Balmain & Glebe Heritage
Lyndhurst c.1834
See where this picture was taken. [?]
Lyndhurst is built on part of a grant in 1796 of 400 acres to Reverend Richard Johnson on Church of England property known as the Glebe. Trustees of the Clergy and School Lands Corporation subdivided the Glebe in 1828 and Lot 5 was sold to Charles Cowper.
The land for Lyndhurst was purchased from Cowper in 1833 by Dr James Bowman for 1500 pounds. In April NSW's foremost Greek Revival style architect John Verge selected the site and prepared designs for the residence. In May and June the plans were prepared .
Lyndhurst house was built between 1834 and 1837 as a 'suburban villa' with view to Blackwattle Bay by Verge for Bowman, the principal colonial surgeon and his wife Mary. Mary was a daughter of graziers John and Elizabeth Macarthur.
The house overlooked Blackwattle Bay and no expense was spared on its building or fitting out. The surviving papers and accounts would make Lyndhurst the best documented domestic dwelling of the period.
In the grounds were the large service yard and balancing wings and stables designed by Verge, elaborately laid out pleasure grounds, shrubbery and the kitchen garden.
Francis Newman was the gardener at Lyndhurst. He was later appointed Superintendent of the Royal Society of Tasmania's garden in Hobart, which later would be renamed the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens, a post he held form 1845 until his death in 1859 .
The Bowman's occupation of their new home did not last long. Dr Bowman had become involved with his Macarthur brothers-in-law over the AA Company and in 1842 was experiencing financial difficulty. The Macarthurs took possession of the property and leased it to the short-lived St James Theological College. James and William Macarthur also became indebted and the Bank of Australia took possession of it. In 1852 the bank sold the property to the Roman Catholic Church for the establishment of St Mary's College, the most important Roman Catholic School in Sydney..
St James was Australia's first theological college and produced several distinguished native born clerics. The success of it's classical department gave Bishop Broughton, Australia's first Anglican Bishop, hope that it would play a part in the emerging university movement. However, its churchmanship was considered too high and this involved a major crisis which let to it's demise. St Mary's shared a similar fate. It taught secular pupils while the English Benedictine community which provided the teaching staff formed a regular order. It had a reputation for its elaborate classical curriculum and high scholarly standards. The school began to decline in the late 1860s when competition from the country catholic schools, the irish dislike of English Benedictinism and criticism for its high fees weakened its popularity.
The college closed in 1877. In 1878 and 1885 the estate was sold, subdivided and terraced houses went up. The service wings behind the house came off, the stables demolished and the grounds built upon. Morris Asher, M.P., a businessman, bought the house in 1878. For some time after this the building was run as a lying-in maternity hospital.
In 1890 Morris had the verandahs and porch demolished, the main staircase taked down and the interior divided into a series of small rooms and passages. Stairs were provided for each house. The houses were not successful and the interior was returned to that of one house, adding to the already confused state of the altered interior
During the period 1890-1905 one of the terraces became Lyndhurst Private School run by Miss Agnes Watt.
Lyndhurst was purchased in 1925 by Aubrey Bartlett who owned it until its resumption for the freeway in 1972. By this time the building had long ceased to be a residence and had been given over to factory use. Buildings had been constructed against its walls and it served as a broom factory, soap factory, ice cream shop and joinery factory among others..
Public support prompted by the Save Lyndhurst Committee for the rescue of a Verge masterpiece and a change of government led to the abandonment of the proposal and the subsequent restoration of the house by Clive Lucas, Stapleton and partners between 1979 and 1988.
The first brief came from the Heritage Council in 1979 to see if the wreck could be saved. Finance was allocated for necessary structural repairs, a temporary roof and caretakers accomodation. This halted decay and allowed for proper assessment. Initial recommendations, including restoration of the hall, dining, drawing room and library, were achieved by 1981, allowing the public to appreciate the house.
In 1983 the building was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust of NSW to complete the project to provide them with a headquarters. Attention was first paid to the interiors. The last phase of the restoration was the reconstruction of the garden. This work was finished in May 1988 (was sold in 2005 for 3.8 million dollars to private hands).
In 1990 Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners were awarded the Greenway award by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects for Excellence in building restoration.
