a Macquarie-street, on one side, at any rate, grown out of recognition—but still facing Parliament House, its companion in antiquity—awaiting an unknown fate.
No matter for what purpose the site of this old mansion is claimed, it ought to be possible to carry forward into the future such signal buildings to tell their own stories to fresh generations. Sold some years ago for a palatial hotel—and now mentioned as the site for the new St. Stephen's Church, which is to replace the old one, this fact remains, that nothing can adequately replace these fast diminishing tokens of bygone years, but as to that, Cui bono—"where the vanguard camps to-day—the rear shall rest to-morrow."
BURDEKIN HOUSE
SOLD TO ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH
SYDNEY, Sunday.
Burdekin Houe [sic], Macquarie street, Sydney, has been sold to the trustees of St. Stephen's Church, Phillip street, for £50,000. The sale is subject to the approval of a congregational meeting to be held on March 2.
The new St. Stephen's Church will be built on the site. The old church will be demolished to make way for the extension of Martin Place.
Retention as Historical Museum.
Mr. C. H. Bertie, city librarian, of Sydney, in a lecture to the Royal Australian Historical Society on "Old Sydney," suggested that Burdekin House should be retained for the nation and used as a Historical Museum.
He told the story about the site of Burdekin House (reports the 'Herald'). Thomas Burdekin, he said, built the house at a cost of £15,000, and, according to a story published in 1847, when it was erected a man calmly walked in and claimed the house. He produced an old grant. He had been in the colony in the early days, but had left it and returned to find a fine house built on his grant. It was stated that Burdekin finally agreed to pay him £600 a year in satisfaction of his claim to the site. Three years later, in 1844, Burdekin died.
"Burdekin House," proceeded Mr. Bertie, "is now suffering from century disease. As our old buildings approach their centenary mark, almost inevitably circumstances arise which suggest their removal. As a consequence, we have only about four buildings in Sydney actually more than a century old. A recent example of the century disease was the old Scots Church which just managed to touch its century before it was demolished. Of these four buildings two have been threatened in recent years, the old Mint building and the Law Courts at the top of King-street. Probably within a short time we shall only have two century-old buildings. Burdekin House is within eight years of its centenary, and it is threatened. It seems a pity that we cannot preserve some of these old mansions. The last example was a beautiful old Elizabethan house, known as The Ranges, at Mosman. It was demolished a few years ago."
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
A Place of Memories.
(BY UNA V. FOSTER.)
The hand of destruction is again eager to get busy and pull down that which Sydney should preserve, namely, Burdekin House.
Like a child who wants to break a thing to find out how it is made, and to see where the sound inside of it comes from, so some grown-ups are for ever on the lookout to see what they can destroy irrespective of any cost.
We talk about our country having no legends, no historical castles, abbeys, churches in fact, buildings of any kind, such as overseas countries have; yet, how can we, when, as soon as we have some interesting historical building that reaches close within the century mark, and depicting to the full the architecture of our early days, man's destructive hand wants to level it to the ground—sell its materials in the making as second-hand goods for a paltry sum—and then, erect something modern. Are we to have only modern things and buildings in Sydney? Can we not keep that which should be of value to the country and of interest to visitors from overseas?
Burdekin House is replete with memories. In its spacious drawing-room more than one Government was formed. In 1929, when a collection of antiques was gathered under its roof for inspection by the public for three months, it was then said—"No more suitable place for the exhibition of these treasures could possibly be found."
To-day who cares? Perhaps there are a few dreamers like myself who regret seeing old Australian homes rich in associations, fall stone by stone beneath the demolisher's hand.
THE DEPARTED GLORIES OF BURDEKIN HOUSE
EARLY DAYS RECALLED
THE BRONZE-HAIRED HOSTESS
ROMANTIC HISTORY
Soon the picks and mattocks of demolishers will dig a grave for history in Macquarie-street.
Burkedin [sic] House is to go—and with it a link with the early days of Sydney—but romantic memories will linger on.
Burdekin House to-day has a warren of bedrooms on its top floors; a restaurant and a ballroom on the ground; its basement is a theatre for marionettes. Young things with shingled heads give parties for charity on the ground floor; domestic figures in dressing gowns and slippers carry kettles along the corridors above.
And the end is near.
