Original Villas Of Darlignhurst -

 

The Original Villas Of Darlinghurst 

In the early days the area had been named "Henrietta Town", named after Governor Macquarie's wifes First Name. 
The First House Of Note Was 'Craigend" Fronting Upper William Streret South, now Wollcott Street, built by Sir Thomas Mitchell, Surveryor General . 

Just behind "Craigend" was the last of old Darlinghurst Windmills, known as Hynde's Windmill. Originally there were 3, one near the goal,  2 were made of wood and required Manual labour but the third was mechanical.

Across Upper William Street at its junction with Darlinghurst Road, formerly Woolloomooloo Road, was the property of the Hon Richard Jones MC known as "Merchant Jones" which extended into, & along Darlinghurst Road. The property was built on a portion of land 3 acres 2 rods & 8 perches in extent, formerly granted on 19th October 1831 to Mr S.A. Perry.  The land extending between it & Roslyn Hall was afterwards the site of Alberto Terrace, built & owned by John Solomon. 
Next going east was a grant dated 23rd Septembeer 1839, of 4 acres 2 rods & 24 Perches, to Thomas McQuoid mentioned before. 

"Kellett House" was built on it by Sir Stuart Alexander Donaldson, the first Premier in 1856 under Responsible Government; he lived there for some years & it was afterwards owned  by Mr W.F. Buchanon, who pulled down the house, & built a terrace there known as "Bayswater Terrace"

Then there came "Sevenoaks" & "Eaton" where Mr Edward Knox, & afterwards Captain Martindale, then occupied by Mr Edward Fosberty, the late Inspector General of Police

On the opposite side of Princes Road (Off Bayswater Road) & in front of "Sevenoaks" which also had a frontage to that road, were 2 cottages, one known as "Lara"  was occupied by Mr James Norton - Solicitor, before he went to Double Bay. The other house was pulled down & it has been occupied by Lady Dowling, when she vacated "Brougham Lodge" on the death of Sir James Dowling, and after her Sir Henry Parkes and Mr W.H. Piddington. 

Then to the east of Upper William Street North came 2 cottages next to "Eaton" with an old fashioned wooden pump at the bottom of the private road between them, belonging to Mr T.W. Smart. Then there was Vacant Land round & along the gate of Roslyn Hall, owned by Mr Thomas Barker; he built the house, Mr Ambrose Hallen being the architect, living there for a time. St Canice Roman Catholic Church Stands on the site of the exit gate of the property

"It is hardly Visible to the eye from the South Head Road, being surrounded by Advertisement Boardings. Opposite was West's Bush, densely timbered, where the black used to camp. 

Just to the north of "Craigend" is "Goderich Lodge" which was built & lived in by  Mr T McQuiud, the then Sheriff in the 1830's until he died in 1841. The Bishop of Sydney (Dr William Grant Broughton was also a tenant, also Mr S.A. Perryu, the Deputy Surveyor General, Mr William Carr Solicitor in 1848, Mr Charles Scott - Ironmonger, and Mr Frederick Tooth Sold it to Captain Charles Smith of the firm Mcdonald Smith & Co, & was occupied by his widow.  At  one time its gardens extended to the Junction of Upper William Street (North) now Bayswater Road, and Upper William Street (South) where the Warahtah Hotel is now. Subsequently "Waratah" was built next to and on the East side of "Goderich Lodge"

Just a little below these to the east was a later built house, owned by Mr John Williams, the Crown Solicitor, now "Kurragheen"; next thereto was "Hillside" now the site of a large building to be used as dwelling flats, & next to that was a small cottage...

Behind "Hillside" was a house in which the Late Mr Justice Hargrave resided.  The land on which it was built was a portion of 70 Acres grantred on 30th May 1844 to Mr T West.  Roslyn St had not been formed but the Southern boundary of the property ran along to the Junction of Macleay Street with the site of its present junction with Rosyln Street, close there were 2 Windmills owned by Mr T Barker. 

