Historic House Exhibition - Australian Womans Weekly - Wednesday 2 May 1962 - Page 14
Exhibition
A pictorial exhibition of historic buildings in & around Sydney will be presented by the Women's Committee of the National Trust of Australia (N.S.W.) at David Jones Art Gallery. After a preview on May 15 it will be open to the public from
May 16 to May 24.
Called "No Time to Spare," the exhibition is designed to draw attention to buildings of historical & architectural value which the Trust believes must be saved far posterity. Among these buildings are seven fine old houses, & mementoes, which will be specially featured.
These pictures by Max Dupain show five of the houses. The Trust plans to send the photographic part of the exhibition to country towns in New South Wales.
"CAMDEN PARK," Camden, was built for John Macarthur, founder of the Australian wool industry. He died in a small wooden cottage before this fine Regency-style house was completed in 1835. His descendants lived here, & it is now the home of Lady Stanham, who was formerly Miss Helen MacarthurOnslow. Designed by John Verge-the architect of Elizabeth Bay House "Camden Park" is built of sandstock brick & has fine cedar joinery. It houses some valuable mementoes of early life in Sydney, including political prints & cartoons collected by Sir William Macarthur, a member of the Legislative Council. These have been lent for the exhibition. Other noteworthy exhibits are sketchbooks of early Australian artist Conrad Martens & his pupil, Elizabeth Macarthur.
OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE, Parramatta, was the home of early Governors, from Hunter to Fitzroy, & is now part of The King's School. Built before 1800, it was enlarged by Governor Macquarie to the design of John Watts. The elegant entrance porch with Doric columns is the work of Francis Greenway, the ex-convict architect. Mementoes of Governors King, Bligh, & Fitzroy have been lent for the exhibition, including the four-poster bed & wardrobe of Lady Mary Fitzroy, the Governor's wife. She was killed when carriage horses bolted in Parramatta Park & her carriage overturned. After this tragedy in 1847
the house was not used as a residence for the Governors of the colony.
of historic houses
"NEWINGTON," Silverwater, was completed in 1832. Built for pioneer John Blaxland, it is distinguished by beautiful cedar joinery. Not only did Blaxland establish farming & grazing on the estate but also a salt works, lime works, mortar works, & a small woollen factory. A school was built for the children of employees, & a chapel which still remains. "Newington," with its two large reception-rooms which convert into a ballroom, was the centre of a gay social life. It was once the scene of a dramatic bushrangers' holdup, in which John Blaxland was rescued by the arrival of his daughters. Later Newington Boys School was first established there. Today the house is a Home for the Aged.
"HOBARTVILLE," Richmond, completed in 1828, is thought to be designed by Francis Greenway. It was built for William Cox, jun., son of William Cox, who built the road over the Blue Mountains in 1816-1818. William, jun., then went to England to fight in the Peninsular War with the Duke of Wellington. He returned to Australia in 1814 & bred racehorses at Hobartville. Keeping to tradition, Hobartville is still a stud for race-horses, & is now owned by Mr R. Payne.
"BLIGH HOUSE," Millers Point, was built in 1834 for Robert Campbell, a leader of the movement to stop transportation of convicts. Now the headquarters of the Australian College of General Practitioners, it is being restored. A two-storeyed colonial town house with Doric columns, it is built of sandstock brick, stucco-rendered. Campbell's father was a merchant & owned "Campbell's Wharf" in Sydney Cove. Exhibits include an early Conrad Martens painting.
