Vienna, Hunters Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vienna, Hunters Hill |
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Vienna, pictured in January 2008
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| Location | 38–40 Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill, Municipality of Hunter's Hill, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1871 |
| Owner | National Trust of Australia (NSW) |
| Official name: Vienna; Curan Curan; Carrum Carrum; Subiaco; Vienna Cottage | |
| Type | State heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 459 |
| Type | Cottage |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
| Builders | Unknown |
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Vienna is a special old house in Hunters Hill, Australia. It was built in 1871 and is now a museum. This means you can visit it to see what life was like long ago! It's located at 38–40 Alexandra Street.
This historic cottage has had a few different names over time. It was known as Curan Curan, Carrum Carrum, and Subiaco. Today, it's often called Vienna Cottage. The National Trust of Australia (NSW) looks after this important building. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999, which means it's officially protected for its history.
Contents
Discovering Hunters Hill's Past
Who Lived Here First?
Long ago, before Europeans arrived, the Wal Umedegal Clan lived in the Hunters Hill area. They were part of the Guringai language group. These Indigenous people were very connected to the land and water. They mainly ate fish and shellfish. They also hunted animals and gathered plants.
How Hunters Hill Got Its Name
In 1788, Captain John Hunter explored and mapped Sydney Harbour. He was a captain in the Royal Navy. He later became the Governor of the Colony of New South Wales from 1795 to 1800. The area of Hunters Hill is named after him to remember his important work.
Building a Garden Suburb
In 1855, people started building houses in Hunters Hill. Some of the first homes were four special "Swiss Cottages." These houses were made in parts somewhere else and then put together here. Hunters Hill became a popular place, especially for French families. It was one of Australia's first "garden suburbs." This means it was planned with lots of green spaces and gardens.
The Story of Vienna Cottage
Who Built Vienna?
Vienna was built in 1871 for a man named John Jacob Hellman and his wife, Ann. John came from Hamburg, Germany, and Ann was from Ireland. They got married in 1860. In 1866, they bought the land where Vienna and other houses now stand. John Jacob Hellman was a shoemaker. He had a shop in the city and also worked for St. Joseph's College.
Life at Vienna in the 1800s
The Hellman family lived a busy life at Vienna. Besides shoemaking, they had cattle, ran a small dairy, and grew fruit in an orchard. John Jacob even worked as the lamp lighter for Hunters Hill in the early 1880s! The Hellmans had six children. Their second son, Hugh, was one of the first students at St. Joseph's College when it opened in Hunters Hill.
Family Changes and New Names
After Ann Hellman passed away in 1908, John Jacob and his youngest son, James Frederick, moved to another cottage nearby called 'Redleaf'. Their married daughter, Mary King, and her children then lived in Vienna. James Frederick, who was a tailor, later owned both Vienna and Redleaf. He made some changes to Vienna in the 1920s, adding side windows for more light.
Vienna was known as Carrum Carrum for many years after it was built. In 1924, it was called Subiaco for a short time. But since the 1930s, it has been known as Vienna.
The Orchard and the Well
Next to Vienna (at 40 Alexandra Street) is a piece of land that was never built on. For many years, this land was a fruit orchard. It had lots of different trees, like orange, lemon, plum, and guava trees. This land was always an important part of Vienna. It also had an old well, which is now covered.
Vienna Becomes a Museum
In 1984, the National Trust of Australia (NSW) bought Vienna Cottage. Local people helped raise money to save the cottage. Now, Vienna is a museum. It helps us learn about how people lived in the 19th century.
What Vienna Looks Like
Vienna is a stone cottage with a gabled roof. It has four main rooms and verandas at the front and back. It sits on a rectangular block of land with a small front garden and a long garden at the back, where the old orchard used to be.
The roof is made of slate. The doors have four panels. The windows at the front have shutters and large glass panes. The windows at the back have smaller panes of old "crown glass." Inside, the house still has its original Victorian-style wooden fireplaces. The front rooms also have pretty round decorations on the ceilings called ceiling roses.
Behind the main house, there's a separate building made of weatherboard. This was the service block, likely where the kitchen was. It has an iron roof and a stone chimney. A simple covered walkway connects it to the main house across a small paved area.
How Vienna Has Changed
- In the 1920s, windows were added to the side walls to make the rooms brighter.
- Between 2007 and 2008, the garden was restored. They fixed fences, added a new gate, and put in garden decorations.
Why Vienna is Important
Vienna is a very special and rare example of a tradesman's cottage from the 1800s. It's unique because it still has its separate kitchen block. This shows us how houses were built and used a long time ago.
Vienna helps us understand the history of Hunters Hill. It shows how the area grew as a suburb between 1861 and 1890. The land Vienna sits on was part of one of the first successful small land divisions in the village. This was done by Jules Joubert, who was a very important developer in Hunters Hill.
The cottage also teaches us about the daily life of a tradesman's family in the 19th century. It shows how families changed their homes to fit their needs over time. The untouched land next to Vienna, which was once an orchard, is also important. It reminds us that families used to grow their own food in their gardens.
Vienna is valuable for learning. It helps students and visitors understand the past and how people lived. Because it's so well-preserved, it's a rare and important part of New South Wales' history.
See also
- Australian residential architectural styles