The Roslyn Hall property fronted Macleay Street, & the second iron lattice entrance gate at the entrance was in Darlinghurst Rd, nearly opposite "Springfield". The house was a large well built mansion, with a spiral iron staircase to the upper storey; the rooms were large, with a bath fixed in most of the bedrooms level with the floor, so that one had to step down, not up, to get into it.

 
"Roslyn Hall  was one of the gayest houses of the time. The land extended on the South East to the site of St Canince Church, taking in Roslyn Gardens & Roslyn Road to the East, and on the north "Barnclueth" now called "Kinneil & part of Elizabeth Bay Road.

 
To the north is "Chevwerals, on part of the Macleay grant, next came a large substantial cottage or low built house at the corner of Macleay Street.

This cottage was purchased and considerably added to and converted into a house by Mr Sparke, who named it Maranamah, and his family lived there for a time. 

"Barnclueth" adjoining "Roslyn Hall" was occupied by Mr John Brown, Senior Partner of Brown & Co, wine & spirit merchants & afterwards Mr Hernry Moore, the Agent for P&O company, when the Steamers of the company only arrived once a month, & fired a gun off Fort Denison to announce their arrival. It was later purchased by Mr Amos, the Contractor, & added to & modernised, & is now called "Kinneil" & utilised as a boarding house

Following down Macleay Street, next to the house occupied Mr Hodgson, the land was vacant until arriving at 'Greenknowe", also on portion of the Macleay Grant, the residence of Mr John Gilchrist the Senior Partnert of Gilchrist, Watt & Co & it was ultimately purchased

Next came two smaller dwellings, & then "Larbert Lodge" which was built & tenanted by Mr C.D. Riddell, the Colonial Treasurer. 

