If I were a rich man

If I were a rich man...I'd buy Macquarie Field House! This brilliant old house and property recently went on the market and is expected to fetch a price of $10-12 million dollars. Still a while to wait for the inheritance, so better make sure I get myself a ticket for the next lotto draw! 

There is so much history in this 65-acre property. Macquarie Field House was built in 1840 and has an interesting history. It was built by Samuel Terry for Sydney's first mayor John Hosking and is acknowledged as one of the finest examples of early Australian domestic architecture. It is built in the regency style. In 1858, George Fairfowl Macarthur leased the property to St Marks Collegiate School for boys. In 1868 the school amalgamated with the Kings School at Parramatta with most of Macarthur's pupils moving to this prestigious school. It was later owned by J. Ashcroft and then the Ross brothers, then by a syndicate of Kershaw and Hipsley. In 1944 the Department of Agriculture acquired the property. The house had come to the attention of the National Trust after it became severely dilapidated- a melancholy ruin that seemed destined for demolition. David Jamieson purchased the property in 1963 and thankfully restored it to its former splendour.

The house around 1960 before restoration

The house was later classified by the National Trust and a Conservation Order was placed on it in the early 1980s. After David Jamieson, the house was owned by the Department of Public Works and then a number of private owners.

Built before Macquarie Field House and located to the west of the house was the building known as Meehan's Castle. Named by Governor Macquarie, it was built by James Meehan on his Macquarie Field grant. It was a large two storey brick building with a barn-like appearance that Meehan built before 1820. It was demolished and gone by the 1950s and sadly hardly any trace remains.

Another early brick building of eleven rooms also once existed on the property. This was probably the cottage for Meehan to live in. An eight-stall stable and out houses could also be found.

Although still privately owned, the house has not been lived in since it was last sold in 2015. Today the site is on the State Heritage Register, meaning any proposed development is subject to strict controls designed to maintain the strict heritage significance of not only the house itself, but also its "intact 19th century rural cultural landscape". Given this heritage protection, it is likely to appeal to private buyers rather than developers. Better start getting friendly with that rich great aunt.

Macquarie Field House in the 1980s

The property today surrounded by modern suburbia (Realestate.com.au)

Written by Andrew Allen

Our Oldest Photograph

The oldest photograph is our local studies collection is this one above. It shows the Cadet Corps that was formed at St Mark's Collegiate School at Macquarie Fields House. The house was leased to George Fairfowl Macarthur for use as a boarding school for boys. He moved the St Mark's Collegiate School from Darling Point to Macquarie Fields House in 1858. The school became the most fashionable in the colony. The first school cadet corps in NSW was formed at the school in 1866. The school merged with the King's School in 1868 and moved to Parramatta. The photograph is taken around 1866 and is in sepia. It was purchased by the library in 2007.

Macquarie Field's House deteriorated badly during and after the Second World War. As early as 1951, the National Trust of Australia began moved to have the building restored. Most restoration work took place from 1958 to 1963. It stands proudly restored today close to the suburb of Macquarie Links.

(Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society Collection)

Written by Andrew Allen

How to Renovate and how NOT to Renovate!

Two of Campbelltown's most historic and treasured buildings both underwent renovations in the 1960s. Campbellfield at Minto and Macquarie Field House both had work done to them. In the case of Macquarie Field House, the renovations saved the house from demolition or falling down. In the case of Campbellfield, the "renovations" almost completely destroyed one of the most valuable examples of colonial architecture and construction, not only in Campbelltown, but the entire country.

Campbellfield at Minto was built on a grant of 800 acres made to Dr William Redfern in 1811. Redfern came to the colony as a convict in 1801 and became a medical practitioner and respected colonist. He retired to his farm at Campbellfield after 1816 and built this house before 1820.

In the mid 1960s crude and disastrous renovations were carried out on the cottage. The first lot of alterations and additions saw a detached kitchen and stables demolished as well as closing in of the rear veranda and the house extended at the northern end. Further renovations virtually destroyed the building, leaving only the stone flagged veranda, a chimney and stone cellar intact. Redfern expert and historian Arthur Jones, who was a teacher at nearby Minto Public at the time, was told by his pupils that Redfern's house had been pulled down. When he went to see what happened at recess, he found that most of the building had been demolished.

Now for the good story. Macquarie Field House in the early 1960s was in a sad state of decay. At one stage it faced likely demolition. In fact it had fallen into such a state of dilapidation that it was almost beyond restoration. A melancholy ruin on a lonely hilltop and mercifully mostly hidden by trees. Enter David Jamieson. He leased the property from the Department of Agriculture and between 1962 and 1963 completely restored the house, entirely at his own expense. It was restored to the requirements of the Government Architect and the National Trust. What a pity Campbellfield didn't have the same requirements. It became Jamieson's home and arrangements were made by the Trust to make periodical inspections. Today this grand old colonial house stands proud on that same hilltop adjacent to the new suburb of Macquarie Links.

