Brougham Lodge - Darlinghurst -

Brougham Lodge was built in 1831 for the second Chief Justice of NSW, Sir James Dowling, who took over the role after Francis Forbes was given long leave in September 1835. 

Sir Dowling was born in London in 1787 and studied at St Paul's School and worked as a parliamentary reporter before being called to the bar in 1815, at the age of 28. 

Thirteen years later, at 41, he decided that he wanted to make ''myself useful to the public'' and advance his ''private interests and welfare of my numerous family,'' and so applied to the Colonial Office for an appointment abroad. 

In February 1828 Sir Dowling arrived in Sydney aboard the Hooghly with his wife, Maria Sheen, and their six children. The couple had ten children but four died in infancy. Maria, his wife, died six years after their arrival in Australia and Sir Dowling then remarried Harriet Ritchie, the widowed daughter of John Blaxland (older brother of Blue Mountains settler Gregory Blaxland). The newlyweds made Kings Cross their home, living at one of the busiest junctions in the area, but I'll get to that later.

Sir Dowling initially came to Australia to act as puisne judge, or regular judge, but in 1835 he won the battle against Sir William Burton for the role of Chief Justice. He was also knighted in 1838.

Sir Dowling was a hard-working jurist, described by one colleague as having a ''painstaking and anxious industry rarely equalled'' who ''never failed to make himself its master in every detail'' of cases brought before him.

In 1829 he delivered the first sitting of the Supreme Court in the Hunter Valley (at the Union Inn) and also travelled to Norfolk Island for the same in 1833.

He worked so hard that in 1840, his daughter, Lady Dowling, despaired: ''Papa has for six days been at court until seven and eight o'clock in the evening. Yesterday he was there from 10am until three this morning.''

It seemed Sir Dowling was driven by a desire to build a good life for his children. 

His salary as a puisne judge was 1000 Pounds a year, which doubled when he became chief justice. 

Still, in 1828 he wrote to his patron, Lord Henry Brougham, in England, that ''Without parsimonious economy . . . I cannot keep out of debt . . . even with my frugal habits.

''I have been obliged to mortgage the little property I have scraped together to enable me to maintain and educate my children.''

But this dedication to his children and the role of Chief Justice would eventually take its toll. 

In 1840 he was advised by his doctor to take medical leave for three months and a year later Sir Dowling applied for 18 months leave in order to regain back his strength lost from ''13 years of incessant judicial labour, never once relaxed''.

But his seniors refused this leave until June 1844 when Sir Dowling collapsed on the bench. 

Sir Dowling eventually booked passage on a ship but before he could sail, he died on September 27, 1844, aged just 56.

Sir Dowling's home from 1831 to his death was Brougham Lodge, which was built at what is now the junction between Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street in Kings Cross. He was granted over eight acres there in 1831. Brougham Lodge was initially designed by an unknown architect, but John Verge completed the designs.

The painting at the top of this post also shows the two windmills, known as the North Darlinghurst Mills, which featured on the Kings Cross landscape in the 1830s. There were also three other windmills on Darlinghurst Road - Clarkson's Mill and two wooden-post mills - as well as the Craigend Mill, all located along the ridge line and in the highest points of the neighbourhood so as to best catch the air currents. The mills were used as a source of renewable energy and to grind grain.

After Sir Dowling's death, the former chief justice's home was tenanted and also used as a boys's school. It was sold to developers in 1882 for 7000 Pounds and demolished soon after.

The Holiday Inn now marks the site of Brougham Lodge.

Grantham - Granthamville - Potts Point - New South Wales

Built on five acres of land purchased by Felix Caleb Wilson in 1836.

Potts Point was originally named Point Campbell by Governor Arthur Phillip, during his survey in 1772, and was kept as a reserve for the Aboriginal peoples who were "allowed" to occupy the foreshore area - which they called Carragheen - "without molestation" for a number of years. 

