The Bunyas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Bunyas |
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| Location | 5 Rogers Avenue, Haberfield, Inner West Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1900–1907 |
| Architect | John Spencer-Stansfield |
| Official name: Bunyas; The Bunyas; Stanton Residence | |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 317 |
| Type | Mansion |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
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The Bunyas is a very old and special house in Haberfield, Sydney, Australia. It's known for its beautiful design and interesting history. Built between 1900 and 1907, it was once the home of Richard Stanton. He was the person who created the "Garden Suburb" of Haberfield. This house has also been a training college for missionaries and a headquarters for Scouts Australia. It is now protected as a heritage site.
Contents
History of The Bunyas
The land where The Bunyas stands was once part of a large farm called the Dobroyd Estate. This area was used for farming until the steam tramway arrived. The 1893 Depression slowed down plans to divide the land into smaller blocks.
The Bunyas property has been home to two important local families. These were the Ramsays and the Stantons.
The Ramsay Family and Dobroyd Estate
David and Sarah Ramsay took over the Dobroyd Estate in the 1820s. They lived at Dobroyd House, a different building in the area. After David died in 1860, parts of the estate were given to their children. Sarah Ramsay continued to live there until she passed away in 1889.
Richard Stanton and the Garden Suburb
In 1901, Richard Stanton and W. H. Nichols bought 50 acres of the Dobroyd Estate. Richard Stanton was an Irish immigrant. His family had a furniture and auctioneer's business. He later turned it into a real estate agency.
Stanton bought more land from the Ramsay family. He then started to develop his special "Garden Suburb" on it. He is believed to have named the area Haberfield after his mother's maiden name. This name slowly replaced Dobroyd Estate.
The first part of the land was divided into blocks by 1903. In 1905, the Ramsay family moved out of Dobroyd House. Stanton bought it, had it pulled down, and built "The Bunyas" in its place. His family moved into The Bunyas in 1907. This showed his strong belief in his new housing development.
The Bunyas was the largest house in the Haberfield Estate. It had a huge roof with many gables and stone pillars. The entrance porch was covered in a rough plaster style. Inside, it had double doors with special leadlight glass. The house was designed with large rooms for entertaining guests.
The house was named after the Bunya pines that grew in the area. These trees were there during the Ramsay family's time. Scouts Australia planted the current Bunya pines as seedlings in 1986.
John Spencer-Stansfield designed The Bunyas. He was the architect for the Haberfield Model Suburb from 1905 to 1914. He designed many houses and was known for his high-quality home designs.
Later Owners and Uses
Richard Stanton and his family lived in The Bunyas until 1917. They then moved to Elizabeth Bay. From 1917 to 1927, Herbert Field and his family lived in The Bunyas. Herbert Field was a successful businessman in the meat industry. His family later moved to Bellevue Hill.
In 1928, after the Stantons left, the land around The Bunyas was divided and sold. This included the front and much of the backyard. New buildings like flats and a car yard were built on this land.
Rogers Avenue, where The Bunyas is located, was named after William Rogers. He was a local council member and a baker. Before about 1915, this street was known as Orpington Street.
The house itself, with a smaller garden, was bought by the Methodist Missionary Society of Australia. They used it as a training college for missionaries. It opened in 1928 as "The George Brown Methodist Training College." Queen Salote Tupou III of Tonga often stayed at The Bunyas when visiting Sydney. Later, it became the "Pacific Islanders Centre" for the Uniting Church of Australia. It was used for church activities until the 1980s.
In the early 1980s, there were plans to divide the property and demolish the house. A local historian, Vincent Crow, asked for the property to be protected. A temporary protection order was put in place in 1982. A permanent protection order was placed on The Bunyas in 1986.
In 1984, The Scout Association of Australia bought The Bunyas. They made it their New South Wales headquarters. Scouts Australia restored the house and added a new section to the western side. This new wing provided offices and meeting areas for the scouts.
In 1999, The Bunyas was officially listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. Scouts Australia moved out in 2004. The property was then sold and returned to being a family home in 2005. It was sold again in 2012.
Description of The Bunyas
The Site
The Bunyas is located on the western side of the Haberfield Garden Suburb. It has a large, flat block of land. The property faces Rogers Avenue. Rogers Avenue has single-story houses and brush box trees. Nearby houses are mostly in the Federation and California Bungalow styles.
The large property has wide lawn areas and many established trees. These include Bunya pines, Illawarra flame trees, and Queen palms.
The Garden
The garden at The Bunyas was designed by a woman. Today, it mixes old and new garden styles. There is an old ivy vine that is nearly a hundred years old. It was once near the entrance of the original Dobroyd House. This vine is very special and well cared for.
The garden also has carefully kept grass-covered paths and drives. These add to the beauty and fresh look of the home. A winding path leads from the front gate to the entrance porch. It is surrounded by shrubs and special palm trees. Bunya pines are also visible near the house.
Other parts of the garden show two Bunya pines behind the house. These trees were there before the house was built. There are also various shrubs and flowers close to the house and verandahs. Some paths are edged with bricks. The garden also features large tree-of-paradise flowers.
Many types of trees grow here. These include several Bunya Bunya pines, jelly palms, spotted gums, and jacarandas. Shrubs like bottlebrush, camellias, hydrangeas, and azaleas also thrive. Ground covers like bugle, bromeliads, and spider plants add to the garden's beauty.
The House
The Bunyas is the largest house from the Federation period in Haberfield. Its design shows influences from the English Arts & Crafts style. This can be seen in its large roof and rough-cast plaster work. It also has timber shingles, which are typical of the American Shingle Style. The western part of the house used to be for servants. It was partly changed and enlarged in the 1980s.
The house is very spacious and has grand rooms inside. These include a billiard room and many living areas. It still has its original old details mixed with newer touches.
The front entrance has a large porch with a tiled floor. Double doors with leadlight windows lead into a big entrance hall. The hall has a patterned wooden floor and a domed ceiling. The walls are made of plain brick, and the woodwork is dark oak.
To the left of the entrance is the drawing room. Sliding doors connect it to the hall. On the right is the morning room, which opens onto a verandah. This verandah has stone columns. The main bedrooms also open onto this area. One fireplace in the house is made of blackwood with tiled stripes.
The dining room is fitted with oak wood. It has a solid beam ceiling and a brick fireplace with a large copper hood. The room has a unique, old English feel.
The bedrooms have special built-in cupboards instead of wardrobes. The billiard room has a beamed ceiling and paneled walls. It has corner seats and cue racks. The lighting in the house is electric, and all the light fittings were specially designed to match the house's style.
The Bunyas is considered one of the largest and most complete cottage homes in the state. Most of its furniture and fittings were custom-made for each room. Even with the changes to the western wing, the house still looks much like it did originally.
The site of The Bunyas may also have historical remains from Dobroyd House. This was a very early colonial farm.
Heritage Listing
The Bunyas is a great example of an Arts and Crafts Bungalow. Even with some changes, its original features and design are mostly still there. Its main importance comes from its direct connection to Richard Stanton. He was the person who started the Haberfield suburb. It is also a major surviving work by its architect, John Spencer-Stansfield.
The Bunyas is a big and mostly unchanged house built in the modern Arts & Crafts style. It is the only two-story house built in the Federation Garden Suburb of Haberfield. It has strong historical links to Richard Stanton, who created the Garden Suburb.
Bunyas was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