Next to this property was a stone rubble wall, the western boundary of the Macleay Grant, down to the centre of Potts Point, where "Chatsworth": was built in later days by the Hon C J Roberts. This Wall was erected  by William Sharp Mackey, a son of Alexander Macleay. He was a recluse & a naturaluist. He had the credit of having loose bloodhounds about the property as a safeguard against thieves & marauders, but I think this was only meant for a scare. He always guarded the beach on Elizabeth Bay, & wouldn't allow anyone to land there, or even anchor a boat there. The Macleay property was 54 Aceres in extent, & was granted to Mr Alexander Macleay By Governor Darling in 1828, who in despatch to the Right Honourable William Huskinsson, dated 128th March 1828 stated: - "The land granted to Mr Macelay at Elizabeth Bay, a mile & a half from Sydney, was for the purpose of erecting a family house & cultivating a garden. Mr Macleays knowledge as a Horticulturalist is likely to prove beneficial  to the Colony. He has already spent a considerable sum on the improvement & cultivation of his grounds, & in erecting a stable & offices preparatory  to buildiung a house,. which it is his intention shortly to commence, From the manner in which he has entered into this undertaking & scale on which he has commenced to settle & stock the land he has received for agricultural purposes ( the usual grant of 2,500 acres), he will, no doubt, prove an important acquisition to the Colony in this respect alone, the Capital which he has already vested in stock & is still continuing to expand, being considerable."
The Grant took in all Elizabeth Bay & the Western Frontage of Rushcutter's Bay, as far as the Eastern boundary of "Roslyn Hall". It was approached by Elizabeth Bay Rd, as at present. The house was the present 'Elizabeth Bay House", another good speccimen of the family mansion.
The frontage to Macleay Street, from the corner of Elizabeth Bay Rd to "Chatsworth" was later built upon. 
The rest of the estate, with the exception of Elizabeth bay House, & grounds, was later divided into numerous building allotment by Mr Alexander Macleay's Son, the late Sir George Macleay, & let on long building leases, on which the present residence & villas were erected. The formal Grant was dated 19th October 1831. Elizabeth Point was so named by Governor Macquarie after his wife's Second Name. The Native name was "Yarrandabby"
A large portion of land near ther extreme Potts Point, 11 Acres in  extent, was originally granted to Mr Judge Adviocate John Wylde on the 1st November 1822 (who was the last Judge Advocate, & for a short time a Judge of the Supreme Court under the Charter of 1823) who delayed fuilfilling the conditions of the grant, for Governor Darling in the above despatch  of 26th March 1828 states :- "The Allotment bearing Judge Wyldes name was grasnted to that Gentleman by Governor Macquarie several years sincce, & still remains unimproved. I propose writing to inform the Judge that it will be resumed by the Government unless the conditions of the grant are speedily fulfilled. "
However, he ultimately  fulfilled the conditions. he subsequently converyed 6 & a half acres of it to Mr J.H. Potts, who was one of the early officvers of the Bank Of New South Wales, hence the Name Potts Point. It was also called Point Campbell in a survery by Governor Phillip in 1792. The native name was "Carrageen" The street from the end of Macleay Street opposite "Grantham" is called Wylde Street, evidently after the judge. 
On the North Side of this street, built on this land, were the present "Bellevue", "Clarens" "Creelwood", "Clifford," "Tarana", some of which have been rebuilt or added to or renamed, including the site of Mr W.R. Halls modern "Wildfell", & opposite thereto "Bomerajh", belionging to the McQuade family, a few years ago occupied by the Admiral on the station. Then the property "Cintra" & "Campbell lodge" (a portion of the same grant) of Mr J F Hilly, the architect, & opposite this was "Grantham Ville" built on the remaining four & half acres of John Wyldes Grtasnrt. This land, on which the house was erected, became, through the purchase from the Judge, the proeprty of Mr Caleb Wilson, the fatheer of Felix Wilson, a defendant in the  celebrated Newtown Ejectment Suit of "Devine v Wilson"
he Built the first house on the propeerty, which he called "Caleb Castle" & by reason of its turrets, it was also known as the 'Pepper Pot", & afterwards as "Grantham Ville"; it subsequently became the property of Mr F Parbury. It then passed into the hands of the Late Mr Henry Dangar, & it is now owned by his son the Hon H.C. Dangar M.L.C, who almost wholly rebuilt it in 1870, and changed the name to "Grantham" 
Immediastely Oppositte "Grantham Ville" was "Clarens" before mentioned, which was in 1847 purchased by Mr George Richard Griffiths, father of Mr F.C Griffiths who came out to Sydney as the General Manager of the Bank Of Australasia, & after resigning this appointment he conducted a Merchants business in Sydney under the style Of Griffiths, Graham & Co. He sold out when he went to England in 1853. 
Later this property was occupied by Sir James Martin, the Chief Justice, & is now under the name of "Wilga", owned & occupied by Dr Faithful. 

On the West side Of Macleay Street, next to Grantham came Dr Douglas's Grant of 8 Acres & 9 Perches on the 19th October 1831. He afterwards sold it 22nd September 1832 to Colonel Shadforth, Who built Adelaide Cottage on it. The land extended from Macleay Street down to the waters of Woolloomooloo Bay. The whole property came later into the possession of Mr J.H. Challis (Manager for Messrs Flower, Salting & Co, who gave it with another property as a magnificent Bequest, valued at 250,000 Popunds to the Universirtty of Sydney. For some time after his deatth it was occupied by Mr MacDonald, of MacDonald Smith & Co. 

- Adelaide Cottage 

- Barham

- Brougham Lodge

- Craigend

- Elizabeth Bay House

- Goderich Lodge
- Grantham

- Kellett House

- Orwell House

- Rockwall

- Rosebank

- Rose Hall 

- Roslyn Hall 

- Springfield

- Tarmons

- Telford Lodge

- Tusculum 

Elizabeth Bay House - Elizabeth Bay - New South Wales 

Elizabeth Bay House was built between 1835 & 1839 In the Regency Architectural Style & was originally surrounded by a 22 Hectare garden, in what was then the Fashionable Suburb of Woolloomooloo Hill. 

The rooms, Sweeping staircase and lavish furnishings reveal the tastes of its original owner Alexander Macleay. The one time Colonial Secretary Of New South Wales, had magnificent gardens Expressed his passion for the natural world. By the 1840's a downturn in the economy ushered him towards financial ruin. 

