Gothic-Style Vaucluse House, Museum and Public Park

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Vaucluse House, formerly the home of William Charles Wentworth (1762-1827) and his family, is now a tourist attraction, house museum and public park.

The original Vaucluse House was a cottage built by Sir Henry Brown Hayes, who was transported to New South Wales in 1802 for kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy Irish banker.

Brown Hayes had his cottage surrounded by Irish peat, with the idea that this would protect it from snakes. He believed that Saint Patrick had "so managed matters that no snake could not live on or near Irish soil".

Snakes, however, never lived in Ireland.

Brown Hayes named the property Vaucluse after the village where his favourite Italian poet Petrarch lived in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse near Avignon in southern France,

In in 1822, the property was acquired by Captain John Piper.

Vauclsue House in teh early days, NSW. Reproduced Conrad Martens's painting of Wentworth House, as it was then known, from the Willi Dixson collection. Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Saturday 18 September 1937

William Charles Wentworth, who first succesfully crossed the Blue Mountains along with Gregory Blaxland and Lt.William Lawson, bought the property from Captain Piper. .

W. C. Wentworth was the son of surgeon D'Arcy Wentworth and former Irish convict Catherine Crowley.

William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872), explorer, author, barrister, landowner, and statesman

Wentworth was a trailblazer in other ways too. He advocated for freedom of the press, self-government for NSW, trial by jury, and he founded Sydney University, the colony's first place of tertiary education.

After Wentworth entered the Parliament of New South Wales in 1843, he suggested the creation of hereditary peerage for Australia, an idea mocked as a "bunyip aristocracy".

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 19 September 1933. The interior of a stately Colonial home. The furniture originally belonged to Mr. W. C Wentworth, the statesman, and was bought in London more than a century ago

Wentworth's wife, Sarah Cox, was born in 1805 to convict parents Frances Morton and Francis Cox. In 1825, she brought a breach of promise lawsuit against Captain John Payne who withdrew his offer of marriage. In court, Cox was represented by barrister W. C. Wentworth. Eventually, the couple had 10 children together.

By 1830, Wentworth had added turrets to the house, a sandstone stable, a large kitchen wing and convict barracks, and coach house. The 10 Wentworth children, however, occupied only three bedrooms.

 remains of convict barracks at Vacluse House, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Wednesday 8 September 1909

Wentworth received the first state funeral in Australia after his death in 1872.

The Wentworth Mausoleum was commissioned by Sarah Wentworth to house the remains of William Charles Wentworth and family. The small sandstone chapel retains much of its original detail
The family mausoleum at Vaucluse House, NSW, Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 19 January 1938 

Vaucluse House was acquired by the NSW State Government in 1910.

At Vaucluse House on Sunday, when a garden party of the Wentworth period was presented there as part of the 150th Anniversary Celebrations. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 9 March 1938

Around Vaucluse House

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW

Things To Do

Vaucluse House

Visit Vaucluse House

The house is open Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the gardens are generally open (free of charge).

Vaucluse House. 69 Wentworth Road, Vaucluse, NSW 2030 Australia · (02) 9388 7922.

Cafe, conference facilities, picnic area and public toilet.

Historic Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track

View of the Knapsack Viaduct, Lapstone, NSW

Ffty years after the road over the Blue Mountains was built in 1815, a railway line across the Blue Mountains was constructed.

LAPSTONE HILL IN 1832. This picture, the original of which was made in the year following theestablishment of the 'Sydney Herald,' will appeal to the thousands ofmotorists who now ascend the well-known Lapstone Hill on their wayto the Blue Mountains. Convicts are shown at work on the road, andthe prisoners are guarded by soldiers dressed in the quaint uniforms ofthe period. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938)

Engineer-in-Chief for Railways NSW, John Whitton, had to design and construct a rail line for gradients as steep as 1 in 33 (3%) and curves as sharp as 8 chains (160m).

Whitton preferred tunnels to achieve the ascent of Lapstone Hill, but costs were prohibitive.

The Lapstone Zig Zag, the world's first Zig Zag railway, was built between Emu Plains and Blaxland stations.

The Knapsack Gully Viaduct is 40m tall, made of sandstone, designed by John Whitton and built by William Watkins. The viaduct carried the Main Western railway line across Knapsack Gully.

The Knapsack Viaduct was designed by and built under the direction of John Whitton, second Engineer-in-Chief for Railways. Its purpose was to carry the original Western Railway Line across Knapsack Gully at the head of Jamison Creek. It formed part of the Little Zig Zag, which climbed the eastern escarpment from Emu Plains to today's Glenbrook. No date, BML

On the 11th July 1867, the first official journey by train was made between Penrith and Weatherboard (Wentworth Falls).

