"Brush Farm House" - 19 Lawson Street - Eastwood - New South Wales
This Is One Of Australia's Oldest Houses And Is One Of A Few That Survived From The Macquarie Period.
The House Was Originally Built In The 1820's, Following The Purchase Of The Brush Farm Estate In 1807.
The Verandahs Were Added In The 1880's.
In The First Half Of The 19th Century, The Estate Was Famous For Its Vineyard & Wine Production.
The House Was Also Known As Home For Boys, Eastwood Home For Mother's & Babies, Brush Farm For Mentally Deficient Children, & Brush Farm Girl's Home.
In 1988 The Property Was Transferred To The Department Of Corrective Services & As The Brush Farm Corrective Services Academy Offers Training For Corrections Officers.
In 1990, The Land Was Bought By Ryde Municipal Council [Note: Corrective Services NSW says it bought the Eastwood site from the Department of Community Services and opened the Academy in 1990; the City of Ryde owns Brush Farm House itself.] And Restoration Of The House Began In May 2006, At An Estimated Cost Over $5 Million. [Note: City of Ryde records that the house was officially reopened on 27 April 2007 after a $3.3 million restoration.] It Now Serves Now As A Community Facility, Exhibition & Meeting Venue.
At a glance
- Address: 19 Lawson Street, Eastwood (City of Ryde)
- Built: c.1820 for Gregory Blaxland, who bought the Brush Farm estate (from D’Arcy Wentworth) in 1807
- Land: part of 1794 grants to Zadoc Pettit and Thomas Bride, consolidated by William Cox in 1801–03 as Brush Farm (Heritage NSW)
- Style: Colonial Georgian; verandahs added 1880s
- Later uses: boys’ home, mothers’ and babies’ home, girls’ home; Brush Farm Corrective Services Academy from 1990
- Restoration: reopened 27 April 2007 after a $3.3 million restoration (City of Ryde)
- Heritage: State Heritage Register (Permanent Conservation Order No. 612); National Trust; former Register of the National Estate
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