Overthorpe, Double Bay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Overthorpe
Entrance to Overthorpe, 337 New South Head Road, Double Bay, New South Wales
Location	337-347 New South Head Road, Double Bay, Municipality of Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1900–1906
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Overthorpe; Sir John Hay's garden (part of it)(former)
Type	State heritage (landscape)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	246
Type	Garden Residential
Category	Parks, Gardens and Trees
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Overthorpe is a special place in Double Bay, Australia. It used to be a grand house with beautiful gardens, but now it's a modern apartment complex. The gardens, however, are still there and are very important! They are so special that they are officially protected as a heritage site. This means they are part of New South Wales' history and need to be looked after. The original house was built between 1900 and 1906. Before that, the land was part of a large, experimental garden owned by a famous politician named Sir John Hay.

History of Overthorpe

The land where Overthorpe stands was once part of a huge garden owned by Sir John Hay. He was a very important person in New South Wales. His garden was like a big outdoor laboratory where he grew many different kinds of plants. This was unusual for the time. Sir John Hay was also a politician, serving as the Treasurer for New South Wales. He was interested in farming and plants, which explains why he had such a unique garden.

Sir John Hay's Life

Sir John Hay (1816-1892) was born in Scotland. He studied law but decided to move to Australia in 1838. He became a very successful farmer, owning large areas of land. He was also a politician, first elected in 1856. He was known for being fair and honorable.

Sir John Hay had many important roles. He was the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, which is like the leader of the state's parliament. He also helped organize big international exhibitions in cities like Sydney and Paris, showing off New South Wales' achievements. He was very involved in the Agricultural Society, which promotes farming. All these roles fit with his interest in creating an "experimental" garden. He died in 1892. The town of Hay in New South Wales is named after him.

Sir John Hay's garden had a gardener's cottage and might have been a plant nursery. The types of plants found there suggest a connection to William Guilfoyle's famous nursery nearby. Many very old and large trees still stand today, showing how much people in the 1800s loved collecting and displaying rare and exotic plants.

William Guilfoyle's Nursery

This part of Double Bay is special because it has many old and important trees. Many of these plants are Australian rainforest species and plants from Pacific Islands. Experts believe this is because of the influence of William Guilfoyle's nursery, which was active in the mid-1800s.

William Guilfoyle started his "Exotic Nursery" in 1851. His nursery sold many different types of plants, including:

• Jacaranda trees
• Different types of pine trees (like araucarias)
• Date palms and other palms from New Zealand, Brazil, and the East Indies
• Tree ferns from Norfolk Island
• Many plants from the Pacific Islands

This shows how many different plants were available back then. William's son, Michael Guilfoyle, also collected plants from the South Pacific and rainforests in northern New South Wales. This family interest in exotic plants is reflected in the gardens around Overthorpe. William Guilfoyle also worked on other famous gardens nearby.

The Mansion's Story

The Overthorpe house was built around 1900. It was a grand, two-story mansion. In 1915, William Anderson, who became rich from making Akubra hats, bought it. The house was surrounded by large, beautiful gardens, typical of homes from that time.

The main driveway was originally a path used by milk delivery carts. The old sandstone wall along New South Head Road is very old. Experts found special marks on it that show it might have been built by convicts from early Sydney settlements. This wall is an important landmark in Double Bay.

Overthorpe mansion was a place for many fancy parties and balls. Important guests, like the Duke of Edinburgh, were entertained there. William Anderson owned the house until he died in 1967. He left Overthorpe to the Catholic Church. An old photo from 1943 shows the property was very green and full of plants back then.

In 1979, the government placed a temporary order to protect the gardens, but not the house. Sadly, the mansion was knocked down in June 1980. A permanent protection order was then put in place for the gardens and other features like the driveway, stone wall, and front gates in 1983.

From Mansion to Apartments

The house was demolished to make way for two apartment buildings built by Mirvac in the late 1970s. The gardens were saved as a condition of this new development. This shows how important their beauty and plant collection were, even when people were just starting to appreciate heritage.

In 2015, a new bronze plaque was placed outside Overthorpe to honor Sir John Hay. It reminds everyone of his connection to the land and his experimental garden.

What Overthorpe Looks Like Today

Overthorpe is now home to two modern apartment buildings. These buildings replaced the old mansion in 1981.