It was not a great house, considered solely as a house. When Colonel Mundy wrote to a friend in England that it was "as fine as any earl's house in London," he was guilty of exaggeration.
Mr. Oscar Meyer, who was an intimate friend of the family from 1879 until the death of the beautiful Mrs. Burdekin in 1913, says that no big receptions could be held there because the rooms were too small. There were small dinners and afternoon parties, but no elaborate functions.
Back To 1826
The history of the Burdekins is closely associated with the history of N.S.W. Thomas Burdekin came originally from Sheffield in 1826, and founded an ironmongery business in Sydney, with a shop in Castlereagh-street. He was generous to the point of carelessness in money matters, and after his death his widow had a difficult time trying to find what he did and did not own of the land around Sydney.
He was often defrauded. It was through an "accommodation" of a comparatively small sum to the owner that he came into the possession of the land upon which he built his colonial mansion.
Years later the owner turned up. He still held the title to the land, and an arrangement was made with Sidney Burdekin, whereby he received £600 a year for the rest of his life.
After Thomas Burdekin's death the widow told Mr. Meyer that she had had the greatest difficulty trying to straighten up the properties. "And my son Sidney is his father over again," she said. "He has no idea of money he lends."
Mr. Meyer met Marshall Burdekin, Sidney's brother, first. He was in Paris for the Exhibition in 1878, and Mr. Meyer was in charge of the Italian section.
Country Beauty
They became friends, and when Mr. Meyer reached Sydney a year later for the Exhibition here he met Mrs. Burdekin, the mother and widow. She was then living in the part of Burdekin House that was then 197 Macquarie-street, and her son, Sidney, a bachelor, lived at 195.
The son disliked city life and finally left to manage his property, Atunga Station, where he met the beautiful bronze-haired Kathleen Burns and married her. She was the daughter of a pastoralist, but she persuaded her husband to move to the city again. He sold his place to Alexander Rogers, of New Zealand, for £60,000—the property having come into his hands by another of his father's "accommodations" to a needy acquaintance.
They lived quietly at Macquarie-street until the Exhibition, when the house became the rendezvous for most of the foreign commissioners. Mrs. Sidney Burdekin and Miss Rogers had always been close friends, and Oscar Meyer married Miss Rogers. They lived on the North Shore, with a room always at their disposal at the Burdekin home.
At week-ends the intimates of the family were entertained at Rooty Hill, where Burdekin had property.
Sidney Burdekin was a member of Parliament for many years. He represented first Tamworth, then East Sydney, where he had a great deal of property between William-street and Oxford-street, and last the Hawkesbury, and the house naturally became a port of call for the members. They could stroll across the road for a rest and yet be found by the Whips for division.
Ministry Formed There
One of Sir Henry Parkes's Ministries, after having been discussed at his home, Hampden Villa, at Balmain, was actually formed at Burdekin House. A. J. Taylor, ex-artilleryman, later a member, and always a famous character, used to cool off there, where his whisky was greatly diluted with water.
Burdekin was also mayor for two terms. During all this turmoil of social life he longed for the country. But he remained in State and civic politics for the sake of his wife and his six children.
The Burdekins were a devoted couple, and he was intensely proud of his decorative wife, her clothes and her social success.
There are three children living of the six youngsters who helped to entertain the guests at Rooty Hill.
They are Miss Burdekin, Mr. Beau Burdekin (barrister), and Florence, who is now Mrs. Hay, of Coolangatta. The eldest son died at Eton when he was 17, and Sidney Burdekin took his wife and the other children to England to see the boy's grave. On the voyage he lost another daughter.
Since the Burdekins entertained at 195-197 Macquarie-street the house has been greatly altered in interior construction, and has had many owners.
It was then a mansion, "a gentleman's residence"—certainly comfortable, but not luxurious. The furniture was solid, Victorian, expensive, and dull. The master of the house disliked travel, and had no ambition to bring back cases of objets d'art from Europe.
And through its well-carpeted passages, between its walnut and cedar furniture, flitted the lovely lady of the house.
At her shoulder stood always Sidney Burdekin. "A noble man, sweet-natured, generous, dreamy, impractical. A man of vision, never petty, never cautious," says Mr. Meyer.