The Lapstone Zig Zag walking track is around 3km return, that follows the old train line and historic sandstone arched viaduct called Knapsack Bridge. 

View of the Knapsack Viaduct, Lapstone, NSW. Dated: No date, Museums of History NSW - State Archives Collection

Also along the track is the remains of Lucasville Station.

John Lucas was Minister for Mines in 1875-7, and bought land for a country house near the Lapstone ZigZag.

Lucas used his influence to have a railway station built on the Top Road of the ZigZag. The viaduct fell into disuse in 1913, after the completion of the Glenbrook Gorge Deviation, to the south of the zig-zag.

A New Mountain Road : The Lapstone Deviation Opened After the Opening Ceremony. Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 27 October 1926 The walking track starts from the car park at the end of Knapsack Street in Glenbrook, NSW.  A large signpost is at the start of the walk at the end of Knapsack Street in Lapstone, NSW.

Visit the nearby Lennox Bridge - the the oldest stone arch bridge on mainland Australia.

Around The  Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track 

 Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track, NSW

 Along the track is the remains of Lucasville Station, Capstone, NSW

 Lapstone Viaduct and Zig Zag Walking Track, NSW

Things To Do and Places To Go

Wild Walks Knapsack Viaduct

Glenbrook Village

Glenbrook History

Juniper Hall: Paddington, NSW

Juniper Hall, Paddington, one of Australia's oldest houses, was reportedly designed by Robert Cooper (Big Cooper), an emancipist gin distiller, who had it built circa 1824-5

"Paddington has been, in turn, a high class residential area graced by Georgian mansions built on wooded slopes and set among formal gardens, vine-yards and orchards; a working class suburb, treeless and scarred with serried rows of cheap terrace houses; a slum on the edge of Sydney’s underworld; and, to complete a full circle, today’s fashionable suburb..."

Hemisphere.Vol. 15 No. 10 (October 1971)

Juniper Hall, Paddington, one of Australia's oldest houses, was reportedly designed by Robert Cooper (Big Cooper), an emancipist gin distiller, who had it built circa 1824-5. Robert had been sentenced to
14 years transportation for smuggling.

Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Tuesday 6 March 1832,

Robert Cooper was a ship owner, inn keeper, timber merchant, auctioneer, pastoralist, manufacturer, baker, brewer and, more successfully, a gin distiller, which inspired the name of his home,

Maitland Daily Mercury (NSW : 1894 - 1939), Friday 13 November 1908,

Juniper Hall has been the residence for institutions including the Society for the Relief of Destitute Children, The Deaf Dumb and Blind Institute, several ladies’ colleges and the State Children’s Relief Board. (terminology of the times)

Juniper Hall was leased to Judge John Kinchela in 1831 — the colony’s first Attorney General, and Robert Cooper and his family moved to their George Street residence. Judge Kinchela then changed the name to Ormonde House.

Padding looking east from Oxford Square, NSW. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 13 November 1912

Oxford-street, Paddington. NSW, Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 17 December 1913

In 1925, Juniper Hall was set to be demolished. But Paddington residents were outraged, which led to the building being divided into flats and named Hillside. 

A row of six shops were built in the front garden.
 
Juniper Hall was purchased by the National Trust in 1984, and this heritage-listed Georgian house was later restored.

In 1987, six adjoining shops opposite Paddington’s Town Hall in Oxford Street were demolished, revealing Juniper Hall.

The Moran family purchased Juniper Hall from the National Trust of Australia on a 99-year lease in 2012 for $4,551,000 to become the home of the Moran Arts Foundation.

Juniper Hall is now the permanent venue for the annual Moran Art Prizes exhibition.

After a walk around Juniper Hall, many visitors visit the cafe.

Interesting Facts

Oxford Street was also a walking track used by Aboriginal people.

A road through the future Paddington area was built by Governor Hunter to South Head as early as 1803. 

The first land grant in the Paddington area, of 100 acres (40.4 hectares), was made to Robert Cooper, James Underwood, and Francis Ewen Forbes by Governor Brisbane in 1823.

Victoria Barracks was constructed between 1841 and 1849.

In 1862 there were 535 houses at Paddington with 2,800 residents.

Sir Henry Parkes laid the foundation stone for the Paddington Town Hall in 1890.

The Paddington Reservoir in Oxford Street provided water to parts of Sydney between 1866 and 1899. 

