Bush Architect — Halifax Hayes
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Photosby Robert Walker A MICHELANGELO OF THE BUSH 'If anyone out there wants a bush version of unexpected corners. His sympathetic the Sistine Chapel, I'm your man. I like to stonework can be seen on the restoration take on challenges. I like to turn people's and additions to old buildings including the dreams or even their follies into a reality.' famous old local pub The Settlers'Arms. Builder, architect, sculptor, carpenter, stone His houses are usually built of bush materials mason and bush guru, Halifax Hayes has found on the property. Sometimes he lived and worked with the natural materials inventively reconstitutes secondhand of the bush all his life. An ageless, solid tree materials that have the solidity and presence like man, Halifax still has the strength and to be used again in a new fashion. One energy that caused local kids to call him harmonious house he recently built from Hercules when he was a youth. His friend scratch uses materials almost entirely off the the artist Charles Blackman says of him: site. In this house the timber poles and all 'Whatever Halifax creates is full of feeling rafters and beams were discreetly harvested and resounds with his humanity and from the rich tree growth on the land. One personal philosophy.' large tree, some twenty metres in length, For the last twenty years Halifax has lived forms the central beam. The stone was and worked in the 'forgotten valley' of St. found or quarried on the property. Also Albans, a picturesque bushland area of some mud bricks were used with on site NSW where the Macdonald River winds clay. The house features an extensive use of through the mountains. He has left his mark louvres, an early Australian invention for air throughout this valley. With a highly flow. In the living room a continuous double developed sense of form and a rare row of louvred windows, one set back from understanding of materials, inspired touches the other using small trees as rows of short of Halifax Hayes abound through St. beams, gives the upper wall and roof line Albans. His superb houses nestle or perch in an interesting form and provides natural air conditioning. The row of golden tree ends houses to evolve in the way those multi population the style of the houses has gleams in the afternoon light. The ceiling is levelled Mediterranean villages or Algerian changed. However, Halifax, like some lined with straw, the roof is corrugated iron mud buildings evolved. I like to be flexible timeless guardian preserves the character of and the floors have terracotta tiles enough to adapt to sites and materials. I see the valley. He has restored the old stone throughout. a house as the evolution of an idea rather ruins of convict and early settler built houses. than the strict following of a plan.' This house has a huge stone triple fireplace. One such house on Primrose Hill Two are used as wood boxes. Halifax often He is sensitive about removing trees. 'I overlooking the river flats was built about leaves his signature on his stonework in the choose them carefully and cull them out. 1815 by Christian Sternbeck. Well form of a small carving. This fireplace is There are no scars left on the landscape.' documented, it was once a grand family signed with carved birds, this time Halifax has a wry sense of humour. home rather in the style of an old Roman kookaburras. The house although light and 'Naturally I prefer to take out rock than villa with a row of Corinthian columns airy has a warm sheltered feeling as a result trees. The rock doesn't scream as loudly. across the front, each carved from a single of this organic architecture. The house You must assure the trees they will be piece of stone. Two storeyed, it featured features another Halifax signature, a huge immortalised in the building. Barking the dormer windows, cedar staircases and four metre long ironbark table. Perhaps one trees can be a pain in the neck but stone flagged verandahs. This house lost its of the most beguiling parts of the house is sometimes it's easy. We say it depends on roof in a storm and in recent years was the separate studio (pictured), an elegantly the moon and how much moisture there is in reduced to little more than a pile of rubble formed pole construction infilled with cedar the tree. You herringbone with your axe by vandals, thieves, water damage and weatherboard. along the trunk of the stringybark and the white ants. bark usually peels off. The ironbark must be Halifax undertook to restore Primrose Hill to tapped off.' Building as a sculpture its original state for the new owners of the St. Albans was once a thriving community property. It is his current proiect. He found 'I see a building as a form of sculpture,' that was first settled at the turn of the the site where the bush stone had been says Halifax. 'The site is of utmost eighteenth century. All the properties are quarried on the land, the source of the importance. It must fit into the land. I like my acreage but with a dwindling resident original stonework. This is where he ~23 gathered the new stone needed for the work on it too) is ·the huge bush castle of a restoration. The kitchen with its open Sydney publisher. With a central hall of cooking fire has an old bread oven which Wagnerian proportions, high open beamed is now in working order . The small split ceilings and a large stone fireplace , the level stone barn alongside the house which house is surrounded by a four metre wide was once a cellar, coolroom and pantry flagged balcony overlooking a spectacular has been restored . He hopes to see this fine view. 'It is a great example of recycled old house completed soon. materials,' Halifax enthused. 'We used stone from demolition sites. We found High up on the superb stone additions he unusual material full of character. The rafters did for The Settlers'Arms Halifax left a small were salvaged . carving of a bird . One of the oldest pubs in Australia, The Settlers'Arms has remained, 'I hate to see beautiful pieces of wood just except for a brief period, fully operational go up in smoke. The magnificent hardwood since it was built in 1836. Halifax has rafters and roof trusses, some of them fifty made his additions in keeping with the old feet long were made of heavy beams from inn. He found old foundation stones in the an old tram depot. We had to rescue the area or used bush stone which he framed timber . It was about to be burnt up. What a and sparrow picked to match the original. waste. There are problems, of course, with He recently put in a large ironbark bar. It is recycled materials . When your materials a popular place for both locals and visitors. come from a variety of sources there is often a lot of recutting and reshaping to achieve a balance of form and an integrity of A recycled castle appearance. One of the most dramatic.houses Hal ifax The house also features a cathedral master has helped create (the owner did a lot of bedroom, a large stone spa bathroom and 24 one of Halifa x's giant ironbark feasting and making a feature of the old hand-adzed tables. It was a great contrast later to visit rafters. Now that this minute house had the charming country retreat of artist Denise some height and space, Halifax produced Barry and her doctor husband, Brendon the crowning touch, one of his splend id Barry. It was the large step from the stone fireplaces . Using stone off the land he monumental and ingenious bush castle to created a large but very fuel efficient . every romantic 's dream of a tiny rose fireplace and carved it with two wara tahs covered country cottage . and a stylised bird . No w two of Denise Barry's paintings of kookaburras hang either side of the fireplace. Bush carpentry and an eagle's nest Once the site of an old woodshed now in disuse, a discerning Sydneysider, Eva Some thirteen years ago the Barrys found a Clarke bought an unusual property ca lled small derelict timber cottage in St. Albans. It Cobbler's Peg. She and Halifa x tramped had been built by a bush carpenter over a over the acres searching for a site for the hundred years ago and stood on a low hill small bush retreat Eva had in mind . At last wit h an enchanting view. This view w as to they found the ideal spot. It was a ledge , have a grr:::atinfluence on Denise's high up on the side of a mountain and paintings . almost unapproachable. Halifa x.moved in and transformed the Undeterred , Halifax cut the 179 steps up to house. 'Fie repaired the outer wa lls and the ledge. And up there he created a opened up the front room. He knocked superb small house and perched it, like an dow n the walls of two tiny rooms and a eagle 's nest, high among the trees. There is hallw ay making a larger airier space . He an inspiring view of the valley and of exposed the charming pointed ceiling, poplar s and mellaluccas and high branches relining it wi th dressed wood but saving . ~25 .