Mount Broughton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Broughton |
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Peppers Manor House, Sutton Forest
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| General information | |
| Location | Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°34′17″S 150°20′43″E / 34.5714°S 150.3452°E |
| Owner | Peppers Group |
Mount Broughton is a historic house in Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Australia. It is now a hotel and conference center called Peppers Manor House. The house was built in 1878 by Henry Edward Kater. It was the Kater family's country home for nearly 100 years. In 1984, it was updated and made bigger to become a hotel.
The Early Days of Mount Broughton
The land around Mount Broughton was first given to Dr Charles Throsby in 1822. Dr Throsby came to Sydney as a naval surgeon, which is a doctor for the navy. He later explored the area around Sutton Forest with his family friend, Hamilton Hume. In 1818, he also traveled with James Meehan to places like Moss Vale and Jervis Bay.
Dr Throsby passed away in 1824. Since he had no children, his nephew, also named Charles Throsby, inherited the land. He named it Mount Broughton after his wife, Elizabeth Broughton. After his death in 1854, his sons took over the land. In 1873, one of his sons, Oliver Spencer Throsby, put the "Mount Broughton Estate" up for sale. It was sold in 1874 and then sold again in 1878 to Henry Edward Kater.
The Kater Family's Home
Henry Edward Kater (1841-1924) built a single-story house on the Mount Broughton property in 1878. The Kater family used it as a country getaway and a small farm. Henry was born in 1841 in Penrith. His father, Henry Herman Kater, came to Australia from England in 1839. He brought six special horses that became parents to some of Australia's most famous racehorses. Henry's mother was Eliza Charlotte Darvall.
In 1870, Henry married Mary Eliza Forster. Her father, William Forster, was an important politician who was once the Premier of New South Wales. After getting married, Henry and his brother Edward bought farms together. They started a business called Kater Bros. In 1889, Henry became a member of the New South Wales Parliament. He stayed in this role until he passed away in 1924.
Henry Edward Kater was also a director of the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. for many years. He was also involved with the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney. He was very generous to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He gave the hospital its first X-ray machine and a large sum of money to help create the H. E. Kater ward.
When Henry died in 1924, his son, Sir Norman Kater, inherited Mount Broughton. Norman was born in 1874 in Ryde, NSW. He studied medicine at the University of Sydney and became a doctor. In 1901, he married Jean Gaerloch Mackenzie. They had six children together. He worked with his father to manage their farms in NSW.
When World War I started, Norman joined the French medical service. He was given several medals for his service during the war.
In 1926, Norman made big changes and additions to the Mount Broughton house. A picture taken after these changes shows how the house looked then. Even with these updates, you can still see parts of the original 1878 building. These include the Music Room, the Games Room, and parts of the front porch.
In 1929, Norman's daughter Jean married Ranald Munro. His family owned a sheep farm in Dirranbandi, Queensland. The wedding was held at Mount Broughton and was a very big event. Many newspapers across the country wrote about it in detail.
One newspaper described the wedding like this:
- "The bride wore a beautiful old-fashioned dress made of ivory satin and tulle. The top part of her dress was satin, and the skirt had many layers of tucked tulle over satin. The dress had a bow with long ends on the side. Her long train was made of dull gold fabric with a layer of tulle and special lace. The bride wore a simple veil pulled back from her face, held with orange blossoms. She carried a bouquet of clematis, frangipani, and yellow roses."
- "After the ceremony, the wedding party and guests drove to Mount Broughton (now Peppers Manor House). This was the bride's parents' lovely country home. It was beautifully decorated for the party. Dr. and Mrs. Kater, the bride's parents, greeted everyone. Mrs. Kater wore a pretty powder blue outfit. When the bride and groom entered the reception room, tawny-colored pansies fell from a huge flower bell. Over 400 guests were invited. This included the Premier (Mr. T. Bavin) and Mrs. Bavin, many important doctors, and well-known farm owners from both New South Wales and Queensland."
Norman Kater passed away in 1965, and the house was then sold.
Mount Broughton in Recent Years
After being sold in 1965, Mount Broughton was owned by several different people. They were mostly interested in the land, and the house itself started to fall apart. In 1979, Mr. and Mrs. Davis ran a small guesthouse there for a few years. Then, in 1984, Geoff and Sue O’Reilly bought the house. They did a lot of work to fix it up and make it bigger. They added rooms for guests and facilities for conferences. Today, the house is owned by the Peppers Group.
