Eryldene, Gordon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eryldene
Location	17 McIntosh Street, Gordon, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1913–1936
Built for	Eben Gowrie Waterhouse & Janet Waterhouse
Architect	William Hardy Wilson
Architectural style(s)	Georgian Revival
Owner	The Eryldene Trust
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Eryldene
Type	State heritage (complex / group)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	19
Type	House
Category	Residential buildings (private)
Builders	Rudolph G. Ochs
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Eryldene is a beautiful old house in Gordon, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It used to be a family home but is now a museum you can visit. The house was designed by a famous architect named William Hardy Wilson. It was built between 1913 and 1936 by Rudolph G. Ochs.

Today, Eryldene is owned by The Eryldene Trust. It is well-known for its amazing garden, especially its collection of camellia flowers. Because of its special history and beauty, Eryldene and its garden were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 1999.

A Look Back at Eryldene's History

Eryldene was built for Professor Eben Gowrie Waterhouse and his wife, Janet. They named the house after the place in Scotland where they got married. The house shows William Hardy Wilson's interest in the Georgian Revival style. This style was changed a bit to suit Australian weather and life.

Professor Waterhouse also helped design the house. He preferred the simple roof you see today, rather than the gabled roofs Wilson often used.

William Hardy Wilson: The Architect

William Hardy Wilson was born in Sydney in 1881. He loved history and beauty, and he wanted architecture to be true to its roots. He looked back to older styles, especially before the Victorian era. He didn't just copy them, though. He understood the spirit of colonial architecture and used its ideas in his own work.

In 1905, Wilson studied architecture in London. He also traveled around Europe and North America. He was very impressed by the American Colonial Revival style. This trip helped him see how important geography was to art and building design.

In 1911, he officially changed his name to William Hardy Wilson. He worked with another architect, Stacy Neave. During World War I, Wilson focused on writing and drawing old colonial buildings in New South Wales and Tasmania. He also built his own house, Purulia, which was finished in 1916.

Wilson's designs often featured simple stone paths and garden buildings. The summer house at Purulia was placed in a similar way to the one at Eryldene.

Later, Wilson's firm became known for its Colonial Revival style. This style used features like low, boxy Georgian shapes, verandahs with columns, and multi-paned windows. It was very popular in the 1920s.

In 1921, Wilson visited China. He learned Chinese painting, and his travels deeply influenced his ideas about architecture. After this trip, his firm started adding Chinese designs to their buildings. You can see these details at Eryldene.

Professor Waterhouse: The Camellia Expert

Professor Eben Gowrie Waterhouse was a language expert. He taught German at the University of Sydney. But he was also a passionate gardener. His home, Eryldene, became famous for its camellia collection. He even became a world expert on these beautiful flowers.

The garden at Eryldene was designed by both Wilson and Waterhouse. It was planned like an extension of the house, with different "rooms" outdoors. It became a way for Waterhouse to show his own unique style. This garden helped bring camellias back into fashion in the 20th century.

Professor Waterhouse collected many camellias, especially from Japan and China. Each plant was carefully labeled in both English and other languages. He even rescued camellias from places that were being torn down. In 1914, he bought twelve camellia plants. He kept six for Eryldene and gave six to Hardy Wilson.

In the 1920s, Waterhouse was asked to design a garden at Sydney University. He planted azaleas, fuchsias, and camellias there.

Camellias were very popular in the 1800s but lost favor by the 1890s. Professor Waterhouse's interest in them from 1914 helped bring them back. The camellia flower was named after Georg Josef Kamel, a naturalist from the early 1700s.

Important types of camellias include C. japonica, C. sasanqua, and C. reticulata. These are native to places like Japan, Korea, and China.

In 1921, a garden study was built for Professor Waterhouse. The curved wall and fountain outside were designed by Hardy Wilson. After a trip to China in 1924, the professor asked for a tea house and a "Moon Gate" near the tennis court.

After World War II, Professor Waterhouse started a camellia nursery. He also created new types of camellias, known as "Waterhouse williamsii" hybrids. One of these, "Margaret Waterhouse," was named after his daughter-in-law.

Professor Waterhouse's camellia collection at Eryldene is like a living museum. It shows how camellias were brought to Australia and developed over time. He wrote two important books about camellias, "Camellia Trail" and "Camellia Quest." These books are now very valuable.

Professor Waterhouse passed away in 1977 at the age of 96. By then, the Eryldene garden had over 700 different camellia varieties. The garden had changed from its original formal design to a more natural, camellia-filled space.

After his death, the Eryldene Trust took over the property in 1979. They worked to preserve the house and garden. Since 1991, Eryldene has been open to the public as a museum and garden.

