Hornsby NSW Heritage - Report Example

Hornsby NSW Heritage Report Student’s Name: Course: Tutor’s name: Date: Background The Hornsby Shire Council is located in the Northern part of Sydney Australia and has an estimated population of 164, 000 people. Notably, Hornsby has been on the forefront championing conservation of heritage sites by arguing that they are necessary not only for current generations, but for future generations too (Hornsby Shire Council, 2011). The Mt Wilga mansion (simply referred as Mt Wilga), which is located at 2a Manor Road Hornsby, is one such heritage site, which was constructed in 1913 by a Sydney retailer known as Sir Henry Reginald Marcus Clark (Huffer, 2009). When Clark was constructing the mansion, he had envisaged it as a retreat residential house. He however died before completing the mansion’s construction and his family moved out in 1999 (Huffer, 2009). Originally, the mansion sat on an 85 hectares piece of land. In the 1920s however, the land surrounding the mansion was subdivided thus giving way to Manor Road. In the 1960s, the mansion was used as a rehabilitation centre until the state issued a permanent conservation order on it in 1987 (Huffer, 2009). In order to restore the mansion to its original form, the Hornsby Shire Council contracted Coleman & Fairman Builders contractors, who restored it at a budget of $560,000. Based on the restoration initiative, the Hornsby Council was awarded the 2005 heritage award (Huffer, 2009). The contractors replaced timber shingles and roof tiles, and repaired the stonework on the verandah. Additionally, the contractor repaired the timber windows, the stained glass, and the tessellated porch. Other restoration works included fabricating the fire place mantles, repainting the house, and demolishing and restoring alterations that previous tenants and owners had conducted. The contractor was also charged with conducting general maintenance repairs on the house. At the end of the exercise, Mt Wilga was restored back to what Clark and his architects had envisaged. In order to come close to the original design and form, the building contractors relied heavily on historic photographs of the mansion (Coleman & Fairman Builders, 2009). But what makes Mt Wilga a heritage site? One may ask. Well, according to Hornsby Shire Council (2011, p. 3), “the concept of heritage significance is based on the understanding that the particular item has historic, aesthetic, scientific or social value for the past, present and future generations”. Hence, the Mt Wilga mansion qualified as a heritage item based on its distinct and rare Queen Anne style, its multi-level roof, and the decorative gables and other detailing which are rare on houses in the wider NSW area. According to the Hornsby Shire Council (2011), the gardens surrounding Mt Wilga, as well as its association with Sir Henry Marcus Clark also add to its aesthetic and historic significance. Currently, the 20-room mansion sits on 2.3 hectares. Figure 1: The Mt Wilga House during construction Source: Hayward (2011, p. 5). Historical significance According to the Heritage Office (2008), Mt Wilga is a mansion whose reputation is closely tied to its original owner Henry Marcus Clark. Clark had designed and planned the mansion in great detail since he wanted to make it a winter retreat. The Heritage Office (2008) further notes that the original garden by Clark was a reflection of aesthetic beauty, which was meant to define the main access to the property, while also defining its boundary. Notably, the garden was planned in a manner that concealed the mansion from direct view of the main access route, and one could only take notice of it near the entry to the compound area. The garden as designed and planned by Clark is also a historical reflection of his innovativeness and willingness to do things out of the norm. According to The Heritage Office (2008), “a formal area of the garden was laid out to the north of the house and open paddocks and orchard to the west of the house. To the south and south east was the service area” (Heritage Office, 2008, no. page). Such planning undoubtedly created a scenic view of all sides of the mansion. Clark and his unique designing and planning aside, the historical significance of Mt Wilga is also contained in the manner in which the mansion changed ownership, and the different activities it was used for. In 1919 and six years after Clark died, his Wife Georgina Clark and children moved to a replica house they had build in Dubbo. However, it was not until 1926 that the Clarks sold the mansion and part of its land to Jessie Scott, who in turn initiated the subdivision of the land and allotment in a process that led to the creation of Manor Road (Heritage Office, 2008). Notably, a large allotment where Mt Wilga stood remained in the private hands of Dr Smallpage who had acquired it in 1948. He later sold it to the Commonwealth of Australia in 1952, which rehabilitated the mansion to serve as a rehabilitation hospital. Most of the alterations that occurred in the original design were done during the 35-year period when the mansion was converted into a rehab. The gardens were also altered to accommodate several other buildings for the rehabilitation hospital (Heritage Office, 2008). Figure 2: The finished mansion Source: Coleman and Fairman Builders (2009). In 1987, The Commonwealth of Australia sold Mt Wilga to Alpha Pacific, a company which used the mansion as a private rehabilitation hospital. Before the sale however, Howard Tanner & Associates (the company that had managed the mansion for the Commonwealth of Australia) had written to the Heritage and Conservation Branch recommending Mt Wilga to be conserved as a heritage site. The application and recommendation by the Associates Company were successful and a Permanent Conservation Order (PCO) was placed on the mansion and some of its surrounding land in 1987 (Heritage Office, 2008). The PCO had consequences to subsequent owners since they could not subdivide or remodel the mansion without the direct approval of the Heritage Council. In 1988 for example, Alpha Pacific sought to subdivide the land surrounding Mt Wilga. The Heritage Council however refused and only approved a modified proposal that saw to the surrounding land being subdivided into two allotments, one which was sold to the Buddhist sect (Heritage Office, 2008). Since the subdivision, the Mt Wilga and its surrounding grounds have changed ownership severally. According to the Brand Report (2008 cited by the Heritage Office, 2008), the owners then were AustCorp Project No. 1 Pty Ltd. Significance of Mt Wilga to Hornsby Shire residents It is often said that one can gauge the importance of an item based on how people react when its existence is under threat. Such was the situation in Hornsby when AustCorp Pty Ltd sought to build 91 aged care