Tulkiyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tulkiyan |
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Tulkiyan, pictured in August 2009.
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| Location | 707 Pacific Highway, Gordon, Ku-ring-gai Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Architect | Bertrand James Waterhouse (Waterhouse and Lake) |
| Architectural style(s) | Federation Arts and Crafts |
| Owner | Ku-ring-gai Council |
| Official name: Tulkiyan | |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 27 May 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1733 |
| Type | House |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
| Builders | Mr Ochs; garden laid out by Mr Mottram |
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Tulkiyan is a special house in Gordon, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It's listed as a heritage site, meaning it's important to history. The house was designed by a famous architect named Bertrand James Waterhouse. It was built by Mr. Ochs, and Mr. Mottram designed its garden. Today, the Ku-ring-gai Council owns this property. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on May 27, 2005.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Early History of Gordon
Historians aren't completely sure how the name Gordon came about. It might be named after General Sir James Willoughby Gordon. He was in charge of getting supplies ready for the First Fleet when it sailed to New South Wales in 1787.
One of the first people to settle in Gordon was Robert McIntosh. He planted an orchard in 1832. Another important settler was John Brown, a timber-cutter. He bought a lot of land in the 1850s. The first post office in Gordon opened in 1860 on his land. It was first called Lane Cove Post Office, but the name was changed to Gordon in 1879.
St. John's Church of England is another old building in Gordon. The first church building was put up in 1817. A larger church was built in 1872.
When the railway line was extended to the North Shore in the 1890s, many suburbs like Gordon grew quickly. More people moved in, and wealthy families built large homes. The Gordon railway station opened in 1890. In 1906, the Ku-Ring-Gai area became a shire, named after the nearby Chase.
The Story of Tulkiyan House
Tulkiyan was built on land that was first granted to Michael Ansell in 1823. Over the years, the land was sold to different owners. In 1913, Mrs. Mary Donaldson bought a part of this land. She and her husband, William Donaldson, chose this spot because it was between two bowling clubs they liked.
Mary Donaldson admired houses designed by architect B. J. Waterhouse. So, the Donaldsons asked him to design their new home. The house was finished in 1914 and cost about £2,147. It was a two-story brick house with a terracotta shingle roof. Most rooms had their own outdoor space.
A year later, in 1916, a wooden garage was built for Mr. Donaldson's first car, a Studebaker. This garage was later taken down. The Donaldson family lived in Tulkiyan for many years. Mary Donaldson's three children inherited the house in 1950. Her daughter, Margaret Helen Scott Donaldson, owned it from 1975. In 1985, she transferred ownership to the Ku-ring-gai Council.
The Donaldson Family at Tulkiyan
Mary Donaldson was from a wealthy family of flour millers in Melbourne. Her husband, William, was an accountant. They moved to Sydney around 1900.
William and Mary Donaldson had three children: William Jnr. (Bill), Mary Isabella (Maisie), and Margaret Helen Scott. None of the children ever married. Margaret Donaldson moved into Tulkiyan when she was 10, in 1914. She lived there for her entire life.
Margaret passed away in 1994 at the age of 91. She wanted Tulkiyan to become a place for the community. So, the house and most of its original furniture were given to the Ku-ring-gai Council. The house was opened to the public as a museum. However, it was closed in 2012 for safety reasons. In late 2016, the Historic Houses Association of Australia agreed to help manage Tulkiyan House.
The House's Design
Since the house stayed with the same family, it didn't change much over the years. B. J. Waterhouse himself was sometimes called to give advice on small details. The family even had a nickname for him, "Mr. Monday Tuesday," because he often said he'd come on those days but didn't always show up.
The Garden at Tulkiyan
When the house was built in 1914, the land around it didn't have many plants. It had been used for grazing cattle. B. J. Waterhouse designed the front fence and garden. He planned the front path and the planting of lily pilly trees near the gate. He also planned the vegetable gardens at the back and a tennis court.
Mr. Mottram helped lay out the front garden. Later, other gardeners like Mr. Edwards and Mr. Colbert worked there. Mary Donaldson planted flowers like bouvardias and irises. Her son, Bill, planted irises in the back garden. Chinese gardeners also grew vegetables along the fence.
The Donaldson family, especially Bill, became very interested in planting native Australian plants. Many of the large trees in the garden today, especially along the southern side, were planted by Bill in the 1940s. He was a doctor who returned to Tulkiyan after his parents passed away. He spent much of his retirement working in the garden. Some of these native trees are rare rainforest species.
In 1986, after the Council took over, an audit was done of the garden. It listed all the trees and shrubs. It noted that the two lily pilly trees at the front were planted in 1915. Another large lily pilly with red fruits was planted in the 1940s. Margaret Donaldson had a great memory for plant names and helped identify many of them.