The Gardens

The gardens at Overthorpe are about 4 acres in size. They are very noticeable from the shops in Double Bay. The property is on a hill, so it looks like a lush, green slope with huge rainforest trees. This area has a great climate for growing many different types of plants, including tropical ones. The original plants here might have included local rainforest species, and some of those are still around.

The gardens at Overthorpe, along with nearby properties, have the largest and most important collection of rare and exotic Australian rainforest plants in the Woollahra area. This place is historically important for its amazing trees. It has a huge variety of very old ornamental plants, especially Australian rainforest and Pacific Island species. These are believed to be from William Guilfoyle's plantings in the mid-1800s. The magnificent, old, and large trees show how much people in the 1800s loved collecting and showing off rare and unusual trees.

Historically, the property had thick plants around its edges and more open space in the middle, around the mansion. Today, it's a bit different, with more views into the site and more plants clustered near the buildings. The old stone wall at the front, along with the large evergreen trees like camphor laurels and fig trees, make the street look very green and important.

The front of the old house used to be framed by frangipani flowers and other shrubs. The gardens also have many Lord Howe Island palms and other ground cover plants. The sandstone wall at the front, which is very old, marks the edge of the property along New South Head Road.

The entrance gates and driveway have been updated but still follow the original path. There's also an old service drive with original sandstone walls, which are an important part of the garden's history and beauty.

Amazing Palm Collection

The "rainforest" at Overthorpe has the best and largest collection of palms in the area. It's even bigger than the palm grove at Vaucluse House gardens! In some places, it feels like a real "palm jungle," similar to where Bangalow palms grow naturally along the coast. Many of these palms are hidden from public view by the tree canopy. Even though some trees were removed when the apartments were built, the remaining ones have grown well thanks to irrigation and good care.

The main groups of palms are in the eastern garden and near the western entrance. The Bangalow palm is the most common type. While some palms like cabbage tree palms might have grown here naturally, it's unlikely that the current palms are descendants of the original wild plants. These palms often grow with other old ornamental plants, including:

• Queen palms from Brazil
• Curly or sentry palms from Norfolk Island
• Kentia palms from Lord Howe Island
• Senegal date palms
• American cotton palms

Incredible Fig Trees

Near the intersection of New South Head Road and Manning Road, you'll see a huge holm oak tree and a massive, rare fig tree called a small-leaved fig. This fig tree is very important because it's one of only four known specimens in the whole area. Three of these four are right here at Overthorpe! Another group of two fig trees in the front garden have amazing roots that have grown together.

Two Moreton Bay fig trees, one of them incredibly huge, dominate the south-eastern corner of the property. Even though they are very large and historically important, they are now surrounded by apartment buildings, making them less visible.

Other Special Trees

Besides the large fig trees and palm groves, Overthorpe has many other rare and important trees. It's the collection of so many rare species that creates a rainforest environment, making this place truly unique.

Some of these special trees include:

• The coolamon or rose apple tree in the western garden, which is rare in the region.
• The silver quandong in the eastern garden among the palms. Both of these trees originally came from rainforests in northern New South Wales and Queensland.
• Red cedar trees
• Bunya pines
• Illawarra flame trees
• Black bean trees

The eastern garden also has one of the largest southern magnolias in the area. Other interesting trees include Himalayan pines, camphor laurels, and a row of Canary Island date palms along New South Head Road.

Some of the most significant trees identified are:

• 3 small-leaved figs (very rare in the area)
• 2 Moreton Bay figs
• 1 coolamon tree (with two younger trees growing from it)
• 1 silver quandong
• 1 Bunya pine

The garden also has many different types of palms, including Bangalow palms, Queen palms, and 9 Canary Island date palms along the front fence.

There's also a large Port Jackson fig tree, over 130 years old, on the southern border of the property.

Ground Cover Plants

The plants growing on the ground include cast iron plants and kaffir lilies. These were here before the apartment buildings were constructed in 1981. Peace lilies have been added since then.

Tree ferns, dwarf date palms, and bird-of-paradise flowers are in the gardens built next to the apartments in the 1980s. These gardens were designed to match the older "rainforest" style. The garden has been greatly improved by a skilled gardener.

Condition of the Gardens

As of 2009, the garden was at risk of losing its special look because it was becoming overgrown with some plants considered weeds, like Cocos Island palms and camphor laurel trees. The trees were too close together, competing for sunlight, and some were becoming unhealthy or unsafe. In some areas, the tree canopy was so thick that not enough light reached the ground for other plants to grow well. Many of the older trees were also reaching the end of their natural lives.