But during Governor Darling's reign, this all changed when he decided to claim the land, which stretched from the headland back along Woolloomoloo Hill, for important government officials. 

The first of these grants was in 1822 when 11 acres were given to Judge John Wylde, the last Judge Advocate and a Justice of the NSW Supreme Court. 

But by 1828, Judge Wylde had done nothing with the land and Governor Darling was considering resuming it unless improvements were made. 

This issue probably informed his decision that year - when allotting the land that later formed Darlinghurst - to impose certain "villa conditions" to allotments, such as the size and grandeur of the home and the landscaping of the gardens.
Governor Darling didn't have to force the issue with Judge Wylde, who soon sold a substantial chunk of his allotment - just over six acres - to Joseph Hyde Potts. 

Potts didn't build on the land either, but he did rename the area Potts Point, ensuring he would be remembered to this day.
Felix Caleb Wilson, a settler in the Hawksbury region, north of Sydney, purchased the remaining five acres of Judge Wylde's allotment in 1836, and set about building the point's very first home, on the site where St Neot Avenue is today

Wilson's home was not subject to Governor Darling's strict "villa conditions", so the wealthy merchant and ironmonger went all-out in the design of his house, which he named Caleb Castle. You can see some of its turrets if you look closely in the photograph above.

According to the Villas book, the house later came to be known as Grantham and was designed by an unknown architect in the "same Gothic Revival style as the new Government House (1837-1845) across the bay". 

"Grantham was considered a rather pretentious building, and became known locally as 'The Pepper Pot' on account of its turrets, or 'Frying Pan Castle' (referring to Wilson's occupation)."

Wealthy merchant and wharf proprietor Frederick Parbury bought the the home in the early 1840s and renamed it Granthamville. Another owner was Donald Larnach who purchased the house and property for 5000 Pounds - a considerable increase on Wilson's 405 Pounds for the land alone.

The land was then subdivided and in 1853, the section with the home was purchased by surveyor and pastoralist Henry Dangar for 6000 Pounds and the residence became known as Dangar's Castle.

(Dangar was born at St Neot, in Cornwall, England, which is probably what the avenue was named for.)

After Dangar's death in 1861, his wife stayed on in the castle until she died in 1869 and it was inherited by one of their sons, Henry Cary Dangar.

Henry Dangar Junior rebuilt the home to his own design in 1870, following the Norman style of architecture.

According to a 1937 article from The Sydney Morning Herald, "the palatial home . . . was built of solid dimension stone quarried on the waterfront".

"Mr Dangar brought into his design the battlemented walls and the old fashioned stone fence. The entrance porch was tiled and led into a vestibule, in which a fine mahogany staircase was built with an overhead balustraded gallery.

"Upon the rebuilding of the home in 1870, Mr Dangar renamed the house Grantham."

Mr Dangar Junior stayed at Grantham until 1917, after which it had a succession of owners.

In the mid-1930s, the 22-bedroom, five bathroom house with cedar fittings was listed for sale and in 1937 was sold for demolition. A little bit of history vanished.

The new owner developed the site, building two blocks of three-storey flats over the original footprint of Grantham.

The only trace that remains is in the name of this apartment building (above), Grantham, and a little street and laneway that run behind St Neot Avenue.

The mansion Grantham (originally known as Granthamville and Dangar’s Castle) was pivotal in shaping the modern streetscape of Potts Point by directly dictating the physical layout, naming, and architectural character of the area following its demolition and subdivision in 1937

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The Newcastle Sun - Thursday 25th April 1918 Pg 4

HISTORIC HOUSE
Pott's Point Auction SYDNEY, Thursday
Grantham, an historic house at Pott's Point, which belonged to the Dangar family for 65 years, was offered at auction to-day, & was passed ln at £15,100. The place originally formed part of a grant of 11 acres in 1822 to John Wylde, judge advocate, who was afterwards knighted. The area started from where Woolloomooloo wharves now stand. Caleb Wilson, ironmonger, built the first house in 1835, but all that remains of it at the pre-sent time are tower & kitchen. It was jokingly called 'frying pan castle of Woolloomooloo.' Wilson paid only £405 for 4 1/2 acres. After his death, Donald Larnach paid £5000 for the house & 4 1/2 acres of land. He subdivided & resold part of it in 1853, to the late Henry Dangar for £4000.