They used to sit in Burdekin's study, talking through the night, smoking, drinking the brandy that Burdekin preferred until very late in his life. He died in Sydney, in 1900, aged 60, and with him died much of the glory of those spacious days.
Photo caption: A photograph of the Burdekin family in 1883. Among those in the group are Mr. Burdekin, Mrs. Burdekin, Miss Burdekin, Miss Campbell, Mr. S. Burdekin, Mrs. Oscar Meyer, Miss Broomfield and Dr. McKay.
HONEY LOCUST TREES
At Burdekin House.
(BY WALTER W. FROGGATT.)
In the courtyard behind Burdekin House are two large, brown-stemmed, spreading trees; the foliage is scanty, but the branches are festooned with large flat seed pods. Burdekin House was completed in 1841, and Burdekin died there in 1844, so that these trees are possibly 90 years old.
Several tree lovers, interested in this historic mansion, have suggested that these trees should not be destroyed when the building is demolished. They would have them pruned, carefully dug out, lifted, and transplanted to some suitable place. With the leguminous tree of this type it would be possible, under suitable conditions; but unless these honey locust trees have some historic importance, it would hardly be worth the expense and trouble, when one can obtain a healthy seedling for 1/6 from a local nurseryman.
They are honey locust trees, natives of North America. In the forests of Virginia and the Carolinas, they grow into fine trees from 50 to 80 feet in height; when young, the stems and branches are covered with hard prickles. They are also known as the Three-horned Acacias. The North American Indians used to brew an intoxicating drink from the sweet pulp in which the seeds are embedded in the large pods, letting it ferment in water. The scientific name is Gleditschia triacanthos; the botanist, when creating a new genus, honoured the scientist, John Gottlieb Gleditsch. Among other species of this genus, G. monosperma grows in the swamps of Florida, G. caspia on the shores of the Caspian Sea; and another, G. horrida, in Eastern Asia. The honey locust tree is cultivated in many parts of the world, and is used for hedges and avenues.
These tree-lovers are evidently under the impression that the old Burdekin House trees are identical with the carob bean tree, because they had heard that they were memorial trees, introduced from Palestine. The carob bean is quite distinct from the honey locust tree. The carob bean (Ceratonita [sic] siliqua) is also known as the locust bean, and as St. John's Bread. It takes its name of St. John's Bread from the story that John the Baptist subsisted on these beans while wandering in the desert. Many thousands of tons of carob beans are exported from Cyprus and Crete to England, where the sweet portion is extracted for sweetmeats, and the remainder is made into cattle food. The tree has a large range over the Mediterranan [sic] coasts.
There is also a third locust tree, also known as the False Acacia, (Robinea pseudacaciae). This tree is a native of North America, too. It is a fair-sized forest tree, cultivated as a shade tree in many parts of the world. A number is growing in Australia.
Photo caption: The honey locust tree at Burdekin House
DOOMED
Burdekin's Big Trees
The two honey-locust trees which have stood in the courtyard at the historical Burdekin House for many years, and which it was hoped to have removed to the University grounds, are doomed, as the removal cannot now be accomplished.
Professor E. G. Waterhouse, of the Sydney University, was the prime mover in an effort to preserve the giants, which are said to be at least 80 years old.
The female is more than 60ft. high, and the male about 50ft. high. The roots probably run the full width and depth of the courtyard, which is 80ft. by 50ft., and also under the main building.
After going into all aspects of the proposed removal, Professor Waterhouse found that the preparatory labor for the lifting of the giants, carting, expense (about £100), and the doubt as to whether the trees would live after being transplanted, made the change inadvisable.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
EARLY DEMOLITION.
A MANSION OF HISTORY.