Lyndhurst c.1834
See where this picture was taken. [?]
Lyndhurst is built on part of a grant in 1796 of 400 acres to Reverend Richard Johnson on Church of England property known as the Glebe. Trustees of the Clergy and School Lands Corporation subdivided the Glebe in 1828 and Lot 5 was sold to Charles Cowper.
The land for Lyndhurst was purchased from Cowper in 1833 by Dr James Bowman for 1500 pounds. In April NSW's foremost Greek Revival style architect John Verge selected the site and prepared designs for the residence. In May and June the plans were prepared .
Lyndhurst house was built between 1834 and 1837 as a 'suburban villa' with view to Blackwattle Bay by Verge for Bowman, the principal colonial surgeon and his wife Mary. Mary was a daughter of graziers John and Elizabeth Macarthur.
The house overlooked Blackwattle Bay and no expense was spared on its building or fitting out. The surviving papers and accounts would make Lyndhurst the best documented domestic dwelling of the period.
In the grounds were the large service yard and balancing wings and stables designed by Verge, elaborately laid out pleasure grounds, shrubbery and the kitchen garden.
Francis Newman was the gardener at Lyndhurst. He was later appointed Superintendent of the Royal Society of Tasmania's garden in Hobart, which later would be renamed the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens, a post he held form 1845 until his death in 1859 .
The Bowman's occupation of their new home did not last long. Dr Bowman had become involved with his Macarthur brothers-in-law over the AA Company and in 1842 was experiencing financial difficulty. The Macarthurs took possession of the property and leased it to the short-lived St James Theological College. James and William Macarthur also became indebted and the Bank of Australia took possession of it. In 1852 the bank sold the property to the Roman Catholic Church for the establishment of St Mary's College, the most important Roman Catholic School in Sydney..
St James was Australia's first theological college and produced several distinguished native born clerics. The success of it's classical department gave Bishop Broughton, Australia's first Anglican Bishop, hope that it would play a part in the emerging university movement. However, its churchmanship was considered too high and this involved a major crisis which let to it's demise. St Mary's shared a similar fate. It taught secular pupils while the English Benedictine community which provided the teaching staff formed a regular order. It had a reputation for its elaborate classical curriculum and high scholarly standards. The school began to decline in the late 1860s when competition from the country catholic schools, the irish dislike of English Benedictinism and criticism for its high fees weakened its popularity.
The college closed in 1877. In 1878 and 1885 the estate was sold, subdivided and terraced houses went up. The service wings behind the house came off, the stables demolished and the grounds built upon. Morris Asher, M.P., a businessman, bought the house in 1878. For some time after this the building was run as a lying-in maternity hospital.
In 1890 Morris had the verandahs and porch demolished, the main staircase taked down and the interior divided into a series of small rooms and passages. Stairs were provided for each house. The houses were not successful and the interior was returned to that of one house, adding to the already confused state of the altered interior
During the period 1890-1905 one of the terraces became Lyndhurst Private School run by Miss Agnes Watt.
Lyndhurst was purchased in 1925 by Aubrey Bartlett who owned it until its resumption for the freeway in 1972. By this time the building had long ceased to be a residence and had been given over to factory use. Buildings had been constructed against its walls and it served as a broom factory, soap factory, ice cream shop and joinery factory among others..
Public support prompted by the Save Lyndhurst Committee for the rescue of a Verge masterpiece and a change of government led to the abandonment of the proposal and the subsequent restoration of the house by Clive Lucas, Stapleton and partners between 1979 and 1988.
The first brief came from the Heritage Council in 1979 to see if the wreck could be saved. Finance was allocated for necessary structural repairs, a temporary roof and caretakers accomodation. This halted decay and allowed for proper assessment. Initial recommendations, including restoration of the hall, dining, drawing room and library, were achieved by 1981, allowing the public to appreciate the house.
In 1983 the building was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust of NSW to complete the project to provide them with a headquarters. Attention was first paid to the interiors. The last phase of the restoration was the reconstruction of the garden. This work was finished in May 1988 (was sold in 2005 for 3.8 million dollars to private hands).
In 1990 Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners were awarded the Greenway award by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects for Excellence in building restoration.