White City Tennis Centre has been a big part of Australian Tennis since its opening in 1922.
 

Lost 

Barcom Glen, Darlinghurst, the historic home of the West family, is about to be effaced, in order to make way for a modern street. The old house, built solidly of stone, cut from the once splendid quarries on the estate, stands lonely now amidst surroundings, which have vastly changed since its foundations were laid scores of years ago. In 1804 a grant of 76 acres was made to Thomas West, and the estate stretched from Oxford-street to the waters of Rushcutter Bay. Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 8 February 1912

Some Paddington Historic Photos

Horse-drawn omnibus on Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW, 1895 BY MACPHERSON FAMILY, SLNSW

Paddington Town Hall in 1900, NSW, Woollahra Municipal Council

Rose, Shamrock & Thistle Hotel, 55 Oxford Street, Paddington, C. 1930s, by Sam Hood

THESE BRIGHT-FACED GIRLS, employees of the N.S.W. Engineering Works at 363 Oxford Street,Paddington, were not perturbed today when they had to make this' rather unusual entry to the works. The boss left the key at home. Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW : 1941 - 1955), Wednesday 19 February 1947

The first hotel was built on the intersection of Dowling and Oxford Sts. by Sgt. Armstrong of the Police Force. The first omnibus ran to Paddington and was called the Iron Duke. The track was rough and the fare was 1s each way.Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW : 1941 - 1955), Wednesday 18 January 1950,

Heritage Listings

1 Ormond Street, Juniper Hall

Engehurst 246 Oxford Street: 
1 Young Street: Paddington Substation
249 Oxford Street: Paddington Town Hall
255a Oxford Street: Paddington Reservoir
302–304 South Dowling Street: Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Sydney

The following sites are listed on other heritage registers

Paddington Court House, Jersey Road
Paddington Public School, 1870 and 1892 buildings, Oxford Street
Uniting Church and Parsonage, 1877, Oxford Street
St Matthias Church Group, 1859–1861, Oxford Street
St Matthias Former Rectory, 1873, 495 Oxford Street
St Matthias Church Hall, 1882, Oxford Street
Royal Hotel, 1885, Glenmore Road
Tabor Cottage, Jersey Road (formerly Paddington Watch House)

Around Paddington

Art display at Juniper Hall, Paddington, NSW

Paddington Reservoir Gardens at 251-255 Oxford St, Paddington.  The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park located at 255a Oxford Street in the inner eastern Sydney suburb of Paddington

Centennial Park's Paddington Gates, located on the corner Oxford Street and Lang Road, Paddington, NSW (All eight sets of entrance gates into Centennial Park were built between 1887 and 1900)

Paddington Post Office built 1885. 246 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW

Heritage buildings, Paddington, NSW

Victoria Barracks in Paddington, NSW, built in 1841, of locally quarried sandstone (for the use of Defence Personnel)

The Superintendent's Residence, Parkes Dr, Centennial Park, Paddington, NSW, built from 1891

Former Paddington Watch House, now known as Taber Cottage (heritage-listed), Jersey Road Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Sardaka

A tiny house in Paddington, NSW

Paddington terraces, Paddington, NSW

Things To See

There are many private art galleries in Paddington

Juniper Hall: 250 Oxford St, Paddington 2021. Telephone: (02) 9357 5222 (Open Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Paddington Reservoir Gardens at 251-255 Oxford St, Paddington. The Paddington Reservoir is a heritage-listed public park

Centennial Park's Paddington Gate. Entrance to Centennial Park located on the corner Oxford Street and Lang Road, providing access from the eastern suburb of Paddington.

Paddington Markets is a not-for-profit artisan market featuring local artists, bakers, chefs and fresh produce. Every Saturday from 10am Paddington Markets has been open since 1973

Project Space Gallery: Australian Centre for Photography. Venue. 72 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW

St Matthias Anglican Church, is located long Oxford Street, NSW

St Francis of Assisi Choir 9and church), Paddington, NSW

Paddington Library, 247 Oxford St, Paddington NSW

Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021

Macquarie Arms Hotel: Windsor, NSW, Opened in 1815

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815.

Windsor is on the lands of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug people 

Windsor, NSW, is the third-oldest place of British settlement on the Australian continent.

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815. 

Emancipist Richard Fitzgerald constructed the hotel on orders from Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

The hotel, a two-storeyed stuccoed brick inn with an attic storey and cellar, is part of Thompson Square, a village square planned by Governor Macquarie in 1811 when the town of Windsor was known as Greenhills.