An expert from Vaucluse House gardens visited Overthorpe in 2004. They noted that the garden was full of plants that weren't part of its original heritage, like large areas of cast-iron plant and wandering Jew. These plants grow well in shady areas where other plants struggle. Cocos Island palms have also grown a lot and have taken over from the Bangalow palms as the main type of palm.

Most of the important trees in the garden are in good condition, even though it's very crowded and has been dry. Roots from camphor laurel trees have caused problems, lifting up paths and affecting an old sandstone wall. This can be fixed now, but it might get worse.

Some large trees, like a Moreton Bay fig and a camphor laurel, hang over the neighboring property's car park. Branches sometimes fall from these trees. A large Port Jackson fig also hangs over another neighboring property. Permission has been given in the past to trim these trees.

The old sandstone wall along New South Head Road and the wall of the service drive are very interesting for archaeologists. Experts have found marks on the front wall's sandstone that suggest it dates back to the very first residential developments in Sydney. The wall to the right of the main entrance has unique convict markings, just like those found in Sydney's oldest historic properties.

Changes Over Time

• 1980: The Overthorpe house and sheds were demolished.
• Around 1980: All camphor laurel trees along New South Head Road were cut down so they wouldn't block the view of the Canary Island date palms.
• Around 1980: After the apartments were finished, 3 Canary Island date palms were planted to fill gaps in the row facing New South Head Road.
• 1981: The old mansion was demolished and replaced by two Mirvac apartment buildings.
• 2002: A large, old southern magnolia tree in the eastern garden fell over. It was removed.
• August 2004: A large lily pilly tree fell over in a car park during strong winds and was removed.
• December 2005: A large camphor laurel tree fell onto New South Head Road on Christmas Eve and was removed.
• 2005-2008: A gardener was hired and made big improvements to the ground-level plants, shrubs, and ferns.

Why Overthorpe is Heritage Listed

As of 2010, the gardens of Overthorpe are part of a large and important collection of rare and exotic Australian rainforest plants. The many old trees with their huge canopies have created a micro-environment that feels just like a natural sub-tropical rainforest. It's a truly unique place in the Woollahra area. Even though the site is not huge, it has a historic collection of rainforest trees and palms that are important for the whole region, second only to the collection in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.

The site was Sir John Hay's "garden," which was unusual for the 1880s. This garden had a gardener's cottage and is thought to have been an experimental plant nursery. The types of old trees found there suggest a possible link to William Guilfoyle's work. These magnificent, very old, and large trees show how much people in the 1800s loved collecting and displaying rare and exotic trees.

This "rainforest" has a great and large collection of palms, even bigger than the important palm grove at Vaucluse House gardens. In some spots, it creates a "palm jungle" feeling, similar to where Bangalow palms grow naturally along the east coast of New South Wales. Much of this "palm jungle" is hidden from public view by the tree canopy. Even though some trees might have been removed when the apartments were built, the remaining ones have grown well because of irrigation and good care.

The site is on a hill, so it looks like a lush, green slope with huge rainforest canopies and tall araucaria pines. This very sheltered spot, with deep sandy soil and facing north-east, has one of the best climates in the area. This allows tropical and sub-tropical plants to grow very well. The original plants here would likely have included local rainforest species, and some of these are still present.

From New South Head Road, you can see a huge holm oak tree and a massive, rare fig tree, possibly a small-leaved fig. This fig tree is very important because it's one of only a few of its kind in the area, and almost all of them are on this site. Another group of two fig trees in the front garden have amazing roots that have grown together. Two Moreton Bay figs, one of them incredibly huge, dominate the south-eastern corner of the property. Even though they are very large and historically important, they are now surrounded by apartment buildings, making them less visible.

Besides the large fig trees and the main palm groves, the property has many other individual and mature trees that are very important for plants. It's this large collection of many rare species that creates a rainforest environment, making this site very special. Large trees like the coolamon or watermelon tree in the western garden and the silver quandong in the eastern garden are both superb examples. They originally came from the rainforests of northern New South Wales and Queensland. More common rainforest species like Bunya pine, Illawarra flame tree, and black bean are also present in these gardens.

Overthorpe was officially added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.