If Burdekin House is not the last of Sydney's Georgian mansions of note, there cannot be very many more left. Its charming facade, with the two palms in front, will disappear from Macquarie-street shortly, and the spirit of the Burdekin who built it nearly 100 years ago may perhaps rest the better when it is replaced by a fine church. It is almost impossible to enter the old house, redolent of the quiet refinements of another age, without a feeling of sentimentality. While auctioneers may be shouting in the rooms above, the imagination easily sees a figure coming down the staircase in a poke bonnet and billowy, flounced crinoline, fluffy and light as thistledown, tying a ribbon under a dainty chin. The spacious rooms and painted ceilings easily help to call up the ghosts of the forties, when Sydney was of an old world. The large room on the right of the entrance, with its two fireplaces, and Corinthian columns, retains the "atmosphere" to the last. This was the room in which, in more recent times, the political conspirators occasionally gathered after a sumptuous dinner, and plots were hatched. It is said Cabinets were formed there, that it was in this room that many plans were laid to overthrow Governments or to confound Oppositions. It became known as the "make and break room." It knew men like Parkes, Dibbs, and Reid in Sydney Burdekin's day, and the white shirt-fronts as they appeared late at night in the Legislative Assembly opposite would cause uneasiness in many a political camp. Sydney Burdekin was a big, broad man, with close-clipped beard and a genial presence. Mrs. Burdekin was a beautiful woman. Elegant and aristocratic in style, she and her charming daughters graced Sydney society in the early nineties. She reigned in queenly fashion, quietly and unostentatiously, and culture and refinement radiated from Burdekin House.
LAND TITLE DEFECTIVE.
The residence was built by Thomas Burdekin, a merchant of the thirties. It is related that, some time after it was finished in 1841, a stranger appeared and stood in front with a plan in his hand. He had been in the colony earlier, and on returning found this fine house on land which he claimed as his. A survey was made and it was proved that his assertion was well founded. The situation was met by his being given £600 a year for life.
At one time there was a prospect of the building becoming the Legislative Council of the colony. Negotiations were opened by the Government with Mrs. Thomas Burdekin for that purpose, but they came to an end abruptly and the present Council chamber was the result. That part of Parliament House puts up a bold front. It looks to be of stone but is made of iron, and with the mansion opposite has formed one of the antiquities of Macquarie-street. It is said to have been bought in Melbourne for about £1700, and to have been brought to Sydney and erected.
EVEN THE TREES MUST GO.
Both are at the retiring age, which in the case of buildings in Sydney seems to be somewhere about the century. All that have reached the five-score are being swept away in the path of progress, and Burdekin House is to go. In the courtyard at the back are palms and trees of great age surrounded by the domineering insolence of high modern buildings blotting out the sky. There has been an endeavour to save two big honey locust trees, but their age is against them. The property was under the hammer in 1922, and in the following year was sold for £55,000 to the Macquarie Properties Syndicate, the intention being, in view of the inevitable opening up of Martin-place to Macquarie-street, to erect a hotel on the site. In 1924 it was sold to Mr. T. E. Rofe, who devoted it to the cause of public charities until it was purchased by St. Stephen's Church. The architect is believed to have been James Hume, eminent in his day. Soon progress, the iconoclast, will take charge, and one more of the beautiful inheritances from the times when men built imbued strongly with the aesthetic spirit of their age will be no more.
BURDEKIN HOUSE.
THE LAST INSPECTION.
Visitors thronged Burdekin House yesterday for the last inspection. The work of demolition is to begin to-morrow.
The stately facade, soon to disappear from Macquarie-street, hid a scene of desolation. Had the ghosts of the early forties and of the gay nineties returned, they must have stood aghast at the change. For even the spacious rooms, mellowed by time, seemed chill and forlorn, bereft as they were of the furnishings which made the old Georgian mansion Sydney's most interesting link with the social life and culture of the last century. Only memories, and echoing footfalls, remained.
In the courtyard at the rear the honey locust trees, also doomed to die, lifted their gaunt and leafless limbs to the towering city buildings, symbolic of the progress which had decreed their end. Near the blackened trunks a Scottish piper strode, playing a lament.
Proceeds of the inspection made yesterday, which was organised by the Presbyterian Women's Federation, will be devoted to a memorial window in the Presbyterian Cathedral at Canberra. From the dust and ashes of Burdekin House the new St. Stephen's Church will arise.
BURDEKIN HOUSE: A LINK WITH SYDNEY'S PAST.
BUILT BY ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S NATION BUILDERS.
Mrs. Sydney Burdekin was a Noted Society Leader.
"There is a house in Sydney as fine as any Earl's house in London," wrote Colonel Mundy, who lived in Sydney during Governor Fitzroy's term of office, and wrote pleasantly and widely of his colonial experiences. The house referred to was the Burdekin Mansion, now approaching the 100th year of its existence.