Thompson Square is named after Andrew Thompson, who, like Richard Fitzgerald, arrived in the colony as a convict in 1791.

Governor Hunter made Fitzgerald superintendent of Agriculture in Toongabbie in 1800. And Andrew Thompson became a respected chief constable, farmer and businessman. He also built the first bridge in the area in 1802. 

Around Thompson Square, there are a large number of Colonial Georgian buildings, such as the Doctor's House at 1–3 Thompson Square, completed in 1845, where a series of doctors resided. The first building on the site, is believed to have been an inn called The Lord Nelson (1819).

Thompson Square, Windsor, NSW, in the 1870s, Hawkesbury Library

Windsor Bridge (built 1874) - Looking north to south across Hawkesbury River. Source: State Library of NSW

There are a. great many other historic buildings around Windsor, and these can be seen by following a self-guided heritage walk.  There are various heritage precincts. See here

Some Buildings to See

Windsor Courthouse, built in the Georgian style, still has the original cedar joinery from 1822. The courthouse was commissioned by Governor Macquarie, was designed by a former convict, architect Francis Greenway, and built by William Cox, using convict labour.

On the corner of Catherine Street and Little Church Street, Windsor, John Primrose opened the Bell Inn in 1845. The building is now a private residence.

The waterwheel situated at the Baker Street end of the mall design is based on a waterwheel used by settlers James and Benjamin Singleton to power their grain mills in the 1800's at Wisemans Ferry.

The corner stone of St Matthews Anglican Church was laid by Governor Macquarie in October 1817. The church was also designed by Francis Greenway and built by convict labour. Samuel Marsden conducted the opening services 1822.

St Matthew's Church Windsor, NSW, in 1906

The Richmond Literary Institute was established in 1861, and in 1866, the foundation stone was laid. In the same year, The School of Arts, on the corner of West Market and March Streets, was officially opened by the Premier, Sir Henry Parkes on 27 August.

By 1895, frontier violence had broken out in the Hawkesbury region. The most significant scribe of the time, David Collins, recorded that "the natives at the river" attacked a man "who had been allowed to ply with a passage-boat between the port of Sydney and the river and wounded him (it was feared mortally) as he was going with his companion to the settlement.". (Stephen Gapps)

Settlers’ huts were attacked, robbed, and burnt down. Settlers and colonial authorities retaliated with violence. The New South Wales Corps were sent to the area.

Aboriginal people had their hunting, gathering and fishing way of life severely disrupted, and were devastated by diseases to which they had no immunity. 

Interesting Facts

In June 1789, Governor Arthur Phillip led a boat expedition north, which resulted in the discovery of the Hawkesbury River.

Yarramundi, a Boorooberongal Elder, met Governor Phillip on the banks of the Hawkesbury in 1791.

One of the earliest buildings at Windsor was Old Government House, which was constructed in 1791. Sadly the building was demolished in 1922.

Government Cottage also known as Old Government House was located at 41 George Street, North in the Peninsula area of Windsor, New South Wales.

The original Windsor Road, which opened in 1794, was the second main road built for the colony of Sydney to connect Parramatta and Windsor.

Windsor has the biggest network of gas lamps in Australia, with 24 of them in. The Mall.

Around Windsor

The heritage-listed Macquarie Arms Hotel opened in Windsor, NSW, in 1815.

Fairfield House, an 1830s Georgian mansion built by William Cox in Windsor, NSW

The waterwheel situated at the Baker Street end of the Windsor Mall, is based on a waterwheel used by settlers James and Benjamin Singleton to power their grain mills in the 1800's at Wisemans Ferry.

Windsor, NSW

House near Thompson Square, Windsor, NSW, which was set to be demolished with the historic bridge

The first Post Office in Windsor, NSW, opened in 1828 and was housed in a number of different private buildings, including The Doctors House in Thompson Square. This building designed by Colonial Architect James Barnet and built by Michael Leeds was opened in 1880

John Howe' house, Windsor, NSW. He was a, bridge builder, store-keeper, auctioneer, coroner, chief constable

Windsor Mall, NSW

The Doctor's House, Windsor, NSW, Built in 1840s. An inn called The Lord Nelson originally occupied this site

Things To Do

Macquarie Arms Hotel 

Windsor Heritage Walk

Hawkesbury Regional Museum. 8 Baker Street, Windsor NSW

Butterfly Farm and Museum 446 Wilberforce Rd. NSW 

Australiana Pioneer Village open-air museum at Rose Street, Wilberforce, City of Hawkesbury