Alexander macleay arrived in Sydney from England in January 1826, with his wife Eliza, 9 of 10 surviving children, and his extensive entomological collection. At the time he possessed the finest and most Extensive collection of any private individual in England. 

Architect John Verge produced a design for a splendid "Marine Villa" in the Greek Revival Style which was at its peak of popularoity at the time. 

A Nearby grotto with accompnaying stone walls & steps, plus several trees, are all that remain of the original extensive Gardens. It helf Macleays considerable native and exotic Plant Collection, an orchard & kitchen garden. 

The main axis of the house is aligned with the Winter Solstice. 

For the remainder of the 19th Century & well into the 20th Century Elizabeth Bay House had a Chequered history, With the property being subdivided, the gardens were reduced to a small fragment. The house became home for a succession of tenants inclusing many artists. 

In 1961 the National trust started to list and publicise important histporic places and Elizabeth bay house was One of the first 50 names. 

in 1977 the house was extensively restored and refurbished. Initially so it could become the offical residence of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, it later became one of the first properties acquired by the Historic Houses trust. 

Elizabeth Bay House: allotment of 54 acres granted to Alexander Macleay in 1828.

Elizabeth Bay House is one of only five remaining homes from the original 17 ''gentlemans's villas" that were the first buildings to be developed on Wolloomooloo Hill aka Darlinghurst in the 1830s. 

But it is one of only three that survive in their original condition without serious modifications. The others include Barham (1833), inside the grounds of SCEGGS, and Tusculum (1831-1835), on Manning Street in Potts Point. 

The other two - Telford Lodge (1831) and Rockwall (1837) - are barely recognisable and have been extensively modified or partially demolished and I'll write about them another day for my Villas series. 

Elizabeth Bay House was built for Alexander Macleay, Colonial Secretary, who was granted 54 acres  on a site chosen for its vistas across Sydney Harbour (below). 

The greatest thing about Elizabeth Bay House today is that it's owned by the Historic Houses Trust and is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. So last month I took advantage of a special Shop Local! offer to view the house for only $4 - half the normal entry fee. 

The only problem was that when I arrived with my blogging friend, Sarah, her daughter Billie and partner, Miles, the woman behind the front desk refused to give us the discount, saying she knew nothing about it.

There were a few Shop Local! fliers on the front desk so I pulled one open and showed her the $4 special, but even then she said, ''It would be okay if you had a coupon, but you've just come in off the street, so you'll have to pay the full price."

There was no mention of any coupon so we continued to haggle with her until she eventually phoned head office and they agreed that there was no coupon and we should be allowed in for the special price. 

It was a rather unsavoury episode and didn't make us feel all that welcome. 

But I was glad we only paid $4 because if I had paid the grand sum of $8 I would have felt that I needed to get my monies worth by reading every little boring plaque scattered about the house. And as much as I enjoy reading about history, it was much more fun to just roam carefree about the house and admire the woodwork and enormous scale of the rooms, especially the swooping Marulan stone staircase in the central saloon of the home, which is an engineering marvel and has been the site of many professional photography shoots. Marulan stone is a mudstone quarried in the Southern Tablelands region of NSW. According to the guidebook, ''each tread is a single piece of stone cantilevered from the wall and rests on the step beneath it (the protruding stones can be seen within the saloon cupboard)''. 

Scottish-born Macleay was a passionate and extravagant man who spent liberally on landscaping his homes and his entomological collection, of which his main interest was lepidoptera - or moths and butterflies. He accepted the Australian post due to financial necessity. 

In 1795 he had entered the British Civil Service as chief clerk in the War Office and was later secretary of the Transport Board, but when the board was disbanded in 1818, Macleay was out of work. 

With mounting bills for his homes in Westminster and Surrey - which was undergoing landscaping improvements - as well as big spends for his entomological collection and investment losses through his brother's bank in Scotland, Macleay began borrowing money from his eldest son, William.

But in 1825, his former colleagues rallied and secured him the Australian post, which came with a 2000 Pound salary and an official residence that was initially rent free. 