The prints and maps, which show old Sydney at this time, serve to illustrate a growth which, for the most part, has now disappeared. A few public buildings, a church or two, and a private house here and there remain to tell the story of those days when our world was wide.
For a time at the outset of its career this mansion was known as the Folly, a term generally reserved, as far as houses are concerned, for "White Elephants" or something grotesque in structure.
Neither of these descriptions at any time applied to Burdekin House. The reason for it being so termed is, however, not hard to find.
With Sydney largely packed away to the west of Pitt-street, the Governor living in that straggling old building in Bridge-street, and the private homes of the rich few and far between, it must have seemed strange to Sydney's populace when Thomas Burdekin elected to house himself in such a spacious, aristocratic dwelling.
It was a goodly trait in the minds of these pioneers that when they were financially able their first step was to build themselves homes, of which they could be proud, and which in themselves would fittingly bespeak their tastes and condition.
FEW ARE LEFT
It is to this admirable quality that we have still with us a few old-time mansions to bear witness to the solid times and the solid men who preceded us. Holt built "The Warren"; Mort, "Greenoaks"; Bloxsome, "The Rangers"; Wentworth, "Vaucluse" (extending Sir Henry Brown Hayes's small beginnings); Blaxland, "Newington House"; Sir Thomas Mitchell, "Craigend" and "Carthona," and there are many more of such examples.
The buildings then erected were true to type and full of character, and Burdekin House, with its unmistakable Georgian front, is indeed an outstanding instance.
Sir George Gipps must have looked with envious eyes on this rivalling residence and consoled himself with the reflection that a new Government House was to follow very quickly in the train of this perfectly built town residence.
The present Government House was taken over in 1845, and for the time being the Burdekin mansion was pre-eminent as Sydney's best town house, its very magnificence appealing to many as the folly of an hitherto unobtrusive citizen.
In Duncan's Directory of 1833 occurs this entry: "Thomas Burdekin, merchant, York-street." This business it would appear was the forerunner of the one carried on by Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, which afterwards became Holdsworth and Macpherson.
FOUNDATIONS OF FORTUNE
Thomas Burdekin made good use of his opportunities in the new country to which he came from Sheffield in 1826, on the ship Australia. To keen active business men Sydney at that time presented a fine field for effort. The far seeing, trafficked in land, and laid the foundations of large fortunes.
IN PARLIAMENT
The old house attained its greatest prominence in Sydney Burdekin's time. Sydney, one of the sons of Thomas, was born in 1839. He was educated at Cape's School and graduated B.A. at the Sydney University. He was articled to W. W. Billyard, solicitor, of Sydney, and completed his articles, but never practiced. He went in largely for pastoral pursuits.
The management of the vast Burdekin estate ere long brought him to Sydney, and he successfully sought both municipal and Parliamentary honors.
Burdekin House would have made an ideal Premier's residence, as far as contiguity to Parliament House was concerned at any rate. Just a few steps across the road meant there and back again.
The part that great private residences have played in English politics is well known.
Liberal and Conservative houses presided over by capable hostesses have exercised an influence that has not altogether disappeared. The public position that Sydney Burdekin occupied—he was Mayor of Sydney more than once, as well as M.L.A.—all conspired to make him a man of affairs, and this prominence was helped by his education, wealth and social influence.
A GREAT HOSTESS
Mrs. Sydney Burdekin, moreover, was well fitted for the role of a great hostess, and did her part in the dispensation of lavish hospitalities called for by her husband's public positions. Dressmaker and frock shops must have blessed the name of this beautiful woman, who, with exquisite taste, showed Sydney for many years how to dress.
A social writer has testified to Mrs. Burdekin's sartorial successes. She was, according to this writer, the golden idol of fashion critics, who revelled in the clothes she wore. I have wondered, said the writer in question, through palaces of France and Italy, but nowhere did I find so many receptacles for garments.
Wardrobes, French and Austrian mirror-lined presses—all fitted with priceless costumes—these were not the only thing the lady writer admired. The cut glass, the awe-inspiring four-poster state beds with their canopies, all terrifyingly magnificent, and household effects in keeping with such an establishment.
Mrs. Burdekin acted as hostess to the present King when His Majesty visited Australia for the first time as a midshipman of the Bacchante.
