Lydham Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lydham Hall |
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| Location | 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale, Bayside Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1860 |
| Owner | Bayside Council |
| Official name: Lydham Hall; Lydham; Lydham Hill | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 477 |
| Type | House |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
| Builders | Sven Bengtson (Swedish stonemason) |
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Lydham Hall is a State heritage-listed former rural residence at 18 Lydham Avenue, Rockdale in New South Wales, Australia. It is constructed from stone quarried locally and stands on the highest point of land between the Cooks River and the Georges Rivers. The Street previously known as Joseph Street was named Lydham Avenue in 1917 at the request of one of the neighbouring property owners. In 1970, Lydham Hall was purchased by the Rockdale Municipal Council. Since the 2016 Council amalgamation, the property is owned by the Bayside Council. Initially, the Permanent Conservation Order No 477 in pursuance of section 44 of the Heritage Act 1977, was applied to the property since 20th August, 1986. In 1999, it was included into the New South Wales State Heritage Register since its implementation. Lydham Hall is now a museum open to the public with a collection of furniture and objects dated within the period 1860 to 1920.
History
The parcel of land on which Lydham Hall stands was originally part of 1200 acres granted to James Chandler in the early 1820s, who named the estate Bexley after his birthplace in England. The property was mortgaged and eventually subdivided and sold by parcels.
In 1860 wealthy master butcher, Joseph Davis bought 50 acres 24 and a quarter perches of the original Chandler's grant and used the land for resting and fattening cattle before slaughter. Davis engaged Sven Bengston, Swedish stonemason, to construct a house on the highest point of the estate to have sweeping views of Botany Bay. Davis named his estate Lydham Hill.
Davis was born in the village of Brede in Sussex in 1827, came to New South Wales in 1847 and set up business in Newtown, first as a publican and then as a butcher. On 28 October 1850 he married 17 years old Ellen Turner at Scots Church, Sydney.
His butchering business flourished and Davis was buying, fattening and slaughtering his own stock. Davis was also a prominent man in the district and a generous benefactor to St George's Church, Hurstville and Christ Church, Bexley. He was one of the petitioners who advocated for the established of a local school in the area in 1887. This educational establishment is known now as Bexley Public School.
The rural character of the area remained largely unchanged. A number of subdivisions took place and a ew local villages appeared. In 1882, Davis began subdivision and selling of his land, all but 8 acres surrounding his home, possibly due to the coming of the Illawarra railway line in 1884. The streets formed as a results of this subdivision were named after Davis's sons, Frederick and Herbert and his eldest grandson, Clarence.
Ten years after Davis' death in 1889, Mrs Davis sold Lydham Hall to Frederick Gibbins, a successful oyster merchant and trawling magnate, who lived nearby at Dappeto (now known as Macquarie Lodge. Ellen Davis spent the rest of her life in the Kensington House, 98 Wilson Street, Newtown, NSW. She left the original butcher shop in 255-257 King Street, Newtown, NSW, to her oldest son, Joseph Davis.
Gibbins leased out Lydham Hall to various tenants from 1890 to 1907, until his daughter Ada married David George Stead, a widow, in 1907. The newlyweds moved into Lydham Hall rent-free.
David Stead was a world renowned naturalist. Born on 6 March 1877 he left school at the age of 12 and began working as an apprentice to a rubber stamp maker. His scientific career began with a zoology course at Sydney Technical College. At the age of 21, he joined the Linnean Society of New South Wales and by 1900 he had written several short articles that were published by the Society. Stead's special field was in marine life and this was recognised in when he was offered employment in 1902 as a scientific assistant under the Director of Fisheries for the Commonwealth. Stead was also an outspoken conservationist and in 1909 he co-founded the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia.
David Stead had previously been married to Ellen Butter and on 17 July 1902 had a daughter, Christina Stead. Tragically Ellen's life was cut short on 9 December 1904 when she died due to the complications of a perforated appendix.
Christina Stead was one of Australia's greatest and the most esteemed writers. She was born on 17 July 1902 in a cottage in Kimpton Street, Rockdale (now known as Banksia). Christina moved into Lydham Hall with her father and his second wife Ada. During ten years at Lydham Hall, the Steads grew rapidly with Ada giving birth to six children. A great storyteller, young Christina would entertain her brothers and sisters with tales and poems. Many of Christina's novels were based on this period of her life. It is claimed that she used experiences of this time as the background for possibly her most important work, "The Man Who Loved Children". Although Christina did not begin her schooling until she was seven, she was regarded as an excellent student during her years at Bexley Public School. After a year at Kogarah Intermediate, she transferred to St George Girls High School when it opened in 1916.
The Stead's security of life very much depended on the benevolence of Ada's father, Frederick John Gibbins. However, in 1917, he died and left no particular instructions for this property, but left it at the discretion of his Will executors, oldest daughter Emmer (Pattison) and son-in-law accountant, husband of Gibbins' other daughter Any, Mr William Thorn. Thom and Pattison decided to subdivide the land further to cover ongoing expenses and taxes. The Steads had to move. The parcel of the land where Lydham Hall is standing was sold in 1922. Further on, another two subsequent owners have subdivided the land further living Lydham Hall standing on its current curtilage.
Lydham Hall was purchased by the then Rockdale Council in 1970 as part of the Rockdale Municipality Centenary Celebration. It was envisaged to create a local Museum within its walls. The Museum houses a collection of furniture on loan from the National Trust of Australia (NSW), as well as a large collection of objects donated by members of the local community.
Description
Lydham Hall was built after 1860 using the locally quarried stone. This well preserved example of the early rural home, is decorated by the elements of the Georgian colonial style of architecture and by the patterns of the mid-Victorian era. The house contains four large rooms, each 14x20' with a 10' wide centrally placed hall. A narrow staircase at the southern side of the hall reaches two upper rooms, each 18' 6" square lit by near dormer windows. Full length windows face north, east and south to take advantage of the cool sea breezes whilst those facing west are conventionally smaller to keep the hot westerlies at bay.
A verandah once extended around all four sides of the house supported on open work cast iron columns. The hip roof of the house is covered with blue slates and there are a series of small decorated brackets beneath the narrow eaves. The two wide chimneys are of unusual design and each has a drip skirt placed above the flashing.
The kitchen, stables and servants quarters were originally detached and stood to the south-east of the house. The kitchen was demolished in 1958 when the last of the land was subdivided.
Heritage listing
Lydham Hall is a freestanding family home built after 1860 of materials quarried locally for wealthy master butcher Joseph Davis. It is one of the few substantial domestic buildings erected in Sydney during the period of the gold rushes.
At one time it was the residence of David Stead, internationally known fisheries expert and naturalist who gave the suburb of Banksia its name; and the childhood home of the distinguished Australian author Christina Stead.
| Article author: Olga Sedneva |