Exploring Eryldene's Design

The Beautiful Garden

Garden study

The house and garden at Eryldene were designed to work together. They show the shared interest of Wilson and Professor Waterhouse in Asian design. The garden has several special buildings designed by Wilson and his partner, John L. Berry. These include a temple (1913), a garden study, a fountain, and a pigeon house (1921–22). There's also a garden shed (1924), a tea house (1927), and a garage with a moon gate (1936).

A wooden picket fence and a neat hedge hide the garden from the street. A path made of uneven stones leads to the front steps. These steps have iron railings on either side.

The front garden is divided into two grassy areas by the entrance path. On the left, there's an open, eight-sided summerhouse. It has slim iron columns and a pitched roof with terracotta tiles. At the back of the house, in a similar spot, are the pigeon house, garden study, and fountain.

To the right of the front entrance, there's a lawn area with a garden seat. You'll also see whitewashed terracotta pots holding large camellias and azaleas. The driveway on the western side leads to a single garage behind the house.

At the back, on the right, there's a shrubbery area and a lawn tennis court. You enter the court through a moon gate in the fence. A Chinese tea house, also called the Tennis Pavilion, stands nearby. Chinese decorations and bowls are placed throughout the garden.

Large trees in the garden include a jacaranda at the front. It's carefully trimmed to make shadows on the house walls. There are also large Sydney red gums at the back. The garden has an amazing collection of camellias. Professor Waterhouse gathered these over many years. Many camellia shrubs still have their original name labels, some in Japanese or Chinese.

As you walk through the garden, you'll notice how carefully everything is placed. Paths, views, and special architectural features are all designed to create a beautiful experience.

The House Itself

Early photograph of the entrance to Eryldene

Interior

Eryldene is a single-story brick house. Its design is a special version of Georgian Architecture made for Australia. A central path leads to the stone front steps. The verandah has six wooden columns and white railings. It has three well-proportioned areas. At each end, there's a weatherboard sleep-out bedroom. The roof is made of shingle tiles with wide eaves. At the back, there's a courtyard with a row of Doric iron columns.

Eryldene was the family home of Professor Eben Gowrie Waterhouse and his wife, Janet. Their son, Dr Doug Waterhouse, a famous entomologist (someone who studies insects), also grew up here.

The house is a single-story brick bungalow with a hipped roof of terracotta roof shingle. Its front is symmetrical and faces the formal garden. A central sandstone path and steps lead to the entrance verandah. The verandah has wooden Doric columns. At the back, the building wraps around a central courtyard with columns.

Inside, a central hall separates two main rooms. The rooms are not huge, but they are well-proportioned. They have special details inspired by colonial architecture. These include unique windows, doors, fanlights, and mantelpieces.

Condition and Changes

The house and its contents are in very good condition. The original furniture in the drawing room, dining room, and garden study is still there.

Over the years, some changes and repairs have been made to Eryldene:

• 1913: The house and temple were built.
• 1921–22: The Garden Study, fountain, and pigeon-house were added.
• 1924: The Tea house and Moon Gate were built.
• 1927: The Tea House was completed.
• 1936: The garage and a lattice screen were added.
• 1991: The house was approved to be used for community purposes, becoming a museum.
• Since 1993: Many repairs and restorations have taken place. This includes fixing floorboards, painting, repairing the fountain, and restoring parts of the garden. Furniture and artifacts have also been preserved.

Eryldene as a Museum

The Eryldene Trust was started in 1979 by local community members. Their goal was to raise money to buy and take care of the property. In 1993, the house officially opened as a museum.

The museum is managed by the Eryldene Trust. It is open to the public at certain times from April to September. It's a great place to learn about Australian architecture, gardening, and the life of Professor Waterhouse.

Why Eryldene is Special

Eryldene is very important culturally. It is the best example of William Hardy Wilson's work that still exists. He was a leading Australian architect, artist, and writer in the early 1900s. The house, its buildings, and the garden show how similar the interests of Wilson and Professor Waterhouse were.

The garden is also unique because Professor Waterhouse made it his own. His work there helped develop the names and new types of camellias worldwide. It's still a valuable place to study camellias today.

Eryldene is also beautiful. It shows how a garden can be an extension of a house. It has outdoor "rooms" with trees, shrubs, and flowers. The garden buildings, like the temple and tea house, are perfectly proportioned.

The house has historical importance because of its connection to Professor E. G. Waterhouse. He was a distinguished expert in languages, arts, and gardening. It's also a very important surviving home designed by William Hardy Wilson.

Eryldene is a sophisticated design. It aimed to create a rare mix of beauty and usefulness. It was made to bring beautiful experiences into the daily lives of those who lived there and their visitors. It is one of the earliest and most complete examples of the Colonial Revival style.

The camellia collection at Eryldene is living proof of Professor Waterhouse's work. It shows his contributions to naming and creating new types of camellias. It's a valuable resource for future study of these plants.

See also

• Australian residential architectural styles
• Purulia (Wahroonga)