Together with his late brother, the Duke of Clarence, they took part in the loyal festivities of those early days, and were present at the ball at the Exhibition Building at Redfern, at which Mrs. Burdekin was the acknowledged belle.
CABINET MEETING PLACE
But it is not these lighter forms of social functions that so much gained fame for Burdekin House. Rather was it that our political leaders used it for party meetings, and even Premiers held their Cabinet meetings there at times. Sir Henry Parkes and Sir George Reid, in their respective days, were familiar figures at the Burdekin House.
No use this old house has been put to, I am sure, gave Sydney Burdekin more pleasure than the gatherings of the party to which he belonged. The political questions of those days were not such rancorous sores as those we are now beset with. At best matters resolved themselves into the struggles between the Ins and the Outs, with little difference between them, which accounts for our record-breaking Premiers who (some of them) held office four or five times successively.
I have a clear recollection of Sydney Burdekin in the 'eighties—and am enabled to tell a personal story of George H. Reid, whom Burdekin defeated in unusual circumstances (writes Walter E. Bethel, in the Sydney "Sun").
Reid, leaving his position as secretary to the Attorney-General, and standing for Parliament, created a tremendous impression in East Sydney. Elected for that constituency in 1880, he took office with Alexander Stuart, in 1883, as Minister of Public Instruction, but after nearly a year of office he had to submit himself for re-election under a point connected with the Constitution Act.
BURDEKIN'S VICTORY
In this effort he was opposed by Sydney Burdekin, and, contrary to expectation on a small poll, Burdekin won. I was hastening up to the hustings on Hyde Park to ascertain the result of the elections and saw my Minister coming off the Park apparently in a most happy frame of mind.
He's won, I thought at once. Crossing Queen's-square an old gentleman driving past stopped his brougham to shake hands with Reid, congratulating him in his victory, I thought, but when I got to the hustings I found that Burdekin had defeated his opponent.
Talking over these old times with Sir George on the occasion of his leaving for England to take up the High Commissionership—I told him of the impressions I had received on that occasion. He replied, "Well, it occurred just as you have related it—but do you know that that old gentleman (Sir James Martin, it was) never said a word to me about the election, just a few ordinary kindly remarks, and drove on. He must have known though of my defeat, and I always like to think that his action in stopping me was his way of showing his sympathy.'
ARCHITECT UNKNOWN
As to who the architect was that built Burdekin House, we have no definite proof. Two professional men, Verge and Hume, have been mentioned as having been concerned in its erection, but proof is still wanting.
There is nothing more appealing to one's historical instincts, as an old house left amid the motley surroundings of a new intrusive age, that stand not on ceremony, but assertively crowd in on these old tenements. The spectacle of Elizabeth Bay House, to wit—the stately home of the Macleays, bereft of all its glorious gardens, and its park-like seclusion, is a sad one indeed to all lovers of good old things, and so with Burdekin House in a Macquarie-street, on one side, at any rate, grown out of recognition—but still facing Parliament House, its companion in antiquity—awaiting an unknown fate.
No matter for what purpose the site of this old mansion is claimed, it ought to be possible to carry forward into the future such signal buildings to tell their own stories to fresh generations. Sold some years ago for a palatial hotel—and now mentioned as the site for the new St. Stephen's Church, which is to replace the old one, this fact remains, that nothing can adequately replace these fast diminishing tokens of bygone years, but as to that, Cui bono—"where the vanguard camps to-day—the rear shall rest to-morrow.
Photo caption (image 119): CLASSICAL ENTRANCE TO COLONIAL MANSION. [caption beneath photo too faint to read: illegible]
Photo caption (image 120): SOON TO DISAPPEAR—THE COURTYARD OF BURDEKIN HOUSE.
The back entrance and courtyard of the Macquarie-street mansion, a link with old Sydney that will soon be removed by the demolishers.
"AS FINE AS ANY EARL'S"
START ON BURDEKIN HOUSE DEMOLITION
By ROBERT WATSFORD
Eighty years ago Lieut.-Colonel Mundy, Adjutant-General of the Colonies, and cousin to the then Governor, Sir Charles Fitzroy, recorded in his book, "Our Antipodes," that "there is in Sydney a house as fine as any Earl's house in London."
That was Burdekin House, the demolition of which begins to-day.
