DOCSLIB.ORG

GRAYTHWAITE Graythwaite Is a Magnificent Three-Storey Sandstone Mansion, Built in Stages Between 1832 and 1875

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
GRAYTHWAITE Graythwaite Is a Magnificent Three-Storey Sandstone Mansion, Built in Stages Between 1832 and 1875 North Sydney Heritage Leaflet 23 GRAYTHWAITE Graythwaite is a magnificent three-storey sandstone mansion, built in stages between 1832 and 1875. It was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978. It is one of North Sydney’s most historically significant houses. Given the extent of the surviving grounds with its outhouses, important 19th century garden plantings, but also its association with the prominent Dibbs family, through the 1915 bequest of Thomas Dibbs, its link to the history of ANZAC and the home front during World War One. As the possibility of its sale to private interests emerged in the 1990s, the site also became the focus for a passionate, but ultimately unsuccessful, campaign by local residents and North Sydney Council to keep the property in public ownership. The land on which Graythwaite is situated was granted by purchase to Thomas Walker, a Deputy Assistant Commissary - General for whom Walker Street in North Sydney is named. A part of the land consisting of 39 acres was soon after transferred to William Miller, the Assistant Commissary- General, for whom Miller Street is named. Additional land was transferred to William Lithgow, NSW Engineer-in-Chief of Railways, who also lived in North Sydney and for whom the city of Lithgow is named. Walker built a house on his estate known as ‘Euroka’. When Walker died in 1850, this house passed to his widow who later sold it to George Tuting. This ownership was short-lived, however, and it was sold again to Edwin Mawney Sayers, a wealthy shipping merchant. Sayers added a substantial new wing to Walker's house. He also planted formal gardens to the south, east and north-west of the house. Sayers renamed his grander property ‘Euroka Villa’. To recoup costs Sayers subdivided the Union Street frontage of his property and built four large semi-detached houses using local stone – the first permanent dwellings on the street. ‘Sayers' Terrace’ survives today at 34 to 40 Union St. In 1873 the property was purchased for £4500 (around $4 million in today’s terms) by Thomas Allwright Dibbs, Manager of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. However, the first Dibbs to live at ‘Graythwaite’ was George, who later became Premier of New South Wales. Thomas Dibbs moved into ‘Euroka’ in the early 1880s and changed its name to ‘Graythwaite’. It is believed that the name refers to a family property in the Lake District of England. Dibbs enlarged the house substantially, incorporating Sayers’ home as the western bay-fronted wing of a grander Victorian Italianate mansion built of smooth stone with a lace iron balcony and a substantial widow’s walk on the rooftop with panoramic views of the Harbour. The property was the centre of high-society socialising in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1915, Sir Thomas Dibbs was so moved by stories of the ANZAC campaign at Gallipoli that he gave his house to the State for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. The Memorandum of Transfer (dated 1/10/1915) states: I, Thomas Allright Dibbs, hereby transfer and surrender to His Most Gracious Majesty King George V on behalf of the Government of the State of NSW all my estate and interest, as such registered proprietor, in all that piece of land containing six acres two roods 23 3/4 perches known as “Graythwaite” situated at St. Leonards in the Parish of Willoughby, County of Cumberland...for a convalescent home for our sick and wounded soldiers and when not required for that purpose as a convalescent home in perpetuity for distressed subjects of the British Empire regardless of sect or creed. For 60 years Graythwaite was administered by the Red Cross for ex-servicemen. In 1980 the property was passed to NSW Health Department and was subsequently run as a nursing home by Hope Healthcare – a not-for-profit health provider. Public fundraising in the 1970s, led by the North Shore Historical Society, had helped to restore the Widows Walk. But as maintenance costs rose and the facility aged, NSW Health initiated a process to sell ‘Graythwaite’. Concerted public opposition and the looming state election saw these plans temporarily shelved. To express their concern for the property, and to establish a public presence on the property, local residents and Council staff began refurbishing the Graythwaite gardens. But in 2006, the NSW Government sought a Court ruling to break the Dibbs’ bequest and sell the property to fund a rehabilitation hospital in Ryde. North Sydney Council was interested in buying the property to retain the land in public ownership and create a unique CBD park. It also supported Returned Services League (RSL) / Commonwealth Government proposals to refurbish the building as a rehabilitation facility, thereby adhering to Dibbs’ wishes. The grounds would be open to the public and managed by Council. However, in 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that the State Government could sell the property without continuing the provision of healthcare on the site. Despite numerous community rallies and protests and the threat of a ‘green ban’ on development, the decision was made to open the process to tender – thereby selling the estate to the highest bidder. The adjoining Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore) bought the property for $35.2 million. The sale itself is interesting for it exemplifies the historical and growing significance of well-resourced private schools in the social and economic make-up of the local area. ‘Shore’ is only one of several schools that have expanded through the acquisition of surrounding properties – many of them residential. Many of these schools were founded in substantial, converted private residences. Indeed, ‘Shore’ was established when it bought the ‘Holtermann mansion’ next to ‘Graythwaite’ from Thomas Dibbs himself in the late 19th century. That purchase was part of the transformation of North Sydney into a major centre of private education. The 2009 acquisition of ‘Graythwaite’ by ‘Shore’ is evidence of the ongoing strength of the sector in North Sydney. North Sydney Heritage Centre 1st Floor Stanton Library 234 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Phone: 02 99368400 Fax: 02 99368440 Email: [email protected] www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Graythwaite – Conservation Management Plan
    GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN APPENDIX B HISTORICAL OVERVIEW TANNER ARCHITECTS B-1 GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN B-2 TANNER ARCHITECTS GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 1.1 Introduction The following historical overview builds upon the history prepared for the Conservation Plan for the Graythwaite site prepared by Graham Edds & Associates in 2000. 1.2 Nineteenth Century Development of North Sydney 1.2.1 Land Grants Graythwaite is located within the 39 acre land grant made to Thomas Walker in 1832. Walker’s grant was one of a number made in the early decades of the nineteenth century that form the backbone of non-indigenous development in North Sydney. The first grants were located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour and the present day topographical features of this shoreline are named after the grantees. These early grants were to William (Billy) Blue in 1817, Edward Wollstonecraft in 1820, and James Milson in the mid-1820s. Blue’s 80 acres is located on the peninsula now known as Blues Point. Blue was a Jamaican Negro who had arrived in Sydney in 1801 to serve his sentence of seventeen years’ transportation. By 1807 Blue was providing a ferry service between Sydney and the north shore of the harbour and in later years was appointed the waterside watchman. He died in 1834, and his son continued the ferry service. Over the 1830s parts of the grant were sold off, with the remains of the estate sold in 1844. The northern boundary of Blue’s grant defined the southern boundary of Walker’s grant.
    [Show full text]
  • War, Grief and Experiences of the Asylum, 1915 - 1935
    University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2013 Bereft: War, grief and experiences of the asylum, 1915 - 1935 Jennifer Roberts University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Roberts, Jennifer, Bereft: War, grief and experiences of the asylum, 1915 - 1935, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Supreme Court of New South Wales Equity Division Windeyer J Tuesday 14 August 2007 1994/06 Northern Sydney and Central Co
    Northern Sydney and Central Coast Area Health Service & anor v The Attorney-Gene... Page 1 of 8 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES EQUITY DIVISION WINDEYER J TUESDAY 14 AUGUST 2007 1994/06 NORTHERN SYDNEY AND CENTRAL COAST AREA HEALTH SERVICE & ANOR V ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR NEW SOUTH WALES & ORS JUDGMENT 1 These are charitable trust proceedings under the Charitable Trusts Act 1993 in which it is sought that a cy-prés scheme be settled and ordered. As is usual in these cases there is to be a two stage hearing if it is found a scheme is justified. 2 The question for decision in this part of the case is whether the charitable purposes for which “Graythwaite” was given by Mr Thomas Allwright Dibbs (later Sir Thomas Dibbs) to His Majesty King George the Fifth on behalf of the Government of the State of New South Wales, can no longer be carried out. If it is decided that the trust purposes have failed, then it will be necessary to have a later hearing to settle a cy-prés scheme for the purpose of carrying out as nearly as possible the original trust purposes. Facts 3 The trust was created by memorandum of transfer and surrender under the Real Property Act 1900 from Thomas Allwright Dibbs to His Majesty the King for the State of New South Wales, which transfer was accepted by the Crown Solicitor on behalf of the transferee. The document is dated 1 October 1915 and omitting references to certain rights of way, is as follows: MEMORANDUM OF TRANSFER (Real Property Act 1900) A206747 In consideration of my admiration of and sincere sympathy for
    [Show full text]
  • From Track to Tarmac
    A Premier Place to Introduction A guided walking tour of the streets and Live laneways of North Sydney focusing on our State’s political history and political figures A walking tour of the homes and who represented the area including the haunts of North Sydney’s former residences of Alexander Berry, Sir politicians George Dibbs, Bernard Holtermann, Edward M. Sayers, William Tunks and Colonel Distance: 4.6 km George Barney. On this walk we will also Approximate time: 3.3 hours view changes in the North Sydney Grading: medium to high landscape over the past 150 years since the people of NSW elected their first Parliament. North Sydney has always been unashamedly conservative but sometimes independent in its political leanings (especially in more recent times with Ted Mack and Robyn Read). Labor members at state and federal level have been rare, unless they had a maverick past. William Morris Hughes, for example, was a right wing politician who represented North Sydney but had started his political life on the left. By the 1880s the North Shore of the harbour had become a desirable living area, attracting professionals and businessmen who worked in the city and commuted by the steamers. A cluster of early political representatives lived in the central portion of North Sydney, yet others lived in Kirribilli and Neutral Bay. Unfortunately some of the homes of our politicians have been demolished to make way for development in the Central Business District and construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Warringah Expressway. North Sydney History Walk : A Premier Place to Live Page 2 Our walk begins at North Sydney Railway Station GRAYTHWAITE, Union St Graythwaite is a fine house surviving as an example of the 19th Century residential Take stairs near entrance to Centra architecture of this area.