Today, the front garden beds and vegetable garden are cared for by Council staff and volunteers called the Friends of Tulkiyan.
About B. J. Waterhouse
Bertrand James Waterhouse, known as B.J., was born in England in 1876. He moved to Australia when he was 16. He became an architect and started his own firm with J. W. H. Lake in 1907 or 1908. His firm designed many houses, especially in areas like Neutral Bay and Mosman. He designed homes for about 50 years.
Waterhouse was known for making houses that felt comfortable and warm. He followed the "Arts and Crafts" style, which focused on simple, natural designs and good craftsmanship. His houses often had strong roofs, porches, balconies, and unique wall textures. Inside, they often had wooden walls and heavy timber beams.
Waterhouse designed in this style until the early 1920s. He later designed homes in the Spanish Mission Style. He passed away in 1965 at the age of 90.
What Tulkiyan Looks Like
Tulkiyan is a well-preserved example of the Arts and Crafts style of architecture in Australia. It's a large two-story brick house on the Pacific Highway in Gordon.
The Garden and Outdoor Areas
The property is about 1.32 acres. It has a brick fence along the Pacific Highway. The main entrance is through a wooden gate under a brick arch. Two large lily pilly trees stand on either side of this gate. A gravel driveway leads to where the garage used to be. A gravel path curves towards the front door.
The garden has areas of lawn and flower beds. There's a shed, incinerator, and compost heaps in the back garden. A plan of the garden was made in 1987, listing all the plants.
The front brick wall, gates, and main entrance arch are still part of the original design. The red gravel path with brick edges also remains. In the past, Miss Donaldson liked colorful flowers in the front garden. Two green glazed frogs on the front porch would show if she wanted visitors or not!
Many of the Australian native trees, especially large rainforest trees, were planted by Dr. William (Bill) Donaldson in the 1940s. He loved plants. Some of these trees are rare.
The garden also has exotic trees and shrubs like jacaranda and camellia. Today, the garden is maintained by Council staff and volunteers.
Inside the House
Tulkiyan is designed in the Federation Arts and Crafts style by B. J. Waterhouse. The house has an interesting, uneven shape with a large roof that covers balconies and verandahs. The name "Tulkiyan" means "gable" in Gaelic, which refers to the triangular part of a wall under a sloping roof.
The house is made of brick with a steeply sloped terracotta shingle roof and tall chimneys. The main entrance is on the northern side.
On the ground floor, there's an entry hall, a morning room, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a maid's room. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, a bathroom, and a toilet. A wide verandah on the eastern side opens from the dining room. Each bedroom upstairs has built-in cupboards and its own balcony. These balconies were often used for sleeping outside, which was thought to be good for health.
The inside of the house has beautiful wooden details and hardware from the Edwardian period. There's a built-in sideboard that can be accessed from both the dining room and the kitchen. The house has a clever design that allows rooms to flow into each other.
The house still has many of its original furnishings and decorations. Visitors can see how it looked when it was new. Even the old fuel stove and gas lights are still there, even though electric lights and appliances were added later. There are also many old records, like receipts for furniture and garden plants, and personal items like postcards.
Condition of Tulkiyan
As of early 2001, the building was in excellent condition. The house and its contents are very well preserved, almost exactly as they were originally. The garden has changed a bit over time, but there's enough evidence to understand its original design.
Very few changes have been made to the house itself. The garden has had some minor alterations. For example, a garage was built in 1916 and later removed. Other small changes include a metal garden shed, some fence changes, and updated bathroom fixtures.
Why Tulkiyan is Important
Tulkiyan is very important because it's a great example of an Arts and Crafts style house. It was designed by a famous architect, B.J. Waterhouse, for an important local family. The house and its contents show what life was like for upper-middle-class families in Sydney before World War I.
The Donaldson family owned and lived in the house for 80 years, making very few changes. This means the house and its original furniture are largely intact. There are also many records about the house, the family, and the garden. The house and its garden also show how Gordon grew as a suburb in the early 1900s.
Tulkiyan is important because:
- It shows the lifestyle of upper-middle-class families in Sydney in the early 1900s.
- It's connected to the Donaldson family, who lived there for a long time.
- It's a great example of the work of famous architect Bertrand James Waterhouse. He was a very important architect in New South Wales.
- It's a beautiful example of the Arts and Crafts design style.
- It's important to the local community of Ku-ring-gai. Margaret Donaldson gave the house to the community, showing her love for the area.
- It provides a lot of information about how people lived and designed homes in the past. It's rare to find a house with so many original items and records.