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Sydney Morning Herald - Saturday 16 January 1937, page 18

HISTORIC HOME |
Sold for Demolition.
One of the old homes of Sydney, Grantham, In St, Neot-avenue, Potts Point, is to be demolished. Yesterday, the mansion was offered at auction by Richardson and Wrench, Ltd., for de-molition and removal, & was sold for £530.
After its removal, the grounds will be sub-divided & submitted at auction. Grantham was previously known as Granthamvllle and Dangar Castle. The site originally formed part of a grant of ,11 acres made In 1822 to the Judge Advocate, Mr John Wylde who later received a knighthood
The first house on the property was built about 1835 by Caleb Wilson, an ironmonger, & all that remains of the original building is the present tower & kitchen quarters Wilson's house was known as Caleb Castle but It was referred to jocularly as "Frying Pan Castle of Woolloomooloo "
Mr. F Parbury later owned it. & named It Granthamville He was one of the port's best-known wharf proprietors Parbury's wharves accommodated in their time many of the early wool ships which helped to develop the port of Sydney.
Whereas Caleb Wilson had paid £405 for 4½ acres of ground, Mr Donald Larnach, who later owned it, paid £5000 for the house & the 4½ acres This was later subdivided, & part was resold in 1853 to Mr. Henry Dangar for £6000. After his death in 1861, his widow occupied the house, & left it in her will to, Mr H C Dangar in 1869. He lived there until 1917 Since then the house has been owned bv several persons.
Mr. H C Dangar rebuilt the home to his own design, & followed the Norman style of architecture. The palatial home, as it was known to most people, was built of solid dimension stone quarried on the waterfront Mr Dangar brought into his design the battle-mented walls & the old-fashioned stone fence. The entrance porch was tiled & led Into a vestibule, in which a fine mahogany staircase was built with an overhead balus-traded gallery. Upon the rebuilding in 1870. Mr Dangar renamed the house Grantham.
Today, the house has cedar fittings throughout, and contains 22 bedrooms and five bathrooms.

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Sun Thursday 25 April 1918, page 4

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HISTORIC HOME IN MARKET
"GRANTHAM" FOR SALE
Grant of Nearly 100 Years Ago

The historic old house at Potts Point, "Granthnm," which has belonged to the Danger family for 65 years, was offored for sale at auction this morning by Messrs. Raine & Home. The place has a romantic history, having originally formed part of a grant of 11 acres to Mr. John Wyldc (Judge Advocate, who was afterwards knighted) in 1822. As the quaint old title deed describes it, the grant extended "from the projecting rook I
and to the other side of Port Jackson." This relic has now disappeared, & on the site the Woolloomooloo Bay wharves now stand. Caleb Wilson, an ironmonger, built the first house on this property In 1835 or thereabouts, the present tower & kitchen quarters being all that, remain of the original building. It was joldngly called "Frying Pan Castle of Woolloomooloo," & Wilson's initials are to be found carved on the inside of the old tower. Ho paid only £405 for 4'/a acres. After his death Mr. Donald. Lurnaoh paid £5000 for the houso & 4!/j acres, & he subdivided & resold part of it in 1853 to the late Mr. Henry Dangur for £6000. "After my grandfather's death in 1861,"
says Mr. Neville Dangar, "his widow occupied it, & she left it by her will to my father, Mr. II. C. 'Dangar, In 1869. He lived there until his death last year." As soon as Mr. H. C. Dangar got It he rebuilt it to his own dosign, & he chose the Norman style of architecture. At present the house is called "Grantham" —although formerly It was named "Granthamville"— & It Is to be seen in pictures of old Sydney as the only house on the point. Situated in charming grounds, & surrounded by an old-fashioned high, stone wall, the house with its battlomented walls presents a fine picture, reminiscent of an English home. The octagonal tower, with its flagstaff, is a picturesque note, & the view from the flat roof is all-embracing, including the harbor on one side & the city on the other. A drive enclosing a salvia-bedded lawn leads up to the tiled entrance porch, & inside the vestibule there is a fino wide ma-
"Grantham," Potts Point, the historic home of the Dangar family.
Mahogany staircase with no overhead balustrated gallery. The drawing & dining rooms are on opposite sides of the hall, & lead on to verandahs with verdant lawns beyond. The billiard room & library are in the rear, & upstairs many bedrooms disclose charming views from the windows. Altogether, counting in the servants' ball, there are about 25 rooms. Out of doors there is a lawn tennis court, & the garden lover can find much to interest him. In the distance is the kitchen garden, where origlnnlly most of the stone with which "Grantham" built was quurrled.