In 1828 Thomas Burdekin, its builder, sailed from England in the ship Australia, and after a six months' voyage arrived in Port Jackson. It is not generally known that portion of his first home in Sydney still stands at the rear of 46 College Street.
Here, in 1839, was born his son, Sydney, who attended Cape's school, and afterwards became a member of the Legislative Council, and Mayor of Sydney.
Cemetery for Park.—The honorary Minister (Mr. Fitzsimons) will discuss with the Mayor and aldermen of Newtown, at the Old Camperdown Cemetery, at 11.30 a.m. on Friday, the proposal to convert the cemetery into a park, at an estimated cost of £250,000.
A COLONIAL SETTING FOR BURDEKIN HOUSE PILLARS.
St. Malo, Hunter's Hill, Receives Them.
THE stately Ionic pillars that once adorned the Macquarie-street verandah of Burdekin House have been removed to a setting which, if not as well-known, is equally appropiate [sic] and even more beautiful.
St. Malo, their new home, is one of the finest examples of the Colonial Period still preserved around Sydney. It is hidden, snugly away, not far from Fig Tree bridge, Hunter's Hill. For Madame Du Boise, its chatelaine, this old Joubert home has many memories. It was built by her father, M. Didier Numa Joubert. The land on which is [sic] stands was originally portion of a grant to Mrs. Reiby, one of the earliest Hunter's Hill residents. M. Joubert brought [sic] his land in 1847.
With its sweeping drive, surrounded by lofty trees that provide additional shelter in this natural hollow near the Lane Cove River, and its colonnade of cream pillars that once graced a town mansion, St. Malo is retiring, sedate. One might cross the bridge and still be unaware of its existence. Remote from the world, yet sufficiently close in touch, like all Hunter's Hill, it holds itself somewhat aloof in this scurrying, hurrying age. St. Malo suggests crinolines and lavender, pork-pie hats and dainty little sunshades, statuesque mahogany furniture, and the thousand and one little knick-nacks with which the Victorians, in more spacious days, surrounded themselves.
The mellowed walls and worn flagstones of the old-stone kitchen nearby, recall an even earlier period of a severity that the prosperous Victorians never knew.
The rambling old cottage next door (in which Madame Du Boise was born in 1855) was the country home of Mrs. Reiby. Though originally transported for some trivial offence, Mrs. Reiby proved to be a woman of determination and character. "She was very much respected," remarked Madame, "and my father thought very highly of her."
When Madame's son suggested purchasing the Burdekin House pillars for St. Malo she confessed she was not particularly enamoured of the idea. "I thought they would be too big," she added, "but I was mistaken." Columns of much the same design frame the lovely broad sweep of the Lane Cove on the northern aspect of the house. When the new pillars were placed on the front of St. Malo, however, they appeared as much at home there as the friendly old oak that Madame had planted as a child, or the mellowed, yellow walls in the garden, wrought by a former convict employee of her father's.
Madame D. N. Joubert was a Breton. Hence the naming the house St. Malo. Brittany, with its quaint pottery and head-dresses and laces carefully preserved in families for generations, was very real to Madame's mother. English was always difficult for her. Yet as a girl she left Brittany with her parents, in the early part of last century, for an outpost of civilisation, the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. There she was married to Didier Numa Joubert by Bishop Pompallier, a colourful figure in the early history of the Pacific. On coming to Sydney the Jouberts settled at Hunter's Hill.
When M. Sentis was at Passy, Count Gabriel de Milhau and family living where now stands Marimba, and other cultured foreigners were in the neighbourhood, Hunter's Hill acquired in the middle of last century an intellectual flavour that few districts around Sydney knew. The Jouberts were renowned for their hospitality. The Jouberts were progressive. Madame's father did not rest until Hunter's Hill had steamer connection with the city. Jules Joubert, his brother, became mayor of the municipality.
"Picnics were very popular in my young days," commented Madame from her arm-chair. "And dances, too. Dances were held in the different homes. We had none of the hustle of to-day, but we managed to enjoy ourselves just the same."
Though Madame never saw beloved "La Belle France," she lived for a time in New Caledonia. When Henri Rochfort, one of the most famous of political exiles escaped from his island prison in the 70's and fled to Australia, Madame, a young married woman, was living in the French colony.