An interesting fact about the restoration of Macquarie Field House was that the house's missing fireplace mantles were replaced by marble mantles from "Subiaco", one of the finest colonial homes built in Sydney. It was located at Rydalmere and built between 1833 and 1836 and demolished in 1961.

Below are before and after photographs of Campbellfield and Macquarie Field House after their renovations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

Campbellfield, Guernsey Avenue, Minto
A Heritage Study For the Ministerial Development Corporation, February 1996

Campbelltown-Ingleburn News, 15.7.1975

Sydney Morning Herald, 22.9.1961

Macquarie Field House and it's restoration- notes from James Munro's Notebook

Macquarie Fields House to be saved- newspaper extract from CAHS Dr I. G. Thomas estate.

Macquarie Fields Gatehouse

Exciting news! Campbelltown Library has acquired artefacts from an archaeological excavation of Macquarie Fields Gatehouse. The excavation was undertaken by Archaeological and Heritage Management Solutions in late 2011 after they were commissioned by the Glenfield Junction Alliance  to carry out the excavation. Road works unearthed brick features leading to the archaeological investigation. The find included bottles, glass, ceramics, building material, metal and bone.

The site area was adjacent to Campbelltown Road, Glenfield, near its intersection with Beech Road. It was situated in the extreme north of the Campbelltown Local Government Area boundary.

In 1810 the Surveyor General James Meehan had 10 acres of his land grant at Macquarie Fields in cultivation, 40 acres cleared and a house with 4 men employed. At the end of 1820 the Rev Thomas Reddall rented out the main building at Macquarie Field for a school. The building became known as Meehan's Castle.

A larger house known as Macquarie Field House was constructed in the late 1830s or early 1840s. George Fairfowl Macarthur headmaster of St Mark's Collegiate School Darling Point moved his school and family to Macquarie Field House in 1858 when the facilities at St Mark's proved inadequate for expanding the school. It was at Macquarie Field House that the first school cadet corps was founded and the cadet uniform was worn by the boys as a general school uniform.

The gatehouse at Macquarie Field appears from historical evidence to date from the latter part of the 1820s and the available evidence from the occupation deposits do not contradict that date. Archaeological evidence suggests that the gatehouse was demolished in the 1870s. The death of the owner and subsequent sub-division of the estate would have been the probable reason.

In the early 1900s, the architect William Hardy Wilson embarked on a personal quest to record the finest colonial architecture still extant around the Sydney district. One of the sites he recorded, using just art paper stained with tea, was the gates at Macquarie Field. The drawing was made after the gate house was demolished yet it was recorded in the drawing. Wilson was presumably informed of its presence or perhaps some of the footings were still visible and he was able to use these for his sketch.

Between 1917 and 1924 the northern part of the property was sold. The gates had probably gone by 1924 as they are not mentioned by the owner in his reminiscences on the estate.

Gate lodges or houses were considered more than structures to provide security or simple shelter for gatekeepers. As the historian Timothy Mowl said "Lodges were not merely garden structures, they were designed as entrances, garden buildings on the perimeter to lure respectable visitors to view similar pleasures within."

The artefacts will be stored in the Local Studies Collection and will be displayed to the public on a date to be decided.

The convict built gates to Macquarie Field Estate and the site of the archaeological excavation

Written by Andrew Allen

St Marks Collegiate School

Of all the wonderful images we have in the library's collection, I think this is my favourite. It dates to 1866 and shows officers and other ranks of the St Marks Collegiate School Cadet Corps in front of Macquarie Field House. It was established as a boarding school for boys by the Reverend George Fairfowl Macarthur.

The school was moved from Darling Point by Macarthur to the 800 acre property of Macquarie Fields in 1858. It would come to prosper here and resident enrolments rose to more than 80. Macarthur built up a cadet corps, systemized the curriculum and enlisted the aid of university professors. He also insisted that boarders should wear the cadet uniform every day as normal school uniform but day boys were not required to do so.

Military drill had been introduced to some schools in Sydney as early as 1834. A member of Macarthur's staff had been on a visit to England where he had observed the greater public schools operating cadet-training schemes. He noted the benefits that the boys derived from such training. This led to Macarthur requesting 'consideration of a proposal to institute a corps of cadets'.

The local studies section of the library contains the full list of names of the cadets and staff in this photograph.

Written by Andrew Allen