Adelaide Cottage - Darlinghurst - New South Wales

Z

Kellett House - Darlinghurst - New South Wales 

The First NSW Premier Stuart Alexander Donaldson, moved into a 2 Storey Villa on a 3 Acre Lot, where The Hotel Mansions On Kellett Street and Bayswater Road sits Today. 

The Villa was originally called Bona Vista, and had been built gfor Samuel Augustus perrty in 1831 and Donaldson renamed it Kellett House. 

Perry was granted the Allotment by Governor Ralph Darling. He arrived in Australia with his wife & six children ni 1829,

Perry came to Sydney to serve as the Deputy to the NSW Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell/

His hair looks like it could do with a good brush, his sideburns are very 2005 and his unbuttoned, military coat looks straight off the Autumn-Winter 2012 runway. A man ahead of his time, perhaps.

Perry came to Sydney to serve as the deputy to NSW Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell, and he clashed with the older man who was jealous of anyone he thought likely to succeed him.

Therefore, Perry was generally assigned mundane duties so Mitchell could accuse his underling of being idle.

Perry didn't live in Bona Vista for long and in 1834 sold it at auction to Richard "China" Jones MP, who renamed the villa Darlinghurst House, after his wife's good friend, Lady Elizabeth Darling, wife of the Guv.

While researching this transaction, I came across this gem of an article from the 30 November 1937 edition of The Sydney Morning Herald, written by Joseph Reidle:

"Ghosts in Crinolines, When Kings Cross was dotted with stately homes.

"A great effort is required to imagine that King's Cross (sic) - the present throbbing centre of Sydney's night life - was once sparsely dotted with stately homes, where demure ladies drove leisurely through private avenues of trees in their carriages.

"Those were the days when land was owned by the acre. 
"To-day (sic), despite stout resistance to the demolisher's picks, century-old homes are being knocked down so that the task of converting King's Cross into a swarming, human ant-hill may proceed uninhibited.

"Roslyn Hall and Orwell House are already man-made ruins, and a similar fate awaits Kellett House, Springfield and Larbert Lodge. 
"But before modern mammoth structures completely annihilate even the memory of their long lives, these last survivors of a bygone age merit at least a brief obituary."

The article goes on to describe, in words and pictures, the ruin-like state of some of the original villas and, despite the fact that the Villas book states Kellett House was demolished in 1877, it appears from this article parts of the home were still around in the 1930s.

So, after Donaldson moved out of Kellett House in the mid-1800s, it was purchased by wealthy squatter W.F. Buchanan.
The original plot was subdivided from 1864 and Buchanan demolished part of Kellett House and built a terrace on the site, known as Bayswater Terrace - obviously how the road today was given its name.

The Hotel Mansions was built in the late 1800s and remodelled in 1918. 

The remains of Kellett House were sold in October 1937 and it was probably demolished soon after.
Today, the Hotel Mansions is about to be converted into designer apartments known as Manor, and the area continues to be a swarming, human ant-hill.