Macleay arrived in Sydney in 1826 with his wife and six daughters (of a total of 17 children) but was so enamoured with the place he eventually persuaded other family members to join them, including his son William and grandchildren Arthur and Georgiana Onslow, who were the children of his India-based daughter and son-in-law, Rosa and Arthur Onslow. 

In those days Macleay's bug collection was recognised as the largest in private possession. Naturally, he brought it with him to Australia and it possibly had pride of place in his library (below), which at the time was the largest room in an Australian house, reflecting the importance Macleay placed on his books and natural history collections. The entomological collection is now held in the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney.

With 54 acres of bushland at his disposal, Macleay immediately began establishing a botanic garden of imported plants to complement the native vegetation and the green space became quite an attraction with its rustic bridges, terrace walls and grottoes. 

According to one of his local nurseryman, Thomas Shepherd, Macleay didn't clear the land of natives, but selectively inter-planted his exotics to preserve the existing trees and shrubbery.

''From the first commencement he never suffered a tree of any kind to be destroyed, until he saw the distinct necessity of doing so,'' Shepherd wrote.

Today, one section of the garden remains just across the road at the front of the house and is known as Arthur McElhone Reserve (below; although the plants and landscaping are not original). There is also one grotto left if you know where to look (skip about 100m south of the house down Onslow Avenue, and follow the public path between the flats, Eltham and Tradewinds). 

The design of the house was as equally celebrated as its gardens and harbour views. The enormous two-storey, Greek Revival villa, with cellar, was designed by John Verge's architect firm and considered one of the most ''extravagant constructions of the day, with costs totalling around 10,000 Pounds'', according to the Villas book.

Plans for the home were developed in 1832 but construction was delayed until 1835 (possibly due to money being devoted to the development of the garden) and the house was not completed until 1839. Verge had retired by then, so there is some question surrounding his involvement in the design, with the possibility his employee and successor, John Bibb, may have played a greater architectural role. Scottish builder-architect, James Hume, was also brought to Sydney by Macleay and may have contributed to its design.

The villa design means the rooms are arranged around the central saloon or stair hall and allowed for "architectural experimentation with shaped interior spaces'', according to the guide book. As such, the rooms are shaped as ovals and quadrants. The ground floor rooms with their large French windows emphasise the relationship with the garden, Macleay's pride. 

But with all the love and passion Macleay dedicated to the development of Elizabeth Bay House and its gardens, he wasn't able to enjoy it for long. In 1837, Governor Richard Bourke forced Macleay to retire from his position, losing his 2000 Pound salary. In the 1840s, when the economy crashed in the new colony of Sydney, Macleay found himself further in debt. In late 1844 the house was mortgaged as Macleay's debt to his son, William, reached 18,195 Pounds.

The Macleays were forced to sell off furniture to settle some debts and in 1845 William took over the Elizabeth Bay House mortgage and assumed control of the estate. 

After less than six years in his ''grand, unfinished house'', Macleay then moved to his country property, Brownlow Hill, near Camden, southwest of Sydney. Macleay died in 1848 at Tivoli, the Rose Bay home of his daughter and son-in-law. 

William Macleay, an education commissioner, moved into the house in 1845 and lived there alone for 20 years. But ''lacking the aesthetic sensibility of his father, gave no thought to completing the building'', so that a planned Doric colonnade for the terrace surrounding the house was never built. 

I think the house still looks amazing, which brings to mind a Leonardo da Vinci quote: ''Art is never finished, only abandoned.''

William sounds like a curious character and according to the guidebook, during his time at Elizabeth Bay House, the residence ''was closed to all but the small circle of scientists and colonial intellectuals with whom (he) associated'', while ''the boundary of the estate was marked by signs warning potential trespassers of guard dogs.''

William died in 1865 and the house was inherited by his brother George who remained in London. George subdivided the estate and sold off lots on 99-year leases. In 1875, he subdivided again, leaving only 18 acres of the original 54 acre estate and in 1882, another sale left just 3 acres of garden around the house.