units. Immediately the news of the intended development plans seeped to the public, a group dubbed the Mt Wilga Neighborhood Group was up in arms in opposition of the proposed plan. The group was specifically formed to stop any actions by private owners, which may lessen the heritage significance of the Mt Wilga mansion and its grounds (Huffer, 2009). Notably, the development plans had been approved by Hornsby Shire Council through the Development Control Plan (DCP). According to the Hornsby Shire Council (2011), the DCP’s main purpose is to “provide guidance and outline specific controls for development relating to heritage items and heritage conservation areas” in the region (p. 2). Based on the manner that the Mt Wilga neighborhood group reacted to the proposed development plans in and around the cottage, it is apparent that the community was neither involved, nor consulted regarding the project. Most importantly, it is worth noting that the community did not agree with the DCP’s decision to approve the construction of 91 aged care units in and around the Wilga mansion. Although it is not explicitly stated why the Mt Wilga neighborhood was opposed to the construction of aged care units in and around the mansion, one gets the impression that the restoration carried out in the Mt Wilga mansion in 2005 would have been wasted if the proposed units were to be constructed. It is worth noting that the restoration of the mansion was meant to conserve the mansion’s original form and detail, something which would have been wasted away if the proposed construction went ahead. Luckily for the Mt Wilga Neighborhood Group, the construction of aged care units was watered down when the mansion ownership changed hands once again. Currently, Mt Wilga is owned by Laing and Simmons Hornsby (Huffer, 2009). The mansion was redeveloped into an 80-bed rehabilitation facility, in what is today known as the Mt Wilga Private Hospital (Murray, 2011). See map at < http://www.mtwilgaprivate.com.au/Our-Hospital/location.aspx> Among the rare aspects of the mansion that have withstood the test of time and human-related alterations include the mansion’s Queen Anne design. According to Johnson (2002), the Queen Anne architectural design is not only classical, but also fun to see because of its whimsical and theatric aspects. Notably, the architectural design produced houses that are classical especially because of their hipped roofs, ribbed chimney stacks, and three-side bays. Among the distinctive features that are worth conserving for present and future generations include the circular windows lightly referred as bulls-eye windows, leadlight windows that have a decorative aspect, the ‘witches’ hat roofing, the elaborate timber decorations, the high ceilings and the plaster work among others. Johnson (2002) aptly defines the Queen Anne style as one that was “carefree in interpretation collecting elements that might be piled on the building by fascination and whim. Yet, Queen Anne had order, symmetry and most assuredly, it was domestic” (p.16). The statement by Johnson (2002) could be interpreted to mean that although the Queen Anne design seemed like a melee of designs in the construction phase, the resulting house was always a sight to behold. As Johnson (2002) observes, the Queen Anne houses such as Mt Wilga were “born in revivalism and nurtured in eclecticism”, yet they had certain viability in them (p. 16). Additionally, Australians easily embraced the design as their own despite having its origin in England. Considering the above mentioned aspect of the Queen Anne architectural design, and noting that such houses are rare in NSW and even in the larger Australia, one can easily understand why the Heritage Office issued a permanent conservation order on Mt Wilga in 1987. It is also probable that members of the Mt Wilga Neighborhood Group were opposed to developments since they perceived it as a threat to the aesthetic and historical significance of the Mt Wilga Mansion. Mt Wilga and the future There is no doubt that Mt Wilga has aesthetic and historic significance, which may interest current and future generations. In addition to its physical properties which one can see upon visiting the mansion, documented history about the mansion is also among the viable ways that current and future generations will learn interesting facts about the heritage site. Notably however, the Heritage Office is the only online resource that has comprehensive details regarding the mansion. As such, and unless more online resources are created, the Heritage Office’s online resource will remain the only comprehensive resource for present and future generations to learn about Mt Wilga. One cannot rule out the possibility that Mt Wilga’s history will be passed verbally from one generation to the other. Like most unique items, Mt Wilga will indubitably arouse some probing from any visitor or new residents in the area. Hence, residents who have lived in the area for generations, and who have mastered Mt Wilga’s history, will probably have to explain the historical significance of the mansion to such inquisitive minds. Overall, despite Mt Wilga being characterized as a private property, its significance in Hornsby Shire and especially in Manor Road cannot be ignored. The formation of the Mt Wilga Neighborhood Group is just a reflection of the historical and aesthetic significance that locals attach to the mansion. The same significance is also evident in the 1987 decision by the state to issue a permanent conservation order on Mt Wilga. Notably however, the significance of Mt Wilga as both an aesthetic building and as a historical item needs to be documented in greater detail for purposes of conserving the same for future generations. References Coleman & Fairman Builders (2009). Heritage restoration: Mt Wilga residence. Project Sheet #105. Hayward, H.E. (2011). Bound to rise: the Marcus Clark Connection: the life and legacy of an entrepreneur. Occasional Papers in History and Theology. 2:1-8. Heritage Office (2008). Mount Wilga House. Heritage Branch. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/07_subnav_02_2.cfm?itemid=5044998 Hornsby Shire Council (2011). Heritage development control plan. Hornsby Shire. 1-81. Huffer, J. (2009). Mt Wilga to be sold by struggling developer. Hornsby Advocate. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://hornsby-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mt-wilga-to-be-sold-by-struggling-developer/ Johnson, D. L. (2002). Australian Architecture 1901-51: Sources of modernism. University of Sydney Library. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/ozlit/pdf/sup0001.pdf Murray, O. (2011). Big expansion at Mt Wilga. Hornsby Advocate. Retrieved January 25, 2012 from: http://hornsby-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/big-expansion-for-mt-wilga/ Read More