But Hunter's Hill was her first love.
There in later years she returned. In the home of her parents she is spending the twilight of her days.
Madame is as much Australian as she is French; Just as French as she is Australian. Two sons journeyed to the land of their ancestors to fight for France's liberty.
Madame is the true embodiment of the "Entente Cordiale."
E.R.
Photo caption: Though a few short months ago these pillars graced the porch at Burdekin House, Macquarie-street, they have been transplanted to a new setting at Hunter's Hill, and look quite at home in their new environment. (Inset.) Madame du Boise, the owner of the pillars—and the house.
OBITUARY.
The announcement of the death of Mr. J. B. Holdsworth will have been read with regret by many, for he was very highly esteemed beyond his immediate circle of personal friendship. Mr. Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth was a native of Sheffield. He left England for this colony when he was about twelve years of age, and he was fifty-three when he died, so that he had been a colonist for about forty years. He succeeded his father in the firm of Messrs. Burdekin and Holdsworth, and, at the time of his decease, was principal of the firm which bears his name in George-street. Mr. Holdsworth did not take any very prominent part in political affairs, but he devoted a portion of his time to the performance of public duties as a magistrate, and in the less obtrusive and more congenial sphere of charity. He was a director of the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children at Randwick, and took an active interest in one or two kindred institutions. He was also known as a man of extensive private and unostentatious benevolence. His remains were on Monday placed in the family vault in the cemetery adjacent to St. Jude's Church. The funeral cortège, which moved from Bronté, consisted of several mourning coaches and upwards of sixty private carriages and cabs. The service in the church was read by the Rev. S. Mitchell, and the service at the grave by the Rev. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Holdsworth was a widower, and has left two sons, who, with his brothers, were chief mourners. A large number of persons had assembled at the church when the cortège arrived, and the funeral was attended by upwards of two hundred persons.
The Legislative Assembly adjourned on Thursday, May 6, as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Mr. Francis White, the representative chosen by the constituency of the Upper Hunter at the last general election. Mr. White died at his residence, Edinglassie, which is situated a short distance from Muswellbrook, on one of the most charming estates in the Northern district. By his death many residents of the Northern districts lose a genial, generous friend, and the Legislative Assembly a thoroughly practical and independent member.
M. Couvoisier died suddenly at 11 o'clock on Thursday, May 6, at his residence, the Café Francais, George-street. On the previous night the deceased gentleman was perfectly well, and appeared to be in good spirits. His death was very unexpected.
In the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION.
In the will of Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, late of Bronte, Nelson's Bay, near the City of Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, ironmonger, deceased.
NOTICE is hereby given, that after the expiration of fourteen days from the publication of this notice, application will be made to this Honorable Court, in its Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, that probate of the last will and testament of the abovenamed Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, deceased, may be granted to Richard Holdsworth, of number sixty-nine, Pitt-street, in the City of Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, solicitor, and William Holdsworth, of Williamwood, near Picton, in the Colony aforesaid, Esquire, the surviving executors named in and appointed by the said will.—Dated this 28th day of April, A.D. 1875.
STEPHEN CAMPBELL BROWN,
Proctor for the Executors,
No. 69, Pitt-street, Sydney.
2482 6s. 6d.
In the will of Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, deceased.
PURSUANT to the Trust Property Act of 1862: Notice is hereby given, that all creditors and other persons having claims upon, or being otherwise interested in the estate and effects of Joseph Burdekin Holdsworth, late of Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, ironmonger, are requested to send in full particulars of such claims to J. B. Holdsworth & Co., at the corner of George and Market Streets, Sydney, under cover to the executors of the said deceased, on or before the first day of September next, after which date, Richard Holdsworth, of Pitt-street, Sydney, solicitor, and William Holdsworth, of Williamwood, Picton, Esquire, the Executors of the will of the said deceased, will proceed to distribute the assets of the said deceased, among the persons entitled thereto, having regard to the debts and claims only of which they shall then have had notice, and they will not be liable for the assets so distributed to any person of whose debt or claim they shall not have had notice at the time of such distribution.—Dated this 1st day of July, A.D. 1875.
STEPHEN CAMPBELL BROWN,
Proctor for the said Executors,
69, New Pitt Street, Sydney.
3530 8s.