    [Show full text]
  • Graythwaite Site Aboriginal Heritage Assessment
    Graythwaite Site Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Prepared by Australian Museum Business Services for Tanner Architects Pty Ltd Final Report August 2010 100109 Australian Museum Business Services - 6 College Street, Sydney NSW 2010, Ph (02) 9320 6311, Fax (02) 9320 6428 australianmuseum.net.au/AMBS [email protected] Graythwaite Site Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Document Information 100109 AMBS (2010) Graythwaite Aboriginal Heritage Management Plan. Citation: Consultancy report to Tanner Architects. Version 1: Draft Report issued April 2010 Version 2: Draft Report issued May 2010 Versions: Version 3: Draft Report issued May 2010 Version 4: Final Draft Report issued June 2010 Version 5: Final Report issued August 2010 Recipient: Sean Williams, Senior Heritage Specialist, Tanner Architects Pty Ltd Approved by: Jennie Lindbergh II Graythwaite Site Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Executive Summary Australian Museum Business Services (AMBS) has been commissioned by Tanner Architects Pty Ltd to prepare an Aboriginal heritage assessment for the Graythwaite site. The findings are to be incorporated into a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the site, currently being prepared by Tanner Architects. The majority of registered AHIMS sites in the region of the study area are middens and Hawkesbury Sandstone shelters, which occur along Sydney Harbour. However, there are no registered AHIMS sites in the study area or in its vicinity, and no new Aboriginal sites or areas of Aboriginal heritage sensitivity were identified during the survey. This confirms the predictive model, and was expected given the early development of the area of North Sydney. Given the extent of disturbance to the original land surface at Graythwaite and the steep topography, it is not considered that there is any archaeological potential for intact or substantial Aboriginal heritage deposits on the site.
    [Show full text]
  • It Was a Very Close Community Page 2
    “It was a very close Introduction The Union/Bank/Thomas Street Conservation community” Area is largely contained within two major residential subdivisions of the mid-nineteenth A walking tour of the century. The area immediately south of Union Union/Bank Street Conservation Street was part of William Blue’s 50-acre land Area, McMahons Point grant, part of which was inherited by his daughter Susannah, and subdivided in 1859 by Distance: 3.5 km her husband William Chuter. Whilst to the north Approximate time: 3 hours of Union Street is the 1870s subdivision of Grading: low to medium Edwin Sayers ‘Euroka’ Estate. The land was originally owned by the Cammeraygal people. Their numbers and social structures were devastated in the decades following colonization and land was being given away to colonists from the late 1800s. In 1817 Governor Macquarie gave a grant of 80- acres of land on the North Shore to ex-convict William Blue and he named this area, encompassing the present day suburb of McMahons Point, ‘Northampton Farm’. This was a working farm on which he and his family cultivated vegetables and fruit for the Sydney market. Prior to receiving his land grant he was living in the Rocks and had started the first ferry service across the Harbour from Dawes Point to Blues Point in 1807. After Blue’s death in 1834 Northampton Farm was divided up amongst his children William, Robert, John, Susannah and Mary. And contrary to his will, the family began to subdivide and sell portions of the property from as early as 1836.