1879

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. 

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Daily Telegraph - Thursday 30 September 1926, page 10

HISTORIC HOME SOLD
ELIZABETH BAY HOUSE 

One of the finest hiBtorio homes in Australia. "Elizabeth Bay House," Onslow Avenue Elizabeth Bay; was sold -yesterday for £42,500 to a'well-known city business man. . The vendor
was Colonel Geo. Mlchaelis. managing director of M'Murtries, Ltd. "Elizabeth Bay House" was built, in 1828 by Alexander Macleay, then Colonial.- Secretary, he having : obtained a grant of .54 acres of ground on the foreshores - of Elizabeth Bay. Here he devoted a great deal of time and money, to the study & -classification of fauna & flora, & the property, was-famous- for its collection of flowers & shrubs from all over the world. The home was built by convicts, & underneath the dwelling are-two large cellars, now subdivided into- several rooms, where the convicts were quartered." The house is constructed entirely of 'Stone, & it is understood that it cost over- £10,000 to build. That sum represented a very large amount of money nearly 100 years ago. . . "Elizabeth Bay House" was occupied, by the Macleay family until 1903. The present' occupants. Col. Mlchaelis & his family, have lived there for over 20 years, & the previous resident was Colonel Onslow. In 1875 the extensive grounds were subdivided into streets & avenues, which form: portion of the suburbs, Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and; part of Darlinghurst.. The original property extended from the shores of Elizabeth and Rushcutters Bays to William St Darlinghurst.  

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Lindesay - Darling Point - New South Wales

LINDESAY HOUSE, DARLING POINT

1. LINDESAY Is A National Trust Property. It Has Georgian Interiors With Fine Australian & English Furniture, Which Are Complimented By An Elegant Parterre Garden And Well Tended Grounds With Uninterrupted Harbour Views. 

2. It Was Built By The Colonial Treasurer Campbell Drummond Riddell In 1834. He Purchased 17 Acres Reserved For Him By The Acting Colony's Governor, Lieutenant Patrick LINDESAY. 

3. It Is Believed That The Favour Of Reserving The Land Led Riddell To Name The House After Best Friend, & Fellow Scot, Patrick LINDESAY. It was The First House  To Be Built In The Suburb, & Attracted Many Distinguished Occupants. 

4. The House Had Many Famous Owners. It Was Purchased By Sir Thomas Mitchell In 1841. I'm The 1830's Mitchell Undertook Three Major Expeditions. throughout Australia, Took His Reports Back To England And Was Knighted For His Effort. 

5. Sir Charles Nicholson Purchased LINDESAY In 1845, After Moving To Sydney In 1843 & Being Elected Ti The New South Wales Legislative Council. He Later Became Speaker Of The House. He Sold LINDESAY To William Bradley In 1849. 

6. City Of Shdney Councillor  John Macintosh Brought The Property In 1868. While He Was At LINDESAY, Mr Macintosh Built Two Other Houses On Darling Point - Braeside And Cintra - For His Children. 

7. In 1911 John Macintosh Died At Kindesay A d It Was Sold Two Years Later To Alfred Wunderlich Who Subdivided The Land. In 1914 Dr Edaard Jenkins Blufht The House. 

8. In 1926 The Jankins Family Moved To A Smaller House, At 35 New South .  ahead Road, Vaucluse. LINDESAY Was  The. purchased By Charles and Mary spy's, Who Lived The Rest If Their Lives In The House, And After another Had Died Ther So. Charles Handed Over The Property To The National Trust If Australi In 1963.

9. The House Is The First Domestic Example Of Gothic architecture ln Australia. The Interiors, Restored By The National Trust Of Australia Represent The Prominant Fanilies That All lived There.

10. LINDESAY Is Open To The Public On The First Thursday Of Every Month, With Guided Tours At 10am, 11am, & Noon. The Cost Is $10, Or Free For National Trust Members.