George and William's cousin, William John Macleay and his wife, Susan, were tenants of the house from 1865 to 1903. Susan was the daughter of Edward Deas Thomson, Alexander Macleay's successor as Colonial Secretary, who owned another one of the original villas, Barham.
William John was also a keen entomologist and had taken over the care of Macleay's vast collection, building the ''Macleayan Museum'' on an area that is now the lower corner of Ithaca Road and Billyard Avenue. William John donated the collection to the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney in 1888 and was knighted for his generosity. He died in 1891.

From 1891 to 1911 the house was owned by James William Macarthur Onslow, great-grandchild of Alexander Macleay. You really need a family tree with the Macleays as there are so many of them.
Anyway, because the previous owner, George, had been based in London, the house was quite neglected, so Macarthur Onslow embarked on a maintenance program, which included new plumbing, the introduction of gas lighting, two new bathrooms, a servants's bell and a new portico.

From 1903 Macarthur Onslow leased the house to leather merchant, George Michaelis. In 1911, Michaelis purchased the house for 800 Pounds, becoming the first owner who was not from the Macleay family. He stayed on at the house, with his wife and three children until 1926, when he sold it to retailer Sir Sydney Snow. 

Snow, whose eponymous shop was on the corner of Pitt and Liverpool streets, paid 40,000 Pounds for the house before cannily on-selling it to Elizabeth Bay Estates Limited for 60,000 Pounds. (From 1929-1931, Snow was deputy chairman of Associated Newspapers Ltd, owner of the Sun newspaper.)

The final subdivision of the estate took place in 1927 with 16 being lots being put up for auction by Stanton & Son and Richardson & Wrench. Five lots were sold and were no doubt developed into the deco apartment blocks that exist around the house today. The remaining 11 blocks were sold again in 1934 and the late 1940s, when more apartment buildings were developed. 

The actual house failed to sell at auction in 1927 and that's when the squatters moved in. This period, when the ''Charm School'' artists occupied the house, was detailed in an exhibition, Kings Cross: Bohemian Sydney, that was held at Elizabeth Bay House in 2003. 

Artists that lived at the home in this period up to 1935 included Donald Friend, Rex Julius and Wallace Thornton, who held wild parties in the decaying mansion. 

In 1935, Elizabeth Bay Estates leased the property to a Mr and Mrs A. Hall and a Mrs L. Minnett, who ''renovated and redecorated the house as a venue for fashionable receptions'' and it ''featured in Sydney's social pages as a glamorous setting for wedding receptions, parties and balls'', according to the guide book.

In 1940, Evangeline Olga Murray, wife of realtor James Daniel Murray, purchased the house and immediately began renovating the home into 15 apartments, which was carried out ''sympathetically and without any damage to the original fabric of the house''.

In 1959 the house was declared an historic building whose preservation was ''essential for reasons of historic or architectural interest'' under the County of Cumberland Planning Ordinance.

When Ms Murray died in 1963, the Cumberland County Council purchased the home and the following year, when the council was abolished, it became the responsibility of the State Planning Authority. 

The authority commissioned repair works to the roof, dome and portico and in 1973 dedicated $275,000 to the building's restoration, but the costs rose to $750,000.

In 1977 the house opened to the public and in 1981 - along with Vaucluse House - became one of the first properties acquired by the Historic Houses Trust.

Yes, this is a very lengthy post, but that is mainly because there is so much information available about Elizabeth Bay House, its history, architecture and the families that lived there. The Historic Houses Trust has compiled a wealth of detail in its guidebook that I have barely touched on here. 

There are also countless plaques and information boards around the house and even an educational video (above), which can be viewed in the drawing room. The video features a bunch of school students on a bus to visit Elizabeth Bay House when one of the girls travels back in time and becomes a member of the Macleay family. 

You would need about one hour to wander around the house and about two hours if you have the patience to sit through the video and read all the information boards. But it's definitely worth a visit to the house, if only for the marvellous staircase and saloon. To make a day of it, stop by Lizzie Bay Gourmet, on the corner of Elizabeth Bay and Ithaca roads, where you can stock up on food supplies for a picnic in Macleay's old garden (Arthur McElhone Reserve, below) across the road from the house.