    [Show full text]
  • GW 01 Introduction.Doc GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN
    GRAYTHWAITE UNION STREET, NORTH SYDNEY CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN prepared for SYDNEY CHURCH OF ENGLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL FINAL ISSUE P4 – NOVEMBER 2010 TA JOB No. 09 0821 52 ALBION STREET SURRY HILLS NSW 2010 GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN PREFACE A new conservation management plan (CMP) for Graythwaite has been prepared as the endorsed earlier CMP, prepared in 2000, is now due for re-consideration and re-endorsement. It has also been prepared to address the changed circumstances relating to the place and to acknowledge that other options for its future management and use may have a more preferable heritage outcome. The Shore School purchased Graythwaite House and Lands from the State government on the understanding that it would, amongst other things, retain and conserve the heritage significance of the place. It is also Shore’s understanding that it is entitled, as owner, to reasonable use of the place. The Shore School purchased the property with the earlier (revised) CMP issued by the State government as a guiding document for potential purchasers. The earlier CMP allowed for new construction on Union Street. The School, in view of the recommendations contained in this updated CMP, has decided not to pursue this option in the public interest. The Shore School, however, needs to relocate the development potential to elsewhere on the Graythwaite lands—with the northwest corner identified as the area with the least potential for impacts. The earlier CMP also advocated the removal/replacement of the Ward Building and this approach has been retained. A more recent study has established that the new support facilities for the site could be located in a similar location with minimal impacts on the heritage significance of the place.
    [Show full text]
  • North Sydney Federation Walk
    NORTH SYDNEY’S HERITAGE 32 FEDERATION FACES AND PLACES IN NORTH SYDNEY: A WALKING TOUR A guided walk around the streets and laneways of North Sydney focusing on our Federation connections, including the former residences of Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott, Sir Edmund Barton and Dugald Thomson. Along the walk, view the changes in the North Sydney landscape since Federation and the turn of the 20th century. FEDERATION 1901 – BACKGROUND HIGHLIGHTS At the turn of the year 1900 to 1901 the city of Sydney went mad with joy. For a few days hope ran so high that poets and prophets declared Australia to be on the threshold of a golden age… from early morning on the first of January 1901 trams, trains and ferry boats carried thousands of people into the city for the greatest day of their history: the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was to be a people’s festival. Manning Clark, Historian It was also a people’s movement and 1901 was the culmination of many years of discussions, community activism, heated public debates, vibrant speeches and consolidated actions. In 1890 the Australasian Federal Conference was held in Melbourne and the following year in Sydney. In 1893 a meeting of the various federation groups, including the Australian Native Association, was held at Corowa. A plan was developed for the election of delegates to a convention. In the mid to late 1890s it was very much a peoples’ movement gathering groundswell support. In 1896 a People’s Convention with 220 delegates and invited guests from all of the colonies took place at Bathurst - an important link in the Federation chain.
    [Show full text]
  • Graythwaite – Conservation Management Plan
    GRAYTHWAITE – CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 2.1 Introduction This section of the CMP summarises the analysis of available documentary evidence for Graythwaite. It draws from the historical research undertaken by Nick Jackson (see Appendix B). It also draws from the analysis of the cultural landscape by CAB Consulting Pty Ltd and the historical archaeological assessment of the Graythwaite site prepared by Casey & Lowe. 2.2 The Natural Environment Very little of the indigenous flora are now represented within the Graythwaite site but it once supported varying extents of heath, woodland and forest vegetation formations associated with the Hawkesbury Sandstone. The dominant woodland trees may have been Eucalyptus pilularis ( Blackbutt) associated with the shale and associated with the sandstone; Angophora costata ( Sydney Red Gum) and Corymbia gummifera (Red Bloodwood) trees together with a great diversity of shrubby plants interspersed with sandstone outcrops creating slopes of informal terraces. The upper slopes were also exposed to the south and west. 2.3 Aboriginal Occupation Graythwaite forms part of the traditional lands of the Darug Nation and more specifically the Gamaragal clan group who occupied the north side of Port Jackson and to the northwest opposite Sydney Cove. Very little is known about the use of the area by Aboriginal people however it is known that Aboriginal occupation was often focused on prominent landforms such as ridges, on which Graythwaite stands, which were favourable locations for camping and travelling and from which surrounding plant and animal resources could be viewed. Conversely, the steep slopes within the Graythwaite site would have been less favourable.
