Highlands, Wahroonga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Highlands, Wahroonga
Highlands, in January 2014.
Location	9 Highlands Avenue, Wahroonga, Hornsby Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1890–1893
Built for	Alfred James Hordern
Architect	John Horbury Hunt
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Highlands
Type	State heritage (built)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	34
Type	House
Category	Residential buildings (private)
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Highlands is a special old house located in Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia. It's considered a heritage-listed building. This means it's important to keep and protect because of its history and unique design. A famous architect named John Horbury Hunt designed it. The house was built between 1890 and 1893.

A Look Back: The Story of Highlands

Building a Dream Home

Highlands was built for Alfred James Hordern and his wife, Caroline. Alfred was a retail merchant. While their new home was being built, they lived in a small cottage nearby. Their first son, Alfred Roy, was born in this cottage. Their second son, Bruce Alexander, was born six years later.

Alfred married Caroline Doig in 1890. Caroline was born in Fiji. She was the daughter of Alexander, a planter. Plans for Highlands were likely already being made when they married. Caroline played a big part in the house's design. People said Alfred wasn't very artistic. But Caroline was artistic and well-educated. These qualities are clearly seen in Highlands.

Caroline's Creative Touch

Caroline loved cooking as a creative hobby. She didn't just cook for her family. She would make amazing dishes and then give them to local hospitals for patients.

The garden at Highlands was also Caroline's passion. She created and looked after it with the help of many gardeners, sometimes up to 14! The original garden was full of color. It had a gravel driveway lined with hydrangeas. In 1931, the garden was said to have 100 different types of plants. There was even a 6.4-meter (21-foot) long bed of lily-of-the-valley flowers.

The garden wasn't just pretty. It also had large kitchen garden beds. In 1903, Caroline had a special grape house built. She loved collecting plants. She would bring back unusual plants from her travels in the Pacific Islands and Europe. However, it's said she accidentally brought a type of weed to Australia this way.

Restoring the House

After Alfred and Caroline, their sons may not have kept up the house. When Mr. and Mrs. Norman Jones bought Highlands in 1948, it was in bad shape. The Jones family worked to restore it. In the 1960s, they replaced the original shingle roof with concrete tiles.

Exploring the Design of Highlands

Unique Architecture

Highlands is a unique two-story house. It has two main parts connected together. The main house is one part, and the kitchen wing is a separate section with its own roof. Having these two parts separated was a very modern idea for its time.

Both roofs and the walls were originally covered in wooden shingles. The wall shingles curve outwards over the verandahs and windows. This design helps to shed water away from the walls. This is a special feature seen in several houses designed by John Horbury Hunt. The verandahs are supported by large wooden posts that are simply decorated. The verandahs are also set back under the roof edges. This is another common design element used by Hunt.

Inside the House

When you enter, a small stair hall leads to different rooms. The sitting room is on the right, and the drawing room is on the left. The drawing room used to be the dining room. Behind the hall, what was once Mrs. Hordern's kitchen is now the dining room.

Upstairs, the bedrooms are off the stairwell. The main bedroom has a verandah facing north.

The kitchen wing has been changed a lot over the years. This wing has a special feature not seen in Hunt's other houses: a wide half-glass door. Experts describe how the door's structural support is part of the glass design.

The chimney is also very unusual. It's a tall, strong brick structure that looks almost like it stands alone. Outside, the original wooden roof shingles have been replaced with grey roof tiles.

The main structure of the house, including the window openings, is made from strong New South Wales hardwood. The window frames and doors are made from cedar wood.

Highlands was originally on a very large piece of land, about 13.6 hectares (33.6 acres). But over time, parts of the land were sold off. Now, the house sits on a much smaller block, with the back of the house facing the street.

The garden has changed a lot, but it still has a notable old Hoop Pine tree. This tree helps the garden feel like a natural and beautiful setting for the house.

Why Highlands is a Heritage Site

A Special Style of Architecture

As of 2006, Highlands was recognized as a great example of John Horbury Hunt's "Shingle Style" of architecture. The house shows many features common to Hunt's Shingle Style homes. These include verandahs that are set back and shingles that sweep outwards to direct water away from the walls. But Highlands also has some unique features, like the half-glass door and its very distinctive chimney.

Highlands is also important because it shows how women helped shape architecture. Mrs. Caroline Hordern was a keen cook, and the two-story kitchen wing was greatly influenced by her ideas. She also created the beautiful garden. Mrs. Hordern brought many exotic plants from the Pacific Islands to decorate the garden.

Highlands was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. It met several important requirements to be listed.

Demonstrating Key Characteristics

Highlands is a good example of the Shingle Style in New South Wales. While each of Hunt's houses is unique, Highlands shows features common to his Shingle Style homes. These include recessed verandahs and shingles that sweep away from openings to carry water away.

Currently, Highlands is the only Shingle Style house of its size on the State Heritage Register.