    [Show full text]
  • Orthotic/Prosthetic Practices 2019: New South Wales Orthotics and Prosthetics in Australia
    Orthotic/Prosthetic Practices 2019: New South Wales Orthotics and Prosthetics in Australia Orthotist/prosthetists assess the physical and functional limitations of people resulting from disease, illness, trauma and disability, including limb amputation, diabetes, arthritis and neuromuscular conditions, such as stroke. Orthotic and prosthetic services may involve the provision of orthoses and prostheses to restore function, prevent deterioration, and improve quality of life. Orthotist/prosthetists are commonly employed in Australian hospitals, private clinics, research institutions as well as rural and remote regions, working independently and as part of multidisciplinary healthcare teams to support the Australian community. Orthotist/prosthetists are tertiary qualified allied health professionals. An Australian Qualification Framework level 7 is required to practice as an orthotist/prosthetist in Australia, consistent with education standards for other allied health professions. Orthotic/prosthetic students complete training alongside physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational therapy students. The Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) is the peak professional body for orthotist/prosthetists in Australia, with certified practitioners comprising 80% of the practicing profession. AOPA is responsible for regulating the profession and is a founding member of the National Alliance of Self Regulating Health Professions (NASRHP) in partnership with other professional organisations, including Speech Pathology Australia, the Australian
    [Show full text]
  • Graythwaite App4&5 V5
    APPENDIX 3 - TREE HEALTH AND CONDITION ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE Health Species Condition Previous Pruning No. Vigour Pest & Disease CMP No. CMP Location Height (m) Useful Life Landscape Spread (m) Maturity Class Remaining Safe Retention Value Tree Identification Expectancy (SULE) Significance Rating Live Crown Size (m²) Trunk Diameter (mm) Crown lifted to 3 Long - Sapium sebiferum Appears stable with sound branching metres. Tertiary limbs Low foliar insect 1 6 7 252 28 SM Good more than 5 moderate On-site (Chinese Tallow tree) structure. lopped to clear infestation (Scale) 40 years powerlines Crown lifted to 2 Appears stable with fair branching structure. Short Sapium sebiferum metres. Secondary 2 4.5 4 175 10 SM Exhibits multiple small wounds on lower trunk Fair No Evidence 5-15 5 low On-site (Chinese Tallow tree) limbs lopped to clear due mechanical injury. Years powerlines Crown lifted to 2 Low foliar insect Appears stable with fair branching structure. Short Sapium sebiferum metres. Tertiary limbs infestation (Leaf 3 4.5 4 169 12 SM Exhibits multiple small wounds on lower trunk Fair 5-15 5 low On-site (Chinese Tallow tree) lopped to clear Miner). Moderate due mechanical injury. 15% epicormic growth. Years powerlines Possum defoliation Appears stable with fair branching structure. Primary limbs lopped Fair with Short Lophostemon confertus 4 9 11 707 82.5 M Moderate dieback in upper crown with 15% south side to clear thinning No Evidence 5-15 2 moderate On-site (Brushbox) deadwood. powerlines crown Years Crown lifted to 2 Appears stable with poor branching structure. metres. Topped at 2.5 Short Sapium sebiferum 5 5.5 5 296 22.5 M Exhibits multiple moderate wounds due to metres & primary limbs Fair No Evidence 5-15 5 low On-site (Chinese Tallow tree) previous pruning.
    [Show full text]
  • Heritage Branch Website - Online Database
    Heritage Branch Website - Online Database About Us Listings Development Heritage Council Publications & Forms Conservation About Heritage Research Funding Home Listings Heritage Databases Heritage Database Search Heritage Item Click on the BACK button of your browser to return to the previous page. Graythwaite Item Name of Item: Graythwaite Other Name/s: Graythwaite Nursing Home Type of Item: Built Group/Collection: Health Services Category: Nursing Home Location: Lat:151.20300929 Long:-33.84073295 Primary Address: 20 Edward Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060 Local Govt. Area: North Sydney Property Description: Lot/Volume Code Lot/Volume Number Section Number Plan/Folio Code Plan/Folio Number LOT 2 - DP 539853 All Addresses Street Address Suburb/Town LGA Parish County Type 20 Edward Street North Sydney North Sydney Willoughby Cumberland Primary Owner/s Organisation Name Owner Category Date Ownership Updated NSW Department of Health State Government Graythwaite is an early example of a prominent North Shore residence which has been Statement of altered extensively over its life to reflect the social standing and status of its changing Significance ownership. The early development of the property is associated with Thomas Walker, Deputy Commissary General. His substantial two storey residence 'Euroka' built in the mid 1830's is encapsulated within 'Graythwaite' and together with the detached stables are arguably the earliest remaining fabric of the early settlement of North Sydney. The sandstone stables are the oldest examples of stables outbuilding in North Sydney and provides evidence of the importance of the horse for transport. The property also has strong associations with the Dibbs family and particularly Thomas Allwright Dibbs, manager of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, who was also ex-officio appointee to the Royal Commission on the Public Service of 1887-90.
    [Show full text]